#and the belief that everyone can do things to support themselves and grow and bring something into this world

[femwizard]

Time for another no nuance November #bad take

I genuinely believe that our society can and should accommodate a much wider range of experiences and abilities & that there are too many people struggling who really shouldn't be.

At the same time! There are many times where a struggle is something you must personally overcome to grow. Identifying challenges, disabilities, and disorders can help connect with resources and support and allow one to understand the nature of their struggles and pain. At a certain point identifying with the barriers you face can make them more challenging to overcome. Sometimes the only way out is through and sometimes you must do shitty stuff you don't like & find actively uncomfortable.

#the fine line between respecting & supporting differently abled individuals #and the belief that everyone can do things to support themselves and grow and bring something into this world #having a good support system is important and asking for help is better for everyone than suffering alone #but sometimes you gotta choke down food you dont like #sometimes you gotta shffer through physical discomfort in an unfriendly environment #sometimes things are gonna suck and you have to learn to deal with that to a certain extent #but things absolutely should the fuck not suck all the time #and so many things are unnecessarily difficult & painful for no apparent reason #thats stupid and sucks ass and i hate it & no one should have to deal with it #nd constantly suffering through unnecessary bullshit is exhausting and makes the challenges you must inherently overcome way more difficult #the specific situation im thinking off is an autistic person struggling with safe foods #due to overindulgence in the only thing their brain will let them eat #& constantly struggling to find things they can eat because whenever they settle into something it becomes unpalletable #which i can understand and relate to #but the inflexible mindset i have found in my autistic peers is heavily not conducive to the strategy i have found success in #which is trying things i know i dont like & finishing a small serving #cause i have personally found that after having a break from something i ate too much of there are many times i can come back and enjoy it #& having a bigger rotation means im less likely to overindulge #but it takes self control that is difficult to maintain and subjecting myself to things i dont like #which is lame and sucks #but to a certain extent i must eat and cannot avoid these trials

[scara-meow-che]

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 ┃ sweet little thing with yae miko

CW. NSFW (MDNI), afab! reader, name-calling (pup, puppy, little thing), oral (character receiving), mentions of virginity, abuse of authority, corruption kink

AN. reposted work. gAH the way i was so downbad for yae when i made this. i swear when i saw her at the shrine, i legit almost barked for her <3 still full heart eyes for her.

ignorance is bliss.

that's what they all said to you, eyes softening whenever you peered up with doe-looking ones. your head tilting to the side, lips inquiring about every thought that ran past your head that fast to make your points.

you never once held yourself back from knowing what's more to know. being taught there's nothing wrong in exploring what this world has to offer. an adorable glow of curiosity blooms inside your heart, garnering the image of purity and innocence.

innocence is bliss.

that's what yae miko had thought the moment she saw you at the shrine, paying the chief priestess herself a visit after hearing her help with one of your close relative's dilemma with possession. then came next when a person with high status dared visit the humble home to announce how you were chosen by the great guuji to be one of the new shrine maidens. ah, the way your eyes sparkled when she uttered your name, she can never live down the image of purity in you.

for all things pure in this world can never escape the grudge of corruption. ruination is inevitable but that doesn't matter for—

yae miko wishes to be the one to ruin you herself.

honor, it was truly an honor to work alongside yae in the shrine. all your life, you've always been drawn to the beauty and mystery hidden in the beliefs and customs here in inazuma. your parents had wholeheartedly supported your departure, bidding you with such charms and letters, and the chief priestess smiles at the enthusiasm expressed by your family on the day she set foot in your home.

"ah, our sweet little f/n is finally going to do big things!" said your father where your dear mother adds, "yes, it feels like yesterday when you were our little girl."

the sweet messages had warmed your heart, face flushing as you get showered by almost everyone from the little community there in konda village. the elderly were in awe, waving with such soft smiles on their faces. the ever-curious yet beaming with innocence l/n f/n is finally going to do big things! such luck may bring prosperity to the village and the people can never ask for more!

and that's what you thought, the moment you followed yae through the path to the shrine. hands clutched tight on the small bag you carry as you were told that they are the ones to provide you with clothing. you needn't worry about anything, that's what they assured you, and yet your mind dances on the edges of your interest.

but you stopped yourself, not wanting to interrupt lady yae to her musings. you do not wish to ruin the gentleness in her eyes, looking back at you as she showed you around inside the shrine and led you to your quarters. you do not question why she would lay a hand on your shoulders, leaving a gentle squeeze as she bids you good night for the first night in narukami shrine.

you kept your lips screwed shut and eagerly observed what's bound to happen next yet your eyes would always daringly shimmer in the wonders you kept on absorbing as you follow the head priestess around like a puppy.

yes, you did not once question why she'd always refer to you as a puppy.

"come here, pup," it was yet again one night where she told you to visit her in the privacy of her room. a short whisper in the morning would grow magnitudes of screams inside your head as you let her simple orders affect your daily duties. questions had blossomed in your heart yet as your lungs tried to exhale it all out, your lips would keep themselves shut and you'd fail in expressing every word you dearly wanted to say.

"yes, my lady." an obedient nod and a short answer were all you could give as a way to acknowledge her orders. slowly, you made your way to yae who was clad in a loose white kimono that looked gloriously on her body.

as you reached the ends of her bed, her dainty fingers had beckoned you to go closer, and closer, and closer until you stood beside her bed frame. the gentle candle lights of the room had her skin glowing so beautifully, her pupils dilating and her eyes shining as she looks at you with emotions you aren't sure of.

"would you obey whatever i say, pup?" she asks, her hand making its way up from your stomach and all the way to the middle of your chest. she smiles when she sees you trembling, nodding when she let her finger slide against your breasts.

"m-my lady..." the short break from your voice had aroused yae more than she could ever have imagined before, her lips letting out a satisfied sigh before she rubs small circles on your nipple that peaks through the thin fabric of your shirt. "t-this isn't right..."

you felt conflicted when yae didn't stop flicking and circling the pad of her pointer finger on your nipple, biting down your lips to prevent the prurient and sinful noises you knew you'd been producing. yae watches you in awe, loving how reactive you are to her touches.

"hm? do you think that what i'm doing is... wrong, sweet f/n?"

you slowly shake your head as you can't make up another thought when she now uses two of her fingers to pinch at your sensitive buds, causing a loud squeal from your shaking body.

"ah, where are your manners. everyone at the shrine is already sleeping, f/n." her voice was gentle, so, so gentle you can't keep yourself composed when she easily had you under her control.

your lady yae had always been there to share her thoughts, and her strong opinions on different pressing matters none had ever discussed with you during your time as a normal inazuman. no one had dared cross in shedding you towards the light of knowledge but lady yae had been there to inform you of the things she knew you were fawning over.

but was it really the light you had been longing to know of? or was it this twisted darkness you know you can no longer turn your back from once it had corrupted your sweet and innocent mind?

"i think i ought to teach you a way you can make use of your noisy mouth... would you want to know what it is, you sweet little thing?"

corruption, and addiction. the sweet taste of you being ruined by none other than her own exploitation on your curious and naive mind—she shudders just thinking how she personally has her own obedient puppy.

her question had your mind buzzing in gullible inquisitiveness, the weakness she knew how to take advantage of had you leaning towards her body, slowly moving down to your knees, and patiently waiting for her next command. "yes, my lady. please, tell me."

the desire to know and the thirst to enlighten had glowed in both your eyes.

"very well then," she beams with the dreamy quirk of her lips, lilac orbs dilating as she spreads her legs open and propped herself to have you facing her already glistening sex. you were surprised to see her lady not wearing any undergarments but as soon as her fingers slip down from the middle of her body, the same fingers that had prodded and teased your nipples, made their way down to part her lower lips that came along with a breathy moan.

you never said another word, your eyes were more than enough to express multitudes of the questions you wanted to ask while you gaze at all her glory. she was flushed pink, smooth as your eyes scanned everything you want to know about her lady but never once did you go ahead to satiate the curiosity you've always had. you let yae herself be the one to show you, to inform you, to do what you longed for the people to do for you.

"no one ever had the heart to tell you what there is to know out there, am i right f/n?"

you saw how she rubs the little nub protruding off her sex, that one place you once accidentally touched and felt the jolt of electricity shocking your body. she now answered another of your questions by hearing her softly moan out your name, her finger gliding up and down the same spot before she pushes it deeper inside her cunt.

your eyes had glowed in worry, knowing how you once poked the little hole of your body and the sting had hurt you so much. and yae knew just exactly as what you were thinking off, spreading her legs as wide as she can and lets her whole finger sink and disappear inside of her.

"there's no need for such trepidation to worry your head, f/n. i can also show you how to do this without hurting yourself," she offers with a very calm tone, even when her chest rises up and down and her breathing got a little ragged when she added a second finger. "but first, i have to teach you how you'd use your mouth from now on, okay?"

"yes, my lady."

"good, now, kiss me... here." baffled, you blinked two, three times before you tilt your head to the side and looked at where she was pointing at. she had her free hand resting on the middle of her thighs, clearly indicating where she wanted you to start from.

"don't be shy, i'll always guide you."

you felt so reassured and at that moment, you gained such confidence to let your lips press gentle pecks on her skin, her small little sighs blessing you with such sounds you wanted to hear more. and you never let a patch of her soft and smooth skin left unscathed by your kisses, her hands brushing your hair had to encourage you to leave open-mouthed ones as she had told you to do.

"there, you're so good, f/n. my sweet puppy so eager to listen and obey. now, i want you to start kissing me down.... here," she instructs with her fingers spreading her pussy lips. "then you'd use your tongue to lick me, is that understood?"

and, as obedient as ever, you nodded before moving down to her crotch, continuing to trail down your kisses until you reached the skin of her cunt drenched with her own arousal.

"yes, kiss me right there and lick okay?" yae's voice was soft yet held amounts of control in every syllable she uttered as you started doing what you were told to do. at first, you felt odd to have your mouth pressed down to her sex but seeing yae generously giving you praises was so rewarding on its own.

she would constantly hum, her teeth would sink on her lips to keep in the whimpers she was bound to let go of once you began licking on her clit. just as you've seen earlier, she had used a fair amount of time rubbing it, swirling her fingers at a torturously slow pace.

and that's what you did, you used your tongue to mimic what she did earlier. and when you'd look up, you are given the view of your lady with her eyes closed, her fox ears twitching delightedly, an enticing smile on her face. as you dap and slurp on her clit, you can taste how sweet she is and that fuels more of the insatiable appetite this desire to see more reactions from your lady.

"i-i never knew you'd be so g-good at this, f/n. hnngg... there, just like that." yae snakes her hand towards your well-kept hair, the smooth ends are now tangled between her fingers as she pushed you deeper between her legs. your hands had instinctively gone to grab a hold of her thighs as she had both her legs squeezing your head went your tongue had scraped so lightly on her puckering and dripping hole.

"want you to put your tongue inside of me, can you do that?"

the urgency in her voice and the way she peered down at you was addicting, dominating your sense of logic as it frayed away into nothing but complete obedience as a way of showing such gratitude to your lady.

with a brief nod of your head, you started to poke out your tongue and let it enter the entrance to her cunt. so sweet, she both taste and smell so sweet while your nose brushes so roughly on her clit when yae had gripped on your hair and let her maneuvered your head to thrusting up and down her needy cunt.

"do you know now, f/n? starting from today, you're about to learn a lot of things from me. i will teach you everything you need to learn while you are under my care, okay?"

as close as you were getting lost inside her cunt, yae had pulled your from your hair and waited for your reply. and there it was, the look you always give when you get the answers to your question, the look she grew fond of and addicted to seeing.

doe eyes shimmering in interest, lips grinning but glows faintly from the juices covering your skin, chest going up and down from how breathless you were at that moment. the start of corruption, all thanks to her.

she would use everything of her power just to see you look at her like that even when it means to defile what innocence was left unsullied by those around you. she would have the utmost pleasure to be the only person that has corrupted the angel they once thought to be.

oh, she won't let anyone take your purity. she won't allow anyone to hold such power over you.

"my sweet little thing, i am looking forward to all the time we're bound to share with one another."

⠀⠀scara-meow-che © 2023 ┃ do not copy, modify, or repost ANY of my content

#⇲ full streams #genshin impact smut #genshin smut #yae miko smut #yae miko x reader smut #yae smut #miko smut #tw corruption #corruption tw #tw abuse of power #abuse of power tw #i forgot to tag my warnings sorry

[coolspork]

Dude, you celebrated Aaron Bushnell’s suicide. You’re clearly not connected to your Judaism in any way if you can’t even comprehend the basic idea of Pikuach Nefesh. I hope you grow and learn not to celebrate people killing themselves

Sincerely, a former (yay!) suicidal Jew who actually cares about human life

Hi. I am glad to hear you are no longer suicidal, it's not a good place to be, I know from personal experience.

On to your main point. I don't feel that I am in any way "celebrating" the death of Aaron Bushnell, at least not in any positive light surrounding the fact that he died. I think what he did was horrifying and I think that's the point. Preservation of human life is an incredibly important thing to be mindful of especially during a war, and I truly believe that was something he was fully aware of. I didn't know him personally, I guess I can never say with absolute certainty why he did it, but with all the available evidence I feel confident in saying that his goal WAS to preserve human lives. I grew up surrounded by US military culture and service members and I understand the significance of an American soldier in an American uniform doing something like that while making those statements. I understand that his life was lost and that that in and of itself is a fucking tragedy, but I think the impact he has had will save more lives in the bigger picture.

The US military and police have incredibly close ties with the IDF to the point that I *know* non-jewish, non-israeli, antisemitic people here in America who have personally worked and trained with the IDF and support them uncritically. The US military is one of our government's "greatest" assets (much sarcasm) when it comes to political power and the culture surrounding the military is extremely strong. If attitudes about what's happening in Gaza were to shift within those spheres it would bring incredible change to a movement with the interest in protecting human life.

Self immolation has been used as a form of protest before. Aaron Bushnell's is not unique, it is just the most recent and named case. A woman who self-immolated in Georgia has been in critical condition since December and I truly hope she survives. It is something that has occured on record for thousands of years. I don't hold the belief that this is a practice to be encouraged or advocated for, I think it is a very jarring wake up call, especially in the society we live in today. I think the fact that you and I are so absolutely horrified at the thought of it *is the point*. He was a white male US service member. People who were refusing to acknowledge lives lost in Gaza were forced to name him because of his privileged position AS a white male US service member. I think that what he did was an incredibly brave and selfless sacrifice and that to try and bury his actions is disrespectful to that sacrifice. No one should have to go to such extremes to get their government's attention.

The fact that this is horrifying, especially to those that put a lot of value in pikuach nefesh and similar values in other cultures is the fucking point. I cannot save that man, what happened has already happened. The only thing I, as a random person on the internet, can do is use the momentum his sacrifice created to try to save more lives in the coming months by putting pressure on the military industrial complex that he publicly refused to support.

What he did was horrifying, and that is the fucking point.

Edit: I know this is an extremely controversial topic and people have a variety of reasons to agree or disagree with his actions. I don't expect everyone to support what he did, but I at least would hope you could see why he did it

#free palestine #aaron bushnell #goyim don't derail

[hanarium]

Bai Yu Reviews #3 : Take Us Home (龙城) - END

Full Review: 36/36 watched

What is it about?

Family trying to figure out their way in life despite the outside and inner troubles . More slice of life than a romance, although romance does appear. Heavy focus on family and obligation to family.

Bai Yu's role?

Main, middle brother Zheng Xijue

Is it worth watching?

Yes, but it's not for everyone. Gets heavy at times. Details and minor spoilers under the cut.

After the review of the first half of the show, I was ready to be disappointed further, and yet, to my great surprise, right after episode 18 the entire drama took off.

Things got progressively worse, especially when it comes to Dongni and her issues, but pretty much everyone from the main cast got a moment to shine and at least try to tackle their problems and hang ups, while the crisises kept on coming.

The focus on parenting, on the role and responsibility of a parent when it comes to a child (and the other way round), is definitely one of the strongest points Take Us Home makes, and discusses at length. Different models of parenthood, different approaches and effects it has on kids, are coordinated well with what was shown in the first part of the show.

Here, a scene from the last two episodes comes to mind, that is the talk between Dongni and Xuebi, regarding the degree to which a parent should sacrifice for their kids and how it affects said kids. The answer is particularly resonant in modern times - an unhappy parent is very likely to make their child unhappy too, despite their best intentions. No one can grow up sane while feeling they are a burden someone has to sacrifice for, day after day.

Zhao Zhao's plotline is probably the most painful one, but it leads to a very mature discussion of hope and the price for it - Zheng Xijue's idealistic belief in shielding people from truth just to sustain their hope and will to live, is constrasted with Doctor Chen's pragmatism and rather realistic belief that it's foolish to waste resources on lies that do not bring any real change.

There is also the prevailing question of - do you want to save her? Or just feel better about yourself because you tried?

This arc doesn't offer any easy answers, although it seems that the script sides more with Xijue here, considering the 'ghost talks' both Xijue and Doctor Chen have at some point, explaining their reasoning and feelings to those who are long gone.

Doctor Chen is an interesting character in his own right - from an idealist and true altruist he changed into a loner, unwilling or unable to let anyone close because of the hurt he suffered. Him and Zheng Xijue are natural foils for each other and each scene with them both present is a personal favourite of mine. Again - patterns that are repeated shape who the characters are, and it's requires them to work on themselves to overcome them. Some manage to, some don't.

Although most of the attention, especially when it comes to the dramatic and hurtful events, is centred on Zheng Xijue and Dongni, Nanyin's plotline of growing into herself and her relationship is done very well too - it is a nice counterbalance to the stormy lives of her older siblings, but it's not naive or insignifcant. Nanyin, taking strength from the support and love she received from her family, is able to fight back against her in-laws and to decide for her own how her life and future will look like. In the sea of hard choices and inescapable misery, her arc is the shining, hopeful beacon, despite the troubles she faces.

And here is the main reason why this review is so positive while the previous one was less than: the balance. The second half finally shows us moments of respite, shows us the characters smiling, hanging out, having fun, without just the dire circumstances pushing them into each other. Of course, they are still supporting one another throughout all the bad luck, but the also have the time to finally just be.

Gone is also the feeling of stagnation - first things get much worse, the spiral changes into a head-dive, but it only makes watching the Zheng siblings crawl back up, one step at a time, all the more satisfying.

They actually have to put on some work to be better and I must say, it's a joy to see them put in the effort.

However.

The one who changes the least in the end, is Zheng Xijue. Instead of him learning to set some boundaries and learning to give some things and people up, it's his surroundings that come to a conclusion that he is perfect as he is and it's their job to learn how to accept him and support him in his self-sacrificial act, because they all profitted from his sacrifices and were able to be so happy exactly because he was there to be their stepping stone.

It might be a bit of a reach here, but I find it interesting that everyone is at their best when he stops being a person and starts being a concept - with Xijue in jail, his entire family adapts almost a religious 'Xijue wouldn't want you to do that, he wouldn't want you to suffer like that' approach, which benefits them ("Xijue already suffered for it, you can't waste it, so do what you want") but doesn't really address how much this state of things costs him.

Aunt Lin does say at some point that he was bound to blow up and hit someone because he got so used to bottling everything up, yet this idea doesn't come back. Even Jiang Yi, Zheng Xijue's girlfriend who from the very beginning had very good reasons to be unhappy with his choices, finally gets 'converted' into understanding that this is how it should be and that her role in life is to be there for him whenever his goodness breaks him up too much. Local Jesus spotted, everyone.

Joking aside - I am not certain whether the show wanted it that way, or if it's just my reading of it, but I believe that while the drama has a good ending overall, Zheng Xijue is the only character who actually loses in the end. He doesn't leave his pattern after all, he even gets it enforced and encouraged from the outside, and for me? That's a bad ending. I like those, so it's additional plus from me, but for those who find themselves in Xijue's circumstances and want to be inspired by watching how he overcomes them... Well, he doesn't.

Who is it for? Definitely for those who like Bai Yu's acting, he does a marvellous job here, especially in the second part where he has something more to show than sad smiles and tears. This man can suffer, let me tell you that. For the lovers of slice of life, family dramas, flawed characters trying their best to become better, and for those who like to be reminded that no matter how hard the circumstances are, there is always hope for it to get better tomorrow.

Who it isn't for? People who don't like too much suffering, and those who don't enjoy their protagonists display toxic behaviour towards their loved ones. From what I gather, the drama also loses quite a lot of the content when it comes to Longcheng itself and the problems of industrialism that are present in the novels - they are only hinted at in the drama and don't lead anywhere. Also: it's definitely not for those who dislike characters being dramatic and irrational at times - while realistic, it can get sometimes frustrating, because how naive can you get???

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot, even cried a bit in the right moments, so personally, I do recommend it both to Bai Yu fans and to people who enjoy the topics this drama touches upon. It's very well-acted and beautifully shot, the ost also grows on you as you watch (although some songs get repeated so often that making a drinking game out of them would kill some livers)

#bai yu reviews #take us home #take us home (2023) #bai yu

[lemonluvgirl]

Hi my friend 😊 I know I haven't been as active lately, but randomly popped on during my break at work to see what I've been missing. Needless to say I stopped as soon as I saw your post about you were getting negative comments on your fics, which quite honestly pissed me the fuck off beyond belief, so I can only imagine how you (being the ever so fantastic writer) feels. As you and I have discussed previously, writing is a passion for you (and it SHOWS). You are so talented and every story I've read of yours excudes the love you have for the characters and universe (AU or Canon) that Collins created. I gladly have stayed up way (and I mean wayyyyyy) passed my bedtime during a work week to read your biggest fics as I just couldn't stop even if I tried.

We all love these characters and the universe they come from, so it's totally understandable to be passionate about it (we're in a fandom for fucks sake!) but what some people fail to understand is you (and other creators) are taking hours of your life to contribute your own talents for all of us to enjoy. The beauty of fandom is we all come together from various backgrounds and love something together; the shitty side of fandom is some folks tend to bring their own crap personality traits with them and it becomes toxic, so much so it ruins and stifles creativity, ultimately preventing others from expressing themselves in their own unique way. I know from my previous blogs in other fandoms, I would spend hours on elaborate gifs and graphics and it would take one shit comment to damn near ruin it for me, so I do understand how it feels.

The wonderful thing about fanfiction specifically, is you can find a story for damn near every possible genre / scenario imaginable, and because everyone comes from different backgrounds, writing styles, etc., you as the reader, have so much to choose from and get to experience all of those stories and the characters you love in a totally new way. I'm not ashamed to say reading fanfics have helped me beyond belief as a means of escaping from my own life and I find comfort in getting lost in them. You (and other writers) don't always get the love and credit you deserve, but please know there are a ton of people out there you don't even speak to that have benefitted greatly from you taking your time, love and energy and pouring it into wonderful stories.

TL;DR You're absolutely wonderful and I appreciate the countless hours I've spent reading your work and hope you continue regardless of what some people say. Much love to you babes, cannot wait to read what you have in store for us and thank you for all you contribute. 💕

And to anyone who leaves shit comments on fics: If you don't like it, you know you can just stop reading, right? It literally costs zero dollars to be a decent person, so maybe choose to be kind in a world that so often tears us apart and spits us out. P. S, as I've heard many times growing up in the south, bless your heart.

My dear friend thank you for your kind words and your support. You have no idea how encouraging it is to hear good things 💗 from people like you and other mutuals on here. It's nice to know that there are more people who celebrate and encourage writers and artists than there are people who criticize and belittle them. Every kind and thoughtful word can inspire someone to create something beautiful and by being a brave and lovely person you are part of that. You make the Fandom a better place. 😌 thank you again my friend 🥰

[the27percent]

herbal profile.  

 40% Eucalyptus.

Open-minded and accepting, you’re truly an independent thinker. You’re witty, lovable, and are an empowering force. You help others feel heard and to tune into themselves. Because you’re so independent, you love to do your own thing and thrive when given the space to do so. You have the ability to create spaces that are easy to breathe in, where all can stand tall.

 30% Nettle

Sharp and direct, you’ve got a pointed plan. You sometimes sting, but everyone knows that’s part of your medicine. Honesty and transparency are the ways you restore and repair. As long as others accept your loving prick, you will be able to grow tall anywhere.  

30% Passionflower.

Passionate and creative, you help others find their inner light. Friends see you as the “ideas person” who always has another wild idea on the mind. You use your out-of-the-box thinking to expand limiting beliefs and bring peace to yourself and your community. Some may see you as unrealistic, but they don’t know you’re a visionary. You will bloom boldly when given the right support systems.

 TAGGED BY: stolen.

TAGGING: keep the thievery going.

[linkspooky]

Yuji, Alone. 

I have been saying in my past few meta that Yuji has a really unhealthy way of viewing both himself, and his relationships with others. Yuji is excellent at reading the feelings of others and empathizing with them, and at the same time terrible at processing his own emotions, a trait he shares with Geto who he is once again paralleling this chapter by choosing to stew in isolation rather than reach out for support. 

Chapter 138 does an excellent job of showing how deep these issues run, which I will explain under the cut. 

1. Yuji and Geto

If I were to explain the unhealthy mindset Yuji has by simplifying it down to one sentenence, simply stated it would be “I want to help others, but I don’t want to accept help from other people.” 

Both Yuji and Geto are so motivated by empathy they feel like they are responsible for solving other people’s problems, and they often use other people rather than themselves as a reason to move. They’re actually selfless to a fault. In that, it’s a problem in their behavior. They do everything they do for other peope, so they have no idea what they themselves want. If Gojo is someone who has a strong self image, a strong set of beliefs, an idea of what he wants to do to the world, Geto and Yuji are people who try not to think about themselves at all. 

Not only does Yuji almost never critically exam his own motivations, but he also doesn’t think of his relationships with other people. 

This is something Yaga pointed out as a danger with Yuji’s way of going about things, all the way at the beginning of his arc. If you’re doing it because your grandpa told you so, then is it really something you want to do? When you die, is it going to be your grandpa’s fault too?

Yuji is someone who seems selfless on the surface, and to an extent he is, but just like Geto that’s not all there is to him. It’s something Gojo called out early on, Geto presented himself as someone selfless, motivated entirely by using his powers to protect others, but he was also doing so self righteously. 

To clarify what I mean by self righteous, Geto believed that he was doing something because it was the objective right thing to do, but actually it was just his own personal feelings. That’s why after Riko’s death forced him to critically examine himself, he realized he didn’t want to follow the rules of Jujutsu Society. 

Both Yuji and Geto pay attention to others, but also have the blinders on in regards to themselves, and that’s the parallel right there. Yuji says he is doing these things for other people, that his number one priority is to save them but that motivation is even deconstructed in the third chapter.

Yuji’s not actually doing this for purely altruistic reasons, but for selfish ones. He wanted to do something that nobody else could do. Yuji’s life was like a vaccuum before this point. He didn’t have any real friends, or anything he wanted to do. Suddenly he had a purpose basically gift wrapped and handed to him on his lap. 

Basically, Yuji and Geto both have this schewed way of seeing other people. They thing other people exist to validate their own existences. 

To put it simply. If Hidden Inventory Geto helps weak people than he’s valid. If Yuji helps people, then he’s valid. 

Not only is the way they view themselves built around how they help other people, but at the same time all of their relationships are built up on this as well. Relationships that are built upon shaky foundations will crumble apart easily when tested. 

Geto’s most important relationship was with Gojo, they had an intense chemistry and interaction with one another like they were made for each other. They were both good at naturally balancing each other out, Geto was the one who stood up to Gojo and acted like a tether, and Gojo ackonwledged Geto as his one and only. 

However, the relationship was also built on the idea that Gojo needed Geto. Geto was only able to view his relationships with other people in that way. Geto, wants to take care of people, wants to help people. However, eventually, he was left behind by Gojo who no longer needed him as a partner in combat. On top of that, Geto awoke to a higher purpose in ridding the world of cursed energy. Geto wants to be needed by somebody in the same sense that Yuji does, so for Geto at least being needed to save the whole world in his eyes, was just more important than maintaining his relationship with Gojo. 

Which is why both Geto and Yuji’s relationships fall apart. They are great at making relationshisps, but not at maintaining them. Attention is drawn to the fact that the trio has great chemistry with each other and get along well, but they’re also terrible at communicating with each other. 

"The seats... in my life... How should I put this? I don't want my heart to be affected by people who don't have a place there. Does that sound cold? Well, I guess there are also guys like you who brings their own chair and takes a seat." Translation by Miho.

Almost literally, I don’t want anyone who’s not a part of my life to try to talk to me or tell me what to do. Also the reference that Yuji is kind of different because Yuji just kind of walked into her life unannounced and invited himself there (this is how Yuji forms relationships with everyone.)

All three of them go behind each other’s backs and keep secrets from one another. All three of them avoid direct confrontation, Nobara even says she doesn’t really want anyone else even trying to tell her how to live her life. The Origin of Obedience arc shows that Nobara, Yuji and Megumi are all good at fighting together as a team, but also questioning if they have a healthy friendship outside of that?

Any relationship takes work, confrontation, arguments and even just plain old talking about things. However, someone who is primarily insecure in their relationships will not be able to do things.  Couples shouldn’t only argue, but couples who never argue is just as unhealthy. If you are so afraid that one argument is going to end a relationship, then your relationship was fragile to begin with. 

Yuji and Geto experience conditional relatinoships. In the sense that, they are only allowed to have friends, if they are helpful to those friends. They themselves are never allowed to ask for help. It’s true that Gojo was kind of blind to Geto’s faults, but also Geto would have never asked for help. Gojo could not see, and Geto deliberately hid things from them. 

Geto always makes his relationships on the condition that he is needed. When Gojo grew more independent, Geto took that as a sign that Gojo didn’t need him anymore and deliberately started to pull away.

Because, Geto isn’t ever allowed to be the one who needs someone else. 

2. Avoidant Attachment

This is just a personal theory of mine, but I think Yuji’s issues might even center around the psychological idea of attachment theory. Especially it’s since deliberately mentioned to Junpei, that Yuji never met his mother. 

Attachment theory is a complex idea, but basically it states that attachment to other people, that is the idea to form healthy relationships with family members, friends, romantic partners is learned instead of naturally present in us. It’s a skill people develop in their formative years. 

Those who show patterns of problematic attachment in childhood will continue the behavior into adulthood unless it’s corrected, because attachment is a skill that’s developed the same as anything else. Of the four categories, Yuji and Geto most resemble this one. 

Avoidant attachment: Children with an avoidant attachment tend to avoid parents or caregivers, showing no preference between a caregiver and a complete stranger. This attachment style might be a result of abusive or neglectful caregivers. Children who are punished for relying on a caregiver will learn to avoid seeking help in the future.

Which goes further to explain how they can be so empathic towards other people, and yet the same time completely unable to maintain close relationships with them. It’s because, they avoid people at the same time. They don’t seek out help when they need it, because, deep down they view themselves as unworthy of the help. 

Geto did not immediately break after the trauma of losing Riko, it was the year of isolation after that where he slowly was consumed by his regrets. Geto got worse and worse over a period of time because he couldn’t handle his trauma in any healthy way, until he just completely snapped. 

During that time he asked himself the same questions over and over again, but Geto wasn’t able to find any kind of healthy answer to his questions because, he didn’t reach out for anybody. It wasn’t just the trauma, it was the behavior after the trauma, the decision to isolate himself for over a year. No one does well in isolation. You need other people to grow or develop. If anything Geto stagnated. Geto’s central flaw was his self-righteousness. Rather than realizing he was wrong and trying to change this flaw of his, he just doubles down and becomes even more self righteous. He goes from believing he’s responsible for protecting all the weak people, to believing he’s a superior being tasked with eliminating all the weak people in the world. So, it’s not really that Geto changed, moreso that he stagnated because he cut off all his relationships with other people. 

And isn’t Yuji doing the exact same thing right now? Yaga even points out this similaritiy between Geto and Yuji, that they try to carry every regret and burden they have on their own. 

It’s not out of selflessness that they do this though, but rather insecurity. Geto didn’t come to Gojo with his problems, because he wanted to be the strongest alongside Gojo he didn’t want to be weak. He was deliberately avoiding Gojo. 

I think it’s important to establish that Yuji wasn’t abandoned by his friends this chapter. Yuji is alone, because he chose to be alone. He’s alone because he’s avoiding both of his friends, because he’s so, so afraid the friendship will end because it’s based entirely on the condition that he be a helpful, good person.

It’s true that Yuji is genuinely worried about his friends getting hurt because of him, but look at his choices. He’s not really tackling the problem in a healthy way. He’s doing everything he can to avoid the problem, isolating himself, and just trying not to think about things. He could try to talk with Megumi and find a solution, but he’s not doing that because he’s insecure in his attachment to others. 

I think his reaction to Choso pretty clearly illustrates this too. Yuji isn’t around his friends because he doesn’t want to be around them. Which is tragic, because Yuji is holding himself responsible for the mass murder which isn’t really his fault. However, Yuji saw his relationship with both Nobara and Megumi as conditional to begin with. He can only be friends with people he can help, and he can never receive help from them. It’s unhealthy to start with because relationships go both ways. Yuji is also, completely unresponsive to Choso.

Yes. Choso suddenly walking to him and delcaring them brothers is really weird.  I don’t expect Yuji to just suddenly start getting along with him right away.

At the same time, Choso explains what the unconditional love between family is between Yuji, and Yuji just doesn’t get it, because he either hasn’t experienced enough of it, or his grandpa the only person that ever unconditionally loved him is gone. Yuji can’t understand Megumi’s love for him is unconditional,. because from the beginning he sees all relationships as conditional. 

Yuji and Choso are facing opposite direcitons because they’re opposites. Choso is willing to hurt complete strangers too, but his love for his family is unconditional and he will do anything for them. Yuji will help complete strangers, but, he doesn’t really understand unconditional love, and even his love with his closest friends has a few conditions. 

Which is why someone who appears on the surface as such a friendly guy who makes friends everywhere he goes, can call himself “a loner” because in Yuji’s mind he is. He doesn’t have friends, he has people who need him. 

Which is just incredibly sad because Yuji doesn’t understand this. Yuji isolates himself thinking he’s doing it for the sake of his friends, but neither Megumi nor Nobara would want him to be alone. 

#yuji itadori #megumi fushigoro #kugisaki nobara #suguru geto #choso #jjk meta #jujutsu kaisen meta #jjk 138 #jujutsu kaisen 138 #jujutsu kaisen

[eirikaanemo]

Venti falls in love with an Inazuman rebel. The rebel has no vision, but what they do have is a belief that everyone has an inherent right to live freely. How does Venti know about this rebel in the first place? I honestly have no idea...

Visionless Visionary

Venti x GN!Reader

1.8k Words

Warning: Minor character death mentioned, prayer (if that bothers you)

Disclaimer: I knew next to nothing about Baal when I wrote this, so it may not be an accurate representation of her character.

Inazuma is a mess. That is just a fact now. Baal has suddenly become violent and a danger to her people. So many had done nothing but hold a vision she had bestowed upon them in the first place. And because of that, she struck your cousin down. You can still remember the thump of his lifeless body hitting the ground and the steady tap, tap, tap of Baal’s shoes as she walked away.

She seemed completely unaffected by her actions. You were anything but. The scene played over and over in your nightmares for weeks, and continues to haunt you. So when the rebellion reached out to you for support you were happy to assist. You found out he had just joined their ranks and that’s why he had been targeted.

However, you don’t have a vision so there’s only so much you can do. Of course they always welcome financial support and you gave it to the best of your ability. But you knew there had to be more you could do. So you spoke to some people and it was agreed that you would go to Mondstadt and position Barbatos for his support for your cause.

He hadn’t been seen in centuries, but he was the god of freedom, right? If anyone could help them, it would be him. So with the rebellion’s blessing you took your savings and made the long journey to Mondstadt.

Finding lodging was fairly easy. The people of Mondstadt were more than willing to help you. Especially once they found out what you were there to do. ‘Such a great and admirable cause,’ they said. ‘May Barbatos bless you!’ And all you could do was hope he did.

You prayed every morning and every night for help for your people. The heavens seemed quiet, but you didn’t let that dissuade you. Surely your sheer persistence would make a difference, you reasoned. And so you kept on.

One night, rather early on, you ran into a bard not long after your evening prayer. He had been not too far from the statue and you were captivated by the beauty of the song he played. It was ancient Inazuman and for just a moment you were able to forget and be caught up in the memories of better days.

When the song ended you were disappointed and tried not to pout. Judging from the laugh the bard let out when he saw you, it must have still shown on your face. “Did you like the song?” He asks. “I know I didn’t play for long. Would you like to hear another?”

“I would love to,” you admit. He smiles and simply starts on another song, this one also of Inazuma origin. From there he transitions into a more Mondstadtian style, singing The Ballad of Freedom. You know it well, as it’s a favorite of many of the rebels. As the last note fades he turns back to you.

“What brings you here, I wonder. Has it to do with your country being torn asunder?” He inquires.

“Yes,” you reply. “I’ve come to ask Lord Barbatos for his assistance in our cause. We fight for freedom from Baal, who has become nothing but a tyrant. As for me personally, well, she killed my cousin right in front of me. Her only reasons being the vision she bestowed upon him herself not many years ago and his belief that what she was doing was wrong. No one should have to suffer that.”

“Indeed, it seems you have a need. Your cause is just and swords you thrust. But the archons don’t just help everyone, so prove to him you’re worthy of some.”

“But how do I do that?” You question the cryptic bard.

“You’ll see in time, dear friend of mine!” He winks and you find your face warming. “Though I have a question if you don’t mind. Is the assistance you’re seeking a vision like mine?” He taps the glowing turquoise vision sitting on his belt by his hip.

“No,” you shake your head. “After what happened to my cousin, I’m not sure I’d be comfortable with a vision. For me they’ve been nothing but trouble.” He nods in understanding.

“I see how that would be. I must take my leave for now, we’ll see each other later anyhow.” And he’s off into the night.

He’s right that this is far from the last time you see him. And he’s right that you start noticing the tests that Barbatos has set before you. More and more people seek your help in one thing or another, especially since the one they call “honorary knight” left to Liyue. There’s much to do, but you’re happy to help them.

Eventually you stop helping them because it’s a test and start helping them because you want to; because it’s the right thing to do. You help Lisa organize the library. You help Barbara clean the cathedral. You help Amber keep watch. You help Venti with his performances from time to time. You stand in for Diluc’s barkeep while he recovers from an illness.

Days and days have passed and your relationship with Venti grows and grows. You notice more and more things about him that you rather like. His laugh. His eyes. His hands. His music. His sense of humor. His optimism.

Really, everything about him is amazing. You try to deny it at first. But you know deep down that you’re falling in love. And you’re seeing some hints that he might be too. Lots of them, because he’s started flirting with you almost constantly.

However, as your relationship grows, your hope dwindles. It’s been weeks! You’ve helped so many people and have prayed so many times. And yet you have not received an answer. Not even an acknowledgement that he has heard.

When you express your concern and discouragement to Venti, he is very concerned. “I’m just not sure how much longer I can stay,” you explain. “While I would hate to return empty handed, I can’t stay here forever.”

“Try just one more time, for me?” he asked you, looking a little guilty despite not having reason to be. It’s not like he was keeping Barbatos from speaking with you. As if he could sense your hesitance he sweetened the deal. “If you do, I’ll give you a kiss!” He wiggled his eyebrows at you and flashed you a mischievous smile and you felt a warm blush bloom on your face.

“Alright,” you grumble good-naturedly. “I’ll try one more time.” His resulting cheer and more cheery smile were nearly enough to have made you do it by themselves.

That night you approached his statue, feeling unreasonably nervous compared to the nights before. “Lord Barbatos,” you prayed. “I seek thy assistance for my people’s cause. We seek the freedom thou dost represent. Someday may we all be free to live our lives reasonably, but as we please. This is my vision, my hope. Please, if it be thy will, let thy winds be not still. Guide us to better days, for this is what I pray.”

You stay there for a long moment, waiting. Then, the wind picks up and you hear a voice from it. It seems vaguely familiar but you can’t quite figure out why.

“Your diligence and passion for your cause has secured my blessing,” the winds whispered. “My winds will be at your back and support your cause. However, if you accept a vision despite your fears, you will be able to do far more. The wind will whisper secrets to your ears. All plans spoken will be carried to your ears.

“You need not fight with it. Trust in me, that I will not strike you down for accepting this gift. In your time here in my home I have found you to be a friend to us so I will be a friend to you.”

You feel tears come to your eyes. “I accept,” you whisper. This will be incredibly valuable.There’s no way you could turn it down. And this is the kind of god you can trust and accept a vision from. He is as kind, generous, and benevolent as his people.

After a moment of silence, the winds calm and a gleaming turquoise vision lies before you, dangling from a necklace like a pendant. It’s smaller than some others you’ve seen and is hidden easily when you slide it over your head and under your shirt. That will be invaluable when you return to Inazuma. It would be most suspicious for you to return with one after everything that’s happened.

You take another moment to catch your breath and wipe the tears from your eyes. Then you take a particularly deep breath to steady yourself and make your way back to Venti. “How did it go?” He asks, and you smile in response.

“It went very well,” you said, pulling the pendant out to show him your new vision. “Now we match! Now… I believe I was promised a kiss?”

The smile on his face at your teasing words could have lit up a room, if you were in one. He took your hands in his and tugged you closer gently before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours. It was a pleasant kiss, chaste but lingering and sweet.

He giggled at the face you made when he pulled away. You joined it, adding your laughter to his. Between the blessing and his kiss you felt like you were on top of the world. Then you remembered something that brought you down from your high.

“Venti, you know this means I have to leave now, right?” You inquire.

His face fell to a serious and thoughtful expression before it softened and he sent you a small smile. “Yeah, I know. You know I love you, right?”

“I know,” you respond softly. “I love you too.”

He nods. “Then I’ll wait for you. So don’t take too long, okay?”

“Of course, I’ll do what I can,” you reply.

Your parting is sad, but hopeful as he waves you goodbye until you’re so far away that he can’t see you. He sings nearly nothing but sappy love songs for the next week. He misses you, but knows you’ll be back. His winds won’t let anything happen to you after all.

When you return to Inazuma you find that all the rebels with anemo visions had their power boosted, the ships sailed swifter with the wind behind them, and the information the wind brought you gave you many victories. The struggle was still difficult, but the help you had obtained made a serious difference and soon enough you were headed back to Mondstadt.

You are headed home. After all, home is where the heart is.

tag list: @clouds-rambles

#eirika writes #venti #genshin venti #venti x reader #genshin impact x reader

[tamagochiie]

pairing: timeskip!kenma x fem!reader

synopsis: You come home late from your cousin’s funeral, and though Kenma didn’t expect much from you but perhaps a few leftovers you’ve managed to steal away from the dinner, he finds you with a surprise: a sleeping child cradled around your neck and a teenage boy hovering behind you.

Your poor boyfriend wondering what in the hell it is you’re plotting…

tags: angst and fluff, time skip!, slight spoilers if you squint

warnings: mentions of death, mentions of depression, cursing 

w/c: 2.5k

a/n: welcome to the first chapter of this series! i’m very excited to start this, and i hope everyone who reads it enjoys it as well! i got the idea from a manga i was binge reading a while back, so the themes and a few of the plot points are different, but as it progresses, i’ve made it my own. 

anyway, happy christmas! see you next week! 

master list

life as she’s known it >> 

You notice the subtle clench of Kenma's jaw beneath the warm glow of the hallway's light. His hooded gaze strained by hours upon hours of gaming meets your wavering grin. The gears in his head are turning very slowly, and since silence has fallen upon the atmosphere of your shared apartment, you can actually hear the little squeaks as your poor boyfriend tries to fathom the sight before him.

You have quite a knack for bringing peculiar things home without permission; the little frog you adopted on the side of the road during your commute home one stormy night, the mud pie your nephew made for you that stunk the entire apartment for weeks because you didn't have the heart to throw it away—at least not immediately; and the dinner you brought home from the self-proclaimed "legitimate" kebab restaurant that resides in the sketchier side of the city.

All quirky things that Kenma had accepted and grown used to.

But this? This was so far from the bar you had set for his expectations, he can't help but wonder if you're pulling a prank, or maybe even actually committing a crime. But the glint of guilt and sorrow painting so deep into your face tells him otherwise.

Oh, how the poor gamer wishes it was a prank.

You swallow your fear, forcing it all the way down to the pit of your stomach. You've practiced all you've needed to say in the ride home, but all you can manage is stuttering, "I-I can..I can explain," in rather hushed tone.

There goes all my practice, you think to yourself.

Kenma raises a brow, still peering at you with the driest expression. The child in your arms begins to weigh heavier than the pressure placed upon your chest.

Ah, he just might break up with me after this...

"This is—uh, this one behind me is Eiji—Ejij say hi." The young boy behind you bows shyly, his greeting softer than a whisper it feels like you imagined it. "And this little one—sleeping soundly—this one's Yuki..."

Kenma blinks away at your words, face unamused. You regret not even trying to bring home some cake. Maybe if you did, he wouldn't be so...upset? Is he upset or is it just his face again? You can never really tell.

You huff, quietly jumping to the harsh conclusion this'll be the moment he ends things with you. But you won't go down without at least a little fight.

"Look," You sigh, shifting your hold beneath Yuki's tiny bum so he doesn't slip away, "They needed a place to stay, and no one was willing to take them!" Your lips fall dry and the more you speak, the more your words come out strained. "In a room full of people who—who called themselves your family for so many years fall silent the moment they needed help! No one spoke up to help them! It was so bad, Kenma! I-If you were there you—"

You bite your tongue, catching yourself before you're swept away by the current of your rage.

A deep, shaky sigh escapes him. His eyes finally tearing away from you as he cranes his head back, seemingly accepting his temporary defeat. "Let them sleep in the spare room and we'll talk after," is the only thing Kenma says to you before turning around walking away.

The constricting feeling in your chest eases and you sigh in relief. You mentally high five yourself for your momentary win before twisting your gaze over your shoulder to look at the young boy towering over you, motioning him to follow you.

You never noticed how wide the apartment actually is. Maybe its because of the emptying feeling you were left with back in the hallway, but it all seems so eerily wide. Like, what are two people doing with such a big space?

He'll definitely break up with me after this.

There's still a lingering prickly feeling in your heart; a mixed emotion of a win and a loss. You try your best to prepare yourself for whatever the outcome may be, but deep inside you're already prepared for a break up.

The young boy trails behind you all the way into the bedroom, leaving a considerable amount of space between the two of you.

You switch the lights on, revealing a room big enough for more than just two kids. A desk on the side, a king size bed at the center, and a window with a good view of the city. It was usually the room Hinata crashed whenever he came back from traveling with his team, but he hadn't been here in months. Traces of him were left in the form of dust.

"Will this be good enough for now?" You ask Eiji as you shrug Yuki's backpack to the floor before making your way over to the bed.

His head is lowered, eyes still failing to meet yours. He's been like this since you pulled them from under the gossiping gaze of your family.

Family, you think. The word seems so meaningless now.

"When someone speaks to you, you ought to look at them," You say it with a genuine smile, hoping that the little warmth you have left in your heart radiates off you and onto him.

God knows he needs it more than you.

"Y-yes, you're right. Thank you." He stammers, "I'm-I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude—"

"Hey," You say, gently cutting him off as you hold your smile. He's still as soft and shy as the day you first met him. You can't help but smile at the thought that he never changed. "I'm not mad or anything...Its just a teaching moment. Remember it."

You watch as Eiji slowly shifts his gaze away from the floor, slowly raising his head to meet your eyes."There you go. You've got pretty eyes, you shouldn't hide them."

He hums a quiet thank you before turning around and shifting his attention to his backpack. You take care of the little one still hanging onto you, pressing a kiss onto his little forehead and rubbing his back before settling him down onto the bed.

You're careful not to stir him as you slip his shoes off. You tuck him in, brushing his hair away from his face to reveal his long lashes and puffy eyes.

Ah, there goes the heaviness in your chest again; a recurring feeling for the day. You wonder when it'll end and your heart sinks even deeper when you remember Kenma waiting for you.

Hesitantly, you excuse yourself and make your way to the door. You let Eiji know where the bathroom is and tell him not to be scared to ask you for anything, "Please don't scared," is the last thing you mutter before leaving the boys to rest.

You tiptoe across the living room, down the hall and towards your shared bedroom. The wooden floorboards creak beneath your feet whispering, "You've done it now", "You've crossed the line", and "He's definitely going to yell at you".

You clench the knob of your bedroom door. The thumping of your heart deafens your ears and your throat grows too dry for you to swallow your fear.

You shut your eyes and pray to the deities, hoping for a good outcome—hoping for any outcome than the one you're expecting.

It takes a moment—five minutes to be exact—but you muster a sliver of courage to push the door open. For some odd reason, you imagined Kenma would be sitting at the edge of the bed, silently brewing in his anger. But instead, he's on the floor, knees up to his chest as he fiddles with his Switch.

And you can't tell if you're annoyed or relieved.

You shut the door behind you before joining him on the floor. You keep your head down, picking off your nail polish while you wait.

Kenma pauses his game, setting it down to the side before completely leaning against the bed, lulling his head back to take a breath. You shut your eyes and you take a deep breath when you feel him shifting in his place to face you.

Here it is. He's going to yell at me, you think.

"What are you plotting?" He asks, not a single trace of irritation found in his voice but rather sheer curiosity dripping from his words. You keep your head down and eyes shut. "You ought to look at someone when they're speaking to you," Your name rolls off his tongue playfully, covered in nothing more than love and sincerity.

You peak an eye at him, lifting your head. "You're not gonna to yell at me?"

"When have I ever yelled at you?" His face contorts in judgement and a little concern, wondering if his girlfriend's broken or just completely stupid. "Why would I yell at you now?"

"I brought home two stray kids..."

"Yes, you did," He says matter-of-factly, "and we need to talk about that. So, can we please talk about that?"

You nod slowly, bringing your knees up to your chest before turning your whole body to face him.

Kenma sinks his elbow onto the end of the bed, cupping his chin for support before he speaks, “Who are those kids and why did you bring them home?"

Kenma looks at you directly, his face emotionless, but a bit softer compared to when you were first standing in the hallway. He blinks at you, waiting patiently till you're ready to speak.

"They were my cousin's kids," You say in a strained whisper. "The—The one that died in the accident." Kenma hums in response, signaling you to keep going. "We weren't close—as you know or else you would've heard a lot more about him—but we felt close enough...given what our family's like..."

Growing up with the kind of family you had and having met everyone from your extended family was kind of like living in a block of ice that never melted; solid in their beliefs, slippery with their anger, and had no room for any other emotion.

You made this very clear to Kenma when you first started dating, especially when he had asked to meet your family. He wasn't one to socialize or even initiate it, but he would do it if it meant doing it for you. But you turned the idea down fast, warned him that there'd be no reason to have to go through all that stress just for you; and though he was just as stubborn as you, Kenma gave in and never brought it up again when he saw how upset you had gotten.

But in chest full of ice cubes, there was your cousin, Akihiro-san. Like you, he was different. He wasn't cold, but he was so genuine and real, you couldn't help but doubt his kindness.

A kindness you failed return when he needed it most. So, when you saw your moment of opportunity, you snatched it, regrettably leaving your boyfriend as an afterthought to your decision.

"I owe it to him, Kenma..." You plead in whisper. "I owe to him because he was the only one who was ever nice to me..."

"These are kids," He counters, dipping his head to meet your glossy eyes. He takes your cheek into the palm of his hand, his thumb tracing circles over your skin. "This would be different if it were a puppy or a plant—but these are living and breathing kids and we know nothing about raising kids. My love, we're only in our twenties..."

"But—"

"You should've called first." He cuts you off, his tone still soft , but firm. You’re at least grateful he’s called you your pet name. "You should've called me and asked."

"You would've said no..."

"How do you know? You never called me." There isn't resentment in Kenma's words. Its still  playful and light, but you can feel his hurt and you feel dumb because you know exactly why. "I would've liked to have been included in this decision...especially since this is my home and you are my girlfriend, and you promised that we would make decisions together."

You frown, tears brimming to the surface as you realized what you've done and how you've probably made him feel.You denied him of his choice, and you were silly to believe that it was okay to go over his head and behind his back.

As you whisper a string of apologies, Kenma presses his forehead onto yours, smiling at you. He was angry at first, but not so much anymore.

"Are you going to break up with me?" You sniffle, voice breaking at the thought. "I'd understand if you wanted to break up with me...But I just—I really wanted to help them. I'm so sorry I didn't ask you first, I couldn't just leave them—"

"Shhh," His breath fans against your skin, "I'm not breaking up with you, stupid. Given, this is probably the biggest wild card you've thrown at me by far, but its not enough for me to break up with you."

You hide your face into dip of his neck, sobbing into the material of his sweater, letting go of the strength you had from holding back and stain it with your tears. You had always been reckless, but it never turned him off. He never raised his voice, he always heard you out, and even when you slipped up, he always forgave you in a heartbeat.

It makes you question if you’re deserving of such a love as this. 

“I was very angry and very offended,” Kenma begins, “I didn’t like what you did. It made me feel like you couldn’t trust me, and it made me feel like you saw me as some kind of terrible person that would turn away kids that need a home...”

You shake your heard, muttering a “no” to his assumption. 

Kenma runs his fingers through your hair and down to your back, soothing you until you've caught your breaths. He'll soft press his lips against the crown of your head, discreetly swiping the little sweat off his lips to keep you from being offended.

"S-So, what do we do about the kids?" Your question muffled but Kenma can hear you just fine.

He sighs, and as he's about to pull you away from his chest, you tighten your hold around his waist. "Please look at me," Your shoulders fall and you pout when you come face to face with him. He chuckles at how ridiculously childish you look, "Do you really want to do this?"

Your eyes widen, "Y-yes. I want to do this, but if you don't want—"

"Better us than anyone else, right?" You blink at him, processing. "I don't know shit about kids, but if you really want to do this, I'll support you. But you can't expect me to be good at this."

Kenma falls onto your shoulder and rests all his weight onto you, letting out a sigh. Panic envelopes his heart, his stomach flipping and churning as he stresses over all the things that's yet to come.

“We’ve been dating for four years, and I’ve just only gotten the hang of you now...” He admits in a heavy sigh.

I'm still a kid, he thinks, groaning. He's plays games all day, forgets to shower, and doesn't know how to cook either. He works from home, rarely goes out unless he needs to or if you want to. Out of the both of you, you're--surprisingly-- more put together than he is.

Can he really do this?

"Please don't expect much from me," He begs, "I don't do well with kids, and you even took in a grown one. What if it doesn't like me or if it forget to feed it?"

You chew on your lip, holding back a laugh and quietly smile to yourself. Vulnerability paints well on your boyfriend, and you wish for even more moments like this.

“I promise it’ll only be until we kind find some other arrangement for them...Something better." You’re not entirely confident in your words, but you understand the idea of having them stay with you isn’t the most sound solution. 

"I suppose if we mess up, we'll mess it up together." He says in defeat, sprawling his legs open before wrapping it around you, pulling you as close to him as possible. He cradles your body tightly just as Yuki had done. "You don't understand how unbelievably lucky you are that I love you."

#Haikyuu!! #hq!! #Kenma Kozume #Kenma Imagines #kenma x reader #Kenma x y/n #kenma x fem!reader #Kenma Fluff #kenma angst #kenma headcanons #haikyuu headcaonons #kenma fanfic #haikyuu fanific #kenma #haikyuu fanfic #kenma au #kenma kouzume #hq fic #my works #mine

[blueink2k]

Propaganda in Death Note and How It Played Into Light’s God Complex

[This is based on information from the anime, as I have yet to read the manga for myself. Caps from or references to the manga may be included to emphasize points or provide visuals, but the version of the plot I'm referring to is taken from the anime.]

Light Yagami does not pick up the Death Note knowing he’s going to use it to commit mass murder and become the God of his New World.

Actually, he does the opposite. He kills someone to test it as he’s under the impression it isn’t real, convinces himself it was a freak coincidence, and decides to try it out in a way that will provide a more concrete conclusion. When it does end up working he’s stunned, to say the least.

“I killed them both...I killed two men. Those were human lives. I-It won’t be overlooked. Besides, who am I to pass judgment on others?”

Light Yagami, the perfect, straight-A, model student, has just confirmed he killed two people using some strange supernatural notebook that just happened to fall into his hands. He’s always believed strongly in his morals. He’s been on course his whole life to join the police force like his father an deliver justice, and here he is, an indirect murderer. 

So what does he do about it?

...He comes up with a reason to justify himself. 

The people he killed were criminals. Mere scum who do nothing but rot and infect the world. Wouldn’t everyone be better off without them? It isn’t that he’s never considered this before, he has, albeit not to the same degree as taking their deaths into his own hands. But now that he has the power to do so, why shouldn’t he? He’s smart, he’s determined. He’s capable of it.

In fact, in his mind, he’s the only one who is.

He’s kind of right. He’s the top of his class, he comes out on top in national tests, he barely even has to try. Plus, he’s the only one that has a Death Note, and therefore the power to do this. 

At this point in time, he doesn’t consider himself a god. He doesn’t want to rule the world, he just wants to change it. Something else important to note is that he doesn’t refer to himself as Kira or anything other than Light. 

...That is, until...

Websites start popping up all over claiming that whoever this mass murderer is is named “Kira”, a god among men risen to punish criminals and save the world.

Two things to note here;

Apparently, “Kira” is returning, meaning there must have been some kind of previous belief in an entity that either did something similar to Light or had the same beliefs. There isn’t any other canon mention of a previous Kira, and this in and of itself is pretty vague, but given that there’s tons of religions in real life that have never had a big breakthrough, it’s reasonable to believe this could be something similar. That, or a creepypasta. Or a cult.

Light created this understanding that he had to be the one to change the world to cope with his murders. Actually - that might be the worst way to put it, since we know how strongly he feels about justice and being given an outlet to carry out this wish of world peace just enhanced this, but nonetheless... It’s impossible to assume he’s doing all of this without even a speck of guilt. Therefore, this is the first hint of appreciation or even just acknowledgement that what he’s doing is right. 

Disregarding the first point (as interesting as I find it), this is really the first time Light is ever told what he’s doing is good. His own father - who he idolizes -considers Kira evil. His sister flat out says she hates him. Of course, this is all after Kira actually does become popular, but still, all he receives from that point on is disapproval from the people he cares the most about. The online love for Kira is all he has.

So, yeah, he probably internalizes it.

He thinks he’s doing the right thing. He thinks he’s giving others justice. He thinks he’s the only one who can do this. Others agreeing is only enhancing this. They’re the ones who call him God.

As the story progresses, Kira’s power and popularity grows. He gains direct news coverage, people begin sending him names of people to kill, his following grows. So much so, that when someone gets a Death Note and figures out that must be what he’s using, their immediate response is to find a way to contact him.

Cue Misa Amane and Sakura TV.

Sakura TV is a news program known for its unreliability. Demegawa, the director, even says he’s willing to make things up for publicity. And that’s when the Second Kira tapes arrive. 

This, however, is only the first encounter with Sakura TV.

After this, the only direct involvement the police has with it is in the Yotsuba arc, when it’s used to lure out Higuchi. Otherwise the program promotes Kira all on its own, even going so far as to create Kira’s Kingdom - half a scam for viewers’ money, half a way to get more people to see Kira as God. And it works. He gains a following of people who believe he will create a new, better world, and will even give themselves up to help him. 

An example of this following is when a mob of followers attacks the SPK under Kira’s orders. They’re so quick to join in, and are even willing to put their names and faces on TV in trust that Kira will not kill them.

All of this publicity sparks fear in the general public. People begin fearing that if they do something wrong Kira will kill them, causing crime rates to drop nearly 70% over Kira’s 6 year reign, as well as completely stopping wars.

Demegawa is eventually killed. Other news programs begin scrambling to claim the voice of Kira, topped by NHN, where we are reintroduced to Kiyomi Takada as Kira’s spokeswoman as well as one of his greatest supporters.

Light, as much as he hates Sakura TV and NHN’s depictions of Kira, uses them to his advantage as much as he can.

But really, imagine what this is all doing to him.

At the beginning, he struggled with grasping what he was doing as right. His sense of justice, righteousness, and perfectness shattered by a single notebook. But this is perfect, he figures that if he really wants to fix the world, this is one surefire way to do it. And yeah, his family hates Kira, but online he’s worshiped as God. We already know he has a pretty decent ego, and all of this is doing nothing but fueling it.

To top it all off, as he continues with his killings, his following grows. More and more people begin to support him, every single day there’s news stations upon news stations covering his story, some negative, some positive. People from all over express admiration towards him, even the President of the United States sides with him. He is literally worshiped as Kira, as God.

This all makes it sounds like his god complex starts later in the series, so to clarify; no, he does not pick up the book with plans to become God, but the second people start fueling his ego, the more twisted his ideals and motivations become. He’s the only one who can fix this rotten world. He holds the power of a god in his hands, he does what only a god can do, and everyone treats him accordingly. He is Kira, he is God.

Between websites, news programs, and his cult-like following, Light had enough attention to feed into his ego for a lifetime. He was perfect pre-Death Note. Smart, charming, set for success. There never was a time where he was particularly not narcissistic, it was just that he only felt this way inside of himself. The way he presented to others? A perfect, cool guy persona with an - in all honesty - annoying prickly jerk hiding inside. But no one ever knew this, he never let them know, and because he was always naturally successful it was more of an expectation he just met rather than surpassed, so he wasn’t consistently praised and this incredible self-esteem wasn’t propped up by anyone but himself.

To cycle back to the title of this rant-essay-analysis-whatever you’d like to call it, I want to share some examples about exactly why I even classify this news coverage and whatnot of Kira as propaganda.

Kira’s supporters cause a riot at SPK HQ under Kira’s orders and Demegawa’s direction.

Mikami providing his insight as to why he supports Kira on television, openly promoting Kira and encouraging others to join him.

Takada announces her new role as Kira’s spokesperson on NHN.

Mikami uses his power as Kira to kill members of Kira’s Kingdom, supposed followers of Kira who have been using his publicity to gain money and attention.

Most of this doesn’t exactly look like your standard propaganda posters or news story, but it does fit the overall criteria;

Information from a biased viewpoint used to promote/publicize a certain view (accepting Kira as God)

Shows exclusively positive views on Kira

Assigns Kira positive adjectives and makes him appear as good (God, savior, messenger from Hell), never considering or showing the bad

Presenting only positive statistics (Light does this in his monologue where he brings up the 70% crime rate drop, and given there’s no way he could have calculated this on his own he likely got it from one of these media sources. Not that it’s incorrect, per se, but he does fail to mention how many innocent people he’s killed in order to do this.)

Appeals to regular, everyday people by talking about how he’s doing this for the betterment of the whole world. People who are directly affected by crime are also likely positively impacted by this.

Initiates and spreads fear by explaining how Kira only attacks those who do wrong.

In the end, Light’s personal descent into his god complex, as well as his effects on the world can be attributed to many things, but it would be a crime to ignore just how big of a role news and other types of media played in this without his direct input. To think, if Light had won and overtaken the police like he was going to, he’d have absolutely no problem stepping into his shoes as God. Everyone else already set the stage, he just had to get there first.

-

This is my first Death Note analysis, so please excuse any errors, I just watched the anime for the first time and am doing my best to piece together all of the plot and especially Light’s deep characterization the best I can. If I ever read the manga or find something new, chances are this will be updated. But as for now, it’s finally finished after a week or so of procrastinating. Thank you for reading if you got this far! <3

#death note #light yagami #kira #analysis #anime analysis #rant #essay #hitoshi demegawa #do people even care enough about him to have a tag #💀 #death note anime #teru mikami #kiyomi takada #yagami light #mikami teru #takada kiyomi #long post #meta

[captainkurosolaire]

~ Mass Update ~

Mainly going into future plans and intents alongside ideas below cut.

Ton's of things I've in store this will prove difficult to vent it all out. But here we go... First off rehashing and appropriately learning to tag and organize things better on my blog. Each category will have their own corresponding content, I seek to bring or share. [Tales of Goldbrand] -- I intend this to carry a Compendium of all my writes soon that'll have everything neatly in-order including a glossary, so it'll have highlights of stories that even matter or the best stuff. I've written here for a very, long time, there's been many shifts. I want to make it more accessible. While coloring what matters for people who want to learn Captain or his Crew with less chapters. While also giving choice to find it all easily. This is essentially a step-above master-lists. I'll be doing that after the Saga I have going on, right now is done. [Captain] -- Will provide you strictly with Captain screenshots, gifs, photo-sets. This is still his blog despite the Crew thing's will sort of make this a scuffed Multi-Muse blog. I've few more things to edit and tag fix to get all his stuff though. [The Wild Crew] -- Afterwards this story is done Immortal Age Saga, It's something that I mainly wrote as a passion project within three days to get my warm-up process fixed. It's to allow me to get a feel for all his Crewmates and casts, in combat, in-general, to feel their presences. While also giving a bit of their backstories. At any point, I can go back and polish or tweak things in. They're NPC's but... not entirely. All will have their own 'Dreams' and their own 'Disapproval's' they have their own missions even. These things will factor eventually, they might set seeds, to betray or disagree with something, but that's all angst and more stories to be created, but overall, they'll probably always be Crew, eventually. -- I plan on making character-profile sheets of them and putting them in this Tab, it'll have their screenshots, their likes/dislikes. Some RP partners or people can also be shipped with them, but they'll all be monogamous and originally start off probably Pan. This allows them to figure out what they like on their own stories. I've always been someone who likes organic-flow. Although this one story contain all 16 characters or more, the rest will probably be shortened to a Squad of 4 and dispersed when on adventuring missions. Until I do a War Arc, that's my main goal to build too. [Roster] -- Will contain this Crew in just screen-sets dedicated to them, I'll probably randomly produce those. I've PC players among this Crew too. I may not be done either adding more, but this Crew is mainly built around Quality. Most pirate crew's mainly, have hundreds, thousands. Even Fleets. This Crew has personalities, monsters, people who are living life's that exist with piracy. He's an particular leader that had PC players the same way, he's had split-personality serial killers aboard, tribal chieftains, succubus, all sorts of various people once on a Crew. It's often an outcast style, pirates default are chaotic in nature, so this really isn't any different, it's a Fantasy version of it. There's humanization characters aboard too though, so this cast is really decked, everything and person is vital, they matter because they remind or covet something that others can draw upon. If ever played (Three Houses or Mass Effect / Dragon Age Origins) A lot of things like that are relatable too this structure and format. Which, Is something I want to be able to give when RPing. I want a genuine feel of this new world someone else's muse will be the main-character too. Depending on what's interacting everything they'll be scale appropriately to follow the genre they're in and environment even. [Aesthetics] -- Already explainable what you'll find here. [Asks] -- Same thing. [Prompts] -- Trivial things I was tagged too, I plan on compiling later. [Writing] -- Another alternatively to randomly go-down and it works right now. [Logs] -- Will have more individualistic master-lists and posts there, my poems from Sheik Sphere the Bard, etc.

Things of that nature, I'll probably add still. It's where a lot of my creative writing is summed. [Gems of Hydaelyn] -- My main #tag for other characters and artists, creationist. Lot of amazing people easily to find their zones or follow them optionally if you like. Ton's I intend to support and bolster, be a lot less unspoken. I'm never the type who's been strictly inclusive. But I'll do that when I've time to even explore the dash, I'm always still planning ahead with things and projects. [CKS] My original character-sheet it's outdated on something's but not too terrible. I'll give him polishing someday, I swear? [21+F-List] -- Just purely degenerate stuff of Captain. I'm a pirate blog. I will represent that with openness and furthermore. I'm never projecting you some false-image. I started off a smut-writer by stripping that, I no-longer represent the same aura and identity. But those are strictly his stuff and kinks, I'm effective in executing them but they're not all relatable to me OOC. This blog will always be 18+ containing crude or dark material sometimes, romantic things, this Captain is blunt, will literally put his cock on the table in conversations. Swearing and being censored would be too uncommon and displace most of him, but there's more about him then all this. [Other] -- I pay homage to a lot of characters, I originally am a Concept Designer. Which mean's I make characters and ideas like my addiction. Bad characters / villains or other little things I like to share in designs, I'll put there. Some villains might get little photo-sets, even if they died. Just cause I like their design, or maybe I'll give them an AU, where they won. When I've wrapped up things. [Collabs + Ships] -- Is a new project idea. This isn't going to be something limited too romantic only ships. It'll contain, platonic, romantic, friendships, rivals, frenemies, family, PC Crew, all ships. I am desperately working on improving my gif, screenshot, posing game so I can supply 'Screen Stories' this is not only a way to RP that's accessible with even people who are upon time-crunches from work, It gives visual-representation. To impactful stories shared with others and establish bonds. That are all-valid and impactful matter. Lot of people take a lot of their characters attributes into them and are them dialed up, I work with that and bit more, differently. I'm disconnected from my characters and they'll get hurt and injured and killed by me, that's my duty as their Author to give them conflicts and struggles. I'm their major antagonist, but that doesn't mean at-all, it's always SET that way. The characters I like to make have their own life, they live in this setting and are abide by it, they're often nothing, nobodies, and by the interacting with others, they slowly gradually building, more... Through emotional impacts, they alter, these are REAL people by all their beliefs. Each person they come in-contact with are legitimate and treated like that too. They've always impacted or given them insights to grow, or represent more. Otherwise it'd be criminally disrespectful if I allowed any emotional I felt OOC be the grudge to something IC. Captain in-particular is set on defying me. I cannot have that. ...But I can't stop him. He's met and encountered so many people and lived so many scenarios based on the actions of others, he's giving a chance right now to actually do things a lot further than impossible. The more people he meets and encounters, experiences, the more I lose. These stories are emotionally interactive where everything is a factor and adds to the dice, where the other people are the one who get to roll the dice for him, not me. That's something I want to color in. People range in emotions, they have their down's, ups, their own wholesome-grounding people, spending time with your favorite people, there's nothing more cherishing than that, being in your own comfort-zone or 'safe-space' these are all treasures that we live under, today. Contrary if what people assume of me, I'm not another 'blogger' that's came

before, who's wanting to force a harem, then constantly is bewildered when that falls to pieces cause of selfishness or a lack of communication, or the skeletons they have in their closets and beliefs they hid behind and swindled fooled everyone. I'm not looking to be popular or anything really, I just create stories and want to share in those, and I want to also boost others included, upward with me, especially those who make me. There's no ego in anything I do, this is purely love. I've never cared about being replicated or duplicated, I've had stalkers, I've gone through more then anyone would imagine, I've been used OOC and abused, just for my writing and cold-harshly told, i'd never amount to anything other then that or vice-versa. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion. That's all I got and am anymore. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Passion is the hardest thing to keep. It's something that can be stolen, quite effortlessly. Few words of discouragement, a bad negative representation, a lack of confidence, or small amount of time, there's many thing's that can put that flame out. Once you lose it. The difficulty to reattain is hundred-times harder than climbing any mountain for real. I've watched the greatest creators crumble from under the pressure, from beaten down by others. I watched many of them do it to themselves because they put a grand vision of needing validation of another and once lost, felt uncompelling to press onward. But passion also can be given BACK and drawn. It can be shown and encourage others, with a soft-triggering, that pushes them. That motivates, that constantly sticks to it. There are many that fuel me. If I ever quit, I let them down, I spit in the faces of people who're better than me in every-way. Or people who've came and given me their precious Time. That have given their character's or dedication to the abundant stories and community-driven things I've done. There's ONLY things you can do, create, give and provide. It cannot ever come to life without YOU. This is a fact. ...I swear, If you let your creativity soar, you'll be amazed by the heights you get. Constantly polish and learn and hone the best you, challenge yourself day after painstaking day, to draw better improvement on something, no matter how trivial or unfamiliar you are. You'll find a confidence only you can give yourself. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Future Plans --------------------------------------------------------------------- For me, I've got so much more stories to give and also explore, I might be taking up soon some other artists and more skilled people from community and hire them for some of my future writes, to up my game or cause something thing's can't be done in-game cause no background carries it. I also got a lot of-set up things and more angst stuff I want to practice, plus I'm adamantly on that grind to produce screen-sets with the intent's to some sort of improving daily. Additionally more people I'll be reaching out too soon for these collab's ideas and things. I look forward to shaking your hands, giving some hugs, show you my respect and admiration, then creating some enchanting stories and giving plots light. Feel free to reach out to me, I get scattered-brain but I'm working on getting better about it. Eventually will get to you though, my goals, if uninterested just say so when I poke, no bites, unless you kinky. Anyways, cheers hearties.

#ooc #update #future plans stuffz #ToG #Work on thinking of daily practice now

[makingspiritualityreal]

Numerology Life Path 1 - Your Birth Card and its Ruling Planet

Numerology Life Path Numbers and their assigned Tarot Card Meaning Series

This is the first post in my astrology/numerology/tarot series, that only concerns you, if you are a Life Path 1. Posts on consecutive Life Path Numbers will follow. Originally, I wanted to do them all in one post, but my writing turned out to be so long, I decided to split the post and seperate the Life Path Numbers. The introduction part of the post will be the same for all Life Path Numbers, in case you only read a post about your own Life Path Number, and nothing else.

Introduction   

The concept of a Birth Card links Tarot and Numerology together, in order to deepen our understanding of a vibration of a Life Path Number we are born with. The Birth Card, or rather Birth Cards, are Major Arcana Tarot Cards with assigned numbers, which correlate with Life Path Numbers. Understanding the meaning of tarot cards, mixed with the knowledge of Numerology Vibrations, helps create a more unique vision of your life experience.

A person with any given Life Path Number, having several Major Arcana energies present in their lives, usually struggles with one of the energies more than the other. As a result, life will probably force them to focus on mastering one of these energies. In general, however, any Life Path describes both your biggest downfall and ultimate triumph - just like with an Astrology Chart, the highlighted numbers/astrology houses point to your biggest strengths and weaknesses. For a better understanding of this concept, visit my article “Natal Chart - A map of your issues?”

Remember, that everyone, besides their Life Path Number and Birth Card also has a unique astrology chart. Thus, for some people embracing the higher expression of their energy is easier, for others it’s harder and it takes more time to master, and some energies become easier to deal with than others. Most human beings are somewhere in between, working on their path and having some achievements while struggling with difficulties at the same time 

In the spiritual community, there are differences in opinion on linking Astrological Planets and positions to specific numerology numbers energies. My take is a result of my own personal experience, conversations with other people in my field and research, in order to give you the widest possible spectrum of ideas and increase the understanding of every Life Path Number.

If you are a Master Number 11, 22 or 33, there will be a seperate post on how the Birth Cards apply to you as well. 

Even If you have only a basic understanding of Astrology, Tarot or Numerology, this post will still be helpful to you, because it describes the unique vibrational mix that comes from the expression of both these spiritual sciences mixed together. To calculate which Tarot Cards and what Life Path correspond to your birthday, click here.

Life Path 1 - The Wheel of Fortune, the Sun and the Magician 

One of the biggest struggles of a Life Path 1 is their need to release control patterns, and instead channel them into direction and embrace their own unique path through allowing themselves to be different and authentic. This requires these people to accept an element of faith in their lives, because as a pioneer, they won’t have any easy, familiar, logical guidelines or role models to follow. They have to learn how to identify, trust and listen to and follow their inner voice. That intuitive voice then leads them to a creative manifestation of their life path, as they become a trendsetter, leader and guide for others. Faith in their case means believing in themselves and their path, even if they can’t see a precise outline, and even if they have noone to validate their vision. 

Being born with this life path brings with it issues of the opposite nature to its purpose, before these natives manage to step into their unique creative or leadership position. These people may face rejection, ostracism and lack of acceptance for who they are, they may be rejected for not fitting in, for being “different” and misunderstood, starting with their family circle. This brings out the shadow side of the life path 1, which is practicing control, conformism and people pleasing, while they close off their heart and hide away from following their path. This can happen especially if they carry lingering intense trauma from all the rejection and possible abandonment they faced early on in their lives. Difficult situations can lead a Life Path 1 to adopt a coping strategy - while they people-please on the surface, they maintain tight, even repressive control underneath, which creates internal emotional blockages that result in selfishness, self centeredness, lack of openness and nervous tension. 

As much as these behaviors come from a place of suffering, the illusion of people pleasing that an unhappy Life Path 1 can create can have little to do with actual caring for others or forming bonds, since it is performed out of a need for self protection, not out of love. A hurt life Path 1 succumbs to a false belief, that the world is against them, and that everyone only cares for themselves. As a result, their emotional unavailability can create a high level of internalised loneliness due to icing out or hurting those, who actually care for them. Yet, even a suffering version of a Life Path 1, despite their individualistic streak deeply craves people validating their mission in this lifetime. If not worked on, this internal emotional blockage can stop these people from blossoming and stepping into their authentic role. 

To look into the ultimate expression that can be performed by a Life Path 1, we look at the assigned Tarot Birth Cards. 

The Magician - Being the Number 1 in Tarot, the Magician pertains to this Life Path having an ability to create and manifest their own, individual unique path, without needing to follow others, but rather inspiring others to follow them. The Magician being linked to the ultimate manifestation skill, does so easily because he trusts his gut instinct, and the path simply appears right in front of his eyes due to his own instantaneous, energetic creation. For better or for worse, Life Path 1s have that power, whether they realise it or not. Being such skillful manifestors, they can use it either to build, or to attract and recreate painful events, as long as it’s necessary for them to heal. This points to an essential question every Life Path 1 should ask themselves on the daily - what inside me has created this outcome? Which one of my internal decisions and emotional reactions has resulted in this situation? How did I subconsciously manifest this outcome? Life Path 1s are living proof, of how each and every one of us is an architect of our energetic reality, and how we always have a possibility to manifest a new beginning. A Life Path 1 that embraced this skill is someone, who effortlessly wields their creation power as an art of living. 

The Wheel of Fortune - This card points to the necessity for this Life Path to be able to learn how to handle life’s unpredictable situations, and not lose themselves in their false coping control mechanisms as a result of the shock. The Wheel of Fortune is a card of Fate, a card of sudden, unexpected events, that we have no influence over, but also the card of hopeful new beginnings, the understanding, that even the most dire situation can turn around. This card shows us, that the Universe is a balancing force, that works towards harmony by intervening in necessary moments, no matter how unpleasant these changes may seem to us, and that we can’t know, plan or influence everything with our limited perspective. This card is a projection of the internal faith, that a Life Path 1 must preserve in order to continue on their path with limited external support. The Wheel of Fortune shows us, that we need to surrender to the events happening around us, try to understand the meaning behind them, and make the most out of them. This also links to the Magician ability of creating something substantial even in the most difficult circumstances. These are all important lessons for a Life Path 1, that can resist certain events, if it feels they happened outside of their pre-approved plan. However, a matured Life Path 1 views these twists and turns of faith as new opportunities, that allow them to go even further and achieve more in life, because they know sometimes a shake-up is a wake up call.

The Sun - Teaches the Life Path 1 individual, how to embrace the carefree, free-spirited nature of this Tarot Card. This is necessary, in order to be able to breeze through life and not stop in one’s pursuit, even in the face of external disapproval. Number 1 is also ruled by the Sun astrologically, especially the positive, warming, leadership aspect, that makes people feel cared for in its own, unique way. This describes the role, that a Life Path 1 can have in their community, when they communicate with it from an authentic, open heart space. The key here is honesty with oneself and uninhibited self expression.

Being such an individualistic life path, in Number 1 there is a level of solitary, internal work that always needs to be done, even if it’s performed in response to someone else’s advice or support. The struggle here is mostly internal, as it is a constant battle of being able to have clarity of vision, a fight for how things “should be” and a challenge of embracing how things actually are. As they grow older, Life Path 1s gain understanding, that most of the guidelines they lived by are false mechanisms, adopted from an early environment that was constantly trying to constrict their internal growth. When they mature, they let these restrictions go, and unapologetically follow the calling of their soul.

The path of being a pioneer is an uncharted territory, a battle through obstacles, that does however bring an ultimate victory, if one embraces the challenges and powers through them. All pioneers are call madmen, before they are called geniuses.

#astrology #numerology #tarot #making spirituality real #the sun #the magician #tarot cards #tarot deck #tarotonline #the wheel of fortune #sun #natal chart #astrology chart #zodiac signs #zodiac #astrology signs #life path #life path 1 #astrological houses

[anti-catradora-receipts]

Catra abused Adora.

I want to start off by explaining my own experience with watching She-Ra for the first time. I started to watch the show and continued to watch it for various reasons. But I want to make it clear that I wasn’t watching the show to see who ended up with who. I enjoyed the show mostly because it had such wonderful messages surrounding healthy families, friendships, and relationships. And so, one of the main themes of the show ended up being: abuse. 

The show demonstrated that abuse can take a variety of forms. The show demonstrated that people can suffer from abuse in different ways. The show presented that people can break the cycle of abuse and people can continue the cycle of abuse. The show demonstrated that in some cases people can try and help an abusive person, but the abusive person may abuse the person trying to help. The show also highlighted that people are allowed to leave abusive relationships.

Before we begin, I want to note that I won’t be answering the question “Did Catra’s own experiences of abuse influence her actions?” Because the answer to this question is obviously Yes. And I sympathize with Catra and the fact that she was abused while she was growing up. In addition, there’s a lot of complexity and depth surrounding the abuse Catra received. But Catra also continued the cycle of abuse. And in real life, people who have been abused can also end up abusing other people. 

Now, since we’ll be focusing on Catradora in this commentary, we must look strictly at the interactions between Catra and Adora. The reason behind this is we are evaluating only whether the relationship between Catra and Adora is healthy. In addition, if your friend told you they were being abused, would you ask the question, “I understand, but what about your abuser? Was your abuser abused?”. No, I don’t think you would. You’d ask your friend, “Is there any way I can help?” And so, in this case, Adora is your friend and Catra is the abuser.

Thus, the main question remains: Did Catra abuse Adora? And the answer is Yes.

(Please note that the underlined statements are hyperlinked to websites providing information on abuse.)

Signs of Emotional Abuse

Catra has unrealistic expectations of Adora:

Catra makes unreasonable demands of Adora.

Catra expects Adora to put everything aside and meet her needs.

Catra is constantly dissatisfied no matter how much Adora gives.

Catra invalidates Adora:

Catra undermines, dismisses, and distorts Adora’s perceptions of reality.

Catra accuses Adora of being "crazy”.

Catra refuses to acknowledge or accept Adora’s opinions or ideas as valid.

Catra dismisses Adora’s requests, wants, and needs as ridiculous or unmerited.

Catra suggests that Adora’s perceptions are wrong or that Adora cannot be trusted by saying things like “you’re not making sense”.

Catra uses emotional blackmail:

Catra manipulates and controls Adora by making Adora feel guilty.

Catra uses Adora’s fears, values, compassion, or other hot buttons to control Adora or the situation.

Catra exaggerates Adora’s flaws or points Adora’s flaws out in order to deflect attention or to avoid taking responsibility for her poor choices or mistakes.

Catra denies that an event took place/lies about it.

Catra acts superior:

Catra treats Adora like Catra’s inferior.

Catra blames Adora for her mistakes.

Catra doubts everything Adora says and attempts to prove Adora wrong.

Catra talks down to Adora.

Catra uses sarcasm when interacting with Adora.

Catra acts like she’s always right, knows what’s best, and is smarter than Adora.

Catra controls and isolates Adora:

Catra treats Adora like a possession or property.

Signs of Physical Abuse

Catra kidnaps Adora.

Catra scratches Adora.

Catra shoves Adora.

Catra kicks Adora.

Catra slaps Adora.

Catra uses weapons on Adora.

Catra physically restrains Adora.

Catra attempts to murder Adora multiple times.

Adora suffered from Catra’s abuse and Adora displayed the effects of this abuse:

Short Term Effects

confusion

fear

hopelessness

shame

Long-term effects

guilt

anxiety

Adora also tried tactics that are not effective ways of dealing with abuse:

Adora arguing with Catra.

Adora trying to understand or make excuses for Catra.

Adora attempting to appease Catra.

Adora also figures out how to properly deal with Catra’s abuse:

Adora makes herself a priority.

Adora establishes boundaries.

Adora stops blaming herself.

Adora realizes she can’t fix Catra.

Adora avoids engaging with Catra.

Adora builds a support network.

Adora deserves to be in a healthy relationship, which consists of:

Trust

Adora should be confident her partner won’t do anything to hurt her or ruin the relationship.

In a healthy relationship, trust comes easily and Adora shouldn’t have to question her partner’s intentions or whether her partner has her back.

Honesty

Adora should be able to be truthful and candid without fearing how her partner will respond. 

Adora’s partner may not like what Adora has to say, but should respond to disappointing news in a considerate way.

Respect

Adora’s partner should value Adora’s beliefs and opinions.

Adora’s partner should love Adora for who she is.

Adora should feel comfortable setting boundaries and should feel confident that her partner will respect those boundaries. 

Adora’s partner should cheer for Adora when Adora achieves something. 

Adora’s partner should support Adora’s hard work and dreams, and appreciate Adora.

Equality

Adora’s relationship should feel balanced.

Both Adora and her partner should put the same effort into the success of the relationship. 

Neither Adora’s nor her partner’s opinions should dominate. Instead, they both should hear each other out and make compromises when they don’t want the same thing. 

Adora should feel like her needs, wishes and interests are just as important as her partner’s. 

Kindness

Adora’s partner should be caring and empathetic to Adora, and should provide comfort and support.

In a healthy relationship, Adora’s partner will do things that they know will make Adora happy. 

Kindness should be a two-way street in Adora’s relationship: it’s given and returned. 

Adora’s partner should show compassion for Adora and the things Adora cares about.

Taking Responsibility

Adora’s partner should own up to their actions and words. 

Adora’s partner should not place blame and should be able to admit when they make a mistake. 

Adora’s partner should genuinely apologize when they’ve done something wrong and continually try to make positive changes to better the relationship. 

Adora’s partner should be able take ownership for the impact of their words or behaviour had, even if it wasn’t their intention.

Healthy Conflict

Adora and her partner should be able to openly and respectfully discuss issues and confront disagreements non-judgmentally. 

Adora’s partner should not belittle or yell during an argument.

Adora’s relationship should have healthy conflict by recognizing the root issue and addressing it respectfully before it escalates into something bigger. 

Fun

Adora should enjoy spending time with her partner.

Adora and her partner should bring out the best in each other.  

A healthy relationship should feel easy and make Adora happy. 

Adora should be able to let loose, laugh, and be themselves.

Adora’s relationship should not bring Adora’s mood down but should cheer Adora up. 

Adora’s relationship doesn’t have to be fun 100% of the time, but the good times should definitely outweigh the bad.

In conclusion:

Whatever Catra says, Catra’s violence towards Adora is unacceptable. 

Catra’s violent behavior is always Catra’s responsibility, not Adora’s.

Catra’s abuse is not okay or justifiable.

There are so many scenes throughout the series where Catra emotionally and physically abused Adora, and these scenes are captured on this blog. 

I just want to add that even when Catra emotionally and physically abused Adora, Adora continuously tried to reach out and help Catra. Adora gave Catra so many chances for her to apologize and rectify her mistakes. But Catra didn’t. Not only that, when Adora left, Catra continued to abuse people. Catra emotionally abused Scorpia. Then, when Scorpia left, Catra began abusing Lonnie. Catra’s abuse didn’t stop when Adora left, Catra just found a new victim.

In addition, there were so many significant moments of growth for Adora. Adora found people who supported her and did not abuse her. Adora began to heal from Catra’s abuse. Adora no longer made excuses for Catra. Adora realized that she is not responsible for Catra’s atrocious actions. 

Adora was strong and brave for moving forward in her life without her abuser. 

Moreover, Adora is a victim of abuse. Catra abused Adora emotionally and physically. Catra repeatedly admits to manipulating Adora in order to meet her own selfish goals. Catra did not show any remorse for her abuse against Adora throughout seasons 1 to 4. Catra continuously blamed Adora for her own atrocious actions. And finally, Catra attempted to murder Adora on several occasions. 

And here’s the most important thing. I don’t care who Adora would have ended up with. I just care about the fact that Adora ended up with Catra. What I mean is: I would rather have Adora end up without a partner, than end up with Catra.

Irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with my points on Catradora, these will be final points:

Abuse can happen anywhere at any time.

Abuse can happen in any relationship, including lesbian relationships.

Abuse is unacceptable.

Make sure YOU can recognize signs of emotional and physical abuse. 

Make sure YOU know that it’s okay to leave an abusive relationship.

Make sure YOU can trust and depend on your PARTNER/FRIEND. 

Make sure YOUR PARTNER/FRIEND knows they can trust and depend on YOU. 

Make sure YOU are being treated with kindness and support in your relationships. 

Make sure YOU are treating YOUR PARTNER/FRIEND with kindness and support. 

Make sure YOU are in healthy relationships and friendships.

In conclusion, EVERYONE deserves to be treated with love and respect.

Thank you.

#spop critical #spop salt #anti c//a #anti catradora #anti-catradora-receipts #adora deserves better

[nobodyfamousposts]

Felix July - Growing Up (Felix Culpa alternative for Ladybug)

@felixmonth

Alya was planning to solve a mystery and prove her best friend’s innocence.

Felix was regretting his life choices and questioning if it was too late to transfer schools.

“Starting the investigation into ‘Who Framed Marinette.’” Alya announced into her recorder. “I am Alya Cesaire, the lead investigator. With me is my humble sidekick, Felix Argent.”

“Is this necessary?” Felix asked, already tired despite not having done anything as Alya had started searching over the locker room 

“Of course it is!” She snapped back. “We’re the only ones who can help Marinette get unexpelled. So we need to find the truth and discover the real culprit.”

“Which is Rossi.”

She ignored him.

“So we just need to check the clues and gather evidence to find out who did it.”

“Here’s a hint: it was Rossi.”

Still ignoring him. Honestly, he was no help.

“The first accusation was the answer sheet in her bag. It had to have been taken after the test, so Marinette couldn’t have had it then.” She reasoned. “That means that whoever took it had to have done so later and then put the test key in Marinette’s bag.”

“Maybe it was the ‘anonymous tipster’, who was the only person who apparently knew they were in there.” Felix suggested.

“But who could that have been?” Alya wondered.

“Wild guess: Rossi.”

Why did she recruit him again?

She shot a glare at him. “Could you try actually being helpful?”

Felix gave her a blank stare as he began to speak in what was clearly a sarcastic manner. “My, whoever could it possibly have been? Certainly not the only other person Bustier sent to the Principal’s office with Dupain-Cheng in the first place?”

Sigh, he really was holding onto his belief about Lila being responsible.

“Okay, now you’re being impossible. Lila had the lowest score on the test.” She pointed out.

“Yes,” he drawled sarcastically, “because it’s not like we just confirmed that the answer sheet was stolen after the test and thus of no use to anyone. Or that Rossi couldn’t have intentionally faked her grade on a test that didn’t matter anyway in order to make herself appear less suspicious.”

“We’re just going to ignore Snarky McKnow-it-all.” She muttered into the recording.

“That doesn’t make me not right.” He called out behind her.

“Then there’s the necklace in Marinette’s locker…” She moved to the locker in question and tested it. Sure enough, it opened right up, revealing the contents—or lack thereof since Marinette was forced to remove them all when she was expelled. Alya even tested the nearby lockers and got the same result. They were all easily opened by anyone.

“These lockers don’t have locks or any way to secure them.” Alya noted into the recorder. “Anyone could have gotten inside and planted the necklace.”

“You mean like the one person who KNEW the necklace would be in Marinette’s locker.” Felix chimed in. “Which was again, Rossi.”

“It had to have been a mistake.”

“She said she SAW Marinette put it in her locker. Why she didn’t get someone immediately and only brought it up AFTER everything else is likely because she was using it as a trump card.”

“Just going to discard my sidekick’s wild conspiracy theories.” Alya said into the recorder, smirking momentarily at Felix’s scoff from behind her. “It’s possible that Lila might have just seen someone who looked like Marinette taking grandmother’s necklace and putting it in her locker.”

“If it IS her grandmother’s necklace.” Felix commented dryly. “A little hard to believe that something from last year’s Gabriel line could have been around long enough to be considered an heirloom.”

She turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Since when are you an expert on jewelry?”

He rolled his eyes. “Because it’s not like a model would know about the latest fashion lines.”

Alya shrugged and looked away.

“Feel free to not question it.” He muttered darkly. “It’s only potential evidence.”

A few more minutes of the two searching the room warranted little other insights or clues. The same was true of the now empty classroom as they investigated the area around Bustier’s desk and Marinette’s seat.

Well, Alya investigated. Felix simply stood nearby being his snarky and unhelpful self.

Like usual.

“It has to be someone who has it out for Marinette…” She reasoned.

“Like Rossi.”

She started to pace. “Someone who could have had the time and access to Marinette’s bag and her locker.”

“Such as Rossi.”

“Someone who could have disguised themselves, perhaps? Or knew everyone’s routines well enough to get in while no one else was around.”

“Maybe you should start by investigating Rossi?” Felix suggested dryly. “Since she was the only other person involved?”

She whirled on him, finally having enough. “Could you come up with someone BESIDES Lila?”

Honestly, what was his deal? He’d always been a jerk, but he’d had a particular distaste for Lila from day one. Alya personally questioned if it wasn’t due to a crush.

She may need to investigate further…

“What reasoning do you have that Rossi couldn’t have done this?” He questioned. “Besides your own fervent belief that ‘she wouldn’t do that’ or that she’s ’too nice’. Because as it stands, there is no reason NOT to consider her.”

“Well, where’s yours?” She shot back. “You’re the one so insistent that Lila had to have done it! What proof do YOU have?”

Felix sighed and raised his hand, counting with his fingers. “There are three accusations here. One, that Dupain-Cheng stole test answers. Two, that she pushed Rossi down the stairs. And three, that she stole Rossi’s ‘family heirloom’. All three of which, Rossi was both the accuser and the only witness for.”

He gave Alya a dry look.

“So why, exactly, is Rossi NOT a suspect?”

“Because Lila wouldn’t do something like that!” Alya, insisted.

Why would she? Lila was awesome and amazing. She would never steal anything. And she would certainly never try to get anyone in trouble.

Felix was far from impressed.

“We only have two ways this story can go. One, that Rossi was telling the truth, meaning that she indeed saw Dupain-Cheng take the test answers and cheat on the test, push Rossi down the stairs, and that steal Rossi’s necklace. Or two, that Dupain-Cheng was telling the truth and Rossi lied about those three things.

“In order for Rossi’s claims to be true, that would have to mean that Dupain-Cheng is guilty. In order for Dupain-Cheng to be innocent, that would have to mean that Rossi gave false testimony. You can’t have it both ways here.

“So tell me, Cesaire…what makes you so unwilling to consider that Rossi may be suspect? If you truly with to be an investigator, you must be impartial and accept the evidence as it is. On all sides. Everyone is a suspect.”

Alya was quiet.

Felix gave her a dark glare. “You want to be Sherlock Holmes here. Surely you know his stance that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains—however improbable, must be the truth.”

“But we haven’t eliminated every possibility yet!” Alya argued, growing increasingly agitated. Part of her was questioning her earlier decision to drag Felix along in her investigation. However, the guy was smart and at this point, he was also the only other person who openly voiced support of Marinette’s innocence. Surely if they had a similar goal, they could work together to find the truth.

The only problem was that they had completely different opinions on what the truth could be.

Or rather what they wanted it to be.

“It’s Rossi. It is very clearly Rossi. You have to be completely oblivious to NOT realize it’s Rossi.”

Alya spun around and glared back at the smug, arrogant jerk with a superiority complex.

“You’ve hated Lila since day one! You’re just looking for reasons to blame her! Here you are telling me I need to be impartial when you’re the one being biased!”

“Biased?” He laughed. “Do you even know what bias is, Cesaire? Bias is bringing in the parents of only one of the two arguing parties and forcing them to miss out on valuable work time to keep their small business going while the other guardian isn’t even notified. Bias is taking one person at her word of being attacked without doing anything to evaluate her or get her supposed ‘injuries’ checked out to confirm they exist. Bias is publicly humiliating a student first by accusing them in front of a class and then expelling them solely on the word of another and circumstantial evidence that could very well have been planted to frame them—all without so much as a hearing, which IS required by law!”

He glowered at her. “Rossi already has enough bias to protect her. She doesn’t need your bias as well, especially if truth is really what you seek here.”

“And where’s your proof?” Alya questioned, now on the defensive. Do you even have reason to suspect Lila or are you just wanting her to be responsible?”

“I’m at least looking at facts. You, on the other hand, are so biased in her favor that you’re discounting the clear evidence just because it implicates her.”

She scoffed. “What evidence?”

What was there that actually implicated Lila? She was just a victim in all of this! Sure, the school wasn’t fair to Marinette, but that was why Alya was helping! That didn’t mean Lila was behind anything!

Felix frowned, stepping closer to her and holding up three fingers. “Cheating on a test, stealing, and pushing someone down the stairs. Any one could be considered an accident or a mistake. But three different accusations all claimed by one person and all in the span of a single day? Rossi was clearly and specifically targeting Marinette.”

“That’s not true!” Alya argued.

“What other reason could there be for this?” Felix demanded, clearly annoyed and frustrated and wanting to be done with this entire conversation.

“There has to be someone else behind it!”

“There IS no one besides Rossi!” Felix bit back. “Even if you argue that someone else could have planted the test answers and necklace, that doesn’t explain how she KNEW where they were or why she chose to openly and publicly implicate Marinette if there could be doubt to her being the one to do these things!”

Alya bit her lip.

“Furthermore,” Felix continued, “there is no other logical explanation for the stairs incident.”

“It could have been an accident.” Alya deduced. “Marinette is clumsy. She could have tripped and pushed Lila without meaning to.”

“Except Marinette denies she even touched Rossi. Is Marinette really the sort of person to push someone down the stairs and deny having done so it if it was an accident?”

Alya couldn’t deny that because Marinette wouldn’t. If Marinette DID hurt someone by accident, she would have immediately admitted to it and done everything she could to try and help the person.

“Maybe someone else pushed Lila—”

“Marinette and Rossi were the only two in the hallway. If there had been a third person, Marinette would have seen them and would have said as such. But she didn’t. She said Rossi walked down those stairs calmly, laid down at the bottom, and only then started screaming.”

“She could have been confused!” Alya rebutted. “She was stressed and overwhelmed given the first accusation. She could have been looking away when Lila fell.”

“She said she saw Rossi walk down the stairs before she suddenly started screaming and claiming to be injured. And speaking of evidence, what were Rossi’s injuries from the stairs?”

Alya frowned, thinking back. “She had a bandage on her leg...”

“A single bandage.” Felix deadpanned. “Over her pants covering the ‘injured’ knee. Was she taken to the hospital? Was she seen by the nurse? Was there any confirmation of her having injuries besides her claiming to be in pain in a single spot?” He sneered. “Because it is rather fortuitous that someone would fall down a flight of stairs and receive no bumps, bruises, scrapes, or other injuries aside from some knee pain. Unless you’re saying physics would allow that.”

Alya drew back, curling in on herself.

Felix glared. “You are no Sherlock. You aren’t even a Watson. You are just someone so blinded by a bias that you would rather neglect evidence than give it your all for the sake of your other friend.”

“That’s not true!” She shouted, hurt. “I just…I just don’t want to…”

Oh.

…oh.

He closed his eyes. Rested his hand against his forehead.

So it was like that. How could he have overlooked this?

Cesaire was friends with two girls who could not get along and were in direct conflict with each other. She didn’t accept Marinette’s claims that Rossi was a liar, but she wasn’t willing to believe that Marinette would do the things Rossi claimed, either. She was…

He opened his eyes.

Depending on the outcome, this could make or break her friendship with either. Even if it was the “right” thing to do or the “truth”, it still stood to reason that Cesaire would feel hurt by it and lose a friend because of it.

And she was desperately trying to find a way to be able to believe in both.

Understandable.

Commendable, even.

But ultimately foolish. And more harmful than simply accepting the truth and choosing a side now. Sooner or later, this situation would tear her apart and force her to choose. And when the time came, the circumstances would escalate to such a point that it would be all the more likely she would not only choose wrong, but also be dragged down by it.

Felix would know. He had been in that position before.

He sighed. “Cesaire, I understand that when you have two people you care about at odds, you want to be able to keep both. But there’s going to come a point where you will have to take a side.”

The way things were going, she wasn’t going to be able to remain friends with both, not without ultimately losing them both anyway.

“Neutrality is just a way of not making a decision.“

“You sound like you speak from experience.” She commented, seeming subdued.

He paused at that.

Memories came to mind. Of a cold man. Of a sad woman. Of being surrounded by people who poked and prodded and pushed and pulled and twisted until he was shaped as they pleased. He was dragged into a life and lifestyle he never wanted, forced into a role without his say. It was only once he finally spoke up and chose to assert himself that things had changed.

And he realized something…

Part of growing up meant having to make choices and take accountability for those choices. Even not making a choice was in itself a choice, if only one of indifference or unwillingness to act.

That was why…

“What ended up happening?” She asked him.

“I tried not to choose until the decision was made for me. And by then it was too late. That was a choice I never wanted and the cost was time I will never be able to get back.”

It would remain one of his regrets for the rest of his life.

“You have to face facts here.” He told her sternly. “Their stories directly contradict each other. They can’t both be telling the truth.”

“I know.” She quietly admitted.

He nodded. “You have two people making different claims about the other. Rossi says Marinette bullied her. Marinette says that Rossi is making it all up. Both of them can’t be right.“

“But both can be wrong.”

“Unlikely.” 

“But still possible!” She insisted, remaining stubborn. “Maybe Lila just saw someone she thought was Marinette? Or someone could have tried to frame Marinette by fooling Lila?“

“Except that Rossi is very clear that it was Marinette she saw. The test answers were found in Marinette’s bag. The necklace was found in Marinette’s locker. And there was no one else in the hallway to push Rossi down the stairs.”

He rubbed his forehead.

”It comes to the same problem. Either Rossi is lying about Marinette, or Marinette really did do those things.“

”It could have been an akuma.” She suggested.

But he nixed that as well. “There wouldn’t have been enough time. Even during the attack on Heroes Day, there was a good hour between the time we saw that fake fight between the heroes and the attack of the scarlet butterflies. But here, the scarlet butterflies attacked almost immediately. As if they knew this was going to happen.”

Alya gaped. “That just means this was part of Hawk Moth’s plan!“

He frowned, actually curious. “Indeed. But how did he know it would happen?”

She looked away, considering. “Either he made an akuma to set up Marinette…”

“Which wouldn’t account for the timing of all three accusations or Lila’s involvement in those accusations.” He cut in. “And it just doesn’t seem possible with the short length of time between when the last point the akuma could have been there to push Rossi down the stairs and for the scarlet moths to attack.”

“Or…” Alya took a breath. “Or it was planned with one of the two individuals involved.”

He nodded. “And between Marinette and Rossi, which of the two honestly seems to be the more likely culprit. Which of the two of them had more to gain from the events today? Or at least less to lose from it?”

Alya grimaced and slumped onto the bench.

She knew.

She already knew that answer.

“Cesaire…” Felix softly called.

Heh. Funny. He almost sounded like he cared.

“I don’t want to lose a friend.“ She quietly admitted.

Felix sat next to her on the bench. “But if she’s been lying to you all this time, is she really a friend?”

She chuckled bitterly. “Is that why you never liked her?”

He couldn’t help the smirk. “My first day here, Marinette was trying to convince me to give everyone in the class a chance while Rossi was trying to convince me she was some sort of celebrity who could offer me connections I already had.”

Alya snorted at that. “She didn’t!��

He adjusted his shirt cuffs blithely. “Needless to say, I was wary of anything she had to say after that. Though I will admit that I still would never have considered her working with Hawk Moth.”

She laughed. A little bit in humor. A little bit in disgust. Even a little bit in relief that she finally had an answer, even if it wasn’t one she liked.

Speaking of answers though…

“Hey! I just realized!” She exclaimed as she spun on Felix.

He leaned away in wariness. There was a gleam in her eyes he wasn’t sure he liked.

“You’ve been calling Marinette by her first name!”

“And? It is her name, is it not?”

“You don’t call anyone by their first names!”

“Dupain-Cheng is a mouthful.”

“It’s the same number of syllables as Marinette!”

He looked away in annoyance.

“She is tolerable.”

She leaned closer to him, looking particularly smug. Felix immediately stood and turned away. Alya was certain he was blushing and trying to hide it.

Alya smirked. Did he really have a crush after all?

“Don’t you have a case to be investigating and a friend’s innocence to prove?” He questioned, still refusing to face her.

Oh, she certainly did.

But once this was over and certain liars were dealt with…

She was going to make Felix’s heart her next investigation!

#ml fic #felix culpa #pv felix #felix au #alya cesaire #marinette dupain cheng #lila sucks #ladybug episode #felix month #felix july

[land-of-classpects-and-analysis]

Prince of Time

Time is a cruel mistress. It is a cruel one, if only for the fact it is something who has a hold on everyone’s hearts, as well as their minds. Out of all of the Aspects, Time is one that no one can ever truly rid themselves of in one form of it or another. Like the air all around us, the starry night sky, forever expansive and looming over us, the life that breathes through the soil in which we walk upon; the same soil which holds all who have already walked this world, and which will eventually hold us as well. Time is something that is always around us, no matter where we go or who we are with. Its reach is far and seemingly endless; a shadow in which none of us can ever truly escape from. Even the animals who walk upon and share this planet with us, and who hold no clocks, no documents, no true way to tell or keep track of time - even they eventually are taken away and buried in the sandy dunes in which our spirits travel through.

Time is a cruel mistress because it promises us tomorrow, yet at the same time it does not. Nothing is promised by Time, it is merely us who convince ourselves that it does. We convince ourselves that there will be a tomorrow, and that every single one that comes, we will stand alongside it. The sun will rise again, yes, but not everyone will rise with it. Time gives just as much as it takes away, though sometimes it can feel as though all it does is take, and take, and take - giving what it has taken to those far less worthy of whoever has been wronged. It is a neutral force in our lives, uncaring and never bending in one direction or another. It is uncaring, and although it itself does not lean one way or another, it is the people who are touched by this force - this Aspect - that are left with the responsibility of what to do with it. 

There will be those who manipulate it, changing it into a force that does bend, buckle, and break beneath their will, but there will also be those who mend it - who create and restore it in the places and people who lack it, bringing back what once was lost. Of course, there will be those who seek to protect it - to nurture it and keep its balance in the world it resides in. However, there are ultimately those who only wish to destroy it, for one reason or another. They see the wrongs that Time has brought upon not only themself, but everyone else in the world, and so they come to only view it as something to be hated and feared. Where there is fear, there is hatred. Where there is hatred, there is violence - destruction.

Enter the Prince of Time, someone who is often viewed as merely a stubborn mountain of a person. If there is one person you can most certainly not rely on to do anything in a timely manner, or even at all, it would be the Prince of Time. They are someone who finds themself always preferring to stay behind in adventures, much preferring to be indoors and perhaps even in bed while all of their friends and family urge them to come and join. Whenever given a task or assignment to do, the Prince may give a shrug or even give a promise that they will be sure to get it done. However, anyone who truly knows the Prince of Time knows that these promises rarely ever come to fruition. A Prince of Time is someone who most certainly goes at their own pace, though the exact reason as to why is something even the Prince themself rarely ever wishes to speak upon. For those who have known the Prince for years - specifically since they were a child - they will often find themselves wistfully looking back on the Prince’s life.

A long time ago, the Prince was someone who was just as active and heroic as their current friends and family. Some may even say that the Prince acted as though there was always fire under their feet, or maybe even in their soul. They always wanted to be the helper, the savior, the one who made the gloomy days brighter for everyone that they met. Once upon a time, the Prince wanted to make the world a better place for everyone. They believed they had all the time in the world to make things better for the people in their life. That belief of Time being something that lends itself to a child’s foolish dreams is something that would inevitably come crashing down on top of the Prince. For little did the young Prince realize that in a world so big, in a world that is always growing and evolving, it is something that doesn’t wait around for some random child with a whimsical, fantastical imagination. The world moves on, even when the Prince cannot keep up with it. The world does not stop spinning, the clock does not stop ticking, and eventually all the dreams the Prince once had slowly begin to wither away around them; much like the people in their life.

Indeed, loss is one of the biggest staples in their life. Loss, often showing itself in the form of some tragedy or another. For some Princes of Time, it will be their beloved childhood pet, while others may lose their home; physically, spiritually, or even metaphorically. For a large portion of them, however, their loss is that of another human - someone they looked up to with awe and wonder. Someone they may once have foolishly believed to be invincible to any harm, and the passage of time. It is this loss that the Prince begins to realize how often things are taken away from others, how many souls are lost in those blistering hot winds of Time. As a child, the Prince experienced a great loss and the grief that is soon to follow. When that grief did not so easily fade with time, the hands that once upheld them slowly began to withdraw back into the shadows until, ultimately, the Prince was left to deal with their feelings all on their own.

At least, in the eyes of the Prince, this is what happened. Whether this is true or not does depend on the specific Prince of Time, but many of them are prone to falling into these feelings of abandonment and betrayal by those around them. Their friends, their family, even people at their school or work. The grief never truly left the Prince, because it is something they lost the drive to resolve. Eventually, that dismantling of courage and energy caught up to the Prince, making them the person they are now. Passive, quiet, avoidant of any and all conflict, just a person who watches and observes rather than ever actually do anything. After all, no one was there for them when they needed help the most, so why should they help anyone in return? What’s the point in doing anything if Time is simply going to come and sweep everything away? Ever since that grand loss in their childhood, the Prince has been inadvertently avoiding - and destroying - the internal pieces of their Aspect more and more. Even now, if someone were to come along and offer care and support to the Prince, they’d most likely shove it away. They’ve taught themself that they are the only person who truly cares about them, and so will often try and destroy other people’s attempts to right what has been wrong until, inevitably, they leave the Prince. It is these small instances of destruction, these bouts of isolation and being trapped in their own thoughts, that the Prince will have their first taste of liberation from their Aspect.

The relationship between the Prince and their Aspect of Time is one of great stress and fluctuation. Nevertheless, the vast majority of these feelings are connected to negativity. A sense of betrayal, toleration, or downright fear and disgust. Not only has Time proven to the Prince that it does not care for them, but that it will take away whatever it wishes; leaving nothing but turmoil for the Prince themself in the process. If there is one thing the Prince grows to hate and perhaps even fear as they have grown older, it is that of change. More specifically, the onward progressive march that happens with the flow of time. Their childhood friends now becoming older and achieving their goals. A job, graduations, moving across the country, experiencing their own moments of loss and grief - everything keeps moving around the Prince, and they hate it. They hate it because, deep down, they are still that scared, lonely, confused and grieving child. Time has allowed everyone else to move forward, while the Prince has remained frozen to where they are for all of these years. All Time has done to them, and countless other people, is bring harm, stress, and suffering.

Time is what took away their friends from them, along with their role models and family. The ticking of the hands being a constant reminder that while the Prince is still here, those that truly matter to them are not. Living in such a frozen state of existence is what truly defines the life of a Prince, and it is often a self-inflicted issue; not that the Prince will ever admit to it. It is their own way of slowly, yet surely disconnecting themself from their Aspect - destroying it internally before ever even thinking of destroying it outwardly. As much as the regular concept of time is the one that moves everything forward, it is the Time-bound who feel that true heat to charge ahead of everyone else - clearing the path for those who may be lost or uncertain of what is to come tomorrow. Although the Prince of Time may once have felt that same heat, their blazing flames have slowly been reduced to smoldering coals and charred wood chips. Everyday that passes, a storm grows ever closer to the Prince; heavy with rain, and ready to allow its soft dam walls to shatter. The Prince does not attempt to protect their remaining fire from such a threat. No, they welcome its drowning. 

Much like how the Prince drowns themself in their own misery, they not only actively destroy their own Time - dismantling it piece by piece with every passing day - but eventually their efforts do reach other people around them. Cynicism, nihilism, pessimism: all these things are that in which mark the Prince of Time. Always asking questions, but never for the right reasons. Why bother helping out one person, when so many others are still suffering? What’s the point in putting in so much effort into helping others, when you might not even reap the seeds you have sown? Why bother doing anything when none of it will matter in the end? For many people, this will most certainly push them away from the Prince; perhaps even coming to despise their overall depressive presence in the room. The Prince makes people question themselves and their motives, as well as just how big their impact truly is. They make others think and ponder on their own life, though not in the best way possible. Oftentimes, it leads to the destruction of other people’s sense of Time - that fight to keep doing what is right, to help those who are suffering, and to be the hero amongst the commoners. Do not think for a moment that the Prince does not notice this, either.

As passive as the Prince of Time may seem in their day-to-day life, their destruction of their Aspect is one that lends themself to slipping further and further into their opposite. The Aspect of Space, in this case, is one that promises the Prince a far better outlet for all that they experience and feel. That outlet is creativity. Rather than fight back and keep that flame alive - righting what has been wrong in the Prince’s life - the Aspect of Space has given them a far more passive option that is to the Prince’s liking. Art is something the Prince of Time picks up at one point in their misery, or another. It may depend on what exactly this art is from Prince to Prince, but ultimately it is something they find comfort in. Even if their paintings by brush, or sketches by pen, or murals by spray paint exude tidal waves of misery. Even if the words of their short stories, or the vocabulary of their poems are bleak and melancholy; it is this creativity that brings them momentary peace. Being able to express themselves through a far more intimate, personal level - visually putting down their feelings to help them better understand what is happening with them - this is one of the biggest ways the Prince learns to cope with their misery. To them, it may feel as though that Space - the cosmos itself - is all that truly cares for the Prince.

Yet as high up in the stars the Prince may find themself to be, little do they know that the further they drift into that grand void, the further they detach themself from their friends. No one can hear you scream in space, but one cannot hear anything in such a vast vacuum of nothingness. The social life of the Prince is extremely enigmatic, for as much as the Prince may try to distance themself from others, and although they consistently spout the most disheartening, antagonist, and hurtful things at times, they still find themself with people who crave their company. Pesky friends who text them everyday, or once every week, always asking how they are doing and if they wish to hangout. No matter how much the Prince may try and discourage such behavior, they always come back - always promise to “try again” another day. The Prince always scoffs at such ignorance, because who is to say there ever will be another day? Tomorrow is not promised. When the Prince sometimes hopes that their next one is not, that is often when tensions rise the most amidst their friend group.

When the Prince begins to slip away from those who care from them, it’s often when they truly start their true path of destruction. That drive to keep going has always been a burden on them - the urge to solve the problems presented to them. All they want - and all they have wanted - is to let it go; to smother it until it stops squirming. Something that has only brought them consistent misery, pain, and turmoil for most of their life - is it so wrong to want to snuff out this all-consuming fire? A fire which, much like a beast in the tall grass, waits patiently and quietly for the right moment to strike. When it does, the Prince knows - they know that someone they love will be badly hurt, or even worse. Personally, they can’t bear to allow for it to happen - or to be there for when it does.

Even as their friends beg them not to, clinging to the Prince and dampening the rags they wear, the Prince themself can only ever ask the same question that they always do: why? Why try to save someone who was doomed from the start? Why waste so much time and energy into trying to pull someone out from their darkest, deepest trenches, when the other person clearly wishes to fall? Why not let them go, and move on - just like everyone else in the Prince’s life has already done?

It is this moment, this culmination of grief, confusion, and senses of betrayal that the Prince’s role in the group starts to form. They are to challenge the true strength of everyone’s bonds; for it is the Prince who brings others to come screaming and crying in their face. They are to challenge the motives of others; for it is the Prince who causes those to doubt themselves, their convictions, and what their real goal is - what they really want out of their actions. They are one who is destroy Time, within themself and others; for it is the Prince who believes themself to be the most ultimate victim of their Aspect, as well as the savior to those not yet touched by it. They are an anti-hero to their very core, and it is a title - a crown - that they will proudly wear.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown; yet heavier is the soul that sits upon the throne. All of which is to say that, as much as the Prince’s friends may try their hardest to keep them from falling over the edge, it is almost inevitable that they will have to watch their friend fall into the darkness of their despair. Yet no matter how much anyone screams at one another, or how much the Prince may berate and bore into their friends with their words, or how many clocks and timelines have been smashed by the very hands of the Prince - one thing is for certain across all versions of the Prince of Time. They simply want everything to stop hurting, as well as prevent others from being hurt. By any means necessary, they will do it; even if a few hearts and bones need to be broken along the way.

While the Prince is far from ever being as protective as a Knight, or even a Page, that desire to protect those around them and themself is still buried inside of the Prince. Perhaps to them, it is the only part of their Aspect they will ever miss. As for the rest of it, all they see is merely a tragedy waiting to happen, in one way or another. The urge - the drive - to try and attempt the impossible, to charge into battles, to instigate conflicts in an attempt to fix what has been broken, it is all childish rubbish in the eyes of the Prince. Conflict gets people nowhere other than hurt, or six feet beneath the surface. They have seen the closest friendships be torn apart by their Aspect, they have seen the most resilient souls crumble into dust, and they have experienced an excruciating pain that still seathes and burns against their skin to this very day. However, what truly sparks this outrage - this final decision to go and rid the universe of Time itself - is one any keen observers have been anticipating.

When something begins to grow, when pressure starts to build, it is often unwise to try and bottle it all up; to act like the threat isn’t growing. Unfortunately for the Prince, and all of their friends, a moment would come and prove to the Prince that their Aspect is nothing but a danger. As much as they may accidentally torment their friends and build conflict in their group, they are still someone who deeply loves and cares for every last one of them. That is why they have decided to go forth and rid the world - eventually the universe - of their Aspect. However, it is also why one of the people who the Prince holds closest will end up experiencing their own pain, suffering, and loss - much akin to how the Prince encountered their own.

One can only conclude that amidst all the tension rising in the group, and the Prince not being quick enough to destroy their Aspect, it is their dearest friend who suffers because of it. By the hands of a fellow teammate, no less, will this pain be inflicted. It will be this event that will act as a catalyst for everything that is to come; the smallest domino eventually building up to knocking over an entire mountain. As their friend weeps in their arms; battered, afraid, and confused, it would be inevitable that this would not be the only instance of violence in the group. However, deep down, the Prince of Time knew that it would be up to them - the antihero - to come and liberate not only themself, but all of their friends, as well, of the horrors that is their Aspect. They are tired of playing the pacifist.

There are numerous ways in which a Prince of Time may go about with destroying their Aspect - namely as to what version of their Aspect they wish to target. Princes in general are often those not meant to be trifled with, but it is often those aligned with Aspects which hold far more literal forms that should be feared the most. Although the Time Aspect has indeed been primarily shown to be that fighting urge - that protagonist mindset of wanting to fix all that is wrong and lift up what is right - it still is something that involves the very passage of time itself.

Imagine a world where there are no clocks, calendars, or even a sky to tell where the shadows fall. Imagine a world where time does not exist. That is a world that the Prince of Time can most definitely bring into existence if they truly wished to do so. However, such a thing is often done in the most extreme cases of a Prince of Time lashing out against their Aspect; more specifically, when they have not yet learned that there is good to their Aspect, much like how there is good in their power of destruction. Oftentimes, this extreme level of Time destruction is due to the Prince wanting to take control back over their life before oblivion envelopes them. Indeed, to destroy all of literal Time would surely mean the end of the Prince themself, as they would surely be destroying themself in the process. These Princes of Time are those who tend to lean towards acts of martyrdom; always willing to throw themselves in harm's way if it means proving a point - proving they aren’t weak, or afraid.

However, there is also the destruction of Time in its more metaphysical way; specifically, that drive to fix what is wrong. Of course, the Prince of Time is one who has been on this path of destruction for countless years. By making others doubt themselves and question what their true intents are, they have been eroding the fighting spirits of others around them. Now that another person who they hold close has been harmed because of Time, though, the Prince sees that there is no point in sitting and waiting for it all to slowly rust and fall away. Instead, the Prince now actively seeks out any and all instances of this fighting spirit in order to wipe it out. All they see in this spirit is brutalistic, mindless savagery - a war waiting to break out amongst the group. If anyone is going to put a stop to it, they are someone who is more than happy to step in and rid the group of this tension.

While this may sound far more beneficial to the group than anything else, that is only true for a certain pocket of time. Although they will greatly benefit from being snapped back to their senses, dropping their weapons and releasing their tension between one another, it will never truly be enough for the Prince. As long as there is Time, there will always be the risk - the threat - of such an outbreak happening again. This anxiety of conflict in their own little bubble is ultimately what drives the Prince of Time to such extreme lengths, and it is why their creative spirit will inevitably take a far more dangerous spin on itself. Indeed, the Prince of Time will fall into the creative mindset of a Space-bound, and it is a mindset they are most definitely certain to use for their own means and movements.

It is not just their art that can become the weapon for the Prince of Time, though. Their words alone can be just enough to continue keeping their friends in check, and their hostility kept low. When a friend comes to them with a problem, the Prince will always be the one to shrug and question why they even care so much. A petty problem such as this won’t matter in a few years, so why even bother to waste all this energy on it? Destruction from the Prince of Time is one often hidden beneath an act or gesture of love, care, and kindness; if only with hints of cynicism. Whether these gestures and acts are genuine or all part of one large facade depends on one’s perception of the Prince, as well as the Prince themself. They may say that they are simply looking out for their friend’s mental health, and their overall wellbeing, but anyone observant enough will soon see that the Prince is one of the last people to ever be giving advice on how to cope with the struggles of life.

Inevitably, this would come to catch up with not only themself, but the friends affected by their words, as well. All of the people touched by their words would eventually find themselves not wanting to do anything, to fix anything wrong in their life. Ranging from no longer having the drive to work, to staying in a horrific, toxic relationship that will always do more damage than good; much like the Prince’s attempts at destroying their Aspect. Even the Prince themself will become a mere shell of a person if they do not start their constant attack on their Aspect. With that drive gone to do anything, all they would be left with is the awareness that they caused this; they caused all that is wrong to continue festering. Festering until, finally, it fully comes and consumes not only the Prince, but all of their friends, as well; a cluster of seashells swept and hidden away in the sandy oceans of time. Ultimately, these Princes who complete their conquest on destroying their Aspect will suffer the fate they feared the most; Time, the cruel mistress it is, claiming them and their friends, just like it did all those years ago, and just like it will for the next millenia to come.

Life is something all about choices, but it is also all about the consequences to those choices. Alongside the Mind-bound, Time-bound are those who most certainly are aware of this factor in our everyday lives. Our lives, our selves, are much like that of a tree - all starting from the same seed, but branching off further and further away from our own true self the longer we exist. Eventually comes the question: am I the original sprout of this tree, or am I merely another off-shoot, dead end branch on this goliath of a tree that is my life? Such thoughts are often overwhelming, perhaps even existential - and it is exactly why these are thoughts that the Prince of Time often struggles with. Not only does their own hatred and mistrust for their Aspect bog them down from being as active as they could be, but it is the fear that their actions ultimately will not matter, that they could merely be another doomed branch fated to be snipped away from the tree.

Due to having been gifted this foreboding sense of dread with everything they do, it is these Princes of Time that will be the ones to come out on top - the ones who will not end up forgotten and buried in the sands of time. Although these Princes have already started their self and outward destruction of their Aspect, there will forever be the gnawing feeling of fear and anxiety as to whether what they are doing is the correct course of action. An internal battle of wishing to be liberated from the oppressive force of their Aspect, but also not wanting to become another failure - another fallen soldier - amidst an ocean of bodies that share the same face. They are the ones who often are flippant with their approach to life. One day they may seem utterly hopeless and withdrawn from fixing anything, being that day’s hero. Other days, they find themself to be easily riled up and ready to protect and fight for what they believe to be right.

What is a Prince without their subjects - or their kingdom - if not a fool who believes themself to be of higher importance and power than others? For the friends of this type of Prince of Time, it is ultimately their own duty to nurture such capricious behavior, as well as encourage the latter half of their lifestyle. They are the ones who must drag the Prince away from total annihilation - to be their anchor in a world constantly moving, and seemingly largely uncaring to them. Although the Prince may fight back against such attempts, often in a way that pushes them further into destroying their Aspect, it’ll be their friends that will pull them away from such a damning habit. For as much as the Prince may try to destroy their Aspect, the awareness of how much their decisions affect the timeline is something that will always be in the back of their mind. More importantly, the way their actions change the timeline for not only themself, but their friends, as well.

As long as their friends keep this battle up, and kept their precious Prince away from the siren song of the stars, then eventually there would come a breakthrough. A breakthrough in which the Prince would come to realize that they do not wish to destroy their Aspect - at least not fully. No, they wish to simply know that their actions matter in the grander scheme of things, and that they also merely want to keep everyone together - and alive. They believed that if they destroyed Time in any sense of their Aspect, then they could preserve their bonds with all of their friends. People would no longer have to grow up and move away, get too busy with their own problems to ignore the Prince, or have anymore fights break out amongst one another that could lead to more people getting hurt; or worse. All they wanted was to protect everyone, but so far all of their efforts have only ever done the opposite - and the Prince of Time realizes that now.

However much it may seem that the Prince and their friends are out of the woods now, that is still not entirely true. This is a moment of weakness - of vulnerability - from the Prince; a gesture that asks or even begs for forgiveness from the people they hold so close. A cry for help into the sky, where they wait, panicked and afraid for what the response will be. This is the moment that will determine whether the Prince of Time will truly be pulled out from the tar pit that threatens to swallow up not only the Prince, but everyone else, as well, or if they will be left to drift further away into the faux cosmos that promises to hold them oh-so closely. The Prince of Time is aware that all actions have consequences, and those consequences are what change the course of a timeline. What matters most is that their friends understand this, as well - well enough so as to avoid casting everyone, and everything, they know into a timeline of failure and obscurity.

It should be of no surprise that if the Prince of Time were to be shown distrust, and shunned away from the group for the actions they committed, then it will be that final push they need to fully become a Prince who only destroys their Aspect. Which is to say, the Prince of Time will see to it that such a timeline will become Doomed - fated to be forgotten and erased amidst the other hundreds of thousands branches upon this tree. However, for the Princes of Time who are forgiven, or at least given a second chance to prove themself to be a better person, they are the ones who will become the Princes who not only learn how to destroy through their Aspect, but also how to destroy their Aspect for the benefit of others rather than only themselves.

For a Prince to destroy through their Aspect, they must first learn the ins and outs of how their Aspect even functions. All its flaws, its strengths, its forms, and more - it is this knowledge of their Aspect that will allow for them to use it for its greatest potential as a weapon for destruction. However, much like everything else in the Prince’s journey, it will be their friends who will have to guide and teach their royal friend through this field of knowledge. There will be many moments of frustration, of course, as the Prince will still struggle to fully accept that their Aspect is something that can bring good for quite a good chunk of their Aspectual recovery. At times, the Prince will even show signs of slipping back into old, self-destructive habits. As long as their friends maintain respect, patience, and kindness with the Prince, then such large hills will eventually appear as small, nearly insignificant molehills along their path.

Of course, along the way, the Prince will practice their powers of being able to destroy through their Aspect. It will be faulty and weak at first, if only due to how damaged their Aspect has become. Early stages of these powers will often come in the form of the Prince targeting smaller pieces. For instance, they could cause a small patch of land, or even an entire object of relatively small size to degrade far quicker - as though it were aging rapidly. Another way in which these fledgling powers may show themselves is the Prince being able to hone in on their own fighting spirit, and using it as a type of power up to their energy and/or attacks. After all, to destroy through Time is not only to destroy things via the passage and flow of it, but also to destroy through the urge to battle and conquer the evils of the word.

Starting from a mere apple quickly rotting away through the Prince’s touch, they would eventually be able to reach out further and further - destroying bigger and bigger structures around them. Plants wither and die around them, while large buildings and civilizations rise and crumble into themselves. Now, that is not the only way in which a Prince of Time may destroy through the more literal part of their Aspect. After all, the Prince of Time is well aware that their actions have consequences - the ability to create and destroy a timeline with so much as a single word or action. With such awareness of how their reality works, then the Prince of Time is one who could use this feature as something to be exploited for not only themself, but for all of their friends and teammates, as well.

By destroying through their Aspect, the Prince of Time holds a grand possibility in their powers. With every branching timeline, so comes all of the offshoots and alternative selves to not only the Prince, but their friends and teammates, as well. The Prince of Time alone could use their destructive powers as a means of creating a one-person army - the Alpha version leading all of their Doomed Selves to their proper and heroic destinies of battling to protect their friends. A Time-bound of any Class capable of using Timelines to their benefit are often the ones who have shown peak mastery in the art of their Aspect; and the Prince is no different. As long as those branches continue to split and splinter away from one another, there will always be enough soldiers to come and back up the Prince and their team. To have such a power is one that could greatly help the team win against a boss, but it is also a power that could help to destroy other problems in their session.

Aside from Space-bound capable of molding their Aspect, it is often unheard of for one person to be in two places at once. The Prince of Time is well aware that they cannot do such a thing, though it is not something that entirely is an obstacle for them. If the Prince needs a certain series of incidents and situations to happen, they will be certain that such things happen by not only their own hands, but the hundreds of ghostly ones that can reach across timelines - across the branches - making it so that the Prince is technically capable of being in multiple places at once; at least, in regards to Time. Oftentimes, this is a power that takes extensive planning, experience, and confidence in order to execute with little to no problems. However, even when things seem to go south for the Prince, they have one last power that has proven to be a handy tool for the Prince and, of course, anyone else who can find a need or use for it.

The final power of the Prince is one that has already been touched upon, if only in the basis of a Doomed Timeline. The power to destroy their Aspect is indeed a double-edged power, but it is one that will forever call to the Prince - much like the opposing Aspect of Space. This time around, however, they have learned from the selfish love and fatal protection of their Doomed selves - they have seen the standstill misery that comes from going overboard with their destruction, and it is something they do not wish to inflict upon anyone else any longer. For these Princes of Time, they have learned to use this power of destruction as a means of cheating the clock rather than merely destroying it altogether. By destroying the far more literal version of Time, they manage to essentially create a frozen bubble of time for everyone within it. This is often used as a means of buying those inside of it time to get their affairs in order, whether it be Frog Breeding, or creating the ultimate attack strategy for an upcoming battle.

As long as there is Time to destroy, and goals put under pressure by the weight of deadlines, then the Prince will happily be sure to deepen this pocket of timeless existence for as long as they deem fit. Of course, everything has its drawbacks; for the Prince of Time, too much destruction of their Aspect will most certainly begin to have a negative effect on the Prince themself, as well as the eb and flow of Time itself. Timelines may become at risk of clashing with one another, or even crashing - intersecting - with each other. After all, the Prince is still destroying Time as an entire thing in that moment, even if their teammates see it as something that only directly affects their timeline. 

In a way, this continuous destruction of Time could also create a type of real life lag for everything in the world that they are in - or even a straight up glitch of reality entirely. When this pocket of empty Time ends, who is to say when, exactly, they will all end up? Will it be a few hours, days, perhaps even months? It is a power that not even the most skilled Princes of Time can ever truly perfect, if only because the consequences for it are often capricious and difficult to determine in that immediate moment. Nevertheless, the Prince has learned by now that no good comes with fretting over such things, nor is it fair to dump such existentialism of self and its relation with Time, and so they never bring such worries and troubles to their friends. Time can be a cruel mistress, but it is a mistress that the Prince wishes to be the only one stuck with its company. Too many tea parties with such a force can often lead to extensive amounts of fighting urges, and with the knowledge they have as to how to tame and destroy such a feeling, the Prince of Time is one who is ready and willing to make such a sacrifice of themself to their Aspect. For their friends - everything they do is for their friends.

As someone who started out merely wanting to forever wallow in their misery, the Prince of Time has made quite the extensive journey - whether they will admit it or not. They are a person who experienced loss at a young and vulnerable age, and for the longest time felt as though Time would only ever continue to take things away from them. Their friends, near and far, and family would eventually all seem to find their own ways to move on with life, seemingly having dropped any and all grief and remorse they once held. Everyone seemed to heal and continue on - the world continued to spin - except for the Prince. They felt frozen and trapped in their grief, pain, and suffering. So much so that they eventually convinced themself that it would be easier to not only turn towards destroying their Aspect - an action of ultimate self destruction - but that they would bring everyone else down with them. Rather than try to allow the healing touch of their friends to guide them to a better tomorrow, the Prince of Time convinced themself that so long as tomorrow never comes, things would be better.

Yet no matter how much the Prince tried to convince themself that this path of destruction was the correct one, an itching feeling always persisted in the back of their head. Is this truly the right thing - is there not another way, another method, to fix what has been broken? Inevitably, this itch would turn into something far more - far bigger - than they could eventually come to handle. That itch would be their Aspect fighting for its own life, but it would also be the own Prince knowing that to complete this path of destruction would mean locking away all of their friends, and themself, in an empty, doomed timeline. For the path they followed would only end in everyone they have ever known and loved being left as empty husks - husks in which felt no drive or desire to do anything, nevertheless complete an entire session that they all found themselves within. Even outside of sessions, though, the Prince of Time did prove themself to be someone of grand pessimism and/or cynicism. Poking holes into people and their own fighting spirits, deflating such a thing until it was all left empty and lifeless, the Princes of Time who stuck to this path would indeed succeed in bringing everyone down into their own tar pit of misery. Together they floated in misery, and together they drowned.

However, such a fate was not certain for the Prince of Time - and chances are they knew this. For the Princes who fought hard to break free from their prison of woe, it is a task that would most certainly never have been possible without the Prince accepting that this is not something they can do on their own. Years had gone by since they had ever taken the offer of help and comfort from others, as they had convinced themself that such a thing was no longer possible in the world they lived in; a world that continued to spin while they sank. They never wanted to attempt that climb back to the top, but instead only wished to bring the whole mountain, and all of its inhabitants down with them. It is only when the Prince realizes that for all this time that they have spent fighting and resisting, the real reason their friends ever wanted them to come back to them was because they needed the Prince. A kingdom is not a kingdom without their Prince, after all.

One of the biggest things the Prince would have to learn and accept about their reality was that just because the world had continued on moving, and their friends continued on living, didn’t mean they had abandoned the Prince. For it was their own belief that to stop being miserable would be to forget the people they lost, to disrespect what they gave to this world, that so greatly hindered the Prince’s chances of growing and developing their powers. The true powers of the Prince are that of destroying through their Aspect, rather than ridding themself and everyone else of it outright. Ultimately, the point of their powers for them to play that of a guardian - perhaps even a protector. Although they will never truly reach the exact level of protectiveness that Knights or Pages has, the Prince of Time is one who is meant to help maintain balance amidst not only their own group, but across the countless numbers of timelines, as well.

The futures of all who are associated with the Prince rests on their royal shoulders, and it is their utmost duty to make sure that everyone is ushered into the people they are meant to be. As much as the Prince of Time may care for their friends, and wish to protect them as best they can, there are unfortunately some plans made for those they love that will end in pain and suffering. It may seem unfair that the Prince be given such power, as well as these important roles of being the Judge, Jury, and, at times, the Executioner. However, it is these points in everyone's collective journey that will put the Prince and their relationship with their Aspect to the test. Will they be strong enough to put all of their trust into the flow of Time, or will they take matters into their own hands, altering the course in which they are sailing so as to avoid other people getting hurt? 

Of course, not every Prince will be strong enough to allow these hard times to befall their loved ones. Although they may be able to get away with one or two changes to the timeline, it is important that they best be careful lest they wish to meet an unfortunate game over; a game over in which they and their friends will once again be left to be consumed and buried by the blizzarding sand of Time. It should come of no surprise that for the Princes of Time who not only give their trust to their Aspect, but decide to work alongside it, as well, are the ones who always end up making the furthest. As for the Prince of Time who finds themself within the Alpha Timeline, it is not entirely certain as to whether they are one of the most dedicated and loyal Princes of Time when it comes to their Aspect and all it stands for, or if their accomplishment is all due to luck; being at the right place, and the right time.

When there is injustice in the group, or even the slightest hint of conflict, the Prince of Time is one who will have to make sure that no improper fights break out. As much as they are capable of destroying the literal parts of their Aspect, they are still just as capable of destroying that fighting spirit that rests inside everyone. However, for the betterment of others, the team, and the timeline, sometimes the Prince must come forth and be the mediator that the people need. They are not only willing to do such a task, but will also lay down the facts of what would happen if such a fight were to break out. After all, the Prince of Time’s most important weapon is their very own words - something so simple, and yet something so capable of calming even the most capricious and riled up of the Prince’s group.

They are a peacemaker at the end of the day, much like many other Classpects spoken of before. However, it is merely how they go about bringing this peace that helps to make them stand out. Although they are most certainly not Space-bound, the Prince of Time is aware that words can help to make things better, but also make things far worse. When it comes to taking action, sometimes people are far too blinded by their own emotions to even see such gestures of love and kindness. Where the Prince struggled before with their own bleary eyed misery, pushing away others and becoming far more like that of an antagonist than the antihero they believed themself to be, it is a barbed wired path they wish no one else to have to travel through. The scars are not worth it, and the people one drags along do not deserve the scars left behind. 

The Prince of Time realizes that now, and it is a pain that they will try their best to keep away from anyone else. Unfortunately, some things are inevitable, unavoidable, written in the stone and stars; if there is ever a tragic event that happens in the Prince’s presence, chances are it was something that was merely meant to be to begin with. Never think for a moment that it does not break the Prince’s heart just as much as anyone else's, however, for they are someone who must live knowing what is to come, and what they cannot change. Do not hold it against them, for they were merely doing what the stars and the cogs told them to do; even if it meant standing by and allowing harm to befall those they care for, or relationships to be tarnished.

The Prince of Time is one who brings peace, but they also someone who often finds themself to be at least one of three roles in situations of grand tension and conflict. They are the Judge, the one who knows and decides what action should be done to reprimand and discipline those who disrupted the peace. They are the Jury, the one who must observe all evidence presented to them and decide which party is innocent - the victim - and which is guilty - the criminal. Sometimes, they are the Executioner, the one who brings forth the appropriate and just punishment called forth by the people. No matter what role they play, when it comes to the Prince of Time, one who destroys through their drive to right what has been wronged, they are most certainly someone one does not wish to see at a hypothetical trial. Time is such a cruel mistress, and so, too, is the Prince of Time - if only when the need arises.

#Prince #Prince of Time #Homestuck #Hiveswap #Prince of Time Analysis #Time Aspect #Time

[rachelbethhines]

Robin Hood and His Merry Band

list of characters for an original series I’m working on 

Alan-a-Dale - the gloomy and cynical bard, the grumpy voice of reason who doesn’t give a fuck, wonders why he hangs out with these crazies, knows it’s cause they’re family to him but won’t admit it out loud, besties with Friar Tuck even though they never agree on anything, is clearly a bi disaster 

The Archdeacon of Canterbury - The aging head cleric of the church of England. He supports King Richard but is becoming increasingly impotent because of his failing health. Still holds a lot of political power because of his title though.

The Azure Assassin - A deadly mercenary and rival to Robin Hood. Orphaned at a young age Azure had to steal to survive. She stowed away on a pirate ship at the age of ten and has spent the pass eight years studying fighting techniques the world over. They call her the Azure Assassin because her blue eyes are the last thing you’ll see before dying. She’s gained a modest fortune and fame as a spy and assassin, however she can never stay in one play too long due to her reputation getting out. Prince John has offered her a pardon and a place in high society if she brings in Robin Hood’s head. Shame she’s fallen in love with his brother Will Scarlet, as that complicates matters.  

The Bishop of Hereford - Conservative asshole who supports Prince John’s rule and shares his beliefs on ‘bringing order to the kingdom’. Wants to usurp the Archdeacon as the head of the church. Is Friar Tuck’s and Sister Clara’s arch nemesis.

Dame Brianna DuBois - Also known as the The Black Knight, DuBois is loyal to the throne of England and whoever sits upon it. She’s Prince John’s personal bodyguard and unbeknownst to all a double agent for King Richard who is in hiding. However she is conflicted when her duty places her lover Yua in jeopardy. Yes, she’s totally a butch lesbian.   

The Duke of Essex - Prince John’s adviser and right hand man. He only cares for power for power’s sake but is sneaky and conniving and willing to play the long game to get it. He prefers poison to swords, but is surprisingly good at hand to hand combat when cornered. Has a pet snake. It’s the only living thing that he loves.    

Elenore of England - Prince John and King Richard’s sister and Maid Marian’s mother. She died when negotiations during a worker dispute turned violent. Unable to quell the people’s rage, she was stuck down during a riot. Richard, blaming himself for losing his temper and causing things to escalate has since tried to follow in her footsteps and become peacemaker. Prince John went the opposite route and blamed the ungrateful peasants (criminals in his mind) and resented Richard for even bothering to negotiating in the first place.   

Friar Tuck - The jovial and optimistic heart of the team. He tries to keep everyone’s spirits up and believes that helping people is the ultimate expression of god’s love. Is a hopeless romantic and also very, very gay. He butts heads with more traditional leaders of the church often. He also has a not so secret crush on his best friend Alan. 

Guy of Gisbourne - From pauper to nobleman, Guy is Robin’s opposite in everyway. He crawled up from the bottom rung by using and stepping on others and he’s always looking for the opportunity to climb the ranks. Don’t let his foppish ways fool you though, he is both a cunning and ruthless foe and isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. His latest scheme however is to marry Maid Maiden and become next in line for the throne as Prince John has no other heirs save his ward.  

King Richard - Good Richard the Lionhearted is no longer a bloodthirsty crusader in this alternate universe but a peacemaker. He wishes to end wars, not start them, however his more abrasive, uncouth, and impulsive nature can often clash with his loftier goals. Many feel the king would do better to stay at home and tend to domestic matters instead of concerning himself with the conflicts of other far off lands. At the start of the story he has disappeared on one of his diplomatic visits. In reality Prince John has stuck a deal with the king’s enemies and he is currently on the run. 

Lady Tiffany - Little John’s little wife and the daughter of the Sherriff of Nottingham. She acts as the gang’s ‘man on the inside’ helping Robin Hood sneak in and out of places and feeding the team needed information. She’s stubborn and spoiled but also very kind hearted. She usually can get her father to give into her demands with just a pout and when that doesn’t work a full on tantum will do. She a woman who knows what she wants and what she wants is her man. Unfortunately daddy dreariest would never approve of their union and so Friar Tuck marries them in secret.  

Little John - Robin’s best friend and right hand man. He’s a simple man who loves life’s simple pleasures, good food, good friends, and a good brawl from time to time. He adores his partner, Tiffany and would like nothing more than to marry her for real, in a real church, in front of the whole world. However their relationship must remained hidden from her father, the Sheriff, since the violent lawman would sooner see him hanged then have a thief for a son-in-law.  

Lord Locksley - Robin’s and Will’s father. He is arrested for ‘not paying taxes’ but in reality it’s for supporting King Richard and secretly helping the displaced monarch. His arrest leads to Robin and Will becoming outlaws and the series kicks off two years later.   

Maid Marian - Prince John’s ward and niece. Her mother died when she was young and her beloved uncle adopted her. Prince John is the only parent she’s ever known and she at first believes him to be a kind and just man. She’s completely oblivious of Prince’s John’s underhanded dealings and oppression of the poor and at first is skeptical of Robin Hood. However as the two grow closer, Marian learns how harsh the real world is and just how much her father figure has lied to her. 

Miss Yua - Maid Marian’s lady-in-waiting and best friend. She’s the daughter of Sir Ivanhoe and longs to be a knight as well. She’s a stickler for rules and doesn’t trust Robin Hood and his gang of thieves. At first anyways, over time she too learns of Prince John’s cruelty and even becomes a victim of the tyrant’s schemes. Which puts her in direct conflict with her love, Brianna DuBois.  

Much the Miller's Son - born as Midge the miller’s daughter, the young Much longs to be accepted as a boy. As such he’s ditched his dresses, cut his hair, and ran away to Sherwood Forrest in order to be free from society’s expectations. The rest of the merry band accepts Much for who he really is, but at only 13 won’t let him join their gang. He still winds up caught up in their misadventures anyways due to his refusal to listen to anybody, and his determination to get away from his overbearing mother. 

Nurse Agnes - Maid Marian’s wet nurse and the closest thing to a mother that she has. Agnes believes in the ‘old ways’ and is very superstitious. She’s also very critical of royalty in general, but is smart enough not to say so out loud. She’s tried to raise Marian into a better person than Prince John, but eventually was dismissed once Marian had come of age. Since leaving the court Agnes has become the witch of the woods and a healer for the poor. 

Prince John - The main antagonist. Prince John believes that he needs to bring order to the kingdom of England and feels like his brother King Richard has neglected his duties as ruler and placed the kingdom in danger. He'll do whatever it takes to protect the country including subjecting it’s undesirables.  

Robin Hood - Leader of the Merry Band and archer extraordinaire, Robin Hood had to go on the lam when his father was arrest for ‘treason’. While his first priority was to keep his baby brother, Will, safe, the two of them met other outcasts in need over the years have built up an underwound network of rebels who fight against Prince John’s rule. Seemingly suave and cool at first, Robin is actually a bundle of nerves as he tries desperately to keep his friends and family safe...even if it’s mostly from themselves. His world is turned upside down though when he meets the lovely Maid Marian. 

Sheriff of Nottingham - The spiteful and cruel sheriff tries to keep the small town of Nottingham under his thumb. He hates Robin Hood and his Merry Band with a passion and sees their continued exitance as a personal insult. The only thing that will deter him from his goal of putting those outlaws in their place is his devotion to his beloved daughters Tiffany. Who distracts him with her seemingly impulsive and shallow whims.   

Sir Ivanhoe - A respected knight who once served under King Richard has returned home only to find that his king has not made the journey back as planned. He suspects that Prince John is up to no good, but is afraid to make any risky moves so long as his daughter Yua lives among the court. Her safety is the most important thing in the world to him. 

Sister Clara - The resident nerd of Sherwood Forrest and the brains of the team. Clara had joined a convent in order to receive an education and to study science, however her experiments were frowned upon by more traditional leaders of the church, like the Bishop of Hereford. She’s since renounced her monastic vows and has joined Robin Hood’s Merry Band in the pursuit of science! She’s allowed free rein on the sole condition that she doesn’t blow up the camp.  She still manages to blow up the camp, at least once a month. Still her inventions are invaluable to the team and she’s absolutely feral with her chim-bombs.  

The Trapper - A mysterious hermit who sometimes visits the local pub. He’ll often corner patrons with crazy drunken ramblings and loves to give Robin cryptic prophecies and disjoined ‘clues’ whenever they run into each other. (turns out this is an act and he’s really a spy for King Richard)

Will Scarlett - Robin’s younger brother. Will was 15 when they lost their father and now at 17 wants revenge. He’s a hothead and is constantly picking fights with everyone and anyone. While he is dismissive of Robin’s overprotectiveness, he both loves and admires his brother. Even tries to emulate him in some ways. He also would like to think of himself as a smooth talking clever con artist and ladies man but more often then not his temper gets the better of him. Like most teens he’s obsessed with the latest fashion tends and loves to wear fancy clothes (that he’s usually stolen) He’s favorite article of clothing is his impractical red feathered hat. He’s in love with Azure and is best friends with Much. 

#robin hood #robin hood and his merry band