i think, for trauma survivors, especially those who were emotionally abused, invalidated, or gaslit, it is really important not to underestimate the significance of speaking bluntly about what happened to you. Forcing yourself not to beat around the bush, not to downplay what you went through with your words. say what happened, without any caveats, without any “but it could’ve been worse”, “but i might just be being overdramatic”, “but it wasn’t really THAT bad,” and so forth. sit with the discomfort until you can begin to let yourself realize that it WAS that bad, you WERENT being overdramatic, and even if it could’ve been worse you still didn’t deserve it. It’s almost like a form of reclamation, taking back your memories, taking back your life, even the difficult or gross parts, and refusing to let anyone change the narrative or tell you how you should feel anymore, even yourself. and it hurts and it’s scary and it feels weird and awkward and sometimes you want to convince yourself you’re lying, but i think sitting in those weird feelings and letting yourself admit that you really did go through trauma puts the power back in your hands to process things and be compassionate to yourself while you heal
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As a Zouey hater who stopped liking him hella early on, I actually feel bad for him about how it played out with Nant. I was vindicated with the reveal cause I knew he was NOT the only one clean in this entire story (that's Puen), but at the same time, it wasn't Nant's story to tell about what Jason did to him. Jason needed to be brought down, but I'm not cool with the implication that Nant was in the right to want to reveal Zouey's rape. Especially when Zouey clearly doesn't want that to be publicly known (Nant was the ONLY person who knew). Zouey didn't owe anyone his story. He was already violated in the worst way a human can be violated, so no shit he lost the plot entirely while panicking knowing Nant wanted to publicize what happened as if it was his right to talk about what happened to his actual body.
I'm not excusing the role Zouey played in the kidnapping and the outright lying he did to everyone for months and I will never excuse what he did to Nont the entire time, but I get how Zouey was definitely panicking and in survival mode during this show.
(And technically, Zouey didn't kill Nant nor even really play a part in it. He's responsible for the kidnapping, obviously, but Phop killed Nant when he showed up to say goodbye to Nuth. That had nothing to do with Zouey, unless you count him trying to get Nant out of the country as being the cause, but technically Nant would have needed to get out of the country anyway cause he wanted to turn on Jason for everything, including the drugs, so he would have been on his kill list anyway.)
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"will shouldn't use a gun in season five because his father probably taught him how to use one and that could be a bad reminder for him" have you considered that will using what was very likely a Bad experience to save his life in what is undoubtedly an even worse experience could be a good thing? have you considered that him using a skill he was forced to learn to save not only himself but (as is likely more important and meaningful to him) the lives of others could give him a sense of usefulness and safety knowing that he isn't defenseless and can stand his and others' ground if need be? especially considering that's a skill that we've only seen hopper and nancy possess, making it that much more valuable and himself more helpful to the group? after everything in s1 and s2, he's probably felt guilty for having endangered them and dozens of other people multiple times, i don't think it'd be out there for him to feel "happy" that he can finally return the favor and protect them for once (especially after having complained about being babied and treated like a doll).
"will doesn't have and shouldn't have powers because that makes him different and he doesn't want to be different" not only are you wrong lol <3 but how have you not noticed that will's entire thing since the very beginning is that he is different and he knows it and while he does get his heart broken over the fact that this means he faces constant unfairness in life, he still refuses to be any other way? will doesn't conform nor does he ever try to even when others try to force or shame him to. he gets frustrated and upset at being treated differently, yes, but he stays true to himself. to battle that feeling he sometimes gets that tells him he's a mistake, a feeling he gets not from his own otherness but from living in a world that Makes it an otherness and thus isolates him for it, he seeks out that which he loves and enjoys and throws himself wholeheartedly at it. will lives his truth and is willing to suffer the consequences for it. he refuses to live in darkness and let it take a hold of him. he holds on to hope and all that makes him feel better for being different. he holds on to art, to dnd, to video games, to his family and his friends, and everything that brings him joy and reminds him that it's okay to be different. in s1 joyce defends will ("he's missing is what he is") and jonathan tells him he shouldn't like things that other people (namely their homophobic dad) try to force him to like, that he should like what he genuinely likes. in s2 jonathan gives will the freak speech and tells him that no one normal ever accomplished anything and mentions bowie. in s3, he doesn't get a speech, (though joyce does tell him that when he falls in love he won't find it gross [avoiding the word girlfriend and leaving it neutral]) but he does face backlash from someone that IS trying to conform and IS shaming will for not letting go of "childish" things aka his interests, what's important to him, and what he wants. does will back down or shy away in shame? no. instead, he lets mike sit in his shame for having said something that hurtful, and he says "yeah. i guess i did. i really did." clearly this is a conversation about what makes will different aka his sexuality bc he goes and destroys castle byers (the safe place he and his brother built once their homophobic dad left which is a place will can be himself unapologetically) with what is likely a bat that lonnie gave him when trying to get him into baseball. he calls himself stupid and donates his dnd books, but i don't see this as an act of conformity (he tells mike as much, suggesting he'll just use his books + if he was ashamed he wouldn't have painted the party as their dnd characters and given it to him of all people lol). he felt stupid because he thought they'd always be crazy together, that they were of the same mind and heart still, and that they had the same brand of "otherness" if you catch my drift. then in s4 we get jonathan's tender "you're my brother and there is nothing absolutely nothing that will ever change that" which is the most direct anyone has ever been about that which makes will different. and he doesn't shy away from it! he doesn't deny it, because we can see from his confession and how he breaks down that he's desperately been wanting and needing to hear that. he accepts that love and allows himself to be held and seen by someone else, as he has every other time. because will doesn't hate being different, he just hates that he has to live in a world where that's seen as wrong and thus makes him feel like he doesn't belong because of it. but he doesn't change himself. he doesn't feel ashamed of it. he doesn't see it as a flaw in himself or others and he never has. will is different and he knows it and he wouldn't have it any other way.
will's story since the beginning has been about being different and going through awful things, and managing to not only find the light in it but also make it out stronger because of it all. it's always been about using what makes him different as a good thing and as something he uses to save himself and others.
will being good with a gun bought him time with whatever kidnapped him. will knowing how to run and hide kept him alive in the upside down. will acted as a spy while possessed and managed not only to save hopper but also tell them how to finish this. will's experiences and senses helped them figure out what was happening in season three. will's love and loyalty inspires mike and manages to bring him to a better place even if just for a moment in the van, and again he's the one that knows vecna's current state, aaaand had he been in hawkins at the time it likely would've gone a lot better because as dustin said "we need will".
taking something awful and turning it into a good thing and a source of strength is a wonderful trope. it's inspiring and empowering not only for the character but for those that could use that hope and reminder that there's always a silver lining, that life isn't all darkness and shadows and hurt. not only that, but it's something that they've literally always done for will since the very beginning. he is the prime character for that. his entire message has always been that it's okay to be different and that you can find strength and peace in that; that the things that make you different aren't a detriment, they're precisely what make you strong. like... i'm sorry, but have you not been paying attention at all whatsoever this entire time or... :/
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rachel !!!!!
post a line/snippet where the characters touch each other (in any way you wanna take that <3)
Hi darling Gi <333 thank you for the challenge of the day, I have decided to gift you 2 (two) forms of touching!
First, we have emotionally touched:
~~~
“Okay, yeah, but you don’t owe me a gift for it.”
“I know. I just want to,” Crystal smiled and Gigi’s heart fluttered.
“Are you sure I can’t see it? I’m not going to love it any less if I see it before it’s done. In fact, I might even love it more,” Gigi angled again.
Crystal was quiet a moment, and Gigi tried not to stare at the way Crystal’s tongue darted over her lips. “It's frankly unfair how hard it is to say no to you,” Crystal griped after a moment, stepping out of frame to grab something.
Gigi took the moment of privacy to try and still her racing heart. It was a painting, not a declaration of love. Crystal had made paintings for most of their friend group for various celebrations. This was nothing new or special. Still, Gigi felt like she couldn’t breathe when Crystal returned, gripping tightly to a small canvas.
~~~
And then we have some physical touching :)
~~~
Without her noticing, an hour had passed and Anetra, flopping onto the bed after messing up a trick with smoke rings, had moved so her head was resting in Marcia’s lap. Marcia absentmindedly played with the waves of Anetra’s hair. She looked so soft laying across her lap; nothing like the intimidating force of a woman she was when she was angry, or the stoic statue who wouldn’t show any emotion or vulnerability. This was the Anetra that Marcia had gotten glimpses of here and there, when Anetra was drawing, or spending time with Sasha, or after the Halloween party.
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