#you're stronger than you think

[headlesssamurai]

Deadwood

[ilovejoyjessie]

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even." - Muhammad Ali // "One More Round" shot on black and white and color film by @lamargphoto

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Behind the Concept: This shoot was in my concept notebook for a while - I knew I wanted to take on a boxing concept as I felt like I was doing a lot of fighting with myself, but then this past spring and fall happened. “One More Round”, and this photo set it in particular, turned into a heavier story, scored by how I felt for a lot of the year.

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After a lot of things going right, a lot of things started to go wrong. And every time I successfully landed a small punch, I felt like I’d get several back: Relationships I’d thought were solid fell apart, I moved, unexpected life happenings popped up that were hard for me to handle, non-art work became unbearable. I barely had the energy to create. I lost supporters. I was struggling. Hit after hit just seemed to keep coming and I couldn’t seem to block the blows.  Every day, I was fighting to live, fighting to survive. 

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It got dark for a while. I didn’t think I could go on. But even at my darkest moments, I was able to find some amount of strength, somewhere inside, to get out of bed and do a day one more time. One more round...Somewhere, there was a piece of me quietly convincing the rest of me to go on even when all it wanted to do was give up. And that strength started to build on itself. I was making it - I was still standing, wounded emotionally as I felt I was - I was still standing there. And that personal strength is inspiring. That will to survive, to face my hardships every day, got me to believe further in myself and appreciate what my mind and body are able to do, even when my spirit feels like it can’t do anything at all. And I felt I owed it to myself to keep going and to create a life that I deserve at any cost. I cut people I was tired of chasing out; I quit that toxic job; I tried to accepted what I couldn’t change.

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That’s why in this shoot, I didn’t want to just be a boxer in a ring, untouched and unblemished. In real life, I had to fight dirty to find victory over the things that almost made me tap out. Bruised and brought down over and over, I was still able to find a way to make it to my feet and take out the obstacles in front of me. What fighter doesn’t make it to a victory without earning a scratch along the way? I knew that over the course of the photo story unfolding, I wanted the character to get injured, bl33d, and make it to the end, covered in the badges they earned in the battle for their life.

(Ruined a cute ass top to do it too. if that isn’t dedication to the story, I don’t know what is 😅)

[jheman-10]

What advice do you want to give yourself about dealing with grief?

There have been a lot of ups and downs. Always remember that in your entire life and all of your journey on this earth, you have never been alone because God is always guiding, supporting, and helping you. Nothing's permanent in this world; you have to go with the flow and accept the truth because there is nothing to do with it but to move on and move forward. Your tears don't signify your weakness but your authentic feelings and how you value things. You are not on the tip of the iceberg. There's more than what your naked eye can see. “Remember, malapit na, pero malayo pa.”. Never lose hope; there is always someone behind you aside from God. You have your family, friends, and aspirations that can inspire and give you strength.

[unskewedviews]

How many of us out there need a little extra help today?🤚🏻🤚🏾🤚🏼

Drugs and alcohol don't have to take your power away from you today! You are worthy of a better life. You matter! You can luve up to your full potential. I believe in you, I can relate to feeling like shit will never get better. But I can say from experience that shit gets better, and your goals for the future can be achieved.

If you are struggling today, reach out, and tell somebody about it. Allow yourself to live. I'm available to talk if you need someone to listen. Sometimes we need someone from the outside to see what we can't. Don't suffer in silence. Don't be afraid to say ... I need help.

[hyperactively-me]

king!ghost x reader -- introductions

Approaching the kingdom of Kastron was nothing short of intimidating for you. The crowds of people cheering, the buildings, and the castle looming ahead all overwhelmed you. 

It’s late afternoon now. Earlier that morning you had woken up by Ghost shaking you awake roughly. 

“Today’s the day,” he whispers. “We’re leaving soon.”

Last night was when you had your little…argument. That is, if you constitute slapping him across the face as an argument. He hadn’t forgiven you for that. But he didn’t bring it up again. You had only hoped he chose to overlook it. After traveling all day, you had finally reached the kingdom of Kastron. 

The weight of the occasion settled heavily on your shoulders. This wasn’t just any visit – you were here to be his wife, making you a queen; an alliance between your home kingdom and Kastron, a critical step towards ensuring peace and prosperity for both kingdoms. 

As you rode farther into the village, the cheers became deafening. Villagers had come out of their homes and businesses to witness your cavalcade, your arrival to their kingdom: their new queen. The echoing cheers of the gathered citizens seemed to blend into a continuous roar, and the dark flags of Kastron waved in the wind as you passed. 

Despite the beauty and grandeur of the surroundings, your mind was preoccupied with thoughts of your impending new life. Doubts crept in – were you prepared enough? Would your presence hold weight in Kastron? Could you navigate the diplomatic landscape that lay ahead? Yes, you had gone through countless years of training, but that was mostly to be a wife. You had some diplomatic lessons here and there, but they were never in-depth enough for you to be an adequate leader. 

As the entourage came to a halt in front of the castle, you took a deep breath, attempting to steady your nerves. The moment had arrived. Still staring at the grand castle, you hadn’t seen Ghost approach your mare. He clears his throat loudly, motioning for you to take his hand to help you dismount. Taking his hand tentatively in your grasp, he helps you down, granted, he squeezes your hand just a little too hard. 

He drops your hand, beckoning you to follow him up the steps to the entrance. At the top, you were greeted by a procession of Kastron's dignitaries. Each introduction was accompanied by a bow or a curtsy, and despite their polite gestures, the tension in the air was palpable. You knew they were looking at you with apprehension, but you pretended not to notice. 

Ghost turns to you after all the introductions have been made. 

“You will be shown to a room. I will see you at dinner.” 

And with that, he turns and leaves you with a servant. His tone of voice left no room for argument. You could tell he was still displeased with your little stunt from last night. After a servant led you to the guest quarters – a temporary arrangement until you would eventually share chambers with the King – you found yourself never wanting to leave. But, you knew you had to. You didn’t make your first impression amongst the staff of the castle as you being a bratty little girl. No, you had to show them, show him, that you were capable of being a queen.

. . . 

The dinner was mostly silent, with you and Ghost sitting at opposite ends of the table. Surprisingly enough, Ghost still hadn’t removed his balaclava, even to eat. He had rolled the mask up enough just to reveal his mouth. 

“Why do you cover your face?” you question in the silence. 

He looked up at you, seeming to think long and hard about it. 

“It’s a tactic.”

“What kind of tactic?”

He doesn’t answer.

“It’s a symbol of my fortitude, my endurance. Of who I am.”

You put your fork down. 

“And who are you?” 

“You'll have to find that out for yourself,” he said, standing up from the table. 

. . . 

The next day came too soon. The day you would be told of the wedding plans. You twist your engagement ring on your finger, biting your lip with anxiety as you realize the wedding is tomorrow.

A barrage of maids had woken you up, pulling you into different rooms to show you the pre-planned wedding details. You noticed they had chosen your kingdom’s native flowers to be your bouquet. Your heart hurt in your chest seeing them wrapped so prettily in ribbons. 

. . .

That evening, while you were in bed in your nightgown, there was a knock on your door. You swing out of bed, moving to the door. You crack the door slightly, just enough to see who’s outside. It’s Ghost. You hadn’t seen Ghost all day.

“What do you want?” you ask bitterly.

“Just checkin’ on you. Haven’t seen you all day.”

“Hm. Making sure I didn’t ‘run away’ again?” you quip. 

He tenses immediately.

“When are you going to stop with the attitude?” he says abruptly, his voice tinged with exasperation, his hand pushing the door open wide. His hand forcefully pushes the door open wider, and you instinctively try to push it shut, but his resistance is stronger this time. The door slams against the resistance of your palm, and you stumble back, the suddenness of the motion catching you off guard.

“Hey—”

“What are you trying to do here?” he interrupts, his tone both accusatory and probing. He closes the distance between you, and you find yourself pressed back against the wall, the cool surface providing an unwelcome contrast to the heat of the situation.

Your heart races, and you meet his gaze with defiance. “I still can’t believe you’re asking me stupid questions,” you reply, your voice firm. “I’m trying to stand up for myself.” 

His eyes narrow, his frustration palpable. “It feels like you're doing more than that,” he retorts, his words edged with a mix of anger and confusion. “You're pushing me away, shutting me out.”

He places his hands on both sides of your head, caging you in against the wall. Your heart pounds against your chest, the closeness of his presence sending a rush of emotions through you.

You take a shaky breath. “I won't compromise who I am for you.” 

He leans his head down, his face coming closer to yours. Panic wells up within you, and you instinctively turn your head, pressing your cheek against the wall to avoid his gaze. His hand reaches up, fingers grazing your chin to force you to look at him. 

There's a vulnerability in his eyes that you hadn't seen before, a flicker of something beneath the frustration and anger. It's a glimpse into the complexity of his feelings, a crack in the facade that had shielded his true emotions.

“Listen,” he begins, his voice softer now, the anger giving way to a more contemplative tone. “I'm not asking you to compromise who you are. I just want us to find a way to understand each other without it feeling like a goddamn battle.”

He takes a beat. 

“After all, we are about to be husband and wife.” The weight of his statement hangs in the air, the reminder of the impending commitment that you both are going to have to undertake. With that, he backs away from you, his hands balled into fists. 

“You’re just a scared little girl.” 

Your mouth hangs open to retort, but he’s already gone. 

You have to marry the bastard tomorrow.

- - - - -

(masterlist)

[galionne-vibin]

FOXHOUND fun day at the beach! (Post-MGS so Ocelot's not invited)

[angelbitezzz]

sans doing my math homework for me (im paying him in fruit snacks)

((ps: inscribed angles SUCK))

orz ← That is an emoji of a little guy on his hands and knees in despair

[t4tadrienette]

Now, Haibara, you sweet sweet hypocrite that you are, pretty sure I remember someone pointing a gun at Shinichi, and even inventing an antidote, so that you could force him not to tell Ran. You kept telling Heiji that Ran couldn't find out about the truth, and now you're here calling him out, when you're one of the reasons he doesn't tell Ran, come on now. Shinichi needs to be called out on this, sure, but you're the last person that should do that

[mekanikaltrifle]

One thing I think is forgotten here on Tumblr is that blogs are meant to be personal, and sometimes that means people ramble about personal shit. Even their fears or stressors. People online making art or even just being here aren't meant to be 100% curated for strangers' enjoyment!

And if you don't like something a blogger is doing, best course of action is to just unfollow or blacklist their relevant tags if they have them.

[lover-of-mine]

I was reading some of your spies comments. And decided to take a few hours to just watch Buddie and Tommy scenes. And it was interesting because while I completely ignored them, I now understand why they are pissed.

As a Buddie shipper, S7 was actually 10/10, no notes, fully recommend. We were served in every aspect behind the scenes and in interviews. And we ate every scene!!!! It was Buddie at perfection, really. In turn after the wedding. When I saw the medal ceremony, I just sighed. Then, in the finale, the whole time, I was getting excited maybe it was cut. But no, there it was.

After re-watching, I remembered 2 things. During speculation, they swore that the desert scene was going to be BT go Karting (remember they thought it was his truck), and they thought he had a big Maddie scene. And one was Bobby, and the other was JLH acknowledging yeah, sure I sat behind him. Also, there was a Hen, Karen, and Tommy scene cut, right? No big declaration of what their relationship even was. Hooking up, situationship nothing.

And back to the dinner scene when I view it from them. We had a heavy buddie family moment. That leads to Buddie at the hospital together. Then, when the danger is gone awkward dinner. Then, it ends with a heavy Buddie scene. It wasn't even placed at the end of the episode. A total throw-away scene.

I mean I guess I get why they are so salty now??

Imma be honest with you, after the 706 kiss, I was kinda expecting Tommy to have Taylor's level of involvement in the plot, especially after we saw he was at the station for 709, I was fully bracing myself for an episode like 411 focused on building their connection. I was always in the "Buck is not the one in the desert" speculation, so I wasn't thinking about the go-karting, but I was ready to admit it would make sense. Make them go on a date, make something go wrong, bond through first responder effort, kinda like how Buck and Taylor bond through detective work. And then he was barely there. I feel like even our initial speculation where Buck would leave a date because of the crisis with Chris would've been better for the relationship because that type of situation would force the relationship to be defined in some way. The dinner is just there to remind us of how bad Gerrard is. It's 57 seconds that add no definition to the relationship, it just lets us know they are still hanging out, there's no touching, no declaration about what they are. And it's completely buried by the weight of the buddie scenes. Buck and Eddie were being partners and co-parents and there was this tiny scene that's mostly there to remind the audience of who Gerrard is rather than to actually build their relationship because all they got is a really weird-toned scene that makes Tommy seem very dismissive of Buck's feelings. Again. When I was doing the math on how much screentime they had I was legit shocked. Because they had 4 minutes in 7b. The kiss scene in 704 has 4 and a half minutes. The kiss scene alone is more screentime than he had in the rest of the season. He made it known Buck is bisexual, he helped Buck come out and then he vanished into the fog. People got so caught up in the way 911 had a canon m/m ship involving a main character that they built a fantasy on what the relationship would look like, even more so considering the space we had between 704 and 706 that upped everyone's expectations and a lot of these people just kept doubling down because they were in too deep to walk themselves out when the show didn't deliver. What do they actually have? Two kisses, two and a half dates and kink joke? All that after being told the relationship was "thriving"? Even the interview with Oliver and Lou didn't deliver. And at some point, people need to accept they were prompting what Lou was saying in those cameos, especially now that well dried up. Them being mad makes a lot of sense. But, obviously, we're the delusional ones because our ship, uh *check notes* hasn't kissed?

[skrunksthatwunk]

yu yu hakonstruct intricate rituals which allow you to touch the skin of other men.mp4

crossposted to youtube

[uncanny-tranny]

In discussions about mental health, I am so tired of the only voices mattering being other people or other people who do not deal with a condition/disorder or a specific situation.

"Here's how I deal with loved ones with [x] condition!"

"If you do [y] because of [x mental health reason], you're selfish and everybody who loves you is having their lives made harder by you!"

"If your symptoms are [z], you're gross, and you deserve no sympathy for struggling"

I understand to an extent why people do this, but holy hell, as somebody who struggles and struggles often, the last thing any of us need to be told is that we're a burden that others have to carry. And it's terrible how everybody else's feelings but ours matter - even if we are the ones most affected by our condition or situation.

If you are dealing with issues surrounding your mental health and well-being, know that everything above isn't true; you are worthy of patience, understanding, kindness, and love. You are worthy of being listened to without judgment. You don't have to apologize or "make up" for who you are or what you struggle with.

[dailykugisaki]

Day 145 | id in alt

I am a FIRM believer that utahime vs Gojo would be basically sukuna vs Mahoraga and Gojo wouldn't be the sukuna of that fight.

[writterings]

i came across motorcycle safety equipment and one thing they have is inflatable pants with a hard outer layer to protect your tailbone and junk if you get thrown from the bike and literally so many old men in the comments are throwing a hissy fit over how they have never even worn helmets in the 30+ years they've been riding and how ridiculous protection like that is....dude that is not the flex you think it is.

[aitsuheart]

people who believe "Soriku fans hate Kairi" is just so stupid

I personally like Kairi but she's not utilized much in canon material which is why I really enjoy some fanon or headcanon versions of her

And anyone who doesn't like her though I don't welcome

Hating characters who get in a way of ships is stupid

Also the belief that "soriku take her out" of the source material is also such a dumb take.

If you think that you have sadly misunderstood what some people were saying.

It's usually not relevant to her and I never understood the belief that Sora thinking about Riku or vice versa somehow relates to Kairi

[meirimerens]

i'm very sorry to say this, but meiri, you are a foul woman for making me (a lonely lesbian) lust for a gender bent version of a canonically male character.....keep going 👍

in a more just world there would be no more male characters and the female characters would be as diverse as them. in a just world a female character would be a 197cm tall bald lying secretive corpse-desecrator who would attack her childhood friend and almost-adopted-sister on sight, spitting in her face that it was she who slept by their mentor's feet like a dog. in a just world a female character would be a vaguely futchy¹ bipolar alcoholic who tries to self-immolate in front of you, participated in a colleague's murder with her sister (or did she?), delirious from guilt, illness and drink (and it NOT being the "sexualized crazywoman" trope. because she'd be worse), whose sister would be protective of her like a rabid dog. in a just world a female character could be a brown-eyed brunette in a tacky snakeskin coat, arrogant, haughty until circumstances beyond her comprehension break her spirit, able and willing to tell someone that if they're that much of a pussy about killing themself she'll fucking help. in a just world a female character could be butcher [as in the cutter of meat.], daughter of butcher, feared for her perceived violence but not more wicked than any other, collecting organs and keeping them in her little pouch.

but it is not a just world. so fine. (rolls up sleeves) i'll do it myself.

¹ the butch-femme scale is not real and therefore "futch" or "futchy" isn't either. however that is a really funny word for a joke