#because it seems to attract nasty people that I don’t want to interact with. ironically.

[rabbit-reveries]

— 𝑨emond: smut alphabet

Disclaimer: You can tell by the title this post is going to touch on NSFW themes. If you are under 18, please don’t interact with this post.

A = Aftercare (what are they like after sex)

Aemond does not place any specific importance on aftercare, and neither does he do it because he wants to. He'd rather call on a servant to have you cleaned and save himself the trouble; his only reason for not doing so is not wishing for anyone else to see you in the state he's left you in. 

So yes, if you're unable to do it yourself, he will cover you with the blankets and leave to call a servant and order them to draw you a bath. He will wash any nasty substance from your skin and tend to any wound, eye studying your body cautiously. He will ask two, maybe three times if you’re certain you are alright, and after he’s done, princess carry you to bed. He will feel rather distant all through it, though, because he’s doing things out of a sense of duty rather than because he wants to. 

B = Body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

If asked about his favorite body part, Aemond wouldn’t quite know what to say. He doesn’t consider himself to be particularly attractive - he’s aware some ladies at court avoid even looking at him, terrified of his scar. (But then again, he’s a Targaryen, he isn’t meant to be attractive, he’s meant to be powerful.) If you press on the question, he would say his hair is the aspect of himself he likes the most. He likes how it flows after his movements when he is training, and, observant as he is, he likes how you seem to like touching it.

Now, if asked about his favorite part of YOUR body, he’d blush softly, an almost smirk playing on his lips. He’d act coy, but his eye would be set on the answer: your thighs. He loves being between them, loves cumming on them, loves when they’re squirming and squishing him when he has his face on you, and loves to look at them and imagine the three previously mentioned things. 

C = Cum (anything to do with cum, basically)

His release is thin and comes out of him like water coming from a choking showerhead. He prefers to cum inside, always secretly hoping it’ll take and bind you to him for eternity. Aemond is also fond of cumming on your thighs or face, painting you all white with his milk (it always makes him wish his cum was thicker). He smirks as he claims your body as his plaything, putting you in your place as you stay positioned so he can cum where he pleases. 

D = Dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

This one is a pretty popular take, but what can I do if it is so right? He’d love to have his way with you on the Iron Throne. When he’s alone, he likes to imagine himself sitting upright, and you on your knees, serving him with your mouth as your true owner and true king. From time to time, he likes to dress up the fantasy further and have his brother in the room, watching as he takes everything he ever thought was his. 

E = Experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

Aemond lost his virginity in a rather traumatic way, and the fact so many ladies at court fear him doesn’t help. He has convinced himself he is deformed, and only women paid a great sum of money would ever want to see him without clothing (and eyepatch). All that said, no, he does not have a great lot of experience. Maybe three partners, if that many, before you came around.

F = Favorite position (this goes without saying)

He wouldn’t do it all the time, preferring to save this position for important occasions and important people, but Aemond is really into mating presses. If you are his partner, someone he truly trusts and wants to keep in his life, he would perform this with little warning, almost like he means to trap you if you were to fall pregnant. He just wants you so badly, and he has to make sure you stick around.

A close second, however, is cowgirl. He likes to be sitting up so he can feel your chest pressed against his, and being able to kiss you while he fucks you is always great. Expect a death grip on your thighs and butt.

G = Goofy (are they more serious in the moment? are they humorous? etc.)

It’s not like he’s incapable of humor, but in and outside his chambers, Aemond’s “goofiness” is mostly just acidic and borderline mean. In bed, he’d prefer to keep the atmosphere intimate and away from jests, as sex is one of the very few ways he allows himself to express affection, and he takes it very seriously.

H = Hair (how well-groomed are they? does the carpet match the drapes? etc.)

The carpet matches the drapes indeed. His thin white hair is trimmed, and mostly well-groomed. He’s very self-conscious about his appearance. 

I = Intimacy (how are they during the moment? the romantic aspect)

Aemond is a man of few words. He holds you tight and whispers things in your ear, telling you how pretty you look on his cock, how he’s going to stuff you full of his children. You have to be the one translating what he says to what he truly means - you are the most beautiful creature he’s ever laid eyes on, he wants you to be his partner for the rest of his life, the mother of his offspring. 

Even if he doesn’t say much, safe for very few occasions after he truly starts trusting you, you can feel everything he does is very important and personal. He worships your body, eats you out for hours, and makes it obvious how much you mean to him.

J = Jack off (masturbation headcanon)

He’s not one to masturbate all that often. Sex, to Aemond, is very much about intimacy (if not about duty), so why would he bother with such an act when he could have you take care of his desires? 

Before meeting you, he did it about once every other week, mostly to get rid of morning wood. Before you got together, he did it about twice every other day, plagued by thoughts of your body sprawled on his bed, of your mouth taking the place of his hand. He wanted to be set free of his dirty imagination, but no matter how much he did it, he could not make his mind any clearer. 

His pace when masturbating is slow at first, focusing on everything but the head. He likes to edge himself, but sooner or later ends up growing impatient and speeding up his ministrations, his thumb on his slit, collecting precum to use as lube.

K = Kink (one or more of their kinks)

He’s really into dacryphilia. Seeing you crying, being the reason behind your tears, it’s like you are attesting he matters enough, is powerful enough to make you cry. He likes how vulnerable you feel, sobbing while he fucks into you.

I also feel like he’d be very into impact play and bondage. 

L = Location (favorite places to do the do)

His chambers. They are provided with everything that may be needed while also being a place you are sure not to be interrupted. He’s not necessarily against having sex in other locations, but he’d rather have you in his bed than anywhere else. 

M = Motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

If you are someone interested in combat, training with you is always sure to get him pent up and ready to blow off that stress some other way. Aemond is also very fond of the concept of angry fucking, so teasing him, purposefully getting into arguments, and pissing him off for fun, all make him want to bend you over his knee.

N = No (something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

I don’t know if it’s a hard no, but something that might take a lot of convincing is sharing. He might even be offended you feel the need to go to someone else, as sex with Aemond is all about intimacy and connection. Do you feel like your connection to him isn’t strong enough? Is he lacking in some way? What can they do for you that he can’t?

O = Oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc.)

Obsessed with having your legs over his shoulders, thighs squashing his head as he laps at you like a madman. Aemond sure is fond of giving, especially because of how personal it feels. He feels connected to you this way. The fact that you’re so easy to make cry and beg when receiving oral is a big plus.

Not to say he doesn’t enjoy receiving, obviously. You on your knees, struggling to fit all of him in your mouth, tears in your eyes… God, it makes him wish there was a way to keep the image frozen in time.

P = Pace (are they fast and rough? slow and sensual? etc.)

On a good day, Aemond’s pace is hard and wild, almost breaking the bed with his thrusts, pulling your hair, and whispering things in your ear. 

If he’s feeling especially romantic or trying to punish you in a good-humored way, he’ll torture you with how slow he moves, how rough he pounds into you, one hand on your belly, pressing your stomach so you feel every inch of him.

In a situation where he’s genuinely pent up/crossed with you, expect hard and fast. He’ll groan profanities, call you all sorts of names, spit in your mouth and take you from behind so as to not have to look you in the face.

Q = Quickie (their opinions on quickies, how often, etc.)

Even if he’d much rather have you properly, he isn’t against them. If you’ve been teasing him a lot or you two are found in a position you can’t leave to have proper lovemaking, he’ll settle for a quick fuck in a vacant room or broom closet. He finds it quite thrilling to be put in these situations, especially when he knows someone may walk in.

R = Risk (are they game to experiment? do they take risks? etc.)

There are not many things you could ask of him wouldn’t consider, but having the conversation in itself may be a bit challenging. He doesn’t like talking about sex. If you bite the bullet and make your request, he’ll grow quiet for a moment, thinking about it, and mostly he will nod and make arrangements for the next time.

Of course, he has his own desires and wishes to experiment, though he struggles to find words to express himself. He’s quite interested in the concept of bringing knives to the bedroom, for example, but what if you find it disgusting? It takes him a bit of time to muster the courage to bring up his ideas. 

One risk he’s always up to is the chance of being caught. It’s great because it all depends on fate, and he doesn’t necessarily need to talk to you about it.

S = Stamina (how many rounds can they go for? how long do they last?)

Two rounds at most, but keep in mind one round with Aemond lasts for hours. He’s very adamant about having you cum first, and only after you’ve had your first orgasm he will go after his. As stated in the “Pace” section, most days he is slow and rough, so expect even the intercourse part to last a long time. 

T = Toys (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

His collections of toys include a blindfold rag, bindings, and maybe one (01) butt plug. He isn’t very interested in toys.

If you were to bring up adding more, he’d hum in thought and consider for a moment, but no promises. 

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Very unfair. He likes to tease, stealing touches throughout the day that he disguises as innocent mishaps; whispering things in your ear when he thinks no one else can hear, and then walking away; always finding an excuse to not be able to fuck you properly because, oh, he’s so busy at the moment… Maybe if you begged he’d consider your case, though. 

Edging and overstimulation are always a favorite when you misbehave. He’ll have you sobbing, begging him and the gods to cum, or to stop cumming.

V = Volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make, etc.)

Not very loud, not at all. Part of him wants you to hear how good you’re making him feel, part of him believes a prince has no business wailing to the sky. He’ll groan and grunt, mostly, and bite his lip to stifle his deep moans. He’ll talk dirty to you as well, only in whispers.

W = Wild card (a random headcanon for the character)

In a Modern!AU, Aemond would be obsessed with capturing images of you. He’d keep a camera in the drawer next to the bed so he could snap pictures of you all fucked out, cum dripping out of your insides; on your knees with your tongue out, cum all over your beautiful face; himself between your legs, face all wet with your juices.

X = X-ray (let’s see what’s going on under those clothes)

The prince is longer than he is thick, I’d say about 19 cm (7,4 inches). He is rather veiny and very sensitive in the veins and in the head. 

His body in general is lean, not excessively muscly, even if he trains a lot, and has an athletic build. 

Y = Yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

There will hardly be a moment when he will deny you. Unless he’s very busy (and even then he will mostly suggest cockwarming) or very spent, he will be ready for you whenever you’re ready for him.

Z = Zzz (how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

Aemond is a bit of an insomniac, most nights he finds it hard to fall asleep. After sex, he's no different. He'll stay awake, either just talking to you or staring at the ceiling, thinking.

#aemond x you #aemond x y/n #aemond targaryen #aemond #aemond smut #prince aemond #hotd #hotd smut #house of the dragon #house of the dragon smut #aemond smut alphabet #smut alphabet #aemond headcanons #aemond imagine

[bananahkim]

What the grandkids would wear as models

#encanto #my art #art #artists on tumblr #bruno madrigal #isabela madrigal #luisa madrigal #mirabel madrigal #camilo madrigal #dolores madrigal #antonio madrigal #nahnahbananakim #ain’t gonna put the usual DNI below my art #because it seems to attract nasty people that I don’t want to interact with. ironically.

[thegayhimbo]

I saw your reblog about Alcide, if you don't mind answering what are your personal thoughts on him?

Hi there. Sorry for the wait on this. I actually thought this was going to be a simple answer, but I realize there's a lot I wanted to say about the character in relation to how the fandom perceives him as opposed to how he actually comes off onscreen.

When I first saw the show, my feelings about Alcide ranged from okay at best to indifferent at worst. I didn't hate him, but I didn't care for him. He wasn't my favorite character on the show, and I found most of his story (and the werewolf plots) to be boring. I was actually surprised when I came online and found out he had a following with certain fans.

Upon rewatch, I'm still mostly indifferent to Alcide, but I lean a little more towards mildly disliking him now. And a lot of that has to do with how the fandom (especially people on Reddit) treat him vs how he actually comes across in the books and on the show.

I’ll start off by saying that I never liked Alcide in the books. He was an asshole, and most of the time he used Sookie to advance his position in the werewolf pack. What little relationship he had with Sookie felt one-sided on his part. It also doesn’t help that he unfairly blamed Sookie for stuff that was out of her control (like the death of Debbie in the books or the death of his father.) His attraction to Debbie in the books is also something that doesn’t reflect well on him. Contrary to the show’s portrayal, Debbie in the books was written as a one-dimensional psychopath with a jealous streak and no redeeming qualities. She’s basically a cartoon villain with no depth to her. The result is it’s hard to understand why Alcide got into a relationship with her in the first place, and it makes it look like he was just thinking with his dick. In other words, Book Alcide was nothing to brag about.

As for the show, like I said, I’m mostly apathetic to Alcide’s character (with a few exceptions that I will talk about in a minute) and I thought he was pointless. I know he was suppose to be a vehicle to introduce Sookie to the world of werewolves, but the way that was executed didn’t work. Common consensus in the fandom seems to be that the werewolf plots in both the books and the show were tedious and forgettable. It’s ironic because I know there are Alcide fans out there, but whenever I’ve asked them about what they thought of the werewolf stories, their responses range from “I don’t remember them” to “They were bad.” A lot of fans didn’t care for them. They could have been cut from the show without affecting the main story. That’s a problem because Alcide was usually involved in those stories, and the result is it was hard to care about him because of how non-compelling they were.

As for the character himself, I wasn’t impressed with him for a number of reasons.

First, there’s his relationship with women. I didn’t pick up on this the first time, but a rewatch has shown me how sexist Alcide came off during certain moments on the show. Case in point: His relationship with Debbie. One of the big conflicts between Alcide and Debbie on the show is that they both wanted different things. Alcide didn’t want kids and was fine not being in a werewolf pack. Debbie was the opposite where she did want kids and wanted to be a part of a community. Nothing wrong with that, but it was pretty clear from the get-go that this relationship was never going to work out. The problem though is that Alcide never seemed to recognize that, and kept trying to force Debbie to be something she didn’t want to be: A housewife who didn’t have kids, who was isolated except for her and Alcide, and who spoke softly and cooked meals for him. Basically the opposite of what Debbie was. And yes, I get that Debbie had a lot of problems and made really poor choices, but Alcide’s method of imposing his idea of what she should be was not the way to have handled that. It doesn’t help that he didn’t really seem to care about what she wanted because he thought he knew what was best for her. Like I said, that’s pretty sexist on his part.

And then there’s Sookie and how she factored into Alcide’s relationship with Debbie in seasons 3-4. I find it telling that when it comes to how this situation was handled, fans are eager to blame Sookie and Debbie for the whole mess that resulted in Alcide abjuring Debbie and Debbie getting killed by Sookie, but people rarely call out Alcide for his part in all of this. Personally though, I think Alcide bears some of the blame here for what happened.

Something that’s been pointed out is that during seasons 3-4, Alcide has only known Sookie for a brief period of time. Season 3 for instance takes place over the course of 9-10 days whereas season 4 takes place over 10 days (October 21st-October 31st). That’s about 2-3 weeks at best. And yet, despite only knowing Sookie for about a week in season 3, and despite having been in love with Debbie for a number of years, he’s already pining for Sookie:

Now maybe you could argue that he saw Sookie as a replacement in season 3 because his relationship with Debbie deteriorated and he was heartbroken. However, that excuse doesn’t hold up in season 4 when he’s supposed to have repaired his relationship with Debbie during the year Sookie was gone in faerie-land, and yet he’s still lusting for Sookie despite only knowing her for a short period of time.

It’s so telling to me that only a few days after Debbie’s death in season 5, Alcide tries to have sex with Sookie when they’re both drunk, and he tells Sookie “I’ve waited so long for this.” It really puts his relationship with Debbie in a negative light, and calls into question whether he actually loved her at all.

I’m not saying that Debbie was blameless in this, and it doesn’t excuse her cheating on Alcide with Marcus or trying to kill Sookie, but it’s not like she didn’t notice Alcide was eyeing Sookie for some time. This was a woman who had hitched her sobriety onto Alcide and felt isolated and alone, and the man she was depending on was emotionally cheating on her. And rather than owning up to that, Alcide tries to gaslight Debbie into thinking she’s crazy and it’s all in her head. He literally says that to her when they’re in bed together, and it’s nasty.

What’s frustrating is this usually gets overlooked in the fandom when people talk about Alcide’s character, and he’s usually referred to in a sympathetic light whereas Debbie is blamed for being an unstable, violent whack-job whereas Sookie is blamed for being a house-wrecker, even though she was in a relationship with Eric at the time.

This is also one of the reasons I never liked Sookie/Alcide as a pairing, and why them getting together at the end of season 6 felt forced: Putting aside how their only sexual interaction up to that point was Alcide trying to have sex with Sookie one night when they were drunk and Sookie vomiting all over him, it was basically Sookie getting pigeon-hold into the role of domestic housewife for Alcide. And I’m sorry, but I find it unbelievable that they were together for 6 months and Sookie never once picked up on any unkind or dirty thoughts from Alcide during the time they were together until the season 7 premiere when that suddenly was a problem.

But even putting aside his relationships with Sookie and Debbie, the biggest problem I have with Alcide is he’s not a compelling character. He’s a character whose motivations and personality change when the plot demands it, and most of the time the writers didn’t know what to do with him and just stuck him in different stories with no rhyme or reason. It doesn’t help that he has no character development during his time on the show. There is no difference between the Alcide we meet in season 3 and the one we end up with in season 7. The result is I don’t care about him.

It’s funny because I’ve seen plenty of fans project these kind of criticisms onto Jason, but I actually think they apply more to Alcide than they do to Jason.

Jason actually had character development. He learned to become more responsible and be someone others could depend on. He began to move away from his womanizing behavior in the later seasons and eventually settled down and had a family. He re-evaluated his stance on supernaturals, and actually became an ally for them in several ways. There is a big difference between the person he was in season 1 and the man he became by season 7. If people missed that, or chose to ignore it, that’s on them, but it doesn’t mean it didn’t happen.

Alcide on the other hand..............what was his character development? How did he grow as a person? What did he learn from his relationships with Debbie or Sookie or Rikki? Or even from the whole werewolf pack nonsense? Cause I’m drawing a blank here. Was it suppose to be that pack life wasn’t for Alcide because it would turn him into a power-hungry asshole? I never got the impression that was a problem for him in the early seasons, and it was a contrived conflict that was manufactured for season 6. The show never did a good job fleshing out what his arc was suppose to be.

Also, say what you will about Jason’s stories, but at least they were memorable: Amy and Jason’s relationship. The Fellowship of the Sun. The werepanthers. Becoming a cop with Andy. His relationship with Jessica. His hunt for Warlow. I would also argue that each of these stories added something to Jason’s character, and helped him grow as a person. Alcide’s arc on the other hand.......................not so much. When I was rewatching, I had to take notes just to remember what was going on with the werewolves, and even when I was rewatching, I felt the overwhelming urge to hit the fast-forward button. That is how boring those scenes were. It says something that even Alcide wasn’t able to carry them.

TL;DR: I’m apathetic to Alcide (with a few moments where I find him unlikable), and I don’t think he was a good character. The werewolf plots were tedious at best and irritating at worst, and Alcide’s arc on the show wasn’t compelling or interesting. I don’t hate him the same way I hate characters like Bill, Hoyt, and Violet, but I don’t like him either.

#true blood #tgh opinions #alcide herveaux #debbie pelt #sookie stackhouse #jason stackhouse #happylittlepuppydog #the southern vampire mysteries

[creamypalazzo]

as to cater to my lack of sleep I ended up becoming very hyper aware of a song that got stuck in my head, and it’s called god is fair, sexy, nasty by Mac Miller, and it’s a song in my jotakak playlist that elicits incredibly h0rny + romantic energy that I wanna believe is also up to par with jotaro and kakyoin’s relationship in my o p i n i o n because I am in love with them and they are in love and babies and in spite of the very hypersexual lyrics here I also wanna be inclusive to the romantic expressions here and there that also perfectly match up to mu headcanons of their relationship lmao,, also do note that I like bottom jotaro and this is also mostly in Kakyoin’s perspective so it’s also what made the song contribute so well and I Am Like This Because God Made It So and it’s ok.

actually what I wanna talk about before the lyrics is the segment of jazz that plays before it delves into mac’s usual r&b/hip hop instrumental, it’s supposed to set the mood smoothly and because of that, all I think about is the thought of jotaro and his love for jazz that is also never really regarded by a lot of fans. It’s an unusual trait considering the Everything that jotaro is but I love to see it as a way that Kakyoin doesn’t Ignore that part of him and knows how he fully is- Jotaro isn’t completely cold and edgy and bitter, he still has a brighter side to him, and his love for him is what makes him so seen.

funny enough, there wasn’t much background to the song aside from the chorus itself from kendrick lamar, though that does save me enough time and I’ve only done the better reading to understand the first chorus, which is this:

apparently for a time, Kendrick suffered immense survivor’s guilt and trauma that happened when he was younger, amidst all his success he still suffered a lot of issues that his partner had continually supported him through the rougher times- all the violence he suffered from has cultivated all into the “bullet” where his partner is represented as a rose, and their love has been the reason he’d been able to get through his issues. It’s also continued to the rest of the chorus, being together and folding into each other’s desires is also a parallel to Kakyoin and Jotaro’s relationship, where the hardest come down they’d know each other so well, so intimately, to be able to find each other in ways that they’d only ever know.

tbh probably one of my favorite things about Jotaro’s relationships is that they’d always always always emphasize his beauty- he isn’t all his beauty, but the fact his personality is practically worn on his face is what makes it. To me, Jotaro is forced to be fully aware of his features from the attention he’s gotten, but with his intimidating demeanor it also gets pointed out too because, 1) fear is an aphrodisiac, 2) it makes him so much more powerful that way, to be beautiful and feared is probably a feeling that he doesn’t get to understand would be so good, honestly, but to think that Kakyoin would take the sight of him in, would make him feel like he’s been looking at a god. Ironically, a god that would definitely make him commit sins and defilings of desires he didn’t even think he’d have on Jotaro, but here they are. Kakyoin would be mesmerized, especially with being an artist, he could paint him, paint on him, his body and his face is a work of art that subjects him into a place of some kind of worship because it definitely deserves it, but Kakyoin’s got desires that even makes the devil shiver.

This is probably one of the verses that struck me the most, and I say one of because there’s actually more to it. There isn’t any background as to, say, if this song was about anybody in particular, the only song in the album that was actually mentioned to be about someone entirely was Cinderella (and that shit got wild real fast lmao). But to know that this was probably about someone who was cold, who definitely had issues too? God. Jotaro is cold, when it comes to his feelings he honestly will probably not keep up with them. It makes him turn away from people who he should have been vulnerable around, who he’s allowed to be weak around, but he wants to hide it and shows it constantly, sex or not he’s probably always into the rougher things as to compensate. I like to think Kakyoin is there to test it- aside from the actual connotation, relationships always test people to how they become better than they used to be, it’s not just a test for each other but it is a test for themselves, in the name of love and the loves of their life, it’s a matter of asking, what do you want to do? Is it for them, or yourself? And in this case, ‘take my time, hit that slow’ shows off the contrast to what Jotaro normally ventures off to. Jotaro would have to adjust for that and also be made to understand what Kakyoin would feel, think, in the pace that he, for once, would want them in. Jotaro can finally learn, in and out of sex how he should consider the most out of Kakyoin- I know events of SDC would say that he does consider a lot because of Holly, but he doesn’t exactly have easier times reading his friends or family and most of the time does stay in a self-indulgent bubble where he doesn’t really know how to treat people’s feelings other than the ways he knows how. Kakyoin is a test to it, and Jotaro follows because he has the need to understand it, to know him.

You’re the only thing for me in this fucked up world is also a really painful statement, to me at least. It hits hard with the fact that Mac and Ariana later broke up because of their relationship turning toxic, I know he didn’t make this song for her but to know this statement was written out of his heart is what makes the genuity. Kakyoin, as we know has mostly been alone his whole life. He never really got to be vulnerable around other kids and his only friend was his stand that way, only being able to cope with his excess time with the fact that Hierophant could help him play video games better and that was probably just how he spent it. Alone, definitely unused to company that felt like he knew him. Enter Jotaro, new to stands, just as socially inept, same liking to sumo, gorgeous as hell and checking every box that Tenmei Kakyoin didn’t even know he had. He saved him from a lifetime of pain and suffering, saw a part of him that also made him understand that they weren’t alone. They’re the only two kids in a world of war and other dangerous things, the fact that they both don’t know how to interact with each other like normal people do is both hilarious and endearing, but it’s made better by the fact that it makes them understand and like each other. It’s almost like a matter of fate that way, because honestly, how long would have Kakyoin gone if he hadn’t met the Crusaders? He fell into Dio’s hands so quick because Dio could understand him, see right through him with his desperations and loneliness, but later fell for Jotaro because it’s all genuine, and a person that Kakyoin has learned to love because they didn’t know how to get to each other until they had to learn how.

And do you believe in love? Is another part of them. I never thought that Jotaro nor Kakyoin would honestly think of it, they had other shit to think about and it was definitely not girls, Kakyoin probably had a thing for h3ntai (I had a running joke somewhere that he was ripped because he kept jerking off lmao) but I doubt he ever indulged in the romantic areas, he never cared about it in particular until Jotaro came around to make him realize, oh, this was a crush. I always headcanoned that Jotaro was gay: he wasn’t exactly growing up in the best time to think about it, nor did he really like girls, his next best big brain moment was to probably ignore the feeling and just believed that girls were a whole no. Well, yes, the annoying stalkers mostly were at fault, but it made him not like the appeal of them, where he didn’t understand how boys would look at girls and drool over their thighs, where girls would fight about whose chests were smaller, because girls were just so boring and annoying to look at. It’s boys on the other hand that always had his attention. Many of the guys in his school probably would have been excited/terrified that the cool, smart Jotaro Kujo would approach them, and probably take him in as his friend or probably pick a fight, but in reality, he just didn’t know how to approach someone attractive, let alone someone of the same gender when his relationship with his father continually strained. So then he thought over it, a lot. Holding hands with a boy, kissing a boy. Hooking his arm around one, holding onto him no matter what. For a time he thought he just couldn’t be in love, it was just that he didn’t like the idea of it being with a girl, that was all.

Hold on tight when demons come / It’ll be alright, no need to run / Stay with me tonight, we’ll see the sun / And when we wake up we’ll still be drunk Ah yes, this verse analysis is going to be very long as I Analyse this until I pass out from sleep deprivation. These two lines are a combination of what I’ve said in both the previous paragraph and fourth one, reiterating my statements again, but I think this is the dawning of their trust with each other when they finally get to like each other. They both need someone they can trust and understand, but it’s Jotaro who has to be the one to not run away from it while Kakyoin is the one who holds on tightly because he’s never had this at all before. Someone like him has definitely developed attachment issues that way, and he’s not letting Jotaro get away from something that he knows they both need. Hence the cuddliness in the last three: Never felt this free before / I need you more than keys and doors / I need you sleepin’ next to me

You know by this point in their journey you wonder how deprived of touch everybody is, but especially with Kakyoin and Jotaro being together now this seems to end up as a way to deal with touch starvation with each other. I doubt both would be used to any of the contact, but it’s Kakyoin who’s trying to be more enthusiastic with it while Jotaro is also trying to adjust himself even though he doesn’t quite have any idea of what to do. But they try, try a lot, and Kakyoin finds that he enjoys holding Jotaro and Jotaro’s learned to love feeling and being held, being loved by this boy, no less. It makes them miss each other more every time they stay apart, the fact that Kakyoin got his ass handed to him back in the desert is also what makes it difficult, every time Jotaro visits him in the hospital Kakyoin would probably take his hand and hold it close to his face before kissing it, always so impatient and probably a bit horny and inappropriate than he needs to be and most of all lonely— and jotaro in turn would direct him to his lips where they’d always kiss softly, slowly turning desperate, both just progressively careless in the predicament with Kakyoin only being able to navigate Jotaro’s neck and jaw with kisses, Jotaro trying so much as to not lift the hospital gown and instead holding his scalp while he presses kisses all over his face, and sure it’s only been probably a week or so but they missed each other so god damn much, Kakyoin missing cupping Jotaro’s cheek and taking in the absolute sight of how beautiful he always is, but while he’s recovering he’s just glad he could still be able to touch him.

(You shy,) you don’t reveal too much / (No lies,) don’t hide your self at all / (Where’s your—) I just can’t help but fall / (It’s true,) and I’ve tried everything / My sexy, nasty thing / is actually the set of lines that hits the most here tbh. They carry the same sentiments that I’ve said in my fourth paragraph and supposedly should have been my previous one if it weren’t for the fact that that shit got deleted and all but I guess my WiFi just wouldn’t work yknow,,, anyway by this point I don’t believe that this is because of any clothing related reveal situation whatsoever, I like associating this with the idea that Jotaro’s so used to shutting his feelings out that it’s so difficult to express them, but anytime he sees Kakyoin he’s just so . unused to feeling free and allowed to be able to see him in this light while Kakyoin is made to be so aware of it. It makes Jotaro feel naked, even if they have their clothes on, he may not be that expressive but Kakyoin’s found himself starting to recognize the building looks that Jotaro’s giving him, hooded eyes or widened ones where he looks so curious and stunned. If Jotaro would be made too aware of it his pride makes him swallow and look away, but a lot of the time Kakyoin, even so overwhelmed and flustered, would encourage him not to be ashamed of it, to be vulnerable to him because he loves the feeling that the way he looks at him is actually being returned. They love each other, even if they were young they knew it was love. It was so perfectly destined that God had to be the one to cut it short. 

There’s a line from a JotaKak doujinshi in particular that somehow manages to hurt me to read every time called Let’s Meet at The Usual place; it’s a doujinshi presenting memories of Kakyoin and Jotaro’s relationship where they realize they like each other (yes there is a lot of sex but yeah), and the very last line is Kakyoin’s final message when looking back to them:

I don’t like being lonely, so please talk to me from time to time. There’s a story that I don’t know, so let’s meet at the usual place. 

Now, I bring this up, while also crying, because at a point, Kakyoin’s childhood problems have definitely affected him badly growing up. It’s considered that he has a lot of obvious signs of clinical depression, which is a topic that can be discussed here, but I wonder how frequent he could go into these episodes? Did he ever take meds? I know I’ve had a fair share to this kinda shit but god damn, it’s mentioned in the link above that it probably ranges in a severity, and it makes sense! How many episodes has he gone through it alone? How long did he have to believe that he was alone, considering he decided outright he could never be friends with someone who can’t see his stand? It’s emphasized a lot that if it weren’t for the stands, Jotaro and Kakyoin wouldn’t have been friends at all. I just think: With the presence of the Crusaders, he definitely developed a peace of mind. 

Why do I say this? It’s mostly taking into consideration with the way Mac handles his feelings: he gets really emotional when he’s high- in this case, even if Kakyoin hadn’t been using his meds, how emotional can he get in episodes or developing episodes in particular? How far do these go, and how much does it trouble Jotaro that he doesn’t even know what to do? I wanna believe that for the most part, he’d feel better, definitely a lot better, even in his episodes he could look at Jotaro and realize that he’s waited far too long for somebody who could understand him, who could see him, taking him to a place where he feels warmer, happier, and he would hold Jotaro close to him and realize he has more than just thanking him for literally saving his life. Jotaro would be everything to him. 

Honestly, I don’t think Jotaro has carried similar feelings of loneliness, but he had a feeling of want to this. He knows his desires, he knows what he likes, who he loves, most importantly, but he realized that without Kakyoin’s presence it’s suddenly so boring and sad without him. In a way he feels scared, even though he knows Kakyoin is strong enough to handle himself, his worry manifests in a way that he knows that it’s how his mother could worry but it just can’t be helped.  

Will you come home with me? Hits HARDEST, especially, I know a lot of this is sexual undertones but as I’ve repeatedly stated, god damn does the change in context make it hurt, like there’s definitely been a lot of talk and a lot of promises that were made for when they come back home, Jotaro would have wanted to bring him home to Holly where she’d be safe and sound, and he knew for a fact that seeing her again, with the idea that she’d be overjoyed with them being together has given him something so pleasant. 

But Jotaro could never have that. He never got to say goodbye, or save him in time. For the longest time, Jotaro has realized that there was nobody that was going to make him this happy. 

And, really. Nobody could do it like Kakyoin, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be happy again. 

#imagination #wow i really sacrificed my sleep to make a 2k+ word essay about why mac miller is amazing for jotakak huh #i would do the same for some harry styles shit but idk #read this on your own volition i know i wrote it on my own #i dont want discourse ok this is my opinion im allowed to be wrong and alos like my stuff #jotaro kujo #noriaki kakyoin #part 3 #jjba #stardust crusaders #kakjota #jotakak #what the fuck is the OFFICIAL name someone TELL IT TO ME #kakyoin x jotaro #also as i finally finish this i started at around 7 am ish #found myself broken at 9 am and knocked out #woke up at 12 against my will #continued at maybe 5 and lost the original paragraph to the second to the last verse #restarted at about 6 or some shit #yeah #this is all over the place cause i havent slept #i cant write properly ahhahahaha

[littlegalerion]

Trechire

A short bio of sorts, edited from curiousscientistkae, because it was an awesome idea! Go check out their original post! 

Note: Sorry for any typos. Also, beware of fanfiction trash.   1)      Age? >In ESO she’s about a hundred and fifty some years old. >By Oblivion time, things get tricky because of time travel fuckery. Technically she’s over 2,000 some years old, but in reality she hasn’t aged past two hundred yet. >She’s still alive by Skyrim, well “alive” as one can be when forever trapped in the Shivering Isles, so I guess by then she’s ageless? 2)      Gender? >Female 3)      Romantic/Sexual Orientation? >Heterosexual, even if dunmer women seem to be incredibly attracted to her. 4)      Height? >She takes right after Papa Vanus with his height, then has her mother’s thickness, making her a, in her own words, “palamino clysdale”    5)      Race? >Altmer Werewolf

6)      What do they look like? (i.e, hair color, eye color, etc). >Golden skin with honey brown hair. >Got Vanus’ baby blue eyes. 7)      Any disabilities? >She has quite a bit of anxiety problems, needing to take lavender infused potions once a day in order to not explode. >Also has trouble eating in public, prefering to dine alone. Even as a werewolf, when hunting. 8)      Is there a meaning to their name? >Her name is a combo of her parents’ names. “Trechtus” + “Caafire” = “Trechire” 9)      What makes them, them? >She had a nasty habit for a while in being a hermit. Her guildmates had to drag her out to socialize, and when her anxiety spurred on minor seizures, that only got worse. This is when she sought Hircine, as she “was tired of feeling like prey to her own mind”. Being a Hound of Hircine pushes her to retain a sharp wit, and sound mind, constantly battling the bloodlust of the beast. It’s what motivated her to get out, forced her to confront her weaknesses and learn to cope with them. Saving Vivec, saving the Clockwork City, and then saving Summerset was not her simply being a brave hero. It’s expected of her, seeking “worthy prey”. She doesn’t like to settle for anything easy anymore, like a simple hunt of a unicorn or some other great beast. To her, knowledge and adventure are the greatest “hunts”, cutting down any “prey” that may get in her way, even if it may be a daedric prince or two.

10)   What do they want to be when they grow up/what do they want to do with their lives? >When she was younger, all she wanted was a husband that loved her, children, and to live a happy, humble life together with her family. She still wanted a husband and children after the many events of ESO, but no longer saw it as an “easy” outcome, but some sort of prize she had to earn and obtain. >Ironically, she did, but that husband became Sheogorath, and now she has three demi-prince children. And all this AFTER losing her first lover in Coldharbor, but carrying their child. >Still, she IS at peace in the Isles as Sheo’s wife...so kinda nailed it? Family 11)   Do they have parents? What are they like and how do they act with their child(ren)? >Vanus Galerion and Caafire Saelinwatch >Caafire was always very protective and at times smothering of Trechire, having anxiety problems of her own and worrying over her daughter to no end. >Vanus was always very gentle and encouraging to his daughter, always soft and quiet when instructing her and being mindful of her limits. He was always a completely different mer at home among the privacy of his family than when in public, the boasting “Great Mage”.

12)   Do they have siblings? How do they interact with them? If not, do they wish they had siblings? >Nope. Trechire is an only child, as Caafire is very sensative to magic, and the pregnacy almost killed her, thanks to Vanus’ genes kicking in. Seriously, Caafire couldn’t touch any metal for the last month and a half or she had a horrible chance of getting zapped to the bone. 13)   Extended family? Do they see them often? >Vanus’ family is obviously not in the picture. >Caafire’s family were nobles, and did not approve of Caafire’s marriage to Vanus, a former serf, and so none of them are in touch with the three. 14)   Do they like where they live? (Is it a safe place?) >They had a few small homes located throughout Tamriel, as Vanus often had to travel, of course, for the Guild. So they frequently were moving around, but none of them complained much about that. It also helped to make it harder for the Worm Cult to keep tabs on them, as of course they were always prime targets. 15)   Where do they live? Are they wealthy? Poor? Middle-Class? > For all their lives, the Galerion family was middle class. They did well enough to survive, travel, and eat. 16)   Do they have a lot of expectations/pressure on them from family to do great? >Vanus never personally put pressure on his daughter. If anything he tried to deflect it from her, especially when her anxiety took a turn for the worse. However, this did not stop from others looking to her with expectations. When the Mage’s Guild really took off, suddenly Trechire was surrounded but mages who were curious why she wasn’t much further along in her skill, or just questioning her various schooling perks in general. Many had it set in the mindset of the entire guild that she would one day take her father’s place as the Guildmaster, which she had no desire to.  17)   Do they have pets? >They had quite a few cats along the years in the various little homes, but Trechire was given a Moss Netch Calf when she finally moved out, a Champion of Vivec, and had her own pent house on Vvardenfell. She loved that little thing to pieces. 18)   Who do they look up to the most/are the closest to in their family? >Trechire always looked up to both her parents. Caafire came from a very strict and stressful family, Caafire herself having horrible anxiety problems that could have easily taken her over the edge if she hadn’t met Vanus. Trechire looks to both her parents as examples that horrible things will always happen to good people, but that doesn’t mean the good people can’t fight and work their way back to solid ground. There’s always a chance. 19)   This there anything special about their family? >Besides Vanus being the Great Mage? 20)   Do they wish they lived in a different family/household? >Never. Her blood family, her packmates under Hircine… Trechire loved them all, even if neither of the two groups could EVER know about each other. Friends 21)   Best Friend(s)? >Trechire became incredibly good friends with Aithilo Raamando, a dunmer wizard who lived in both Valenwood and Vvvardenfell. She also grew close to a fellow Altmer named Raveoov, spending a lot of time together fighting side-by-side during the Planemeld. Both followed a daedric prince, and Trechire felt enormous relief at being around others like her, as she constantly kept her alliance to Hircine a secret, even from her folks. >Vivec himself, as the two often had lunch together after the events in ESO. I can not begin to explain how emotionally wounded Trechire was when she was plummeted through time itself, and among the numerous startling and straining things she had lost to time, Vivec, who she thought was immune to slipping away, had just vanished. 22)   Who was their first friend? >Her first friend was another altmer girl who sadly became too busy in her role among Summerset’s daily buzz, and the two drifted apart. 23)   What is their friend group like? >Mer. Mostly mer. She has no problem with any of the other races, and was always confused why she didn’t have more human or beast folk friends. She always chatted with people in the guild, and then with the guards around Vivec’s palace, but none of them were ever close friends. 24)   Do they have a love/hate relationship with any of them? >Later on Trechire and Raveoov became rather rocky for reasons I’ll explain further down this bio post. 25)   Do they consider any of their friends to be like siblings? >Aithilo is very much like a brother, and he treats her like a little sister. He was the one who rescued her when she was catapulted through time, after all. 26 & 27)   Have they ever hurt a friend or lost one? Do they have a crush on any of their friends? >This is where things got rocky with Raveoov. There was a time when Trechire felt something towards him, but it was a minor crush and her feelings didn’t develop any further towards him.  Raveoov, however, very much was in love with her, and so took it very harshly when she didn’t feel the same way. They tried to remain friends, but so many things happens between the countless centuries and two eras that both agree it’s for the best they don’t communicate much anymore. By Skyrim, they no longer are at each other’s throats, but they just don’t keep in touch at all. It’s for the best.

28)   Do they share classes with good friends? >Trechire was taught personally by her father, and then by skilled Wardens in Valenwood, but sadly none of her closer friends shared these teachers. 29)   Whom do they go to the most when they need a shoulder to cry on? >Aithilo, more than anyone, sometimes more than her parents. 30)   What would this person do without their friends in their lives? >Perhaps the crazed, bloodthirsty beast people expect when someone offers their service to Hircine? (Skipped the School Part as it does not Fit Quite well with Elder Scrolls) Other

41)   Are they dating anyone? Do they want to date? Are the married? Divorced? >Trechire fell in love with the Last Ayleid King, during her time in Coldharbor during the Planemeld. (for my playthrough it was like 3 months because I DIDN’T WANT EVERYONE TO DIE, OKAY? SO I DRAG THAT SHIT OUT FOR AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, SUMMERSET LAST FOR TWO MONTHS BEFORE I ACTUALLY FINISHED IT). As we all know, King Dynar didn’t survive the final battle, but Trechire was left with their son blossoming inside her. This led to becoming a prime target for the Worm Cult, who literally stole and manipulated an Elder Scroll JUST to transport Galerion’s daughter through time near the end of her pregnancy, she and the newborn to be the perfect “welcome back now and forever” present for Mannimarco, his first blood sacrifices to mark a new “era”. >Obviously Aithilo rescued her, and for a year Trechire was recovering and coming to terms with all she had lost, Aithilo helping in raising the baby and providing for mother and child. After a year (events of Oblivion’s main quest really kick in) Trechire became aquinted with the Altmer Vampire Eliindil, who was actually from the second era himself, but, ya know, he’s undead and all. The two grew close as they fought against Dagon’s invasion of Tamriel, and by the end of the mess, the two had fallen in love and married. >Not too long later, Ellindil aided Sheogorath in stopping the Greymarch, thus becoming the new Daedric Prince of Madness. Before the transformation completely took him over, he gave Trechire a chance to leave him, taking all their gold, possessions, whatever she needed. Trechire refused to lose another love, and remained with him, thus becoming the wife of Sheogorath. 42)   What is their favorite hobby? Do they keep it a secret?

>Even as Sheogorath’s wife, Trechire is still a werewolf at heart. She tears up the isles every full moon her husband blesses upon his realm, running wild. The only thing she keeps a secret is that she horribly misses Hircine’s many challenges and hunts. 43)   If they could have one thing in life, what would it be? >A special candy that, when her three demi-prince children eat it, it gives them common sense and makes them CHILL. 48)   What do they do when they get angry, stressed, or upset? >Either she heads off into the more dreadful parts of Dementia and transforms, venting into the wilderness in a wild fury of claws or she drinks it away with extremely sweetened tea she’s put ice cubes into. 49)   Would they consider themselves as a good person, bad person, or morally grey? >Morally grey, as she has murdered in the past to obtain what she wanted, innocents being involved. Sure, it was Vile’s servant, but that doesn’t mean the Wood Elf Umbra DESERVED death. 50)   Does this OC have any part of you in them? (I.e, personality traits, similar background, etc) >Oh yes, in a way she is my sona, as Eliindil is very much the sona of my fiance. >We both have anxiety problems, emeotophobic, and very much feel like giant horses that awkwardly trample around in society. Things I Personally added to This >SHE NEVER MEANT TO BECOME ENEMIES WITH CLAVICUS VILE >It just happened, due to the events of ESO, and then further along the rode in Oblivion when she killed the bosmer and toom Umbra, not even knowing the sword belonged to Vile, and was EXTREMELY important to him. However, she kept the sword as a sort of leverage against the Prince. With a son now to protect, as this is when Sunnabela was still barely a year old, Trechire decided it was for the best Vile was kept in a weakened state, with the threat of Umbra coming to fuck him over constantly keeping him at bay. She couldn’t afford the little dance they had always done back in her younger days. BEING THE WIFE OF SHEOGORATH IS NOT EASY >You aren’t spoiled by him, you aren’t given a soft life, and it isn’t all giggling and obsessing over cheeses. Sheogorath has appearance of a child-like mind, but is half brilliant, half insane. He does not like displaying weakness, as none of the princes do, and anything “ordinary” is revolting to him. He does love his wife (love is the biggest madness life can offer, no?) but is only seen in public among the eyes to endlessly be teasing, frustrating, or scaring her to no end. In private, he can still be a handful, but also gives in to personal indulgences of having a lover, and Trechire will wholeheartedly tell you the marriage is worth it just for the moments. >Raising her son Sunnabela and three demi-princes is a terribly stressful task, especially with Sheo as the baby daddy. Trechire always had to be on top of everything the children were doing, and by the third she began to tamper with all food served to herself and Sheo so as to stunt fertility. She knew the other princes would grow aggravated if one prince obtained too many spawns, and while two of their children never leave the isles, one travels the roads of Tamriel with his half brother, and Trechire fears deeply for his safety. Sheo himself doesn’t seem to care, but enjoyed the risk and thrill. He probably knew Trechire was, at first, taking potions to stunt her own fertility, hence HE was the once who got knocked up, twice, towards the end, making Trechire spend a few years fretfully finding the right, and sneakiest, way to keep either of them from having more children. > Kirr do Shaan, the eldest, is the most level headed, and while Trechire worries dearly for him and Sunny who live among mortals, she has confidence in him that he retains more common sense than his younger siblings. Tardiri and Falon take quite a bit after Sheo, having been born directly from him, and proved constant balls of chaotic energy growing up. Trechire was ever present in raising them, but, in and out, so was Sheo, and obviously his parenting could be...unsettling in what he considered “family bonding”. Trechire never had a break, caring for the kids, making sure none ever drew attention from the other princes, and none caused complete havoc among their father’s followers. >This all being said, Sheo was never an abusive husband nor father. He never physically harmed them, nor mentally abused them. He was insane and chaotic, but his family understood his own language of expressing love, even if it was complete lunacy. None of his children, nor wife, were ever banished, but always had a home in his Isles, even if they were at each other’s throats. Lastly, Sheo himself never threw them in harm’s way UNLESS he was fairly confident they would be fine. He finds amusement in these things, and constantly tells Trechire it’s the “push” their children sometimes need. Lastly, my good friend on here, @foxyhearts , has a lovely little bosmer thief that Trechire ad Eliindil automatically adopted as her smol daughter. She is ever present and ever loved. 

ART BY THE AMAZING @zombbean Twas a gift commission from the smol bosmer thief, and you should totally go commission said artist! 

#trechire #elder scrolls #oc #oc bio #this was honestly a dirty pleasure to write #seriously look up the blog I mentioned at the top #this brief oc bio is awesome #quite a lot of this is pushing the lines of lore friendly #oh well #its how I enjoy the video game #not sorry

[sherlockedfanshani]

Johnlock: Two years on

I posted the following on a Sherlock fan forum in August 2016. I’ve just found it again and revisited it. It thought it might be interesting to reflect on how things have panned out in the Sherlock fandom: 

OK if you can bear with me, this is a long one! I wanted to set down some thoughts on this whole situation, which - frankly - I think has become a bit of a mess. Whether it can be resolved to everyone’s satisfaction at this stage I think is unlikely, but who knows?! As far as I can see it, there are two entrenched sides now: TJLC shippers on one, TPTB on the other, and other fans - both non-Johnlockers and Johnlockers who don’t want or don’t expect their ship to become canon - caught somewhere in the middle. This is just my personal interpretation. I realise others will see things very differently so please accept that my intention is only to try and set things out in a non-inflammatory way. I will set my cards on the table from the start. I don’t think it is or has ever been Steven Moffat & Mark Gatiss’ intention for Sherlock and John to enter into a romantic or a sexual relationship in their version of this story. I take at face value what they have said about addressing the fact that, in the 21st century, two close male friends living together would make some people question whether their relationship was more than platonic. And that, combined with the fact that both Moffat & Gatiss’ careers began in comedy and sitcoms, the way they have explored this in ‘Sherlock’ has mostly been through humour. That humour, incidentally, is never at the expense of gay people or gay relationships. If anything it’s a gentle mockery of any characters (Mrs Hudson, Angelo, the innkeepers in THOB) who make erroneous assumptions. In fact, humour is derived from the notion that homosexuality is so unremarkable these days. Therefore characters automatically jump to the conclusion that what Sherlock and John are gay, simply because such a close male friendship is more unusual! Do I think the “gay jokes” are always successful? Not entirely. Even Gatiss is on record as having said maybe they overdid them. However, I don’t think for a moment that they ever expected any section of their audience to interpret these occasional moments in each episode as hints or subtext that Sherlock and John would actually get together as a couple. So what happened way back in 2010? The show airs and becomes a bigger hit than Moffat & Gatiss could ever have imagined. At some stage it becomes clear to them that the show is attracting a very devoted collection of predominantly young and predominantly female fans. And via social media interaction, the creators become aware that for this fanbase, the largest part of the appeal of the show is the relationship between John and Sherlock. I’ve no idea if they’d heard of slash fiction and shipping before it became such a phenomenon in the Sherlock fandom, but presumably they became aware pretty rapidly. In the early days, the cast and crew responded in different ways whenever the fourth wall was broken and they were confronted with the Johnlock-related stories, photo manips and artwork that the fandom was producing. Initially they seemed amused and even played along. However, their responses to some of the more explicit, NSFW stuff that was shoved in their faces - either by fans or by journalists such as Caitlin Moran or Graham Norton - was less genial, and you got the definite sense that they weren’t entirely comfortable. The image of these fans that was being presented then was that they were hysterical, teenage, heterosexual girls: unable or unwilling to have physical, real-world relationships of their own, and fantasising about two men getting together for their titillation in much the same cliched way that straight men fantasise over lesbians. (Note: I’m not saying this was the reality - just the perception which was promoted all the time and which presumably TPTB also inherited.) So their responses began to shift. The creators have always said that fans are absolutely at liberty to write or create whatever they like. To my knowledge they have stood by that. No legal action of any kind has ever been threatened against any of the Sherlock fanbase for anything they have written, drawn or photoshopped. They have even expressed admiration for some of the artwork. However, they definitely took a step back and cooled on this stuff. Over time, both Gatiss and Moffat’s attitude towards and relationship with online fanbases has definitely suffered. They are fans themselves as they frequently remind us. Massive fans. And although there was no ‘Sherlock’ when they were younger and growing up, there was of course the other big TV show that has shaped their careers: ‘Doctor Who’. Remember, they are from a different generation. When they were kids, teenagers, even young men, the fan experience was totally different and almost entirely passive. You couldn’t post your opinions on a massive global forum, there was practically no way to contact other fans outside your immediate geographic locality, and there was no way of contacting the people who made the series, or at least certainly no way of guaranteeing they could see what you wrote or elicit a reply from them. Maybe this means that they haven’t adapted to the way modern fandom works. Maybe it means that as middle-aged men, they expect their fanbases to be more respectful and more passive, and ultimately to accept what they are given or, alternatively, exercise the only other option: stop watching and walk away. So what do they experience in this brave new world? Steven Moffat takes over the show-running job on ‘Doctor Who’, and has a colossal amount of vitriol flung at him by its fanbase. So much so that he decides to quit twitter altogether. He’s also routinely accused of misogyny, to the point where he is forced to give interviews rebutting the notion. I’m not going to get into whether or not the claims have any validity, I’m just trying to make the case for why he he may appear prickly or thin-skinned when it comes to criticism in general. Fan interaction also complicates matters just because the vocabulary that fans use is different. Young fans tweet “u lil shit” to Mark Gatiss in the way they would to their friends, and this is unsurprisingly not interpreted in the way it is intended. Offence is caused, people are blocked, and more barriers are erected between TPTB and the people who love and are inspired by their work. At some point, attitudes within fandom began to shift. Rather than just shipping two characters whose relationship nobody ever believed would become canon, many of the online/tumblr fanbase began to believe that Johnlock could and should do so. The notion took hold that if Gatiss were solely in charge of the show, this would indeed happen, and it was only Moffat - the nasty heterosexual - who was getting in the way. Gatiss was tweeted countless times to this effect. Only recently, someone on tumblr discovered an old League of Gentlemen sketch where Gatiss plays a gay character whose relationship (and its subsequent break-up) is fetishised and patronised by an overbearing straight woman called Tish. Whilst this sketch is problematic and can certainly be viewed as being misogynistic on some level, I don’t think it’s stretching credulity to speculate that ‘Tish’ is probably based on a real-life person and that Gatiss was indulging in some therapy by yelling at her on stage night after night. Did Gatiss connect this person with the Johnlock shippers? Did it seem to him that he was now having his professional career diminished by a bunch of pubescent teenage girls with a crush on Benedict Cumberbatch who counted him amongst their number “shipping Johnlock”? It also presumptuously placed him in the position of junior partner to his straight colleague Moffat, banning him from writing what he really wants. Another patronising assumption. This is total speculation, but I wonder if John’s vehement “I am NOT GAY!” to Mrs Hudson in the Gatiss-penned “The Empty Hearse” was provoked by all the online speculation directed at Gatiss via his twitter feed. Was this intended as the ultimate response - to shut down the Johnlock debate once and for all? Ironically, of course, it had the opposite effect. It was interpreted that Mrs Hudson was the ultimate Johnlock shipper, and she of course could see the fact staring in her face that John and Sherlock were simply made for each other! Then we come to Mumbai in 2014. And Gatiss - in a departure from the creators’ habitually evasive and jokey means of answering questions about forthcoming plot points - embarks on a lengthy and heartfelt explanation/justification when he is questioned about Johnlock. I’ve watched this video more than once and I can’t interpret his speech as anything other than sincere. And this is also why I think Gatiss and Moffat’s reactions to whenever Johnlock is raised are becoming more irritable, more frustrated and with none of the playfulness they exhibit everywhere else. Gatiss must be aware of the accusations of “queerbaiting”. They have appeared on his twitter feed, apart from anything else. And just as Moffat feels hypersensitive to accusations of misogyny, Gatiss must surely feel the same way about being accused of effectively betraying his community and having internalised homophobia. He tries to set the record state but what happens? He still isn’t believed. Of course, a big part of this is a problem entirely of Moffat and Gatiss’ making. When you spend the bulk of interviews smugly declaring that you lie to protect future plot points, you can’t then be surprised when your fans don’t then believe you about other things: no matter how impassioned or frustrated you might sound. They really have made a rod for their own backs. The With An Accent journalist detected a difference in tone and attitude to the Johnlock denials compared to other obfuscations about plot, but if you’re not in the room, AND it’s not something you want to hear, why would you believe them? Johnlockers have varying degrees of expectation of their ship becoming canon, ranging from those who want it to remain strictly in their own heads and never be actualised on the show, via those who think it would be nice but is unlikely, through to those who desperately want it to be but remain unsure. And then we have TJLC. TJLC is a conspiracy in the truest sense of the word. Every piece of data is viewed through the prism of an utter conviction that not only should Johnlock happen, it will. Costume choices, set designs, drinks, lighting, everything is presented as evidence of confirmation of Johnlock, and some of it in the most convoluted way, with no acknowledgment that there could be any other possible interpretation for what appears on screen. A coincidentally commissioned survey into LGB representation is cited as conclusive proof, as well as a quote from Gatiss from an interview years ago that the way to introduce more LGBT representation is “softly, softly”, so as not to frighten the horses, so that everyone just sees it as mundane, everyday and normal. Ironically, if the conspiracy is true, and Johnlock is ultimately going to be the ‘big reveal’, that would be precisely the opposite approach to what Gatiss describes. It would make gay representation into a sensational shock twist, just like Mary’s reveal as the assassin or Jim from IT being Moriarty. That’s not treating LGBT issues with the respect they deserve in my eyes, and maybe that’s what Moffat is getting at when he describes that approach as ‘trivialising’. The TJLCers express the certainty that such a shock reveal would shake the foundations of society to its core, and it would be such a landmark, water cooler moment, that TV and gay representation, and indeed society itself, would never be the same again. Even if I remotely believed Johnlock were on the cards, I actually think the reverse would happen. The show would be universally derided as having ‘jumped the shark’. Not because its viewers are homophobic or resistant to the idea of gay couples, just because it would genuinely come out of nowhere for them. It would be perceived as pandering to a tiny minority of its fanbase - that is for those few of the general audience who are even aware that this is what some of the fans expect from the show. And for the vast majority of the audience it would come completely out of the blue and be utterly confusing. After all, in their eyes, at no point in the show, have John or Sherlock ever exhibited any kind of sexual attraction to another man. And this is another problem, and I’m sad to say, feeds into the sense of entitlement which some fans do exhibit. ‘Sherlock’ is a massive, mainstream, worldwide hit show. It is very easy to forget that in the little bubble of tumblr where you’re speaking to a self-selected group of people who all feel the same way and all agree with you. But the online fanbase is a tiny minority of the people who watch the show. Threats to ‘desert it’ and expect that to hold any weight with the creators really are meaningless. It’s not a niche, cult show where a fan can expect to stamp her feet and automatically get her wish. To put it bluntly, when your worldwide viewership is in the hundreds of millions, if a few thousand storm off because their ship is not actualised, it really makes no difference. What really makes me sad is that I can’t see any way that this is not going to end horribly for some people. I don’t think Gatiss and Moffat realise that - whatever it may have been to begin with - the fanbase now, or at least the ultra-ardent TJLC part of the fanbase, contains a number of young people who identify as LGBTQIA. For these young people - again predominantly women but also with a number of trans, non-binary and gender queer members - they feel their sexuality, their gender and indeed their whole identity has been helped and in some cases shaped by ‘Sherlock’: specifically by their conviction that Johnlock will be realised in the show. Watching the youtube video TJLCExplained Episode 25 “Why it matters” gives a glimpse into the passion and the desperate certainty these people have. It grieves me to see these bright, passionate, articulate and intelligent young people ploughing their energies into this conspiracy. They’re politically aware: educated in and fired up by gender politics and sexual awareness. So why waste all that energy and passion on two white, middle-class, middle-aged fictional men who - if the conspiracy is correct - are so far into the closet they have been unable to express their true feelings emotionally or sexually for many years to the one person they have shared a home with in all that time? I wish Gatiss and Moffat could see these inspired yet vulnerable people. I wonder what they would think. Would they be gratified that their show has had such a profound and positive effect on their fans? Or would they be sad or bewildered that these young people’s convictions have foundations built on sand? I’m not sure how or when it will end. Of the TJLCers who were fully signed up theorists before last week’s interview dropped, I have observed a couple of reactions. A few of them seem to have now been convinced that it isn’t going to happen and have already expressed disappointment and anger that they were duped or queerbaited. Presumably if they do feel so betrayed, this marks the end of their relationship with the show. However, most of the fan responses I have seen on tumblr have assimilated the new data as ‘yet more lies’ and rejected it, along with anything else that does not fit the conspiracy, whilst at the same time reserving some anger at the way Moffat and Gatiss spoke in order to protect their great ‘lie’. So what happens in five months’ time when Series 4 airs and - as I fully expect - Johnlock doesn’t happen? Will there be an explosion of rage and bitterness which will make last week’s little flare-up look minor in comparison? Or will the conspiracy continue on the basis that Series 5 is the ultimate destination? Or the special after that? Or the one after that? Until sufficient time elapses and everyone moves on? Only time will tell. It just makes me sad that fandom - which should be a positive, happy place - and which, when everything works, means friendships are made and creativity flourishes - can and has become such a toxic environment for both fans and creators. I’m sorry this has been so long and I apologise if I have offended anyone with either what I said or the way I said it. I guess I wanted to lay out my position - to clarify it in my own mind if nothing else!  

#tjlc #sherlock #Mofftiss #steven moffat #mark gatiss #tjlc explained #queerbaiting #johnlock

[clonerightsagenda]

DVD commentary: Kanaya’s arc

I got a request for commentary on Kanaya’s arc quite a while ago, but I wanted to wait until we got past those last two updates.  Ironically, despite the fact that we have now passed from what I would consider TLC’s main section composed of small group conversations and character development to an era that is primarily group conversations, there are three more significant updates focusing on Kanaya in the future.  That’s just how the notecards shook out.  In terms of characters with weird distribution, she really got hit hardest.

She also got a criminally low number of updates/words in general.  Part of this is my fault, but I can also blame Andrew, because scene distribution was based on what was left to do based on canon.  My workflow was something like this: I had a google doc with each character, a list of their personal problems, and a list of relationships that they needed to deal with. Obviously her list included Rose, along with lingering issues with Vriska, and some stuff pertaining to her last frog breeding session with Karkat. The narrative never really had her interact with her other two traveling companions, and she didn’t have any beef with the Prospit kids. In terms of personal problems, a lot of hers fell under the same umbrella. Issues with self confidence and self esteem, a tendency to enable behaviors she thinks are bad, putting other people first, and letting people roll over her even when she think something is wrong… I feel a lot came from similar roots, so they tended to get dealt with in the same conversations, meaning I didn’t have to write all that much to give her appropriate closure.  However, her word count is distressingly low, and I will be on the lookout for things to add for the director’s cut.

Before we get into actual updates, I always go over where the character was when we split off from the main story.  We don’t see loads of her during the intermissions, but we know she is still invested in her quest to revive her species.  She worries that her addiction is a problem, although she is too uncomfortable to admit that to Rose.  Finally, she is upset that she allowed Rose to continue her self destructive behavior and listened to her when she said it wasn’t a problem instead of using her better judgment.  A lot of the deaths in Game Over reflect characters succumbing to their fatal flaws.  Kanaya is destroyed by a beam of light, like moths burning themselves up on a lantern. This could reference attraction to dangerous Light women, or perhaps addiction more generally.  It’s certainly not as obvious as some of the other deaths, but I had a slate of things that I knew I needed to deal with.  So let’s start looking at the updates she appears in.

Kanaya mostly stays silent when they confront the empress. That was Karkat’s moment, since it connected more to his personal issues.  She doesn’t get much of a speaking role until the second subact, when Rose is confronted by Davesprite about her drinking habits.  The meteor crew seem to have accepted her addiction, although Dave mentions that it’s not a good thing.  However, this version of him was not expecting it, and it comes as a nasty shock, especially since he associates that behavior with her in a bad timeline.  This fresh perspective gives Kanaya an opening to confront Rose herself.  She mentions that she was reluctant to press the issue earlier because of both of their pasts.  That is a kind of a loaded statement; it references both the fact that she felt she pushed Vriska into a pale quadrant with her meddling when she really felt flushed for her, and also the fact that Rose resented her mother’s prodding and Kanaya did not want to give her that impression.  Rose tries to claim self sufficiency, but Kanaya says that even if the game wants to train them to feel that way, she’s not sure that’s the best approach. Of course, this is still her trying to take on other people’s burdens and take care of them.  Which is not necessarily bad in small amounts, but is something she can do too much of.  We will get to that later.

Her conversation with Jade is heavily focused on moving the plot along, but she does betray some of her insecurities as she worries about facing her denizen.  She also admits, when Jade mentions her new plan regarding the sun, that there are some people you can’t control and behaviors you can’t avert.  She has to realize she cannot always prevent people from doing things she thinks are unwise, and sometimes it’s better not to try. At some point, it’s not your responsibility.

When she and Karkat head out to meet Echidna, Kanaya brings up two instances where he took the lead ahead of her in and it ended in disaster.  He rushes ahead in game over and gets killed when she probably could have taken out Gamzee instead, and he also rushed their breeding session and gave the universe cancer.  In the past, she let him do this and did not assert herself.  This time, she is.  However, she also offers some some measure of absolution.  She may not be a time hero, but she understands these things had to happen in order to get them to where they are now, and she doesn’t think they should angst over it too much.  Space heroes are practical like that.  Finally, as there’s a lot going on in this conversation, she talks about her role again. She may have been given her role, but unlike others that reject theirs (which is a viable option if the one you were given sucks) she accepts hers and hopes to fulfill it.  She finds meaning and purpose in her quest.

In the next memo, Kanaya totally throws Jade under the bus because she’s worried about what she’s doing and wants a second opinion.  Sure enough, as  Kanaya knew she would, Rose immediately pesters Jade to find out what’s going on. With that cleared up, she gives Rose a pep talk that is more relevant to her story, so I won’t dwell on it.  There’s an oblique reference to Rose’s inability to directly express affection, and then the conversation ends.

Moving on, we have another conversation with Karkat, this one centered on emotional labor. Kanaya makes a remark about how she knows he’s going to tell her everything on his mind and is then a little put out that she is always supposed to be the listening ear and shoulder to lean on.  Everyone expects her to be able to keep soldiering on, because she gives an impression and has held up so far.  If you keep piling things onto a bridge because so far it hasn’t collapsed, it eventually will.  However, she also adds that she has not brought this up herself, and while it’d be nice for her friends to consider that she might be tired of hearing about their problems with nothing in return, she also could have told them.  A common space hero problem.

Let’s make a new post for Cherubquest. This one is getting long. 

#tlcstuck #dvd commentary

[datingadviceonreddit]

Hello,I always find it cathartic to to write down what I have been going through in the hopes of helping others.So I recently got out of a 3 year relationship that was uber toxic. It left me in ruins. To dig myself out I decided to say screw it and go get out there.The first week of me being single I reached out to my old friends and old flings and just got coffee with them. Some I tried to flirt with others I just wanted to hang out. My goal (I work in sales in my real life job) was to expand my network. I wanted to start going to things where to meet other people. I have found that it is much easier to talk to girls when you are social proofed. What that means is if a girl sees you regularly or with friends of hers your not a complete stranger. This got me two dates, but it I am working it very hard to get referrals if you know what I mean.The second thing I did for my first week is hop on tinder. Tinder is not in my experience the best place to find long term girls, but it is a great place to practice talking to girls. The realization I came to is that there are sooo many people in this world, and we as men sometimes get "oneitus" where we focus on one girl alone no one else, even though we aren't even dating them yet. I learned the best thing for me is to go about talking to as many people as I can as it helps me realize that rejection is a part of life, and that if a girl doesn't like me big deal there are plenty of them EVERYWHERE. (same goes for you too ladies, there are plenty of guys out there) I highly recommend using tinder this way to learn how to interact with people, even if you don't find them attractive, it is helpful to learn how to flirt and just be yourself and most importantly stop caring as much. The first girls I messaged barely responded, but now after a week of practice I am getting a huge increase of response rate.My secret is learning to be myself and not being so timid. You have to think you are a great guy first before anyone else ever will. And this is soo true for dating. I have noticed sometimes the weirdest looking dudes with the prettiest girls, and have observed from a far that they like themselves a lot. They are comfortable in their own shoes.This lead to week two through five (present day). I realized my biggest problem I was having had nothing to do with my height, my looks, heck even my humor. It was my confidence that was not great. My ex left me after emotionally abusing me for two years, and I had forgotten how much I loved myself. This leads to my next point, how do we as men get more confidence?I have found two ways for me that have helped me alot. When I approached girls I felt like I wasn't the fittest I could be. I realized I needed to get into shape again. I have been going to the gym, and eating less. I have lost six pounds already in four weeks. (I'm 24 so its not as hard to lose weight). I plan on getting down by thirty pounds in the next couple of months. Why? I want to approach a girl and know that for myself I am the one in the best shape. Think about it, how often have you seen this gorgeous girl and you're uber intimidated. It comes from the fear of her not liking us back, and that is rooted in an insecurity about ourselves. The best way I found was to approach girls who I felt like I was in better shape then. It was a power dynamic flip for me and made me not be so scared. (not saying that I am there to make them feel bad about themselves, but it helps me being the best shape I can so I don't feel so intimidated) So I highly recommend hitting the gym.The second thing I started doing to boost my confidence was approaching girls (given the right context, so not when they are busy!!!!) to say hello and give them a compliment. At first, I just would go up to a pretty girl and just tell them "I wanted to say you look very pretty today." They would say thank you and I would then walk away. Why? Well it's a start to a broader approach. See I read and see these pick up guys going to talk to strangers, and they expect normal dudes to just start that. That takes a lot of practice (as does any skill) so I like starting small.When I was approaching these girls to give them compliments I would pay attention to body language, are they facing me, are they being polite or more than friendly. I would pickup on these patterns and memorize them. When I felt comfortable enough, if I would see a girl I thought was attractive I would look at her and smile. If she smiled back twice I would approach her and say hello. Say that I thought she was cute and wanted to talk to her. (Big disclaimer here!) This "cold approach" if you will seems to vary in success based on the social context (if a girl is in a rush don't be rude guys there are so many out there) and also by city. I have found in my city that a lot of women actually WISH men would have the confidence to that. So feel it out, if in your city girls are open to that great, if not go back to the focus of expanding your network and social proofing.I have actually gotten two dates thus far from talking to say about fifteen girls this way. Some had boyfriends, but I was polite and told them to that he must be a very lucky guy with a smile and walk away. It's ok for a girl to reject you, sometimes just as we have preferences so do women. NEVER EVER be rude to a girl because of it. Be friendly and mature. In fact because of that I made a friend and she introduced me to one of her single friends.Needless to say, use this time being single to improve yourself. Focus on getting healthier, learning new things. We only have one body and it has to transport us through our life, you wouldn't bash your car would you? Be the best man you could be. It helps me so much more everyday getting better at my skills and my physique. There are so many ways to meet new people, and in the process of practicing and getting healthier it makes the man you are meant to be come out. And ironically enough, that confidence and surety of purpose is what all the girls I have dated have liked about me. I am a short dude. I am 5'3, but I make it a point to be friendly and most importantly confident in who I am as a man. I was in shambles 4 weeks ago, and now I am slowly building myself back up. We men get into this nasty cycle where one rejection causes us to stop trying and then we get cynical. We blame women for not liking us when dating is not a reflection of who we are as people. There ARE plenty of mates out there for all of us, but you have to watch for that cycle. Once in it the best thing I did was work out and talk to my friends. I just wanted to share some of my experiences being single. My last piece of advice that has helped me more than anything is just remember, a mate is not supposed to make you whole. YOU have to make yourself WHOLE first before you can share yourself with another human being. Relationships are hard, trust me I know. Being in one won't solve your emotional problems, so take this time being single to work on yourself to be the man you want to be for that girl you will be with. I own my own financial company, and I try to learn everything I can so I can best serve my clients. The same is true for meeting a partner. I want to be the best man I can be for that person. I hope this helps someone in their life and happy hunting! via /r/dating_advice

#dating #dating advice #reddit

[gilgamemesh]

Heyo I found this old Umineko meme in my drafts and I think I typed these up in 2016 (so heads up some sentences are oddly phrased)? And it’s not all of them, but I figured I should upload at least the ones I had here. 

Day 01: Why did you start watching Umineko?

I remember seeing small bits and pieces when I was younger. Extremely well I remember the part where Chiesters kill everyone in the dinning room because after I saw that part I realized I really genuinely just love gore and that was actually how I became the disgusting gore fiend I am now. 

But yeah in general I got into Umineko because the OST was a real blast and I found the general aesthetic of the game really fascinating! And later when I learned it’s also a mystery story I REALLY wanted to start it because I really enjoy mystery genre even though I don’t consume it as much anymore as I used to at some point in life. I started the anime only after VN because I just wanted more seacats no matter the cost. 

Day 02: How did you start out with Umineko? Through the anime, the manga, or the VN?

I started with VN and then moved to manga, but in a way the OST was my first Umineko experience! 

Day 03: Do you read the VN, watch the anime, read the manga, or all three?

I’m done with VN and will finish mangas and the anime soon! 

Day 04: Which are your favourite battles between Beatrice and Battler?

Day 05: Which are your favourite scenes between the witches?

Day 06: Which are your favourite scenes in general? One from the VN, one from the anime and one from the manga.

I think my favourite scene from the VN is the love trial gun battle between Shannon and Kanon. I had already figured out the deeper meaning of the duel between them so I could already enjoy the emotional suffering of it. The music and scenes and overall just the combination of images, text and music was really impressive and I remember I got chills more than once. I also really, really love the Jessica vs. Ronove battle.

From manga I think it’s the confession chapters of episode 8 manga. They’re really impressive and strong chapters with so much raw emotion it left me with such a strong impression I consider it one of the most memorable chapters of any manga I have read. I also kinda cry every time I read it so there is that too. 

I really liked the scene where Shannon looked like she was flirting with Jessica 

Day 07: What do you like most about Umineko?

ALL? I honestly have hard time deciding because there are so many things in Umineko I really love. 

The way the women of this series are written is so good and the variety is amazing like we have women from age 6 to mid 90s here and the witches are in a category of their own! Someone once said that the way the women are written in a story actually determines the entire story’s worth and if that’s the case then this is a really good work (as it is).

The characters in general are honestly one of my favourite things because Ryukishi’s way of writing people of different ages and from different settings is really convincing and feels really realistic for me. Especially certain types of abuse shown are something I have seen and can relate to as I have seen and/or experienced similar in real life.

I also like the fantasy and mystery blending into one like sometimes (and I still do, actually) I feel like I’m reading multiple stories at the same time and in my head while I consider the Rokkenjima prime the truth of the human world but the witch side story is kind of a story on its own too. But those stories don’t exist in the same world, there is no room for more than one. For me, a reader, it’s multiple stories, but for the human characters... that’s another story. 

Day 08: What would you have changed about the anime/manga/VN if you had the ability to?

More Lion Ushiromiya please and thank you 

Day 09: What do you like about the Umineko fandom?

They reblog my art They are surprisingly active here on tumblr considering how long ago this series has already ended! I don’t do much with the fandom in general though so I can’t see much! I really appreciate all the essays and theories though

Day 10: What do you dislike about the Umineko fandom?

I feel like the opinions sometimes are really dramatically divided so that they’re either really offensive or too “shh shh you can’t talk about this it’s offending”? Like sometimes the middle ground with certain things and topics seems to be completely missing. You can talk about sensitive subjects without being TOO careful but also without being offending. It’s possible. Believe it or not. 

Day 11: Your favourite witch

I would be lying if I said it was someone other than Beatrice! Although I love and appreciate all the witches featured in the series, Beatrice has a special place in my heart for nostalgia reasons. As the most popular character of the series, she was one of the first characters I learned of and she kept popping up everywhere during a certain time in my life. I knew almost nothing about her honestly but for some reason I was really attracted to her design and the bits and pieces of little information I got of her personality and behavior. After playing the game I can tell I love her even more obviously, haha! 

Day 12: Your favourite Ushiromiya

ALL OF THEM but okay honestly if I really need to pick one I will just go with my pre-game-bias Lion! I actually used Lion as my ultimate motivation to start the game because they looked really fun + 15-year-old me apparently was interested in cosplaying Lion because we used to have a similar hair style, haha (as I’m typing this I’m already working on the cosplay btw). 

I also really love Battler and Jessica they’re both darlings and while I LOVE George and I’m always ready to defend him when he is being accused of things he didn’t do I just kinda like Battler and Jessica a little more (as Battler is really relatable and Jessica is the best girl(tm) )

Day 13: Your favourite couple

Eva and Hideyoshi honestly kill me but like, in a good way. I really, really liked their interactions and I was very positively surprised when I learned that despite an arranged marriage pretty much, the two of them seemed to very genuinely love and care about each other. And especially Eva often talked (along the lines of) how marriage is not just feelings but it’s something you and your partner work together on and make it grow as you bond and it kind of changed my view on marriage a little even though I was aware of this beforehand already. 

Day 14: Your favourite non-canon couple

*coughs at the general direction of Willion*

Their interactions are so fun I literally don’t care whether it’s romantic or platonic, I just enjoy seeing them together! 

Day 15: Your favourite character in general

Natsuhi / Lion / Jessica / all of Yasu is the way to go, I suppose? 

Day 16: Your least favourite witch

She is not my least favourite honestly I ADORE Featherine but I feel like her screen time was so small compared to the rest of the witches my brain prioritizes the other witches before her. But honestly she is so cool and I love her smug face so much and I wish there was more of her so I would learn to love her even more through canon interactions!! 

Day 17: Your least favourite Ushiromiya

Man idk Kinzo maybe? I understand he suffered on his own and had his own difficulties and probably (most likely) wasn’t mentally quite alright but I still have hard time dealing with what he did to the people around him. Kuwadorian Beatrice aside, he was still cruel to his other children too and I just can’t really deal with that. 

Day 18: Your least favourite couple

have you ever gone to pixiv and seen BattlerxNatsuhi and just quite frankly wanted to die 

Day 19: Your least favourite character in general

Day 20: Your most favourite song from Umineko (can be a vocal song, or a BGM)

BIRTH OF A NEW WITCH! I used to listen that song a LOT when I was younger and ironically suffering from many of the issues that were also more or less featured in Umineko. Whenever I listen to the song it makes me feel really powerful in a way haha but also sad because I remember listening it a lot while being extremely sad and lost with my life and myself. 

I also really love this version of Alive 

Day 21: A series that you feel is similiar to Umineko other than Higurashi and why

ACE ATTORNEY............. It’s the whole loose concept of arguments and murders and mysteries but also the sometimes incredible kind of humour and series of events that keep happening. That, and Phoenix Wright and Battler remind me of each other and it always makes me laugh. 

Day 22: Other 07th Expansion series that you like

Day 23: Post a picture of a Umineko cosplay you really like

Day 24: Explain the red truth, the golden truth and the blue truth in your own words.

Day 25: Could you have solved any of the mysteries Beatrice posed, personally?

I DOUBT THAT because I’m really bad with locked room things these days?? I used to be pretty good as younger because I was disgustingly into detective stories and the like but now I have gotten older and forgotten even the basic settings of how to build a locked room :’’’) 

I did figure out other things on my own though and I could give a human side explanation to some of the magic featured but yeah. I couldn’t have done it better than Battler at all. 

Day 26: A character you hate and love at the same time.

ERIKA she is such a nasty person but I also love her so much and I find both her and her writing very interesting. I would absolutely never get along with a person like her (especially because we share a lot of negative traits) but she is so good as a character and worthy of my adoration < 3 

Day 27: A crossover with Umineko that you’d like to see? (No Higurashi, please.)

Umineko x Fate??? I can’t believe Kinzo Ushiromiya started the holy grail war and forced his relatives to take part. 

Okay but really I have no idea how it would work honestly but it would be exciting probably because both Fate and Umineko are my main fandoms and subjects of endless love and adoration xoxo

Day 28: Witches vs Humans, which side do you take?

OKAY LISTEN I was asked this question multiple of times before and during the game and at FIRST I picked the witch side. Because, like, it somehow feels more “right” to me in a way I can’t explain. But having gone through Umineko now, I don’t think I can choose a side. I think everything is more exciting if you can balance between the two sides instead of taking just one. 

Day 29: Do you believe that Yasu is the culprit? Why?

culprit [kuhl-prit] noun 1. a person or other agent guilty of or responsible for an offense or fault. 2. a person arraigned for an offense

Going with this definition yes, Yasu was the culprit. But Yasu was not the only culprit, and Yasu in Prime didn’t end up being the one who did the actual killing. As she said in the rules, if someone solves the riddle she will give up on her murder deed.  

Yasu is the culprit and the one who even ended up aiding Kyrie by placing the guns on the table and predicting what would happen, but she is not the one who actually killed the others. It was a decision from Kyrie’s part to carry on with the murder plan. Yasu would be punished too if put on a trial but Kyrie would most definitely, along with Rudolf, receive a bigger sentence than Yasu. 

Day 30: A phrase you find most memorable from the series (Anime, Manga or VN).

“And everyone was there. Everyone, everyone, everyone.”

When I read those words I legitimately started crying. I just suddenly started crying and kept going for like five minutes with my face absolutely covered in tears. I was smiling so hard but at the same time crying so much. Umineko was such an intense ride for me and I could see myself and my life situation in many of the events portrayed and finally coming to the end of the long journey made me feel like I had changed somehow and I had to let the old feelings out in order to have room for the new, better feelings.  

“I can hear us howling in pain”

Like I said earlier, the confession chapters in EP8 manga are one of my favourites due the emotional impact of them. We get to see Yasu’s inner struggle 

#cai's seacat adventure #god I cant believe I still remember this is a tag I used for my shitposting

[heliosfinance]

Inverting the Money Problem

In the controversial movie, The Social Network, which supposedly portrayed Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook journey, Sean Parker’s character famously quipped –

“A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.”

It’s probably the most favourite problem that majority of the individuals in the world are trying figure out i.e., how to get rich?

So let’s investigate this problem by using Charlie Munger’s most cherished mental model i.e., inverting the problems to solve them.

One of the ways to invert the question of “How to Get Rich?” is to ask, “Is getting rich worth it?”

Before you decide to skip this article thinking that it’s another one of those “money can’t buy happiness” rant, just stick with me for few more minutes and I promise that you won’t regret it.

In fact, this is a good opportunity to wear our curiosity hats and look at the hardships that tag along with large sums of money. Now given the fact that the author, yours truly, isn’t super rich (money wise at least) and likely never will be, is it justified for him to comment on the problems of the rich?

In my defence, all I have to say is that I never let my lack of first-hand experience with a topic stop me from speculating on it.

Maybe, like the proverbial fox and his sour grapes, I am deluding myself with a story that I never wanted what I will never be able to get. Or maybe I belong to the camp of those cash-poor intellectual types who want to prove to the world that rich people secretly live a miserable life.

I am not ruling out any of these possibilities where my subconscious is playing a game.

Yet, it’s plausible that I am trying to squint your eyes a bit to help you discover a different perspective – a view from the other side of the fence where the grass seems to be greener and wealthier.

This article is inspired by a very interesting discussion thread on Quora. The participants in this thread include some well known, successful and rich people including folks like Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail. So it’s safe to assume that it’s not a pure thought experiment imagined by an armchair philosopher.

Although the Quora thread had a lot of abstract and philosophical arguments, I have distilled out the ones which appealed the most to the rational side of my brain.

Put simply, the question to explore here is this – How does an incremental money above a certain amount can actually subtract from your happiness through the additional hassle it creates?

Not every item that I am going to list here is a problem for every rich person, but some, even many, of these are possibilities. And let me remind you again that these are not my personal beliefs and I don’t necessarily agree with all of them, but they made me smile while thinking about them. Consider them my musings on the topic of unintended consequences of extreme wealth.

On a serious note, if you ever plan to amass wealth and fame, you should at least know what’s in store for you.

The first category of challenge of being rich is related to the social interactions i.e., your equation with people around you.

Your Right to Crib is Revoked

Now that you’re rich (and people know that you’re rich), you are not allowed to complain about anything. Ever.

Since you’ve just achieved the financial nirvana, you’re no longer allowed to have any human needs or frustrations in the public eye.

Yet, you are still a human being. Aren’t you? But most people aren’t going to treat you like one.

This may not really be that big a problem because, when you’re rich, you probably won’t care much as to what people think about you.

But here’s the catch.

When you find yourself struggling with a nasty problem, which obviously can’t be solved by throwing money at (remember you’re rich), and you’re desperately seeking help from your family and friends – your folks won’t believe that you’re helpless.

You’re pretty much on your own.

Unrealistic Expectations

Your relationship with your friends and family will change. It may not necessarily turn sour but it will surely get harder to deal with. Not because of money but because of change in expectations.

Since you’re the superman now and have large resources at your disposal, it’s expected out of you to rescue everyone.

You may be expected, not by all but by some family and friends, to dole out interest-free – give it and forget it – loans. And it doesn’t stop there. You aren’t allowed to get away by giving modest gifts on special occasions.

“C’mon man! You’re a millionaire. Don’t be cheap. Shell out some moolah for an expensive gift.”

Hidden Intentions

Wealth makes you more discoverable unless you put a lot of efforts to lay low. Which means it attracts attention from all sorts of people – genuine and not so genuine.

Genuine people may want to learn from your wisdom, experience and skill but there would be many whose sole interest would be to shake loose some money from your pockets.

Point is that most people now want something out of you, and it can be harder to figure out whether someone is being nice to you because they like you, or they are being nice to you because of your money. This is especially true of strangers who know more about your wealth than about you as a human being.

A typical solution for this problem is to create a screen to ensure that only genuine people get access to you. But this screen will invariably filter out some good people also. Which means you’ll still be interacting with a mix of people, it’s just that the scale of this problem will be bigger because you’re rich.

A side effect of this strategy is that it can often cause wealthy people to cut themselves off from the larger society, out of fear that they will be exploited by selfish motives. As a result, the richness and variety in your social circle may become very limited.

Whoever said, “It’s lonely at the top,” probably was referring to this effect.

The next category of challenge of being super rich is related to your relationship with yourself i.e., the psychological effects of getting rich.

Amplification Effect

Wealth removes constraints, which means becoming wealthy has the potential to mess with you. But it depends on what type of person you are. In general, it makes people more of whatever they already were.

For example, if someone has a serious alcohol or other drug addiction, wealth could be fatal for him. On the other hand, if a person is generous, polite, and resourceful, money will amplify those qualities in his or her behaviour.

David Foster Wallace said, “Happy people are often still happy when they become millionaires. Unhappy people are often still unhappy when they become millionaires.”

Freedom Brings Dilemma

Money can give you the freedom to focus on the things that truly matter to you. But that comes with the assumption that you already know what truly matters to you.

Most people work hard and money keeps them focused on earning more, doing the career-ladder thing and working towards their goals, but when they finally attain that money-goal, it gives birth to weird issues.

The void created by financial freedom could be a difficult one to fill. Which is why many supposedly rich people continue to work hard at earning more money because it keeps them busy.

The most profound effect that becoming financially successful can have on someone is the task of answering the question – “I wonder what am I supposed to do next?”

Ironically, the ability to pursue activities that you find meaningful and bring you happiness does not depend on getting rich. Albeit insufficiency of funds calls for some resourcefulness on your part to continue pursuing your passion.

Many people subscribe to the belief along the lines of Charlie Sheen’s in the movie Wall Street, when he’s asked what he’s going to do when he makes his millions and he says, “I’m going to get a motorcycle and ride across China.” Rolf Potts,  author of Vagabonding, points out that you could clean toilets in the US and save enough money to ride a motorcycle across China. 

Today, you don’t need a million dollars to travel the world.

The Paradox of Desire

Now, this could appear as an entirely unanticipated downside of getting rich.

Being rich is better than not being rich, but it’s not nearly as good as you imagine it is.

All of the things you want to buy one day, are only valuable to you because you cannot afford them yet (or have to work really hard to acquire them). Maybe you have your eyes set on the new Ferrari but once you know you can easily afford it, it just doesn’t mean as much to you anymore.

It’s basic human nature that the things which are just out of reach seem desirable. The moment an object of desire becomes easily available to you, its charm loses grip on you. This is especially true for things which are your wants, not needs.

Realising that your dreams aren’t always what they were cracked up to be can bring in severe disappointment. Following which a boredom could quickly set in.

Diminishing Marginal Utility

Human mind is not good at evaluating things in absolute. It needs a benchmark or something to compare with to assess the value of something. Using this insight let’s see what The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility says –

For each additional unit of a good the added satisfaction, you receive from consuming the good, decreases.

Yes, the first month you drive the Audi or eat in an expensive restaurant, you really enjoy it. But then you quickly get used to it. And then you are looking towards the next thing, the next level up. The problem is that you have bumped up your expectations, and everything below that level doesn’t entice you anymore.

Calvin and The Law of Diminishing Returns: Source: Bill Watterson Ben Cosnocha, in his deeply thoughtful article The Goldilocks Theory of Being Rich, writes –

[As super rich] You’ll fly private jets, yes. You’ll eat nice food all the time, you’ll have aides and servants who will save you time. Problem is, we quickly adapt to these material comforts—what psychologists call the “hedonic treadmill.” The private jet doesn’t feel so special the 20th time you’re on it.

A research was done on two sets of people. First group consisted of those who experienced a personal tragedy like losing a loved one or even becoming physically handicapped (losing one or more limbs) which diminished their ability to function normally. The second group of people consisted of those who suddenly became rich.

The research revealed that in both the groups, people returned to their base level of happiness, one year after the fortunate/unfortunate events.

Jason Zweig, in his wonderful book Your Money and Your Brain, summarized all the above points brilliantly. He writes –

Becoming a lottery winner takes only an instant; being one lasts the rest of your life. People who actually win the lottery are often shocked by the aftermath of their lucky draw. There are plenty of thrills from suddenly making a fortune, just as the winners expected. But there are less obvious and less predictable consequences, too. The phone rings off the hook with calls from crooks and desperately friendly acquaintances. Ensconced in your new mansion, you no longer see your old neighbors as often; instead, you are besieged by long-lost relatives who should have stayed lost. Everyone you ever rubbed the wrong way files a lawsuit against you. Quit your job, and you miss your friends and go crazy with boredom; keep it, and your co-workers all seem to hate you or hit you up for money. It becomes hard to tell who your real friends are, so you spend more time alone. At home, you bicker constantly with your spouse over what to do with the money.

Conclusion

I read somewhere, “Money doesn’t necessarily wipe out all your troubles. It just changes the kind of problems that life presents you. The only people who are completely trouble free are buried in the cemetery.”

If one is not happy now, chances are that he won’t be happy even when he is rich. I am sure there are many super rich people who are happy and maintain a healthy inner peace.

I suspect that it’s nice to be super rich but maybe not for the reasons many of us think.

Kevin Kelly, who is known as the most interesting man in the world, in his interview with Tim Ferriss, reminded –

Great wealth, extreme wealth, is definitely overrated. There’s nothing that you can really do with it that you can’t do with a lot of less money. The things that you want to do, the things that will make you content, the things that will satisfy you, the things that will bring you meaning … is usually better than having money.

…if you have a lot of time or a lot of money, it’s always better to have a lot of time to do something. If you have a choice between having a lot of friends or a lot of money, you definitely want to have a lot of friends.

…the technological progress that we’re having is actually diminishing the role of money. And I want to be clear that I’m talking about money beyond the amount that you need to survive. So in a certain sense, most people see money as a means to get these other things, but there are other routes to these other things that are deeper and more constant and more durable and more powerful. Money is a very small, one-dimensional thing, that if you focus on that, it kind of comes and goes. And if you … whatever it is that you’re trying to attain, you go to it more directly through other means, you’ll probably wind up with a more powerful experience or whatever it is that you’re after. And it’ll be deeper, more renewable, than coming at it with money.

Let me repeat, the intention in this post is not to pass judgement but to look at a situation from a different vantage point. And my goal for compiling these thoughts was more with an intention of exploration than preaching.

If you have any interesting dimensions to add to this line of thought, feel free to leave your thought in the Comments section of this post.

Also Read – Is getting rich worth it?

The post Inverting the Money Problem appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

Inverting the Money Problem published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B

[heliosfinance]

Inverting the Money Problem

In the controversial movie, The Social Network, which supposedly portrayed Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook journey, Sean Parker’s character famously quipped –

“A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars.”

It’s probably the most favourite problem that majority of the individuals in the world are trying figure out i.e., how to get rich?

So let’s investigate this problem by using Charlie Munger’s most cherished mental model i.e., inverting the problems to solve them.

One of the ways to invert the question of “How to Get Rich?” is to ask, “Is getting rich worth it?”

Before you decide to skip this article thinking that it’s another one of those “money can’t buy happiness” rant, just stick with me for few more minutes and I promise that you won’t regret it.

In fact, this is a good opportunity to wear our curiosity hats and look at the hardships that tag along with large sums of money. Now given the fact that the author, yours truly, isn’t super rich (money wise at least) and likely never will be, is it justified for him to comment on the problems of the rich?

In my defence, all I have to say is that I never let my lack of first-hand experience with a topic stop me from speculating on it.

Maybe, like the proverbial fox and his sour grapes, I am deluding myself with a story that I never wanted what I will never be able to get. Or maybe I belong to the camp of those cash-poor intellectual types who want to prove to the world that rich people secretly live a miserable life.

I am not ruling out any of these possibilities where my subconscious is playing a game.

Yet, it’s plausible that I am trying to squint your eyes a bit to help you discover a different perspective – a view from the other side of the fence where the grass seems to be greener and wealthier.

This article is inspired by a very interesting discussion thread on Quora. The participants in this thread include some well known, successful and rich people including folks like Paul Buchheit, the creator of Gmail. So it’s safe to assume that it’s not a pure thought experiment imagined by an armchair philosopher.

Although the Quora thread had a lot of abstract and philosophical arguments, I have distilled out the ones which appealed the most to the rational side of my brain.

Put simply, the question to explore here is this – How does an incremental money above a certain amount can actually subtract from your happiness through the additional hassle it creates?

Not every item that I am going to list here is a problem for every rich person, but some, even many, of these are possibilities. And let me remind you again that these are not my personal beliefs and I don’t necessarily agree with all of them, but they made me smile while thinking about them. Consider them my musings on the topic of unintended consequences of extreme wealth.

On a serious note, if you ever plan to amass wealth and fame, you should at least know what’s in store for you.

The first category of challenge of being rich is related to the social interactions i.e., your equation with people around you.

Your Right to Crib is Revoked

Now that you’re rich (and people know that you’re rich), you are not allowed to complain about anything. Ever.

Since you’ve just achieved the financial nirvana, you’re no longer allowed to have any human needs or frustrations in the public eye.

Yet, you are still a human being. Aren’t you? But most people aren’t going to treat you like one.

This may not really be that big a problem because, when you’re rich, you probably won’t care much as to what people think about you.

But here’s the catch.

When you find yourself struggling with a nasty problem, which obviously can’t be solved by throwing money at (remember you’re rich), and you’re desperately seeking help from your family and friends – your folks won’t believe that you’re helpless.

You’re pretty much on your own.

Unrealistic Expectations

Your relationship with your friends and family will change. It may not necessarily turn sour but it will surely get harder to deal with. Not because of money but because of change in expectations.

Since you’re the superman now and have large resources at your disposal, it’s expected out of you to rescue everyone.

You may be expected, not by all but by some family and friends, to dole out interest-free – give it and forget it – loans. And it doesn’t stop there. You aren’t allowed to get away by giving modest gifts on special occasions.

“C’mon man! You’re a millionaire. Don’t be cheap. Shell out some moolah for an expensive gift.”

Hidden Intentions

Wealth makes you more discoverable unless you put a lot of efforts to lay low. Which means it attracts attention from all sorts of people – genuine and not so genuine.

Genuine people may want to learn from your wisdom, experience and skill but there would be many whose sole interest would be to shake loose some money from your pockets.

Point is that most people now want something out of you, and it can be harder to figure out whether someone is being nice to you because they like you, or they are being nice to you because of your money. This is especially true of strangers who know more about your wealth than about you as a human being.

A typical solution for this problem is to create a screen to ensure that only genuine people get access to you. But this screen will invariably filter out some good people also. Which means you’ll still be interacting with a mix of people, it’s just that the scale of this problem will be bigger because you’re rich.

A side effect of this strategy is that it can often cause wealthy people to cut themselves off from the larger society, out of fear that they will be exploited by selfish motives. As a result, the richness and variety in your social circle may become very limited.

Whoever said, “It’s lonely at the top,” probably was referring to this effect.

The next category of challenge of being super rich is related to your relationship with yourself i.e., the psychological effects of getting rich.

Amplification Effect

Wealth removes constraints, which means becoming wealthy has the potential to mess with you. But it depends on what type of person you are. In general, it makes people more of whatever they already were.

For example, if someone has a serious alcohol or other drug addiction, wealth could be fatal for him. On the other hand, if a person is generous, polite, and resourceful, money will amplify those qualities in his or her behaviour.

David Foster Wallace said, “Happy people are often still happy when they become millionaires. Unhappy people are often still unhappy when they become millionaires.”

Freedom Brings Dilemma

Money can give you the freedom to focus on the things that truly matter to you. But that comes with the assumption that you already know what truly matters to you.

Most people work hard and money keeps them focused on earning more, doing the career-ladder thing and working towards their goals, but when they finally attain that money-goal, it gives birth to weird issues.

The void created by financial freedom could be a difficult one to fill. Which is why many supposedly rich people continue to work hard at earning more money because it keeps them busy.

The most profound effect that becoming financially successful can have on someone is the task of answering the question – “I wonder what am I supposed to do next?”

Ironically, the ability to pursue activities that you find meaningful and bring you happiness does not depend on getting rich. Albeit insufficiency of funds calls for some resourcefulness on your part to continue pursuing your passion.

Many people subscribe to the belief along the lines of Charlie Sheen’s in the movie Wall Street, when he’s asked what he’s going to do when he makes his millions and he says, “I’m going to get a motorcycle and ride across China.” Rolf Potts,  author of Vagabonding, points out that you could clean toilets in the US and save enough money to ride a motorcycle across China. 

Today, you don’t need a million dollars to travel the world.

The Paradox of Desire

Now, this could appear as an entirely unanticipated downside of getting rich.

Being rich is better than not being rich, but it’s not nearly as good as you imagine it is.

All of the things you want to buy one day, are only valuable to you because you cannot afford them yet (or have to work really hard to acquire them). Maybe you have your eyes set on the new Ferrari but once you know you can easily afford it, it just doesn’t mean as much to you anymore.

It’s basic human nature that the things which are just out of reach seem desirable. The moment an object of desire becomes easily available to you, its charm loses grip on you. This is especially true for things which are your wants, not needs.

Realising that your dreams aren’t always what they were cracked up to be can bring in severe disappointment. Following which a boredom could quickly set in.

Diminishing Marginal Utility

Human mind is not good at evaluating things in absolute. It needs a benchmark or something to compare with to assess the value of something. Using this insight let’s see what The Law of Diminishing Marginal Utility says –

For each additional unit of a good the added satisfaction, you receive from consuming the good, decreases.

Yes, the first month you drive the Audi or eat in an expensive restaurant, you really enjoy it. But then you quickly get used to it. And then you are looking towards the next thing, the next level up. The problem is that you have bumped up your expectations, and everything below that level doesn’t entice you anymore.

Calvin and The Law of Diminishing Returns: Source: Bill Watterson Ben Cosnocha, in his deeply thoughtful article The Goldilocks Theory of Being Rich, writes –

[As super rich] You’ll fly private jets, yes. You’ll eat nice food all the time, you’ll have aides and servants who will save you time. Problem is, we quickly adapt to these material comforts—what psychologists call the “hedonic treadmill.” The private jet doesn’t feel so special the 20th time you’re on it.

A research was done on two sets of people. First group consisted of those who experienced a personal tragedy like losing a loved one or even becoming physically handicapped (losing one or more limbs) which diminished their ability to function normally. The second group of people consisted of those who suddenly became rich.

The research revealed that in both the groups, people returned to their base level of happiness, one year after the fortunate/unfortunate events.

Jason Zweig, in his wonderful book Your Money and Your Brain, summarized all the above points brilliantly. He writes –

Becoming a lottery winner takes only an instant; being one lasts the rest of your life. People who actually win the lottery are often shocked by the aftermath of their lucky draw. There are plenty of thrills from suddenly making a fortune, just as the winners expected. But there are less obvious and less predictable consequences, too. The phone rings off the hook with calls from crooks and desperately friendly acquaintances. Ensconced in your new mansion, you no longer see your old neighbors as often; instead, you are besieged by long-lost relatives who should have stayed lost. Everyone you ever rubbed the wrong way files a lawsuit against you. Quit your job, and you miss your friends and go crazy with boredom; keep it, and your co-workers all seem to hate you or hit you up for money. It becomes hard to tell who your real friends are, so you spend more time alone. At home, you bicker constantly with your spouse over what to do with the money.

Conclusion

I read somewhere, “Money doesn’t necessarily wipe out all your troubles. It just changes the kind of problems that life presents you. The only people who are completely trouble free are buried in the cemetery.”

If one is not unhappy now, chances are that he won’t be happy even when he is rich. I am sure there are many super rich people who are happy and maintain a healthy inner peace.

I suspect that it’s nice to be super rich but maybe not for the reasons many of us think.

Kevin Kelly, who is known as the most interesting man in the world, in his interview with Tim Ferriss, reminded –

Great wealth, extreme wealth, is definitely overrated. There’s nothing that you can really do with it that you can’t do with a lot of less money. The things that you want to do, the things that will make you content, the things that will satisfy you, the things that will bring you meaning … is usually better than having money.

…if you have a lot of time or a lot of money, it’s always better to have a lot of time to do something. If you have a choice between having a lot of friends or a lot of money, you definitely want to have a lot of friends.

…the technological progress that we’re having is actually diminishing the role of money. And I want to be clear that I’m talking about money beyond the amount that you need to survive. So in a certain sense, most people see money as a means to get these other things, but there are other routes to these other things that are deeper and more constant and more durable and more powerful. Money is a very small, one-dimensional thing, that if you focus on that, it kind of comes and goes. And if you … whatever it is that you’re trying to attain, you go to it more directly through other means, you’ll probably wind up with a more powerful experience or whatever it is that you’re after. And it’ll be deeper, more renewable, than coming at it with money.

Let me repeat, the intention in this post is not to pass judgement but to look at a situation from a different vantage point. And my goal for compiling these thoughts was more with an intention of exploration than preaching.

If you have any interesting dimensions to add to this line of thought, feel free to leave your thought in the Comments section of this post.

Also Read – Is getting rich worth it?

The post Inverting the Money Problem appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

Inverting the Money Problem published first on http://ift.tt/2ljLF4B