#my biggest struggle in life

[kels-gvf]

I feel like same girls just fight for our lives daily

#my biggest struggle in life

[leciraofthewilderness]

So, despite some faults, I really enjoyed totk, and on its anniversary I want to say something about it. Other people have said similar things before but it’s really important to me and actually a big part of why the story of totk was meaningful to me, so I want to also say it:

Zelda needed to come back from draconification. The story needed that. It wasn’t lazy and just ignoring “consequences” because (imo) that was the *point*

The point is to feel like there are going to be terrible consequences and then say actually, no. You can come back from this, with the help of other people.

To me at least, that was the theme of the whole story.

If botw was about how the world goes on past loss and grief and starts to heal (how flowers grow in the ruins and the world can be beautiful again, be worth saving, even if it has changed)…then totk was about a more personal kind of healing.

The weight of the world should not be on your shoulders alone…you, alone, should not have to fix everything…you should not have to sacrifice yourself, but when you do, someone will be there to save you from it.

This turned into a really long ramble so:

You (Link) gained so much and now it’s gone. It feels like you’re back to where you started and yet you know you have to do it all again…you were weak and you failed and you’re weaker now…but

You go down to the surface. Monsters swarm across it once again. Other people are fighting them too though. You help, but it’s not just you…

You go to the Rito, the Gorons, the Zora, the Gerudo…just like with the divine beasts, there are friends who help you save each region. But this time, part of them comes along with you when you leave. It’s nice, you realize, the first time one of them protects you from a monster you weren’t prepared for. You’re still weaker than you were before, but someone has your back…

When you go up to the sky you see a strange new dragon there. There’s something about them that feels familiar. You try not to think about it.

You go down to the depths too. It’s terrifying at first. You hate it. You only want to get what you came for and get out of the dark….but slowly, the light grows. You get stronger. The dark feels like a challenge you can face (and someone has your back).

There are spirits down there. You don’t know when they’re from, but some part of you wonders…are these all the people you let die in the Calamity? (You help them find rest from their wandering. The weight on your shoulders feels a little less heavy).

There’s so much gloom. The first few times the sky turns red and hands chase you (a reminder of what you’ve lost, how you failed) you just run. Eventually though, you have to fight. It feels like the (second) worst day of your life again. But you manage to get free of the grasping gloom and stand and fight, as wild and desperate as it is. Beneath the manifestation of your worst fears, there’s another thing to fight, but this time it has a face (a voice in the back of your head says…you know this isn’t all on you and your failure…it’s really Ganon’s fault right?). You get through it.

At every turn in your travels, it seems like something reminds you of Zelda. Her passion, her curiosity, her kindness. You miss her.

At first, the tears you find reassure you. She may be in the past, but she’s safe. She’ll come back somehow…but then you hear the word draconification for the first time. You want to believe she wouldn’t do it but you know her and the fear sits cold inside you. (Zelda is a lot of things. She’s been allowed to be more of them, since she was freed from her hundred year battle, without her father holding her back. But deep down inside her, there’s a vein of self-sacrifice that still runs strong. It’s what saved the world before, after all).

She did it. She really did it. She’s gone from you (from Hyrule) forever, and it’s all your fault. If only you hadn’t failed so utterly in the battle (you can hardly even call it that) under the castle. If only you’d caught her. If only you hadn’t let the sword break. You should have protected her you should have been better it’s all your fault and now she has to live with the consequences, forever. Everything really is on you, you should have been better.

(Zelda POV: you couldn’t call upon Hylia’s power in time, you were too content to let it wither and fade away from you, ready to be free of it. You shouldn’t have. He got hurt, the sword got hurt, it’s your fault…Sonia and Rauru help you channel it again, Sonia helps you learn how to turn back time…but you don’t save her. She dies because you couldn’t save her. Rauru dies not long after. There is no one left to guide you, once again. You could spend years trying to figure it out on your own. But you did that last time. It didn’t work. Self-sacrifice, stepping in front of someone you love, that worked. (You do what you can, to call upon the sages, to help Link in the future, first). And then you swallow the stone. You’ve come a long way, in the past five years, allowing yourself to exist. But in the end, self-sacrifice worked last time. It’ll work this time too.)

You (Link) go down beneath the castle. You were supposed to bring the sages but you didn’t. It’s nice, for someone to have your back. But no one else should get hurt to fix your mistakes.

They follow you anyway. They fight with you, against the hordes, against the greatest enemies you defeated together, along the way. They’ll have your back, even if you don’t think you deserve it.

You fight Ganondorf, and then the demon king, in the hardest battle of your life. You think it’s over and then the demon king decides it’s better to lose himself completely than let you win. You’re exhausted and afraid of yet another battle, but up there in the sky, when you’re falling, the Light Dragon catches you (you wonder why she changed her path to catch you, you wonder if there’s still something of Zelda left in there to save). With her help, you win.

And then you’re in some other realm. The spirits of Sonia and Rauru are there. You remember how the two of them and Zelda channeled such incredible power together. You think about Recall. Turning something back to the memory of what it was before, like Sonia said. You stand with them and you allow yourself to hope. Maybe the Light Dragon can remember the form she took so long ago, the person that she was.

And then you’re falling, and Zelda is falling, but this time you catch her. You catch her. She’s back home with you, finally, finally.

And maybe, one mistake doesn’t have to be the end of the world. You don’t have to be perfect. Sometimes, someone else can stand with you, and it’ll all turn out alright. (You can put the weight of the world on your shoulders, you can sacrifice yourself, but someone will be there to catch you, someone will be there to pull you back to yourself, when all is said and done).

#loz #tears of the kingdom #Link #Zelda #I will say also that I think part of the reason totk is special to me is very personal #like when it came out I was still struggling with the worst burnout of my life #I had had a few months of exhaustion between January and March and in May that exhaustion was still sticking to me #it was hard to get out of bed hard to do anything I felt so tired that I almost felt sick but I wasn’t sick #and the thing is Zelda games are my biggest special interest #and having a new one to play like genuinely I’m not joking it gave me bsck so much energy #I was doing really badly but when totk came out I played it for an entire weekend straight basically #and like my mom came to visit me and help me out with basic life stuff #and like sit with me while I played just like enjoying being together #and that was really nice #over that summer and the fall after I started getting to know someone I work with better #largely over conversations about totk at first #and they’ve become a good friend #(and become someone that I feel safe to be fully myself around) #and so I just have this really strong personal connection to totk #like I will not claim to be impartial about it #there are definitely criticisms that I can acknowledge #in particular I don’t like that they un-amputeed Link let Link be disabled #and also ganondorf’s characterization was shallow and one dimensional #and I’m sure there’s other things I could think of #but the overall narrative #including Zelda becoming the light dragon and then turning back in the end #I really like that #it felt like a narrative of healing to me #and playing it at the time that I did felt really healing to me too

[parvuls]

"jack and bitty's wealth gap may seem significant now, but it's a non-issue in the long run because it's canon that bitty builds his own empire." yes. but also, consider this: jack took his first big paycheck and bought an expensive oven for a friend; bitty took his first big paycheck and took the train to boston and sat down with holster to figure out how to pay his parents' mortgage.

it's not because jack cares about family less. it's because jack never had to worry about that, or even consider it in his priorities. jack never had to prioritize essentials first and luxuries later. he's not a big spender, but that's a personality trait, not a conscious thought.

jack and bitty won't be arguing about income because they're both going to contribute equally at different points of their marriage, but they probably are going to argue about how to spend that money, and the fine balance between being too mindless and being too careful.

#omgcp #omgcheckplease #zimbits #I just spent too long thinking: zimbits being adorably perfect is fun but what are some of their biggest relationship struggles? #so here's my thought on someone who didn't grow up with money marrying someone who grew up with lots of it #the punchline is that there's merit to both: #it's unhealthy for your life to revolve around saving and worrying #when you definitely can afford your lifestyle #idk I just find it fun to think about their arguments okay!! #text #jack x bitty

[kiisaes]

the thing about deku is that dudebros hate him until he's doing something stereotypically GOAT-worthy like acting like a badass and evading the law and not letting his emotions slip through and it's like... yes. he did do that. he does do that. and that's probably why dudebros latch onto him nowadays because they want to be him, especially because so many of them think that deku and ochako and/or other female characters are destined to be together (through entirely shallow reasons) — but they miss the point.

his inability, or rather his lack of desire to, unlock deeper, more vulnerable, more selfish emotions is not because he's the so-called GOAT, the pinnacle of the sigma grindset bullshit masculinity by hiding his feelings and getting results in an edgy, emotionally unavailable way. no. it's because he cares too much, not too little. he cares so strongly, so aggressively, so softly, so painfully, for the people around him. he's the idealistic version of a hero because he cares, more than anyone, to the point where he'll break his body to pieces. and he projects those emotions outward so much, he doesn't leave any of that care for himself. he chooses not to address selfish thoughts and moments because he's not the one who deserves them. which is why even when he was in his super edgy, dark vigilante look, he was motivated not by anything superficial like money or success, but his own powerful feelings towards helping others. deku is, through and through, a deconstruction of the stoic, apathetic, violence-familiar, strictly goal-oriented view of toxic masculinity. he fights and kicks villain butt because he cares. he also cries and breaks down and smiles and loves with all the warmth in his heart because he cares.

and i think it's really funny that even when deku is "the GOAT" for his surface level grindset outlook, he's still just deku. the deku dudebros would complain about for crying too much and being a wimp is the same deku as the one who selflessly defeated villains during his vigilante era. he didn't "man up" and do a total 180 mentally, he just happens to have layers to his emotional ineptitude. it fucking rocks. not like dudebros would have the brain capacity to understand that, though

#just deku thoughts #i love him very much is what i'm trying to say. i love how his emotions are his strongest feature #and also his biggest weakness #and i feel like he struggles to find the balance between caring too much and the consequences of caring too much #so he kinda shuts down his own thoughts relating to himself #aka he has very low self esteem in my opinion. man does not take himself into account #ANYWAY does this make sense? i hope it makes sense. i'm so fucking tired. life is kicking me in the balls #bnha #mha #midoriya izuku #becki rambles about stuff

[mercymaker]

almost 2am here so rambling time but gah

i miss my literary analysis classes. i miss that writing group i was invited to years ago. i miss just going absolutely nuts over a text. i miss discussing writing, characters. i miss the feedback. i miss getting excited hearing an older lady's memoirs on soviet-era nuclear plants. i miss the exciting stories of an irish immigrant. i miss the beautifully written, soul-touching tales full of mythos from a hawaiian woman. i miss having someone listening to me reading my stories, patiently waiting for me to go through the motions, only to tell me things that they found exciting or enjoyable in my text.

above all, i just miss the sense of community. the connection. finding beauty in all sorts of art forms. being alone in a foreign country, with relatively niche interests is just.. a lot sometimes

#life #i am feeling nostalgic but also.. sad? #my biggest struggle with writing (besides actually getting to write) is that.. it feels so lonely #and when i had that group i was still so.. idk shy? hesitant? #they were all native english speakers besides me so i always felt sort of.. an odd one out? #and most of them were older and had more experience and i was just there.. #with my silly little stories full of feelings #the amount of times i cried through reading my writing lmao #but idk.. there are those moments those words and themes and phrases in writing that just grip my heart #sometimes it's sad sometimes it's happy but they just make me suck my breath in and tears just come out #i love writing and the art of language and weaving it like a cloth adding things!! the intent behind choosing certain embellishments? ? ? ? #going insane atm

[spn-lesbian]

Cas, over the phone: it’s Cas

Dean: what did he do?

Cas: no it’s me

Dean: oh, what did you do?

#the biggest struggle of my life was to decide who’s gonna say what #cause it works both ways #source: ??? #spn #incorrect spn quotes #destiel #castiel #dean winchester #deancas #dean x castiel #supernatural #incorrect supernatural quotes

[mcl-mia]

//elias has two hands. that is all.

#not mcl #wizardess heart #mia draws #this is my official opinion. ur all welcome. #lulias #what the fuck is the yukiyaxelias tag. wtf. #oh well. i'll update it once i figure it out. hello lgbt nation #not the biggest fan of how the second pic came out (i was struggling w/ anatomy + posing) but FUCK IT WE BALL #this is the most suggestive i'm willing to post publically. hhfhfjhfdjshksfjks #i'm going to hide in the corner now thanks. just take this and run. run like your life depends on it. #yukiya reizen #elias goldstein #luca orlem

[thetragicallynerdy]

For those of us who have trouble actually putting our clothes away: get yourselves a second laundry basket. An actual basket, not a soft hamper, and one that is easy to rifle through. I prefer ones that are wider than they are deep.

This is now your clean clothes laundry basket. The other laundry basket or hamper or laundry bag is your dirty clothes laundry basket. Tape signs on them if you have trouble remembering which is which.

When you wash you clothes, if you don't have the spoons to put them away, dump them in the clean laundry basket. You can take clothes from them as long as you need. If you have the energy to fold them, great! If not, they're still clean, and you have the dirty clothes laundry basket all empty for new dirty clothes.

#this is legit my biggest life tip as someone who struggles to put away clothes #floordrobe becomes 'actually i just have two laundry baskets now' #laundry

[lemongogo]

i need 2 stop drawing static stuff . white bg . front facing pose. <will do it again

#i looked thru my media tab 2day .horrific #WHERES THA PURPOSEEEE E #there doesnt have 2 be any . of coursies . #but thats smt i want to work on rly hard T_T 2024!!!!!!!!! #smth smth reflection but i am happy with what ive done in 2023 #definitely havent finished as many things as id hoped but thats okay.kind of touched on it w that one trgn comp a few months ago #but i tried 2 be more confident in areas i wasnt so sure abt before and it paid off in a way that im happy with T__T❤️ #like despite all my gloom & burnout and artblock . i had a lot of fun . and im rly fortunate that ive been able to meet the nicest ppl #through it T__T #idk what jm talking abt anymore but j think . i am happy w the direction im headed in and i just need to work harder now on variability #and concept and composition. not rly sure where to start but i think compiling some of my favs in a single place #and studying them will help. :3.. AND NOT GIVING UP A SKETCH IF ITS FRUSTRATING ATM😭😭😭😭 #some of them ..that one w meryl and vash . i ould not for the life of me figure out and i was like soo done w it #but then i was likeno OK just do it who cares . and then i found a workflow that worked and it WAS SOO MUCH FUNNN AND I STILL RLY LOVE HOW #IT TURNED OUTTT .. #and the one w knives . the beautiful universe one . i rmbr being so annoyed by a similar attempt that inwas lkke fuck it im just gna use the #biggest brush ever and play arnd with stuff bc its not gna see the light of day and fhen j agonized abt sharing it and everyone WAS SOOO #NICE TO ME !!&2&2 LIKEEE it was one of my earliest trgn pieces so kind of new 2 da scene and lkke . idk man it helped me enjoy my art from #an outside perspective after struggling w the doubt and its now one of my favorites ever too … #ORRR .. the vash and wolfwood one w the silly blue sky bg .. the textures were so mindless and fun #or the elendira . SOOO MANY FUN ELENDIRAS.. the perspective nail gun one is still a fav bc i shy away from perspective bc its hard as shit #but it worked out and i luv it tew . #sory anyways . very happy. and thankful^__^ ik when j post stuff like URRG MY ART!!!it mostly jst comes from .like GAAH want 2 push myself #harder bc i know itll be fun once i get 2 where im going T_T #anyways if u got 2 this point u r lkterally angel my angelll~ hamtaro pic #tys

[justanechoflower]

K.J snickers.

"yeah yeah, I gotcha."

She eats her Big Mac- though it almost appears to be absorbed.

#undertale #flowey #art #small artist #ask flowey #ask blog #ask undertale #undertale art #paper art #undertale fanart #kjam101 #kj #grauntiemotersblog #grauntie #PROPORTIONS BE SO BAD #biggest struggle of my life #meme #I’m not exactly sure how to respond so-

[the-tenth-arcanum]

my dad wishes me a happy valentine's day every single year and I used to find it a bit cringe but now I'm like "I am loved 🥺💕"!!! I'm getting old

#you don't understand we're both two emotionally closed off people #we don't do love declarations #I even struggle to say “I love you” to my parents like its not something I do #(no we don't have time to unpack this) #but every now and again my dad will send me texts like #“I love you more than anything in the world” “you're so smart you're so beautiful” #“you deserve all the good things in life” #literally my biggest cheerleader #I think we all need this kind of energy in our lives #personal #*

[vrains-rewrite]

Where is this going to be posted? On here, AO3, Ffnet, or what?

It will be on Ao3 and probably here too :)

-Teal

#but you may be waiting a while #writing has not begun #and frankly this is the biggest project of my life #oh yeah that reminds me. actually no i was gonna do a poll #because i need to know if people want it posted with dub names or sub names #ive seen both versions and will gladly write with either #Void and Utopia struggle with reading subtitles though so they’ve only seen dub #but im gonna wait until posts from this blog are in tags

[bigfrogdraws]

CRINGETOBER DAY 2. SELF INSERT

MS PAINT. MOUSE

cringetober is a month long art challenge that celebrates things traditionally seen as "cringe"! remember: cringe culture is dead should be celebrated !! yayyy !!

#macs doodles #fun fact i had another post ready for today #but it was too much of a cop out i think so i redid the prompt and im much happier w the outcome #i think my biggest struggle this cringetober will really be leaning into the cringe aspect #as basically my whole life ive been embarrassed or ashamed of my interests/hobbies/ocs/etc #so im really trying to take this month to do everything ive always wanted to do with my art #but i was always too scared to do #so that got us to pokemon subway master self insert #bc thats what i wanted to do so i did it !! #cringetober #cringetober day 2 #cringetober 2023 #cringetober2023 #cringetober 23 #pokemon #subway masters #submas #im really excited for the rest of the month though #ive just had such a hard time being open/sharing what i like and ive always been so scared of being seen as 'cringe' #im glad i can take this month to just draw and do what i want despite what others may think #and hopefully i can carry that mindset along with me for the rest of my life :3 #thats what cringetober is about for me anyways

[wtfforged]

i have got to draw funnier

#not weirder. not better. Funnier #i cannot for the life of me draw funny shit or come up with good bits or dialogue though. my biggest weakness #aside from the struggling with trying not to draw Guy Just Standing There On Single Colored Background but we don't talk about that rn #chat

[exausta-verytired]

the best advice you can take from me is doing the opposite of what I do

but a very fun way of protecting yourself online is just prefacing everything by claiming you're a compulsory liar and a substance abuser who cannot be trusted

#you have beef with Evelyn that's on you she's a character I made up #this blog is a social experiment I run because high school in canada is boring #no but the biggest reason I was sent shit maybe twice is because I just ignore it and will delete asks #I think being a communist and not a radfem intimidates people. but mostly I think it's how I might be crazy but I'm still an adult with a #job and a social life. sharing your story can be fine once you're in a better spot. but when you're still struggling people ARE vultures #anyone who insists it's soo socially relevant you should do it publicly and/or keeps trying to get you to vent the details is someone you #should run from. met many activist who would make profit and careers from braking boundaries with other's trauma #I call them 'story vultures' in my head many tried getting me to become a zoo exhibition

[1980ssunflower]

Ngl the times are hurting me

#in general my life has been horrible and getting worse day by day #after losing my job everything has just been getting worse #struggling to make money work or have energy to get my commission post stuff in order #and ive been wanting to sing so badly lately ive had the deepest yearning to belt out a song #and i finally tried to sing rn but i felt sad and stressed and then i just. couldnt sing #i felt so deeply embarrassed and ashamed in how i was unable to sing #it hurts too much to have your biggest loves fail you when you need them most tbh #tape entry circa 1980 #vent