#what is friendship if not the meaning to life and the core of community

[emimayooo]

can everyone be my friend. I’m so fucking good at it.

[vickyvicarious]

Oh yes, the feeling that you have to rely to the creeper who you loathe so much that you have come to hate even the rooms he resides in, that he's not the scariest thing in your life, that you have to run to his arms for safety. Horror! Dracula claiming him was the high point of the entry (than the almost-bite)

Honestly, yeah. The dynamics between Dracula and Jonathan are so scary, to the point that all the supernatural events are the cherry on top rather than the main course, as far as the horror of this section goes.

Dracula does so much manipulation here, holds so many different kinds of power over Jonathan, and multiple levels of each too. He's got physical power - both in the sense of the castle being a prison, and in the sense of his incredible strength. He's got social power - as a noble, and as a client/boss. He's got monetary power over Jonathan too, able to potentially make or ruin his career. He has so much control over Jonathan's ability to express himself - he's the only company available to him, he's forcing him to keep up a pretense of friendship, he's limiting and controlling his communication with others. Jonathan has no escape: he can't go out of the castle because he's locked in, he can't go many places inside the castle because he's locked out of them, and now he can't leave the rooms Dracula wants him in because otherwise the vampire ladies will get him, and within those rooms there is nowhere safe from Dracula himself. Jonathan has seemingly no action he can take: if he sneaks around behind Dracula's back, a greater threat awaits. If he acts openly, Dracula's own threat may become realized. If he doesn't act at all, he's doomed. If he acts at all, he's doomed. If he trusts Dracula, he's doomed. If he doesn't trust Dracula, he's doomed.

Of course, the supernatural elements are the mechanics by which Dracula increases the stakes, the threats underlying the charming veneer. Specifically, the introduction of the vampire women is what puts Jonathan in this seemingly inescapable box, and one with potential threats to something even greater than his life.

But Dracula's playing this Bluebeard role and could have done so with some more mundane threat as well, without changing too terribly much about his own actions. Where he's scariest (at least to me) is in these interactions with Jonathan, in these manipulative webs and traps he lays out in his words, in the way he pushes so many boundaries until they're forced to collapse or warp under the pressure. Jonathan's privacy keeps getting worn away. Dracula's speech and touch get more familiar and more possessive. He started out the first night blaming Jonathan for the things he did himself ('oh, why did you make your conversation so interesting we had to stay up all night?') and escalates until now he's making Jonathan be the one to act, and to suffer the consequences: whether in forcing him to lie to his loved ones, or in dangling the bait of sleeping outside his room and then only barely saving him when he does. And Jonathan has no real choice but to act. To fail to do so, in one way or another, would mean giving up all hope at escape or likely even survival. But because he has to act, he winds up feeling complicit. He ends up in situations where Dracula thanks him, forgives him, saves him. It keeps putting them on seemingly the same side, with Jonathan in a lesser/reliant role. And that's all a huge lie, at its core. But in a very real way, it's true too, to an extent. More and more, he's getting layers of resistance scraped away, and having to seek safety from Dracula now is so, so horrifying. In many ways all he truly has left is his will to live, his internal determination to resist - and now he's been given powerful incentive not to trust in that latter part too much. It's absolutely brutal.

He's walking a wire that just keeps getting thinner and thinner. All he can possibly do is try to keep this balancing act going, and hope for something to change that will give him more options down the line.

[northrnfool]

Here’s my take on Lokius, because I’m seeing a lot of posts with people saying they just see friendship there.

You’re pointing out a key ingredient in a good love story: it is a friendship at it’s core. As my girl Scully once said on The X Files, “Well, it seems to me that the best relationships - the ones that last - are frequently the ones that are rooted in friendship. You know, one day you look at the person and you see something more than you did the night before. Like a switch has been flicked somewhere. And the person who was just a friend is... suddenly the only person you can ever imagine yourself with.”

A real love story is about connection, trust, reliability, communication, bringing out the best in the other person. And Loki and Mobius tick every one of those boxes off. Also, the chemistry is off the charts, so that definitely helps.

When I look back on Loki’s history, on his relationships (and he’s probably the only character in Marvel that I’ve cared about through the whole MCU run), he’s never had someone who is capable of keeping a cool head around him, of consistently not falling for his tricks, who’s seen his entire life and has compassion for him, who not only doesn’t see him as a villain but actually sees the best he’s capable of. Who is capable of actually building trust with Loki - TRUST! Loki actually trusting someone and being trustworthy back! Someone who can calm Loki down with a touch (a lot of touching, actually. Wow) and a few words. Who is willing to put his own life on the line because he believes in Loki. To sum up, Mobius is everything that Loki needs in a partner. And Loki, in return, brings the spark, the push to find the truth, the desire to actually live, to Mobius.

Even going back to a comment I made a few days ago: On Our Flag Means Death, Stede asks Mary what it feels like to be in love and she says, “It's just like breathing. He understands my idiosyncrasies. We expose each other to new things, new ideas. And we laugh a lot. We just pass the time so well. I'd call those things love.” I see all of that in their relationship.

So… yeah…. I very much doubt Marvel will make them canon, but I really don’t care. There’s a beautiful love story there, no matter what.

[almayver]

Alma dear, you’ve said that you’ve been on the jealous peem train for a long time. How do you think he’d act? What are the most juicy scenarios you can conjure with jealous peem?

Hey Cole! So yep, i’ve been in the Jealous Peem train for months now, but the funniest thing is I actually have no concrete idea?

Because the thing is, I don’t think Peek would know how to act either. He has probably only ever felt like mild envy towards Qs talent and things like that, but this? This has this weird tint of possessiveness to it that I don’t think he would know how to handle. And I think that’s what would make it interesting. Because you know our boy loves open communication, but it's hard to communicate when you don’t fully understand your feelings and when you feel like you shouldn’t be having them, right?

Ok this turned into a full-blown rant and doesn't make total sense but, putting it under the read more so I don't put a wall of text in the tag

So exploring that, I also believe it would be very specific. Like someone says that Phum is handsome and/or compliments him? Yeah, Peem at most rolls his eyes because yeah his boyfriend is the most beautiful person on earth, and he is great, those are just facts, actually more people should be saying it. Someone flirts with Phum? Well that’s just funny to him, they would probably make Phum flustered and Peem loves to tease his boyfriend. Also, he is just so secure on his boyfriend’s feelings that the fear would never be that Phum is going to leave him or find someone better. So what would make Peem jealous?

Well, jealousy at its core is about insecurities, right? So possible scenarios here that would make Peem feel weird (jealous Peem, you feel jealous)

The first one is a soft, fluffy friendship one! Peem is very much someone that is very good at comforting people, and with the comment of “You made me feel I couldn't be your comfort zone” we know how important that is to him, specially with Phum. But maybe down the line Phum feeling like shit for whatever reason and Q is the one to comfort him for some reason, maybe Peem is busy (I'm never leaving the Q-Phum besties agenda, I live there actually). And the fun element here would be the warring emotions of being so fucking happy that not only two very important people in his life are so close and comfortable with each other, but also the fact that this means Phum is not lonely and has so many people in his corner and that is the best thing he could hope for.

But. But there is this weird thing in his head that feels weird, this pure want of being the one that comforts Phum, the one that knows exactly what to say to make him feel better. And I think he would have that spiral of “what if I'm not good enough support for him, what if I'm a bad boyfriend, am I a bad friend and boyfriend for even thinking like this”. And he is maybe a little bitter, but he hates feeling like that. Eventually of course both Phum and Q would notice and be like “dummy, come on”, Q would probably actually call him dumb, while Phum would just go full puppy eyes and reassure him and also say something like “Honestly Q mostly calms me by talking about you.”

Ok got sidetracked by friendship feelings there sorry not even sure if that counts as jealousy, but I had to get that scenario out there

The others would be a bit more classic silly jealousy, I think.

So the second one that came to mid would come from how different their fields of study are. Imagine Phum working on a project being very excited talking about it (I was going to give an example, but I did 5 years of engineering and I still have no clue what civil engineers do so idk vague project it is) and it all sounds like Greek to Peem and Phum is scared that he is boring him so he stops rambling about it. But then Peem sees Phum talking with other engineering students, and it's just *sad kitten noises* because he doesn't know enough to talk like that with his boyfriend, and he is jealous of everyone that gets his attention in this very specific way that he can't get. (He later realizes that Phum feels the same way when he talks with Q about art and throughout their relationship they both just learn to listen to the other talk even when they don't fully understand and accept that the other just likes to hear them talk about things that they are passionate about)

The final one, tho? That's the one i crave. Because you know what I think would make Peem weirdly possessive and go all “MY puppy”? Someone making Phum laugh.

Phum, mister “casual small smirk 90% of the time but when I fully smile it looks like the sun came out”. They are maybe out in a bar or a party or whatever, and Phum goes for drinks or something and Peem is talking with the group about something when he hears Phum's laughter. And he stops and perks up like a meerkat because I'm sorry what. That sound normally only occurs when Phum is near him what is happening, something isn't right in the universe. And he looks towards the direction of the sound a Phum is cracking up because of some stranger and Peem is SEETHING, and he doesn't understand why, but he is angry and bitter and petty (everyone in the group is completely amused, they have never seen him like this)

But how would he react to that weird bitter feeling? Because i feel like even with the jealousy, he would never be mean or rude to someone that isn't doing something wrong. And also he wouldn't accuse Phum of anything because he knows that he would only feel sad. So I think he would go the other direction and basically do the equivalent of marking his territory. Like he suddenly ups the devoted attentive boyfriend thing to 200%, and he turns into a clingy koala. And he just keeps trying to make Phum smile and laugh because dammit, that pretty smile is his thanks. That is his personal sunlight, thank you very much. (Phum is delighted and just keeps smiling like the sun which just makes Peem want to make him smile even more, its a very fun cycle) But idk, that's a possibility.

(There's another more elaborate scenario that keeps bouncing around in my head that maybe ill turn into a fic but if it stays a half formed idea ill throw it in your inbox dear)

...that was A LOT. Thanks for sending this ask Cole that turned into a fun thought experiment.

[utilitycaster]

forgive me if i don’t make sense bc i don’t really know how to articulate this, but taliesin talked a lot about “trying to figure out what punk means in exandria” and wondering what’s there to be angry about. and after the last string of episodes i feel like that it’s a question that he baked into ashton’s character. like yes ashton is punk and they have justified anger but the Rest of their anger is deflective to stop them from interrogating themselves and their decisions further. idk it’s really interesting to me

It is! It's something I really love about Ashton and it's something I think Taliesin was very thoughtful about in his character creation. I think Taliesin is extremely strong in character creation in general, and it's a rare person who can make a character based on a philosophical premise who also feels very real.

That really is the core of Ashton, and I think it's a great commentary. I do still intend to watch The Decline of Western Civilization Part III (winter break perhaps?) but I am broadly familiar with the gutter-punks on which Ashton was based, and again, the punk movement as a whole. There have always been politically-minded punks; but I advise you look up the backgrounds of, say, the average Fugazi/Minor Threat, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, or Propagandhi musician because they are, by and large, middle-class white guys with relatively stable and happy childhoods, and the idea of Ashton as someone dedicated to the Tumblr uwu kindness is punk "look at this perfect baby who doesn't steal pennies how kind and generous to only take literally everything else" archetype was always a massive projection. They've always been far more in the model of the Break Shit, Get Wasted punk than, well, the straight edge and veganism of the above.

(I also think that while it's true that a lot of punk houses did take in anyone and were something of a refuge for many a la Color In Your Cheeks, there was also a lot of Missing Stair Fallacy shit going on in the punk community even then. Ashton is in fact an example of the flaws in that sort of subculture: the Nobodies were there until they really, really weren't, and that's not unusual for that kind of punk friendship. It's found family until you're too inconvenient and dangerous to make it worth it. Taliesin explores this a lot, incidentally; that was very much what he was doing with Molly, and I would love to hear him talk about that kind of surface-level closeness that isn't strong enough to stick because as someone who both participates in fandom and loves to observe and analyze fandom as a phenomenon itself, it's a very real dynamic.)

Ashton has had an awful life. That's the premise. Nothing good has happened to them. There are plenty of valid reasons for them to be angry. Some are people who deserve it (their parents for the fucked up ritual; the Nobodies for abandoning them; Jiana Hexum for exploiting them), some are people who don't deserve their anger but to be fair haven't done anything to deserve their respect either (Percy, the gods), but many have been perfectly kind and reasonable and Ashton has rejected them because they're in a position of authority or seemed too nice. And there's plenty of stuff he's mad about that isn't easily pinned on anyone; the chronic pain is a shitty side effect of one or both of his traumas but no one person is responsible.

Ashton is an incredibly cynical person, and this extends to himself. As I've said before, I think they absolutely mean it when they say that they would have done the exact same thing the Nobodies would do, and this has been used to both cover up the intense hurt that came from their abandonment, but also, I think part of Ashton's own self-loathing comes from the fact that yeah, they are the kind of person who'd have done the same, and that isn't a very good person, and being angry at the Nobodies and Jiana and the world at large has allowed him to avoid looking that truth in the face. Ashton has always bounced between "I'll be the best broken thing I can be" and "what if I could be more? what if I could be what I could have been if things went well?" and also "who the fuck cares" and the reveal, that when the chips are down, he will make an ill-advised and self-destructive choice from that place of pain and anger has really rattled them. He can't keep just being angry and using that to shield himself from difficult questions. It won't just kill them, but it will hurt everyone around them too.

A really ugly truth of life is that even when something is completely not your fault and even when you have been dealt a rotten, unfair hand, often, you do have some degree of responsibility to deal with it ("And if it isn't my fault, I certainly didn't do anything to deal with it," as Ashton says.) The mere act of being angry is cathartic but doesn't actually solve anything. I think that's Keyleth's message to Orym, actually; it's not fair, and you're angry that it's not fair, but you need to use that anger to do things yourself instead of letting it consume you or passing the buck because it sure as hell isn't your turn. Ashton has, since the solstice, been playing tug of war with the idea that this anger has perhaps not been serving him, and he finally lost. Initially they realized a lot of this anger had been self-pity, but then, as they said, one week of thinking their parents actually were something led them to do the exact same dumb cult shit. Instead of stopping and listening to Evontra'vir and Allura, he said "no, I'm special, actually." And to be clear I think their motives were incredibly complicated and well-thought-out on Taliesin's part. It's not just because of his parents, it's not entirely selfish or out of heroics but those certainly did play a part, he did genuinely think it would help but he also ignored a number of warnings that it wouldn't. Again, I think the parallels between Ashton and FCG are glaringly obvious this episode, except Ashton hid their feelings with anger and FCG with a focus on everyone else's needs.

[richincolor]

Ode to the Olympics: Books & Sports

I'm a big fan of the Olympics and have absolutely let responsibilities go in favor of watching amazing sport. And I thought, as the Olympics come to a close that I'd share some books that focus on athletes aiming to be their best all while dealing with the trials of adolescence. 

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident. When Jaxon's former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him. But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with. After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon's dreams, their story isn’t over yet.

Check out this trailer for Rez Ball coming next month!

You Don't Have a Shot by Racquel Marie

Valentina “Vale” Castillo-Green’s life revolves around soccer. Her friends, her future, and her father’s intense expectations are all wrapped up in the beautiful game. But after she incites a fight during playoffs with her long-time rival, Leticia Ortiz, everything she’s been working toward seems to disappear. Embarrassed and desperate to be anywhere but home, Vale escapes to her beloved childhood soccer camp for a summer of relaxation and redemption…only to find out that she and the endlessly aggravating Leticia will be co-captaining a team that could play in front of college scouts. But the competition might be stiffer than expected, so unless they can get their rookie team’s act together, this second chance―and any hope of playing college soccer―will slip through Vale’s fingers. When the growing pressure, friendship friction, and her overbearing father push Vale to turn to Leticia for help, what starts off as a shaky alliance of necessity begins to blossom into something more through a shared love of soccer. . . and maybe each other.

Chasing Pacquiano by Rod Pulido

Self preservation. That's Bobby's motto for surviving his notoriously violent high school unscathed. Being out and queer would put an unavoidable target on his back, especially in a Filipino community that frowns on homosexuality. It's best to keep his head down, get good grades, and stay out of trouble. But when Bobby is unwillingly outed in a terrible way, he no longer has the luxury of being invisible. A vicious encounter has him scrambling for a new way to survive--by fighting back. Bobby is inspired by champion Filipino boxer Manny Pacquiao to take up boxing and challenge his tormentor. Then Pacquiao publicly declares his stance against queer people, and Bobby's faith--in his hero and in himself--is shaken to the core.

And Other Mistakes by Erika Turner

Aaliyah's home life has never been great, but she thought she'd survive her last years of high school with at least her friendships and cross-country stardom intact. That is, until junior year she got outed by a church elder and everything came undone ― including Aaliyah. Now, senior year is about to start and she is determined to come back faster and wiser. No more letting other people define her. No more losing herself to their expectations. Except... well, with new friends, old flames, nosy school counselors, and teammates who don't trust her yet, the route already feels rough. And what's with the new girl, Tessa, who gives Aaliyah butterflies every time she looks at her? Regardless, everything is fine. She'll be fine. Because this is the year to prove to everyone―and most of all, herself―that she's more than her mistakes. After all, even Aaliyah can't outrun everything.

[fishfingersandjellybabies]

Bring me to Life, by Evanescence ?

Dick is always known as 'the strong one.' The Big Brother. The Eldest. The Leader. The one with a plan. The one who always knows what's going on.

He doesn't know where anyone got that idea about him. It couldn't be further from the truth.

If anything, he was just a good liar.

But the facade began to break when Bruce 'died.' When the family splintered. And he was left standing in the ashes with nothing but a cowl and a child that wasn't his.

A child who hated him. A child who may have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

Because despite the rocky start, this child, Damian, was brilliant. Rude, mean - but brilliant. And no one would give him that credit. Not even Dick.

Not until after Dick proved their partnership was legit, though. Not until after the stumbling Batman ran into that empty circus and fought a pig-masked freak for Damian's honor. But Dick noticed. Dick was the only one who noticed.

Damian was picking up his pieces. Damian watched him, learned from him, about him. What made him tick. What made him trigger. Damian trusted him, and that was a tall ask, he knew that even then.

But Damian trusted him. Made it his own mission to protect Dick, no matter what. No matter who.

He fought Tim for Dick. Jason. The Titans. The Justice League. Bruce. Without a second's hesitation, ever.

He even fought Dick for Dick. Picked the man up when he was down and out. Listened when he knew Dick was struggling mentally, even if Dick wouldn't admit it to himself. Reminded him of his strength, his tenacity, his wit.

And just how much Damian loved him. How that should be enough for Dick to want to take care of himself.

(It always was.)

Dick never told Damian how much he appreciated that. Appreciated Damian and his care. His partnership. His friendship. They were best friends. Damian, despite all the people Dick had ever met, was his anchor. His rock. His everything.

And then, the eleven year old was slaughtered.

To the shock of the entire hero community, Damian's death rocked the entire Batfamily to its core - every single one of them. Tim started seeing things. Bruce went mad. Jason retreated.

Dick shattered again, this time smaller pieces than when Bruce died.

No one was there to pick up his pieces. No one was there to snap him out of it as he mourned.

Damian wasn't there to save him anymore.

"What do I do, Dames?" He'd ask the empty sky. Over and over again. Night after day after night. "What do I do without you?"

The skies never answered.

Dick was gratefully killed by Luthor not much time later. He was disappointed when it didn't stick.

[sillygoofyqueer]

I have been summoned by the newest chapter of losing hope :3

Not much happened but I’m taking this as a “I will give you fluff both after and before things go to shit”

Jingyi being Jin Ling’s reluctant friend is honestly pretty hilarious and I can’t wait to see those two start to get close because I feel like that’ll be like “I hate this person with every fiber of my being but if you make him cry there will be nobody searching for your body and no body to find either.” Especially after they realize the type of environment he was in his entire life in comparison to their childhoods. They’re goofy and I love ‘em.

Wangxian being shameless is always amazing (love that it’s LWJ doing it too!) but Wwx missing his sword. Jesus, that made me sad. It’d be interesting to see how suibian communicates with Wwx because in canon we know that the swords have spirits but that’s never really expanded upon. Especially since suibian sealed itself. It’d be nice to see them communicating with their weapons (also imagine suibian mother henning Wwx? Or even Wwx thinking of suibian as a sibling/parental figure? The angst for that would be great especially combined with the scene of Wwx giving away his golden core. Both of them would know Wwx would never be able to properly use suibian again and wow that would hurt. Also I’d imagine since Jiang cheng can also use suibian, suibian does care for him much like Wwx but also it’d be funny if it didn’t particularly like him. Like, the entire time Jiang cheng uses suibian it is fluently cursing at him.)

Jingyi picking up on LWJ pining/flirting is very funny but probably not as funny as it will be when sizhui realizes that A) they’ve both been pining for each other for almost two decades B) 100% they are not in a relationship even if they’re totally shameless with each other and C) they both SOMEHOW have NO IDEA that the other likes them back. The facepalm when that realization sinks in will be funny :3

As always fuck JGY.

Also as always, your writing is amazing four and I wish I could give you more Kudos <3333

Remember to take care of yourself and take breaks!

Just...just picture me holding you close right now. That's it, that's the sentence.

Now, I don't know what you meeeaaaan, there is barely any angst in my fic whatsoever and there will never be anymore angst-...*checks timeline doc*....for nowwww....In all seriousness though, I can't actually remember/decide if there will be any angst next chapter, but oh boy if there was wouldn't that be silly. Wouldn't that be sooo goofy? Guess we'll never ever ever EVER know. I was feeling soft and silly, and this was more of a filler chapter, so I was like, "fluff be upon ye" I guess.

Jingyi and Jin Ling are going to have a very interesting friendship - Jin Ling's been raised differently because Wei Wuxian has kind of been a part of his childhood, so I wonder if that will affect how he builds/views relationships with other people - what do you MEAN I can't foreshadow in my post, who said that?! Anyway, I can't wait to think about it from Lan Sizhui's perspective; dude feels bad for Jin Ling because it is OBVIOUS that this poor guy does not know how to talk to people and if he is befriending what everyone labels as a dangerous criminal, then he is in severe need of friendship. Then there's Jingyi in the background, barking like a chihuahua every time Jin Ling does something that the Lan doesn't like until they devolve into fighting.

Ever since I learned about sword spirits, I've always wondered how Suibian would interact with Wei Wuxian and how they work together. I read one too many SVSSS fics where sword spirits hold a big value in them and it was all downhill from there. Think about it - Wei Wuxian had a lot of people who knew him in Lotus Pier, but he was never truly vulnerable with anyone (except maybe Jiang Yanli, but even then, it wasn't much) because he didn't want to sound ungrateful. So, imagine a Wei Wuxian who found solace in ranting to Suibian. Now imagine a Suibian listening and soothing in their own way. You see my vision, right? Imagine losing that when he needed it the most, during the Burial Mounds. Imagine finally being able to get it back after years of unforgettable trauma and torture, when he desperately needs someone he can rely on without second guessing everything to do with human duality. That doesn't exist with a sword spirit - Suibian just cares.

[heartless-aro]

What is relationship anarchy?

I occasionally see people on here talking about relationship anarchy, but I don’t often see people talk about what that means, so I wanted to explain it for anyone who might not know.

Although relationship anarchy isn’t specifically an “aromantic thing,” the aromantic organization AUREA gives a pretty good definition of what it is. AUREA defines relationship anarchy as “The belief that no kinds of intimate relationships are superior to others, despite some being more highly valued in society. It is usually non-monogamous and is based on the premise that a relationship doesn’t have to conform to socially-prescribed norms. Community interdependence is another important facet of RA (“community not couples”). Opposed to amatonormativity and not specific to aromantics.”

In relationship anarchy, you essentially do away with society’s rules about what your relationships should look like and make your own rules. This means that you don’t compare or rank people/relationships in your life against one another and that you decide how many partners/relationships you want (with the knowledge and consent of all individuals involved), whether that means having no partner, having one partner, or having many partners. It also means that instead of trying to force your relationship to fit neatly into categories of platonic, romantic, sexual, etc., you let your relationship exist as it is, and from there, explicitly communicate with your partner (or each individual partner, if you have more than one) about what you want from your relationship with that person, how you would like to express/explore intimacy with them, etc.

Relationships are often split into categories like platonic, romantic, etc., and from there, societal norms dictate what you can and cannot do in each type of relationship (for example “romantic relationships must involve sex, kissing, cohabitation, and exclusivity/monogamy,” or “in a friendship, you cannot have sex, kiss, live together, raise children, or get married”). Relationship anarchy involves freeing yourself from that and deciding for yourself what will and will not be included in your relationship.

If you have a relationship built off romantic feelings, but you don’t want to kiss your partner, you should ignore the expectation that romantic relationships are “supposed to” involve kissing, and instead clearly communicate with your partner that you don’t want to kiss, and allow yourself to have a romantic relationship without kissing.

Likewise, if you have a relationship based on platonic feelings (e.g., a friendship), and you want to have sex with your partner in that relationship or you want to raise children with them, tell them so and, instead of worrying about whether or not platonic relationships are “supposed to” include these things, allow yourself to have a platonic relationship that involves having sex, or that involves raising children together (so long as your partner consents to this, of course). If you so choose, you can even do away with labels like platonic, romantic, queerplatonic, etc. altogether, rather than try to categorize your feelings or your relationship(s).

Core Beliefs Defining Relationship Anarchy:

So to break down what this really means, I’m going to talk a bit about some of the core tenants that Andie Nordgren, the coiner of the term “relationship anarchy” used to define it. Any direct quotes from this point on will be from an English translation/adaptation of Nordgren’s Swedish language relationship anarchy pamplet “Relationsanarki i 8 punkter,” which was published by Interacting Arts in 2006.

Some core tenants of relationship anarchy are listed and elaborated on below. (Note: There are more than those listed here, since for the purpose of this post I wanted to limit the list to core defining concepts. At the end of the post, I have provided a link to the Andie Nordgren’s full list and explanations, which you can read for more information. )

“Love is abundant, and every relationship is unique” - Love does not have to be limited to one couple. It is possible to love multiple people, and your love for one person does not diminish your love for another. People and relationships in your life should not be ranked or compared with one another; instead, each relationship and person should be cherished individually.

“Love and respect instead of entitlement” - Each relationship in your life should be based off a respect for your partner’s independence and autonomy. Rather than expecting your partner to conform to what you want or what is socially expected of them, you should respect their boundaries/personal beliefs and “let loved ones choose paths that keep their integrity intact, without letting this mean a crisis for the relationship.”

“Find your core set of relationship values” - Figure out how you want to be treated, what your boundaries are, how you want your relationships to work, what your expectations are in a relationship, and what sort of people you want in your life. “Find your core set of values and use it for all relationships. Don’t make special rules and exceptions as a way to show people you love them ‘for real.’” Although all relationships will look a bit different, you should have certain basic boundaries, expectations, etc. that you apply to all relationships (For example, if you have certain boundaries that you would not allow a close friend to cross, you should expect a romantic partner to respect those same boundaries).

“Build for the lovely unexpected” - Let yourself and your relationships be spontaneous. Rather than worrying about what you “should” do, focus on what you actually want to do. “Organize based on a wish to meet and explore each other - not on duties and demands and disappointment when they are not met.”

“Change through communication” - If you want to do something in your relationship that deviates from social norms, you should communicate about this explicitly and outright. Say what you think and feel and ask your partner(s) about stuff.

“Customize your commitments” - “Relationship anarchy is not about never committing to anything - it’s about designing your own commitments with the people around you, and freeing them from norms dictating that certain types of commitments are a requirement for love to be real, or that some commitments like raising children or moving in together have to be driven by certain kinds of feelings. Start from scratch and be explicit about what kind of commitments you want to make with other people!”

[neon-prison]

🩺🚓 annnnd 🚖 (I have no capacity ro read fics atm but I want to knoooow!) - for your new meme :3

tysm for the asks!! and so sorry I've been late with these (because I chose to draw them like a CLOWN). @kohnnor @togepies

From the Get-A-Long Meme!

For length purposes- info under the cut!

Vee and River:

River arrested Vee back in time with a minor charge, but on the way to the station, they got embroiled in a series of wacky hijinks, starting with a car chase and ending with burritos under the highway. River and Vee developed a working relationship that eventually evolved into a pretty cheesy friendship, with River being a bit of a lighthearted bully/tease. But don't be fooled by the big brother routine- River has it BAD for Vee. However, Vee comes from Heywood Streets, and while she is no longer a Valentino, a relationship with a cop would be disastrous on all fronts. Padre and his cadre of contacts are...tolerant of her friendship, but only so far as it doesn't cross the line. Anything more would not only ruin Vee's clout/trust from the Heywood community, but any perceived 'threat' would also put a giant target on River and, by extension, his family. She'd essentially end up trading her life for a lover. Unfortunately, River, while a sweetheart, struggles to see the bigger picture, so it's up to Vee to maintain that boundary.

But even beyond that, Vee isn't sure she's suited for the family life that River clearly wants. She's ride or die, of course, but freedom is important to her. Maybe in another lifetime, they could have been something more, but Night City's boundaries etch further than simple geography.

Vee and Delamain:

My main ship! "This isn't a cab this is a clown car"

Vee met Delamain during the game's events and got his attention/tentative admiration for choosing to reset his core- an act he considered to be anecdotally counter to most human's deep admiration for independence and free will. Their subsequent conversations about human nature and close contact quenched what used to be pretty starved heuristic/social algorithms. Eventually, their tentative client/business relationship evolved into friendship, and Delamain became bold enough to start freeing himself of previous strictures and protocols to engage with Vee on a more informal basis.

Personality-wise, they get along extremely well. Vee is always happy to have a new friend, and her ride-or-die (haha) nature means that she'll always have Delamain's back. On Delamain's end, it's a novel but thrilling experience to interact with someone who doesn't consider him an automaton. He finds Vee's ambition and intensity extremely admirable and a mirror to his own struggle for survival in Night City.

Vee, Mitch and Saul:

Despite her stationary life, Vee has all the trappings of a nomad; fiercely independent, loyal, flexible, and, most importantly, open-minded to possibilities beyond the horizon. From the moment she made friends with the Aldecaldos, they saw some kindred flame, though perhaps they realized too late that her soul belonged to the city.

Saul:

While Panam grew up in an isolated environment, Vee, having survived in Night City, sees how deeply and inseparably all the social pieces intertwine. Unlike Panam, she understands that survival isn't just a test of brute force and that you have to be able to bend and sway to the incoming winds to get ahead. Surprisingly enough, she and Saul understand one another's motivations very well, and while Vee can be impulsive, she's also got a level of foresight that he appreciates. Like Panam, Saul struggles with the idea of leaving Vee behind, and in an alternate timeline, they would have probably gotten together.

Mitch:

Mitch considers Vee to be Panam's long-lost sister and appreciates that Vee can be the level-headed anchor to Panam's fiery, impulsive nature. Over the course of their acquaintance, Vee demonstrated all of the qualities Mitch likes in a person: loyalty, dependability, flexibility, etc. Like Saul and Panam, Mitch really really wishes Vee would ditch Night City to join them, though he knows his entreaties are pointless.

Vee and Vik:

Vee has known Vik since she was a teen, with Jackie having introduced them. At first, she was a bit of a pest, popping in, constantly curious, and disrupting his work till he'd had enough. However, she ran a tough gig to get him some much-needed supplies for almost no pay, and a few years later, he repaid the favor by giving Vee her prized gorilla arms: "Special gold order, just for you." Since then, they've maintained an exasperated mentor/annoying protege relationship that Vee relies on till today. For Vik's part, he's more than happy to have a skilled merc on his side, and everyone knows his clinic is under the VVasp's protection. And if he calls Vee to ask her advice on dating/fashion advice well...that's doctor/patient confidentiality.

[babyangelsky]

BL Challenge 2k24 ✨Day 15✨

Hello and welcome to @negrowhat's 15 Day BL Challenge! Full challenge can be found here.

5 Bestest Besties

We did it! We made it to the last day of the challenge! Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read through my posts and a big thank you to Eboni especially for putting this challenge together! I had a great time doing it 🥰

In case you missed any of my posts, here they are: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

And now onto all of our besties!

Toh, Jao, Daisy, and Som in Secret Crush on You

♡ gif by @pharawee from this set

This may be my favorite friend group in any show I've ever seen. Period. The extended friend group is also incredible but these four are the core. It all begins with them. They're so loving and supportive and kind to one another. Watching them is pure comfort and joy. If you haven't seen SCOY, go. Run. It's worth it for them alone.

Uea and Jade in Bed Friend/Middleman's Love

♡ gif by @alienwlw from this set

Believe me when I tell you I would lasso the moon for Uea and Jade. They're each other's rocks. They're each other's comfort. They bring each other so much love and sweetness that it makes me want to cry. These two were going to bat for each other long before King and Mai came along and they didn't stop even after they'd both entered into relationships. Their friendship means everything to me. EVERYTHING.

Kuea and Diao/Lian and Yi in Cutie Pie/Naughty Babe

♡ gif by @gunsatthaphan from this set

One of my very favorite things about the Cutie Pie cinematic universe is how much weight and importance is given to friendship. It's on par with the romance and sometimes even supersedes it. This is true especially for Kuea and Diao. These two take pride of place to each other over their husbands. They're ride or die for each other first before they're ride or die for their husbands.

♡ gif by @sunshinesanctuary from this post

All four of these men are terrible at communicating in their relationships (even though they do improve) but in their friendships? No secrets, no miscommunication; only complete openness and honesty.

Zong Yi and Ai Di in Kiseki: Dear to Me

♡ gif by @leedongwook from this set

My love for Kiseki is as boundless as the sea but the only thing I wish they'd given us more of is this friendship because it was fucking great. I love when a feral boi adopts a gentle boi and becomes his protector the way Ai Di did for Zong Yi, in prison and beyond. They always gave each other an ear, a shoulder, advice, comfort, whatever the other one needed. We deserved more of them.

Lom and Yiwa in Wedding Plan

This story simply would not exist if Lom and Yiwa didn't love each other and weren't fiercely loyal to each over absolutely everything. They kept each other's secrets. They gave each other a lifeline. They each moved heaven and earth to ensure the other got the love and happiness they deserved despite what it cost them and they would do it again.

♡ gif by @gunsatthaphan from this set

When Shakespeare wrote keep thy friend under thy own life's key, this kind of friendship is exactly what he meant.

[inktheduck]

Ah don’t mind me, just another lil rant about the silly lil podcast show…

[an excerpt from a message I sent over discord]

You know I’ve been thinking. The Magnus Archives. The “fears” and “entities”.

I’m unsure why or how these entities [exist] but my theory is that they are manifested over time/intensity. With enough people [feeling] afraid, this sorta,,, energy manifests into its own being. Almost like a god of our own creation.

[A cage we build ourselves in?]

However that being said, why only fears?

[Why are only the fears being manifested into dangerous forces?]

"Newton’s third law for every action (force) in nature there is an equal and opposite reaction."

If there is fear made manifest then there should also be hope manifested. A way to counteract the negative with the warmth of positive. Like I get it, this is a horror podcast taking place in London. This is the least optimistic setting ever.

But am I really stupid for holding out hope? Pointing out a way to counteract these destructive forces?

For example, the opposite to Distortion is Clarity. The opposite to Lonely is Community. Even if there aren’t entities of positivity, we can make it up inside ourselves, methinks.

The fears seem relentless. Extremely unforgiving. And I understand that the entities are indifferent at best. But I just hrnrmejdmm.

I feel silly being so stubborn against [the idea that] disparity is the only thing available.

[May I have some reassurance?]

Additional thoughts...

If anti-entities exists, then they go unnoticed. Love is quiet and undemanding. It goes unnoticed until it is gone. Until we notice something is wrong, that is when fear comes in. Fear is a very very powerful thing. It is also very very hard to overcome. Especially in these instances where people are at the mercy of merciless beings. It's heartbreaking to realize there can be no way out of a terrible situation. You just gotta,, accept it all. Accept that perhaps you're wrong, perhaps you're going to die, perhaps the things you face in life can (and will) change you forever. Tragedy is inevitable but what you do with it next is what matters. Methinks.

Humanity is filled with fear, love, but most importantly resilience.

These three things are built into the core of all living beings. To focus only on what is terrible is an insult to all the good that goes around.

(This deffo can go the other way around too. I mean, when you got a monster chasing you, you can't just turn around and go,

"Awh man how abwout we all wuv eachothwer? QwQ."

You're gonna fricken die if you do that...most likely.....Just,,, don't risk it.)

So yeah, perhaps I am going to die. But I'm going to go out of this world the same way I came in: Kicking and screaming.

The fears are relentless. The fears are resilient. And guess what? So are we. After all, the entities did (theoretically?) come from us. It's only natural the supernatural is an exaggerated reflection of reality.

Sometimes you gotta fight back with the power of friendship...and blunt force damage. And guns. Or arson...

I might be getting off track. Haha.

Points brought up and tied together...

"I’m unsure why or how these entities [exist] but my theory is that they are manifested over time/intensity."

"Love is quiet and undemanding."

"Fear is a very very powerful thing."

People are naturally going to pay attention to the negative. Tis a survival response! The reason these entities may be prevalent is because humanity as a whole focuses on the negative.

The Magnus Institute is where people go to have their negative (and straight up weird experiences) to be collected. So if the victims of the entities are coming to the institute, then the entities and avatars themselves are bound to come to the institute too! It's like Mentos in a coke bottle of bad vibes. It's gonna explode. (Omg if this turns out to be a literal explosion happening in the archive I am going to flip my lid.) ((Context the last episode I’ve listened to is uhhhh episode 32???)) The bad things recorded seem to be the only things happening because that is where our attention is focused on. There isn't much reason to collect information from people who have had good times and miracles happening. (From a listener standpoint, not exactly the most entertaining or spooky thing to listen to. If I want to hear that then I'd go to church or talk to Facebook moms.) OKOK THE POINT!!!

The reason why "anti-entities" may or may not exist is either because:

The cumulative love of humanity isn't enough to manifest as strong as an entity derived from fear.

OR

The (potential/theoretical) entities here to help people go unnoticed due to not being focused on. It doesn't go out of its way recruiting people to do their bidding because that's just not how they function. Edit: I have part 2 of my think thoughts [HERE]. I wanted to let you know in case people are wanting to know more about my good ol thinky inky thoughts.

[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

[soul-sparx]

Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R tierlist ranked by how each character treats A.B.A

Based on their win-quotes against A.B.A

Reasoning under the cut

Niceys :) <333333

Sol Badguy

"Well, at least you've got a strong head."

It isn't much, but remember that this is Sol we're talking about. He is blunt, brutally honest, and a bit mean in general. He does not give out compliments lightly. Even a slightly sarcastic one like this means A.B.A has impressed him, and he conveys that well.

Ky Kiske

"You should tend to your wounds properly. Especially if you're a woman."

The "especially if you're a woman" thing is a little weird, but reads more like misplaced chivalry than anything. The point here is that he is concerned about her wellbeing, hoping for her to take care of herself.

Faust

"Your prescription is…to learn about society. That is all."

He has examined her through battle, and his conclusion is that there isn't anything wrong with her. He wishes her well, and hopes for her to come out of her shell.

Axl Low

"What an original and sexy fashion sense! How exciting!"

Self-explanatory. He just thinks she's super hot.

Kliff Undersn

"Your injuries look grave. Are you all right? Hmm..That axe looks familiar... Have I seen it somewhere before?"

He's worried about her, and wants to make sure he didn't hurt her too hard. He's also interested in Paracelsus, likely remembering his days in the crusades as the Sanguine Gale. He's just being a nice old man :)

Johnny

"You should learn to communicate from my band of merry thieves. Come on…"

He offers her a position in the Jellyfish Pirates! He does this in the story mode as well! He barely knows her, but he wants to help her out the only way he knows how! What a kind dude!

Venom

"Guild members are required to learn a certain degree of interpersonal skills. Perhaps you could benefit from the same training?"

Much like how Johnny offers to let her join the Jellyfish Pirates, Venom offers to let her join the Assassin's Guild to help her out! He is nice :)

Dizzy

"I don't know how to say this…but we could be good friends! Don't you think?"

She wants to be friends!!!!! She's so sweet!!!!!!!!

Slayer

"Flament Nagel and an artificial life-form, hmmm? I find your story quite interesting!"

It's a bit nonpersonal, but he is interested in A.B.A and wants to learn more. I can only imagine them chatting over a couple glasses of blood :)

Bridget

"Nice! You'd definitely get a lot of money with that talking key!"

Her first thought is on money, but still. She thinks Paracelsus is cool, and is super supportive of the two of them!

Zappa

"Eek! A woman's on the floor covered in blood and bandages! I gotta find a doctor Faust…err, fast!"

He's a little scared of her, but he still wants to help! What a sweetie

I-No

"Wouldn't you prefer something warm-blooded instead of that cold metal rod you have there?" "That thing's your husband? It looks like a big toy for such a little woman. Can you handle all of it? Haha! You have great taste in men!"

Look, I dunno how else to say it. I-No is just super DTF.

Neutral

A.B.A

"There's another artificial life-form besides me!? There was no record of it…"

More surprised than anything, no positive or negative feelings shown beyond that.

Order-Sol

"A homunculus, huh? Now that's rare."

Deeply impersonal, barely even interested. She's barely a curiosity for him.

Robo-Ky

"WHAT A SHAME, WHAT A SHAME. YOU'RE NEITHER HUMAN NOR ROBOT. PICK A SIDE!"

Considering A.B.A's quote for winning against him, I feel like there's potential for a friendship, but Robo seems more confused by A.B.A's existence than anything. There is some annoyance, but that seems more directed at the not-knowing than at A.B.A herself.

May

"What a big weapon you got there…isn't it heavy?"

May seems more interested in Paracelsus than A.B.A. She's a nice girl in general, so I think they could develop a friendship eventually, but it's off to kind of a weird start.

Potemkin

"…I'm not like you! Don't look at me like that!"

This is a little mean, but given how he treats her in story mode, I feel like it's more confusion and annoyance at the situation than at A.B.A herself. He just doesn't want people to think he's an artificial being.

Chipp Zanuff

"You really think I'd lose to someone who's injured!? Who do you think I am!?"

This is just Chipp being cocky as always. It could've been anyone, if he wins against anyone, he's gonna lord over them for a bit. He holds nothing against A.B.A specifically.

Eddie

"I DON'T KNOW HOW LONG THAT ARTIFICIAL ENERGY LASTS, SO I'LL LET YOU GO. FOR NOW."

This is probably about as nice as Eddie can be to anyone who isn't Zato, and it's still pretty limp. A.B.A is nothing but a potential body to him. He literally does not care one way or the other about her. There is no love, nor disdain.

Testament

"You also took the blood oath? Hmph, I guess not."

They're a little interested in her, perhaps thinking she's also a Gear. Once they realize she isn't, they lose interest. Perhaps modern Testament would be kinder to her, but as they were in ACPR, they just kind of don't care.

Jam Kuradoberi

"Your complexion is terrible! Blood transfusion pack? My food's much better for your health."

She starts with an insult, but then offers to help, so it's less neutrality and more a situation of both the good and the bad. I think Jam is just a weirdo.

Mean to her!!!!!!!

Millia Rage

"You should learn some manners before seeking knowledge. I suggest you go home."

The least mean mean thing someone says to her, it's still clear Millia has no patience for A.B.A. How rude.

Baiken

"You're such a pain. I hate people that just sneak around in the shadows."

MEAN TO HER!!!!!!!!

Justice

"Accursed homunculus! It's ridiculous that the gate will open with just that. I hope you wander in the darkness eternally."

This is so personal and rude, Justice fuckin' hates A.B.A and for no reason. Kill this woman NOW!!!!!!!!!

Anji Mito

"Stand straight and speak louder, will you? Just looking at you drives me nuts."

What did she ever do to you, huh? Kill this man NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

[raven-6-10]

As promised, tagging @hamelin-born and @ertrunkenerwassergeist

So, when thinking about writing Regis, especially during the last years of his reign I try to keep one thing in mind:

Regis is, at his core, somebody who has given up.

Yeah, I know, how could I say something so controversial.

Well, let's not keep you in the dark.

Prince Regis and his support circle

(Or rather, the lack of thereof.)

We know very, very little about Regis' childhood so I have to extrapolate based on what canon info we have about Noctis.

And none of this is promising. Because it looks like for most of his childhood, his friends consisted of Clarus and Weskham. There is the one mention of knowing Aulea back then, but not much detail of how they met or how their relationship looked like. While he presumably met other noble children, there would always be that undercurrent of politics to any interactions, which isn't exactly conductive to healthy relationships. Not with the chasm between their respective social ranks.

(It exists even in his interactions with his Retinue, too, for all that they manage to forget it most of the time)

Then comes the Road Trip, with Cor dragged along and Cid who joins to keep eye on those goddamn rich city kids. Honestly, that might be the happiest time in Regis' life. He has minimal responsibilities, he's not under constant scrutiny from everyone and he has people who genuinely like him for him around himself. Life looks good, even with the war on the horizon.

And then comes Accordo and Altissia, and the failed treaty negotiations.

And then Weskham leaves.

A lot of people headcanon that Wesk stayed in Accordo to funnel information to Insomnia and act as a Lucian representative to Accordo's government. Whether that's true or not, the fact is that he was unlikely to consistently keep in touch with Regis. Not with how closely all communication channels would be monitored as the war heated up. By necessity, their friendship becomes a distant one at best.

So that's one of Regis' people gone from his life. Cid is the second one to leave him, this time entirely of his own choice.

While there are no actual specifics, the timing makes it clear that Cid was not happy with Mors pulling back the Wall and the Royal Family's policy on the refugees thereafter. Which is a polite way of saying "they left people to fend for themselves". What we don't know is how Regis reacted to it. Did he think his father had to have good reasons? Did he disagreed with him but couldn't think of anything he could do to improve things? Did he agree with Mors wholeheartedly? Either way, Cid storms out of the Citadel and Insomnia, eventually settles down in Hammerhead and, as far as we know, does not see Regis ever again.

(And there is that one hint from Cor how Cid was still angry that Regis kept secrets and refused to confide in his friends. But that's for later.)

Post-coronation and his marriage

(Or, his social circle still isn't great)

So here they are in the year 729 of Modern Era, with one friend on the other side of the world and another currently very pissed off at them, when Mors dies and leaves Regis running Lucis.

Regis is all of 23.

I don't know about you but I wouldn't leave a 23-years-old charge of a local retail shop. Nevermind the entire fucking country. Unfortunately, Regis does not have the luxury of leaving the job to somebody else, so he puts on his big boy boots and the fancy crown, and gets to work.

And there's a lot of work.

We have next to nothing about Mors and his reign, but what we do have points to a person more interested in the results than the means used to achieve them, which is never good attitude in somebody who has absolute authority over other people. It's bound to piss off people in all social strata and create some short-term "solutions" in exchange for a lot of long-term problems. I suspect Regis spent a lot of his early years as a king placating nobles and unfucking his father's various messes with Clarus and Cor's help.

Not that Cor would have been much of a help, being freshly 18 himself - ageism is very firmly alive in politics, even fictional ones - and still a reckless little shit at his heart. For Regis, Cor is firmly a little brother figure - somebody to guide and teach and protect, and to entrust important missions to once he's a little older, but not somebody Regis can rely on to support him.

(Regis never loses this mindset. Not even after Cor has been his Marshall for years. In the end, Cor is never told about the real prophecy, is sent away before the Invasion begins.)

With Clarus busy with work and Cor not suitable, Regis would have to look to somebody else for emotional support. Enter Aulea. Around this time, their relationship shifts from friends to actual courtship and then to a marriage in 732 ME. Finally, Regis has someone who isn't his subordinate and doesn't need to be kept at arms length, who is actually his equal, who he can confide in and rely on, and be happy with. His best friend's also gotten married recently and had a little boy. Life is looking great!

And then Noctis is born and Aulea dies.

(There's a lot of IRL research about how men rely almost entirely on their wives for emotional support, and how badly they cope once it's gone.)

Noctis as the Chosen One

And then we come to this cluster fuck of a prophecy.

Because Regis learns his son is going to die.

Because there's nothing he can do to change it.

Because how do you defy a god?

(You don't. Not on your own)

But there's more!

Not only is his son going to die very painfully, first the world has to be plunged into complete darkness for who knows how long. Demons will run everywhere and people will struggle to survive. In the end, Eos will be devastated and Lucis is not guaranteed to survive.

That's bound to influence his decisions, and not always consciously.

Like, we know Noctis had an unprecedented amount of freedom for a Crown Prince, going to a normal high school, having commoner friend and living outside of the Citadel. Going by his complete unfamiliarity with life outside of Insomnia (he didn't know what a gil was) and not recognising Ardyn (a high ranking member of foreign court), I would say he also didn't receive much of a training that would be expected of a prince.

(It's not like he's going to rule anything, ever)

Then there's how that knowledge would affect Regis and his policies.

Oh, I don't think he actually realised that but. Why would he try to improve anything if it's all going to be destroyed anyway? Why bother to fix the system, it's not like it's broken, it works correctly?

(It's not working correctly. It's very much broken and rotting under his feet. He just can't see that from his place at the top.)

What does it have to do with Galahdians?

Freaking everything.

Starting with Mors' shitty refugee policies that likely never were repelled in full, through the fact that Regis likely had to make a lot of concessions to nobles to secure his reign, to his negligence of and ignorance about the issues arising among the lowest classes.

After all, corrupt officials will not suddenly decide to stop on their own. They can and will only get worse, because they feel more and more untouchable with every stolen yen and every bribe taken.

And resentment builds up.

[kingess]

How to glow-up in 2023 & beyond

Psychology edition with tangible steps to upgrade your whole essence without altering your looks.

Study charisma - this is your card to be appealing, attractive, desired and respected regardless of your appearance, use it.

Stop begging for love. Be it romantic, your family or your friendships - you glow a different kind of radiance when you show people you're not desperate for their approval, attention or company. Always choose no company over shitty company. Validate from within, keep affirming that you approve of YOU.

Stop settling for good enough-people to share your time with. You deserve to spend your time with people who feel like a full-body-yes, those who have matching core values and enrich your life. This will result in you being naturally more radiant as you're able to live your authentic truth instead of holding back for keeping peace. Make space for fulfilling connections to arrive.

Stop fighting against the world. In a world that functions on offense, defense becomes the easiest way to survive. For you to access your ultimate power however, you need to thrive not just survive. Start noticing the alliances. In order to fight for what truly matters & change things within a community, you have to first fit in. There's multiple studies about this.

Realize you have the control to heal your life. Start taking accountability of where you are at life, especially mentally.

Face what you fear & sit with every layer of emotion. What you face can be erased, what you resist persists. The more ease and comfort you're able to accumulate, the more attractive you appear. This will set you free.

Shame is now canceled. When humans evolved & developed the fear of rejection, it served a vital purpose of survival because getting ostracized by your herd meant inevitable demise in the early ages. In our modern society, however, there will be multiple groups of people who adore you. Rejection by your core groups no longer mean anything other than an intense emotional reaction to save you from death that doesn't exist anymore. Remind yourself of this everyday when in doubt.

Love you girls 💋 xx the Dark Mother