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notscarsafe · 3 months

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OKAY SO what with the TWO new Hermits implied by the updated banner I will say that, though the Skizz truthers have me convinced, I now have room to do my own crazy red string monologue and throw my hat in for my choice

1) Mythical J. Sausage (the J is silent) is a multitalented S-tier builder that absolutely deserves to be shoulder to shoulder with the Hermits. The man does buildings, interiors, terraforming, custom trees, and he does them SO WELL.

2) The production values!!! Beautiful replay mod sequences with shifting camera perspectives, shaders, music that sets the tone for each segment that's different from series to series. He already has more than a million followers on YouTube and for good reason!!

3) He has been SO consistent lately. He started a hardcore world about three months ago (about the time you might expect the Hermits to finalize their s10 choices maybe...???) and already has 15 episodes and hasn't gotten involved in any other big content. (He did just start playing a little of the BCG server but from what I understand that's super casual /copium copium copium).

4) That hardcore world is conveniently about to reach a good "pause" point. He started his world on a cherry blossom biome island that he's filled with a medieval village and starter farms, he's said it's almost full and what's left is the castle. I'm guessing the new season will start the first week of February, so if Sausage puts out a video this week building out that Castle and finishing that island it will be MIGHTY CONVENIENT TIMING.

5) This man can GRIND. His Hardcore world hasn't even been going half a year and he's built... So much??? Magnificent! And when he was on the Hermitcraft server he did the Razorcrest for scar AND the player head baby yoda/stormtrooper merch AND the noteblock themesong AND still built in the xmas village and other "diamond of peace" and so many other shenanigans. Did the man even sleep? He can grind with the best of them.

6) He can do redstone, too! Maybe not unique designs, I honestly don't know, but he builds farms for build materials no problem.

7) The DRAMA this man loves his improv and his backstory and trauma lore! For every series he does! Can you imagine if he gets to interact with Ren for an extended period of time, what that would do to them, to us?? Give Martyn a run for his money!!

8) Which brings me to my next point, which is that Sausage is already One of The Gang, because he's been in series with so many of the Hermits already! Empires and the crossover, obviously, but also Pirates with Cleo and Origins with Scar, and he's even done MCC! Joel is the only other player with the same depth of different series but there are other people truthing him already.

9) The EPIC BROMANCE with Pearl. My god the devotion of this man to his sunflower goddess bestie. I would try to do ot justice but y'all have seen floweroflaurelins work, you already know.

10) He's already a PG streamer but with HILARIOUSLY PG-13 tendencies. Imagine him and Cleo cracking each other up at an HHH stream, *grips your shoulders* IMAGINE IT.

11) Sausage comes with his own mascot in the form of interdimensional dog extraordinaire Bubbles, but he's also just an animal lover on general. Mans drinks his "I love Jellie" juice and had her in his world even before the sad news of her loss.

12) Diversity win! No one should be hired just for their gender, race, sexuality etc etc unless it's truly necessary to the job, but we were all happy when more women got added to the server in s8 and I know a lot of people would be happy to see some ethnic diversity added, too.

... That bulletin board had a lot more pins in it than I thought it did but anyway MYTHICALSAUSAGE TRUTHERS/ALL OTHER TRUTHERS RISE UP SPEAK YOUR TRUTH! we'll only get to wildly speculate for a few weeks so we might as well make it everyone else's problem ENJOY IT TO THE FULLEST!!

#hermitcraft #hermitcraft 10 #hermitcraft s10 #mythicalsausage #hc s10 #new hermit speculation

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stationintern · 25 days

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Hello all!

This month was, truly, a beautiful month for me reading-wise. The birds were chirping, I found smut that made me sweat, and I revisited some old favorites. Let's jump right in. I am so excited to share these with you. (Hence why I am posting this a day early.)

Strap in!

Dwelling On Dreams by @the-sinking-ship for H/D Big Bang 2021, 135k, E

I reread this fic this month, and it was just as delicious as I remembered. There are aspects of this fic that felt burned into my memory, so it came as a shock to me when I realized that the last time I'd read this fic was over a year ago. Everything about it feels so vivid. Harry's magic, his raw sexual energy. Draco's ability to make me scream at my phone and throw a mini temper-tantrum. I love flashbacks, and this fic has them in abundance. If you're looking for a thick read with complex characters and an interesting case to solve, look no further!

Hear Me Out by @rainstormradish for @dronarryfest 2024, 5.2k, E

I am pleased to announce that I have officially bought my ticket and jumped on the Dronarry train. You've all convinced me. This fic, in particular, is what really got the ball rolling. This was... immaculate. When I said I found smut that made me sweat, I MEANT IT. I had to, like, physically reconnect with my limbs after I read this. A bit of fake dating to start you off, and it only gets better from there.

The Way You Say My Name by InnerLilith 5.3k, E

Ya'll ever just bark at your phone? Sometimes, a girl just wants to read about Harry Potter going absolutely bonkers over Draco Malfoy calling him sweet little names. Very hot, very important to me.

Please hold. Your call is very important to us./Bloodlust and Bureaucracy by @goblinmatriarch 5k, T/8.5k E

DOUBLE FEATURE! I love the smell of wizarding bureaucracy in the morning. What a little world you have built! Authors who can create a new little piece of the wizarding world to explore mean the world to me. Very interesting in regards to how the medical system in the wizarding world relates to its real-world counterparts. Also, some biting action. Very smart, very hot.

Crossed Wires by @skeptiquewrites 11k, E

Critics are raving. "Literally ripping up the wallpaper in my home," says one reviewer. "Gnawing at the bars of my enclosure," says another. Bureaucracy lovers win forever and ever. Also, Draco gets to wear many suits. Harry Potter the reluctant politician. I couldn't have wished for more.

Our Objective Remains Unchanged by @citrusses 46k, E

BOATS, REPRESSION, MORE BOATS, EDGING (for sports purposes), EVEN MORE REPRESSION, AND WILL YOU BELIEVE ME IF I SAY THERE'S MORE BOATS. I don't know how you've done it, but you've managed to parallel the epic highs and lows of college rowing with the literal wizarding war. If that isn't talent, I don't know what is babe.

Truth or Dare? by @lettersbyelise 3.4k, E

There is truly nothing more intimate than jerking off your childhood rival while a party goes on around you. THAT, my friends, is the key to post-war, inter-house unity.

Borrowed Time by @the-starryknight for @dronarryfest 2024, 7.6k, E

Oh this was fire. What do you know about body swapping threesomes? Would you like to know more? Yes. Yes, you would.

Alrighty, I think that's all for now, folks. Very thankful to be in a fandom with so so so many talented people. You all blow my mind. Here's to another month of fantastic fiction!

See ya!

XX, Moon

#drarry #draco x harry #drarry fic rec #drarry fic #moons monthly fic recs

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alasarys · 6 months

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Recommended books for the drivers from BookPeople, Austin, Texas (insta)

Daniel Ricciardo: Friday Night Lights – "... every Friday night from September to December, when the Permian High School Panthers play football, this West Texas town becomes a place where dreams can come true."

Lando Norris: Assassin's Apprentice – "Fitz ... must give up his old ways and embrace a new life of weaponry, scribing, courtly manners; and how to kill a man secretly, as he trains to become a royal assassin."

Alex Albon: My Brilliant Friend – "... a rich, intense and generous-hearted story about two friends ... a touching meditation on the nature of friendship."

Logan Sargeant: Once Upon a Time in Hollywood – "hilarious, delicious, and brutal"

Yuki Tsunoda: A Cook's Tour – "the unpredictable adventures of America's boldest and bravest chef."

Carlos Sainz: Great American Golf Stories – "some of the best classic writings, both fact and realistic fiction, that reflect the rich history, tradition, agony, and ecstasy of one of our most enduring and endearing pastimes."

Oscar Piastri: Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting – "It turns out that talking to strangers can teach you about the world around you--and even more about yourself."

Lance Stroll: Infinite Jest – "Set in an addicts' halfway house and a tennis academy, and featuring the most endearingly screwed-up family to come along in recent fiction, Infinite Jest explores essential questions about what entertainment is and why it has come to so dominate our lives; about how our desire for entertainment affects our need to connect with other people; and about what the pleasures we choose say about who we are."

Charles Leclerc: Every Good Boy Does Fine – "[Denk] reminds us that we must never stop asking questions about music and its purposes: consolation, an armor against disillusionment, pure pleasure, a diversion, a refuge, and a vehicle for empathy."

Lewis Hamilton: The Boy with a Bird in his Chest – "A heartbreaking yet hopeful novel about the things that make us unique and lovable, The Boy with a Bird in His Chest grapples with the fear, depression, and feelings of isolation that come with believing that we will never be loved, let alone accepted, for who we truly are, and learning to live fully and openly regardless."

Max Verstappen: Atomic Habits – "Atomic Habits will reshape the way you think about progress and success, and give you the tools and strategies you need to transform your habits--whether you are a team looking to win a championship ..."

Zhou Guanyu: A Visible Man – "When Edward Enninful became the first Black editor-in-chief of British Vogue, few in the world of fashion wanted to confront how it failed to represent the world we live in. But Edward, a champion of inclusion throughout his life, rapidly changed that."

Pierre Gasly: Misery – "He's a bestselling novelist who has finally met his biggest fan. Her name is Annie Wilkes and she is more than a rabid reader – she is Paul's nurse, tending his shattered body after an automobile accident. But she is also his captor, keeping him prisoner in her isolated house."

Valtteri Bottas: Foundryside – "To have a chance at surviving ... Sancia will have to marshal unlikely allies ... and undergo her own transformation ..."

Fernando Alonso: The House of the Spirits – "an enthralling saga that spans decades and lives, twining the personal and the political into an epic novel of love, magic, and fate."

Kevin Magnussen: The Daily Dad – "366 Meditations on Parenting, Love, and Raising Great Kids"

Sergio Perez: Bad Feminist – "an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better"

Building on the excellent work by @vegasgrandprix and @kritischetheologie

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etherealhoneybee777 · 1 year

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The Tragedy of Teru: An Unnecessarily Long Thesis

I’ve seen some people ask: why the sudden change in Teru? Why did he suddenly go from a total menace who was okay with choking Mob to unconsciousness to a good guy/best friend type whose moral axis now completely revolves around Mob? I’ve seen some people claim that Teru’s redemption was so sudden that it’s unconvincing.

I don’t think the redemption was a sudden shift in Teru’s character. Actually, it’s the most natural progression for him. Consider Teru’s life circumstances. His parents completely abandoned him with no remorse. It wasn’t even because of Claw, they were just “busy” and moved overseas. He has no one to look after him at home. His relationships at school are largely superficial. He probably has severe attachment issues because of childhood neglect. He has no connections, no one truly rooting for him.

It’s an extremely shitty situation—but Teru convinces himself that he’s okay. In fact, he’s better than okay. He’s doing great. He’s doing the best because he’s better than everyone else—he has psychic powers, he’s popular, he’s talented in pretty much everything. Why would he need people to love and care for him when he has everything else “average” people dream of?

And so Teru’s entire emotional state revolves around a shaky thesis: that he’s better than everyone else. The main character. Main characters don’t need families. They don’t need love and support. Teru’s too superior for those things. And he HAS to be superior, because if he’s not, if he’s like everyone else, then he has to acknowledge the facts: that his parents left him, that there’s no clear cut purpose for his life, he’s completely alone, and there’s nothing he can do about it.

If Teru’s the main character, then trauma and abandonment are just part of a tragic backstory---necessary hardships that will pave the way for all the great and superior things that Teru is destined to do. Whereas “average” people don’t have tragic backstories. When “average” people are abused and abandoned, it’s not part of some epic tale. It’s just sad. If Teru’s average, then the trauma is meaningless. Purposeless.

And the weight of that is just too much for him to bear.

And so he dates girls he doesn’t like, and he cheats on tests, and he wins at sports, and he runs a gang. And he copes. For a while, it works.

And then it doesn’t.

Enter Shigeo Kageyama.

Mob’s existence rocks Teru’s world. The idea that there’s another natural child esper as powerful as him shatters his core belief that psychic powers made him the main character. Not only that, but Mob withstands all of Teru’s attacks, and refuses to fight back--a move that Teru finds insulting.

When Mob insists that psychic powers are average, and that Teru’s average, Teru is enraged. (“You’re the only one who can make that point. And that’s why your very existence pisses me off!”)

Finally Mob puts the nail in the coffin: “You and I are the same. We both have no self-confidence.” Up until this point, I believe that NO ONE has genuinely seen through Teru like Mob does, or, at least, they didn’t point it out. Mob sees Teru for who he is: a sad and insecure kid with no real connections. And THAT’S what makes Teru put him in a chokehold.

In a move of infinite kindness, Mob refuses to use his powers against Teru. Only when Mob is knocked unconscious are his true powers revealed. Teru then sees how outmatched he was from the very beginning, and how intentional Mob’s pacifism was towards him.

Teru did nothing but try to hurt Mob, but Mob refused to hurt him back. This is probably the most intentional love and care Teru’s received in a long time.

It’s a turning point. Because here’s the thing about Teru: he latches on to any gesture of genuine kindness and holds onto it for dear life. Mob’s kindness is enough to make Teru completely reject his old ideals.

Teru’s emotional state depended on the idea that he’s superior, but now that this belief has been dismantled, he needs a new life purpose to fill the vacuum, something else to distract from the loneliness in his life. And Mob has given Teru a new purpose: to be a good person. A kind person. Teru wants to be Kageyama’s rival—not in terms of psychic power—but in terms of kindness. (That’s why Teru claims to have won against ???% even though he’s clearly overpowered. He was talking about winning a contest of kindness, about repaying the kindness Mob showed him when they met by refusing to use his psychic powers to hurt ???%---even when ???% was hurting him).

So, Teru’s new purpose: kindness and doing good for the world. It’s a good purpose to have. And Teru is good at being kind. He risks his life to fight Claw just because he cares about Mob. He takes down Claw’s splinter organizations all on his own. He fills in at spirits and such for probably negligible pay when Mob trains for the race. He gives advice. He practices intentional humility (sometimes). He always says thank you.

And, of course, he puts his life on the line to stop ???%’s rampage and get through to Mob. He almost dies to save every last civilian.

Teru is good at being good. He is the type of person who spins every stray thread of kindness he receives into gold. He multiplies every rare gesture of love tenfold. It’s a beautiful example of how the human spirit can withstand so much neglect and agony and evil and still come out good in the end. Teru’s name means “brilliance,” and his whole character is about shining a brilliant light into the darkness that surrounds him.

As much as I’d like to believe that’s the whole picture, it’s not. There’s a darker, sadder side to Teru’s redemption

Don’t get me wrong, I believe that Teru cares about his friends very much and is a genuinely kind and good person. BUT that’s not the only reason he’s kind and good. I believe that Teru is so obsessed with being good/putting Mob on a pedestal because “being good” is his new coping mechanism.

See, his coping mechanism before was being superior and having refined psychic powers. But, since Kageyama dismantled that, he found a new purpose: being good. And he uses the pursuit of being good to distract from his empty apartment, neglectful parents, and lack of personal connections.

And isn’t there something so utterly heartbreaking about that? Think about Teru single-handedly taking down all of Claw’s splinter organizations. Think of him spending constant hours refining his psychic powers to be able to beat the bad guys. Going into the forest to meditate to “improve” himself. Training the awakening lab kids. Working out until he is more ripped than any 13-year-old should be. All of it, he probably enjoys, but is it not also a distraction? Is he doing these things solely to become better or also to busy himself and fill the days? Anything to not be by himself, tiny and alone in an empty apartment with strange noises and the bleak reality that there is no one, no one who will even know if Claw sneaks into his house and kills him.

Teru is a tragic character. At the beginning of the story, he is a menace who is completely alone. He is then redeemed. He orients his life towards being good--and gains some meaningful connections, but at the end of the story, Teru is still functionally alone most of the time. Though they care for each other very much, Mob and Teru don’t really hang out in canon. (Fanbook) They’re not even on a first name basis. Teru comes by Reigen’s office sometimes, but not often. He still has no one at home to care for him.

At the end of it all,—months and months later—Teru still has to ask for the occasional hang out with Mob. He is sipping tea sadly when Mob talks about his friendship with Tsubomi, jealous. And then he will go home to an empty apartment, alone. There is no one to take care of him when he is sick. There is no one to discipline him, or tell him “no,” or to prepare him for his first date, or to help him apply for college.

And doesn’t that go against the usual abandoned child narrative? Where the abandoned and neglected child ends the story with so many deep connections and so much love pouring into them that they can barely breathe? Where is that love for Teru? He is doing everything right. He is repaying all of the love and kindness he has ever received, so why is he still alone?

Teru never talks about any friendships besides Mob or adult influences besides Reigen. I truly believe Teru is still relying on his sparse interactions with Mob and Reigen to stay afloat emotionally. And he’s not used to kindnesses---when Reigen takes him to the amusement park, he’s overly thankful (”Reigen-san, you went to all this trouble”) And Teru literally idolizes Mob for the kindness Mob has given him. But this is kind of heartbreaking too.

No child should have to subsist on stray inklings of love and support. Love should not be a limited resource. One of the reasons that Teru treasures kindnesses so much is because he knows that gestures of love towards him are few and far between.

It’s no life for a kid. Teru should have a support system that gives him so much love casually that he’s not afraid to let it slip through his fingers. He shouldn’t have to be overly thankful for kind gestures, he doesn’t have to say “you went to all this trouble,” after someone takes him on a fun summer excursion. Teru should be loved so much that he forgets to say thanks. Love should be an expectation, not just a treasure.

Maybe this is why I’m constantly reading fics where Teru is adopted or where he spends a lot of time with the Kageyamas. Because in canon (especially manga canon), Teru’s ending is incredibly tragic. I really love the way ONE wrote him, and I’m not complaining about the ending---I think it’s great. But I want to see this boy happy. There’s something so sad about someone who loves so much but never gets what they deserve.

But fanfiction exists! So write him having happy moments. Write Teru at the water park. Write Teru being hugged by Reigen before his graduation. Write him planting a tree. Write him having his first kiss in the rain. Write him going to cosmetology school and becoming a hairdresser. Write Reigen saving up for Teru’s college fund.

Write Teru experiencing all of the love and joy and beautiful things because he deserves them. I will read all of your fic just put it in my inbox. I will do anything to see this boy be loved.

#mp100 #mp100 spoilers #mp100 hanazawa #hanazawa teruki #teruki hanazawa #sorry some of this might be headcanons and not canon but I tried #sorry for the length I wanted to procrastinate at work #really I just want more teru fics #please just give this boy a family #let him be loved

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whateverisbeautiful · 2 months

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On this day of love and the day of the queen herself Danai Gurira's birthday (🥳💜), I just needed to take a moment before we kick off the ten-day countdown to marvel over the official TOWL promo we've got over the last few months.

"just know I love you" "my wife is my choice" "together, you and me can do anything" "it was always about getting back to you" "she's not gone" "I love you so, so much." "Until my last breath, I am yours" "You're the love of my life" - Rick 'I'm Utterly In Love With Michonne & The World Better Recognize' Grimes

Y'all. 🫠 The way I have been gagged and a puddle of emotion upon every release of promotion for this show - I truly do not know how I'm going to make it through six eps when just these trailers and teasers have me nearly passing out. Loving Richonne is the epitome of being fed. It's been feast on feast on feast and the show hasn't even come out yet. I can't thank Danai, Andy, and Scott enough.

Richonne has been something special to me for so many years and for so many reasons. And I know so many of us feel the same. We've cherished every win in the lead-up to TOWL, and just when I think surely it can't get any better…I'm reminded that there is no ceiling on Richonne's perfection, and they top themselves every time. 🙌🏽 (i already want to write dissertations on the promo alone 😋)

So I just had to write this out because I always want to remember what this exhilarating moment of anticipation feels like. After all these years of waiting and hoping that Rick and Michonne would make it back to each other and our screens, man have we won in abundance with their return. 😭

Throughout all this time, we held fast to the belief that Rick and Michonne's story is an epic and enduring love story because that was exactly what was shown on our screen. We knew this was a love supreme way back then, and I love that now it's stated out loud (and on giant spheres!) for all to see. If this is the kind of heart-bursting content we're getting in the promos, I truly can't even imagine the ride we're in for with these 6 eps. But baby, I'm buckled up and so excited for Richonne, Andy, Danai, and Scott to keep messing with my heart rate, because I almost went onto glory with today's romantic trailer. 😇

I know we're in for a one-of-a-kind ride with our one-of-a-kind couple. And I can't wait to spend the next 10 days reflecting on my absolute favorite heavy-hitter scenes from Richonne's journey so far and hearing about your top 10 takes as we prepare for the Richone blessings to continue with TOWL. #We'reAlmostThere #We'reGettingThereWe'reGettingHome 🥳

#10 Day mark here we come 🎉#the premiere is near 🤩#and happy birthday to Danai Gurira - she is truly a vision a powerhouse talent an inspiration and a gift to all 👑#no matter how tough life gets i gotta make it to see towl ep 4 cuz i know danai did her big one writing that episode #richonne #twd towl

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dweemeister · 1 month

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Instant reactions to the 96th Academy Awards

A rough night for me. But there have been rougher ones before. I imagine most of my comments put me in a very lonely minority, as has been apparent the last few months.

But here goes:

For all intents and purposes, yours truly was on the Killers of the Flower Moon train. An extraordinary crime epic from Scorsese, with astounding craftsmanship and fantastic performance from Lily Gladstone. More than what I previously believed possible, a major studio production went out of its way to make sure that its Indigenous American representation on-screen was as genuine as it could possibly be (still imperfect, as the film acknowledges, but what an effort). And yet, KOTFM goes 0/10. I've never had a favored Best Picture nominee be shut out in such a way before. And I'm not surprised at all by it. It was clear that non-American and non-Canadian audiences didn't get the context to the film (a criticism I understand, given the screenplay) and, in other quarters, folks thought it was too long (I admittedly have a higher tolerance for longer movies) and others have said something akin to the fact that they are getting tired over "racial guilt" movies from America. I'm not in the mood to respond to the last one. I think it deserved better tonight. I particularly think Lily Gladstone deserved better tonight.

Stat upheld: two non-white actresses have never won on the same night in Oscar history. History, in and of itself, was always against Gladstone.

Oppenheimer winning? Fine, I guess. It was my #4 choice of the ten Best Picture nominees. I guess Christopher Nolan was overdue, but I have always been a Nolan skeptic. The film certainly is his most humanistic, and I appreciate that. As for the narrative organization and editing trickery? It mostly serves to take me out of the movie. And I don't think Nolan truly understands what thematic film music can accomplish for his movies. I think RDJ should have had much more competition all season long, but he did not. Most people are gonna say this is the return of the Academy's favorite subgenre... the Great Man Biopic. But in composition and structure, Oppenheimer (and even Maestro) resembles very little of the past Great Man Biopics. It'll be interesting to see how history treats this movie.

I disliked Poor Things. I didn't care for its sense of humor, didn't agree with many folks' opinions that it was a magnum opus of female empowerment. I thought it was incredibly male gaze-y and troublingly sanitized its scenes of sex work. Jerskin Fendrix's score was unlistenable outside the context of the film and distracting within it. But it has four Academy Awards and people love this movie, so my opinion can go to heck?

Well done Da'Vine Joy Randolph for her win as Supporting Actress for The Holdovers. I truly hope this opens up a lot more new opportunities for her going for! Wonderful speech.

And speaking of wonderful speeches, both documentary winners got me very emotional. The Last Repair Shop is on YouTube for American and Canadian viewers, and it's simply wonderful. Perhaps the happiest I was all night long! And then came Mstyslav Chernov's speech after winning for 20 Days in Mariupol. Chernov had, arguably, the speech of the night. And I agree with him. I, too, wish he never had to make his film and that he never won this Oscar. But he did his job to document what happened in Mariupol. And for that he (and the Ukrainians suffering and dying in their war versus Russia) deserves our plaudits and support.

Once more, Hayao Miyazaki cannot be bothered to show up to an awards ceremony. It's hilarious! I would have voted Robot Dreams, but The Boy and the Heron is not a winner to sniff at. Spider-Verse will have one more shot.... whenever the third movie comes out?

Good lord, they selected the worst possible winner in Animated Short with War Is Over!. There's an unwritten rule that the Academy, among the fifteen nominated shorts, must select one which will piss me the hell off. And for the second straight year in Animated Short, they have done exactly that, choosing something akin to a soft drink commercial.

Billie Eilish and Finneas are now the youngest and second-youngest ever to win two Oscars, after Luise Rainer (Best Actress for 1936's The Great Ziegfeld and 1937's The Good Earth). That feels very, very weird. In both cases of this record.

The "I'm Just Ken" performance? Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Like Ken)??? Busby Berkeley choreography? What do the kids say? Inject that straight into my veins? It was wonderful.

And speaking of nods to cinema history, I'm so glad they led off the stunt performers tribute with Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, and Harold Lloyd. :,)

And congratulations to Godzilla Minus One and its Best Visual Effects win! After seventy years, Godzilla is now an Oscar-winning franchise, and its win percentage is 100%! Simply wonderful!

I think the moral of the story is that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) has been gradually internationalizing over the last decade. And the results of that were very clear tonight. Does that mean I'm too provincial in my tastes? I don't know. But wins such as Emma Stone's, Anatomy of a Fall, The Boy and the Heron, and Godzilla are demonstrative of that.

I'm glad this season is over. I certainly hope that Killers of the Flower Moon will be looked upon more kindly by history and time, without the bells and whistles of awards campaigning and a fuller understanding of why it was made the way it was.

This month has been fun! But now it's time to see movies again without the lens of awards for a long, long while.

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drawingducktalesducks · 6 months

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Huey: Name the scariest thing you can think of-

Louie: Webby.

Dewy: Yeah, with all due brotherly love and stuff, definitely Webby.

Huey: Well I’ve got one that’s even scarier.

Louie: Not possible.

Dewy: TWO Webbys..?

Huey: Nope. The only thing scarier than Webby is… someone who looks at Webby and goes “yep, very cute, 12/10 would hug and hold and sing cute un-cool songs to on our anniversary”

Dewy: OH! IT’S-

Dewy:

Dewy: …who?

Huey: LENA!

Louie: It’s Lena, of course it’s Lena.

Dewy: Ohhh. Cool!

Huey: Seriously Dewy? Seriously!?

Louie: No but that is pretty terrifying. Like. My first memory of Lena is this blur standing next to Webby in the playground, then me hitting the dirt, and my feet LEAVING the dirt, because a girl with cool hair didn’t like us interrupting her Webby-time and had me by the shirt collar ready to smash my face in.

Huey: It was SO sweet.

Dewy: Yeah, she does have cool hair. Not as cool as the Dewy’s, naturally, but- Oh wait WAIT I’VE GOT ONE!

Huey: A hair?

Louie: A brain?

Dewy: A thing! Something scarier than Webby OR Lena!

Louie: Okay that is legit not possible.

Huey: I call bluff.

Dewy: No no I'm serious! We’ve met and lived through it before, guys! We BARELY survived! AND WE STILL HAVE THE MENTAL SCARS SEARED UPON OUR SOULS!

Huey: …go on.

Louie: I mean you’re still gonna be wrong, but yeah, entertain me with your epic fail.

Dewy: The scariest, most terrifying thing in the world is….

Dewy: Webby.

Dewy: WITHOUT Lena!

Louie:

Huey: oh my duck oh my duck…

Louie: You win. I for real just felt my heart speed up and got shivers.

Huey: OH MY DUCK OH MY DUCK OH MY DUCK-

Louie: Huey, air. You need air.

Dewy: It kinda looks like he doesn’t though?

Huey: OH MY DUCK OH M-

Huey: Sorry. Had a nasty traumatic flashback to finding Webby sobbing her heart out in Lena’s basement room thing.

Louie: That’s rough buddy.

Huey: Anyway, good one Dewy! I think you’ve nailed it!

Dewy: You mean I ~Dewy’d it~?

Huey: No.

Violet: ....

Violet: For your consideration-

Huey: AAAAAAA!

Louie: EEEE!!

Dewy: MOMMY!!!!!!!

Violet: I should like- stop screaming please, it is distracting- I should like to put forward an alternative candidate for the title of “Most terrifying”.

Huey: HOW DID YOU GET IN HERE??? THE DOOR IS TRIPPLE LOCKED!

Violet: Locks only prevent things from entering a room, Hubert. They do not guarantee that the room was empty to begin with.

Louie: You were here the whole time?!

Violet: Precisely.

Dewy: im scared

Violet: Very gratifying, Dewford. Thank you.

Huey: … So… your most scariest thing of choice would be…

Louie: Oh man this is gonna be bad, whatever scares YOU has gotta be-

Violet: Me.

Huey:

Dewy:

Louie:

Violet: On the whole I agree with your ranking system so far, but it does not take into account one crucial detail.

Violet: Namely that Webby and Lena are nearly always in a good mood when around each other, and prying them apart is quite difficult- not even death seems to be permanently effective- which severely limits the times during which they are a truly terrifying presence in the world.

Violet: My own brand of terror is, however, not limited by any such factors. It is also highly motivated, actively cultivated, and completely immune to them both.

Violet: Ergo, at any given moment, it is far more likely that I am the one you should be afraid of.

Huey:

Huey: I’ll add it to the guidebook.

Louie: Cool, I’ll add it to my nightmares.

Dewy: i want mom

Violet: Della Duck is a highly resourceful and accomplished woman, even beyond her history as a Woodchuck, but I doubt even she would be enough to save you.

Dewy: mommy....

#Ducktales (2017)#Huey Dewy Louie #Violet Sabrewing #Weblena #Webby Vanderquack #Lena #incorrect quotes

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dangermousie · 2 days

Text

Here is my subjective ranking of all the costume trailers iQIYI released (since I didn’t watch moderns or republican stuff they posted) note - not only is it subjective, it is just the trailers which often does not correlate with either quality of or my interest in the drama itself.

11 Go East - I am vvvv fond of Tan Jianci but this was the only trailer that bored me. It wasn’t bad, it just gave me NO hook of any kind. It’s a pity since this was one of the very few historical trailers (as opposed to wuxia, xianxia etc) and I love those. This said, trailers and dramas often don’t correlate so I hope the drama is good.

10 Reborn for Love - half this trailer is cutesy hijinks and I am just not wired for that. By the time the trailer was halfway over, I found myself thinking that if it wasn’t for leads, I’d not check it out. But the back half has blood and romance and I sat up and paid attention.

9 Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Red Moon Pact - I wanted to be more excited for this than I was. I love the cast. But even in comparison with the trailers for the other two entries in the series it looks…generic. I don’t truly get the vibe or the story. It’s nice but doesn’t grab me.

8 Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Sword and Beloved - it’s gorgeous and intense and screams fantasy romance and Cheng Yi fighting and bleeding. Pay your taxes, everyone!

7 Fox Spirit Matchmaker: Love in Pavillion - the visuals, the vibe, the angsty love feel, the colors! That trailer was my fave out of Fox ones. I need this drama now!

6 Strange Tales of Liao Zhai 2 - I haven’t seen s1 and mysteries (even supernatural ones) aren’t my thing. But the visuals in that trailer are insane and I spy with my little eye Yang Xuwen as one of two mains and the man owns my heart for Eternal Brotherhood and he brings his young Hu Ge vibes here too!

5 Win or Die - this baby is apparently only 18 eps and is all war war war but it’s a Cao Dun drama so the visuals are eye popping. It’s just stunning to look at tbh and sometimes (a lot of times), I want a grim war epic.

4 The Legend of Rosy Clouds - this trailer just grabbed me for some reason - it really makes you want to watch these people. It’s not visually amazing compared to the rest but it’s just dragging me in. In fact, while this isn’t my favorite trailer, out of all the dramas they promoed, this is the one I want to actually watch the most. I used to love the anime so maybe that’s why?

3 Snowy Night: Timeless Love - all the snow and the longing and the battles and we all know we will see red blood on that pristine white soon enough.

2 Love of the Divine Tree - it’s very very pretty and has so much shipping and angst and I have a huge 17 hangover so seeing Deng Wei with similar vibes is sending me. Honestly, my fantasy romance junkie is thirsting.

1 Fangs of Fortune - if someone told me a trailer for a drama full of actors I don’t care for would be my favorite, I’d not have believed it but here we are. This is fantasy and visuals and hooking you done right. I need this NOW!

ETA; I forgot follow your heart OMG! That’s my most fave except for Fangs of Fortune!

ETA2: and A Moment But Forever - I would rank it just behind snowy love.

#cdrama

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oz00ms2 · 6 months

Note

I’m like five hours late with Starbucks to this but I neeeed to ask you about your Marine Buggy au if you’re up for it. How much do you think Buggy is a formidable threat in this au and how much is him somehow stumbling into success like in canon? Not that canon Buggy can’t be a threat under the right circumstances , but one can’t deny how much is just pure unadulterated dumb luck and it’s just extremly funny to me imagining another version of him bumbling his way to the top in the same manner, but also this version of Buggy seems more competent in comparison, so I am interested in hearing how you interpret him yourself.

Also as a Shuggy appreciator I am still gonna throw out the scenario of someone promoting Firebug up a rank and adding „You really did it Sir. If those dastardly pirates set sail just an hour earlier we wouldn’t have had the menpower and that tactical advantage that helped us win that last fight . It’s a shame that red headed bastard got away, but nevertheless this is a huge success for all of us. Truly remarkable Sir! How’d you do it? How did you keep them from setting sail for so LONG? Did you mingle amongst the crew to stage a mutiny? Did you damage their boat? Sir, I would love to know Sir!“ Buggys mind flashes back to him and Shanks absolutely violently making out against the wall in Shanks cabin. „… Some tactics are better kept a secret.“ „Of course Sir! Yes Sir!“

did you bring me a coffee too? :<

ty for asking about this silly lil au.

for marine!buggy I still have to believe he falls UP as is his MO. this little dude has supernatural luck and a bizarre power over men with his strange charisma so having that transfer to this au with minor tweaks.

I like to imagine he was under tsuru's tutelage once he officially joined the navy - as it's difficult for me to see him viewing any man as worth his obedience after rogers and his broken heart. plus she has a strong immunity to flashy types and I believe she'd be capable of curbing his worst traits. buggy would need someone to speak to him like an adult, blunt and lacking the whimsical dreams of his adoptive pirates who I see as having allowed buggy too lofty of a perception on the world with his issues.

would he be a dangerous marine? probably not on his own - but being believed in and supported by structure and more talented minds - I think he'd be a crafty ballistics expert and a typically underestimated foe. very useful against run of the mill pirates and keeping shorelines safe. but against more daunting enemies he'd depend on numbers and the backup of more powerful allies (while absolutely taking the praise for "organizing the group attack". )

like, please imagine smoker being his subordinate - that is hilarious to me.

I think he'd be a successful marine with very little interest in the darker machinations of the marines because he's only here to feed his loss and be praised for doing a good job. however he would be easily manipulated by darker hearted higher ups and probably not the most reliable.

unfortunately he's still buggy at heart, still a dreamer, and if he happens to mess up when his envy of free-spirited pirates gets in the way of his job, well he gets demoted/promoted endlessly like he's riding a ferris wheel with a broken brake.

…

as for the scenario you so beautifully presented: yes absolutely 100% 10/10 no notes.

the amount of times buggy has been interrupted mid-tumble with shanks and it has been misconstrued as him "fighting epically against the horrid red hair captain" is in the hundreds at this point.

the Marines who know the truth wish they didn't and he gets his ear dragged around by tsuru as she screams at him: that's not what she meant when she said to take red hair down!!!

#shuggy #buggy the clown #captain fire bug #buggy au #red haired shanks #oz answers #shanks x buggy #marine!buggy au

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gentrychild · 1 year

Text

I am very amused by the Wolf’s whole thing because, truly, he was never going to win. Or at least, he was going to obtain a very stupid prize.

His goal was to take Puss’ last life, to take down an arrogant little legend.

But let’s be real: if he had killed Puss, his legend would have reached new heights. Puss in Boots, so fearless, so incredible that Death himself had to be the one to make an exception and take him down.

Forget “Who is your favorite fearless hero?” If Puss had died, the Wolf would have been stuck hearing the epic ballad of the legendary Puss fighting against Death, who feared the cat enough to reap him himself, for the rest of his long, very long life.

#puss in boots the last wish #puss in boots spoilers #puss in boots the last wish spoilers

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noirandchocolate · 1 year

Text

Discworld Fight Club 2023 Results

The votes are in! Over 1,500 of them, in fact, a total greater than in any of the rounds before the final. And after a day of spirited debate...

Granny Weatherwax has won the tournament!

The general consensus in the comments is that Nanny Ogg could beat Granny if she truly had to (say, in a cackling situation), but that in this kind of friendly match she'd put up a good fight but see to it that Granny won in the end, thus ensuring the safety of their friendship, preventing one of Granny's epic Sulks, and maintaining the respect the Disc has for Lancre's witches in general. And so, either Granny would win outright by her own skill (a definite possibility!) or she'd win through some undetectable Ogg trickery that Nanny would deny to her grave, but no matter what she'd win, and thus Nanny would also win, this being the outcome she'd want.

Thank you so much to everyone who participated by voting and reblogging and commenting on the matches! I had a lot of fun with this event and I hope you all did too! And now it's time to--wait hold on.

'Excuse me. As the winner here I have somethin' to say, and I ain't leaving 'til I say it. Participatin' in this contest was quite illuminatin'. Very different from the Witch Trials to which I am accustomed, not least 'cos there's never been apes and trolls showin' off in one of those. I knows you all did your best. And I won't have it said that I didn't enter into the the spirit of things. I did, didn't I, Gytha?'

'Of course, Esme, nobody would ever say you didn't.'

'And I won fair and square, ain't that right?'

'Nobody would say different to that either, Esme.'

'All right. So just to show there ain't no hard feelin's, I have brought along a Refreshment for everyone. These is rock cakes from my very own recipe. Consider 'em a sharin' of culture, from the Ramtops.'

Ah I see, so now we have the most important question of all:

And now thus concludes Discworld Fight Club 2023!

#terry pratchett #discworld #discworld fight club 2023 #gnu terry pratchett

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reginageorgesgirlfriend3020 · 10 months

Text

Thunderstorms and feelings

It was a massive thunderstorm in NewYork city. It was raining so much that you, Chad, Mindy, Anika, Tara, and Quinn and Danny were watching the superbowl at the apartment. Tara and Sam arent really into sports but they were loving the football game between the Eagles and the Chiefs.

You heard a huuuge bolt of thunder and you felt so scared you climbed on Sam's lap and felt scared.

Everyone looked at you.

"(Y/n)? Are you okay?" Tara asked you.

"No". You said. "I dont like thunderstorms at all". You frowned.

Sam hugged you tight

You didnt wanna admit you felt like scared but you also didnt wanna admit your feelings towards Sam's friends. So it was like a lose-lose but you were hoping for a win-win taking a risk telling Sam's friends how you feel about them.

You hid your face on Sam's shoulder but you looked at everyone.

"I guess now would be a good time to tell you everything". You said.

"Everything? What would you like to tell us?" Quinn asked.

"Uhhh..." You said. "Okay, listen. I like you guys. I've written stories like fanfiction about you guys. I dont wanna be friends I wanna be best friends I wanna win the superbowl against Sam in madden mobile I wanna marry sam. I fell for you all figuratively and literally and I'm sorry but I love you guys. I...love...you...guys!! Okay??!!" You said.

You breathed. "Their. I said it". You said.

Mindy, Chad, Anika, Danny, Quinn and Tara all gave you a hug.

"You...you love all of us?" Tara asked.

"Yeah". You said softly. "I always have".

"We love you too!!" Everyone said.

"I love hanging out with you you're a lot of fun to hang out with". Said Anika. "I love you".

"I love how you get my sarcasm. And when you punched Ethan in the nose for scaring us as ghostface you gave him a bloody nose! That was fuckin epic!!" Said Mindy. "And I love you".

"I love how we cuddle. I love you. I always wanted to watch movies with you". Said Tara.

"I love you. You're amazing at madden mobile. And you always help me clean the apartment which is truly appreciated". Said Danny.

"I love how you do my make up when I have a date with Mindy. I love you". Said Anika.

"I love that you love football. And you're my wing woman. And I still wanna know where you learned to punch Ethan like that!" Said Chad. "And I love you. Thanks for always washing my clothes when I get busy with work and school". He said.

You giggled. "You taught me how to punch". You said to Chad.

Chad smiled.

"And I love you because you always take care of me when I have a long week of school by getting me my favorite drink and a snack too". Said Quinn.

You started to cry. "Aww you guys....I cant stop thinking about you. I think about you everyday. Please be my best friends. Please Sam please be my girlfriend. I wanna go home to you guys everyday". You said.

"We'll be be your best friends!!" Said everyone.

"Yayyyyy!!" You said.

And Sam hugged you while she stood behind you."Yes baby. I will be your girlfriend". Said Sam. And you kissed Sam in front of everyone.

"Ooooohhh!!" Said everyone.

You and Sam laughed.

#scream 6 #sam carpenter #tara carpenter #sam carpenter x y/n #tara carpenter x you #tara carpenter x reader #sam carpenter x reader #Sam carpenter x y/n #melissa barrera x reader #sam carpenter × you #mindy meeks x reader #chad meeks x reader #anika x reader

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dreamingcricket · 7 months

Note

may i request some poly head canons with wyll and gale dating a male dwarf tav ? i am Very Sad i cannot kiss both of them - maybe they are dating each other too, wyll/gale is a very cute ship =]

Wyll was easy to like, and almost easier to love. He was noble, gentle, as ready with a bolstering quip as he was his blade. More than once, you catch yourself gazing longingly after him on the battlefield. If you weren't so busy trying to stay alive, you'd have noticed him looking back.

An Eldritch blast explodes behind your head, and you whirl just in time to see the goblin crumble, it's weapon missing you by inches.

Wyll flashes you a grin. "Don't get slow on me now!"

You ignore the flutter in your chest and charge back into the fray. You couldn't afford to be distracted by your feelings. Not here. Not now.

It's a long shot anyway.

After the grove is saved and the camp engulfed by eager and intoxicated partygoers, you find Wyll standing on the shore of the river.

You fail to convince him to return to the party, and instead take a seat at his side. "It's a little loud for my taste anyway. Reminds me a little too much of home."

Wyll throws his head back in laughter. "Some truly mighty feasts then?"

"The drink alone would kill you."

"You'll have to take me underground sometime. When all this is over, if we survive."

"I will."

You trade stories by the campfire over the coming nights, delighting each other at first with epic tales of heroism, but later, when everyone has gone to bed, stories about home. Wyll began to confide in you, and you moved, night by night, from across the campfire, to to near one another, to painfully close, your hands only inches apart.

"This is... not how I expected my life to go."

"The pact or the tadpole?"

"Both."

"Are you disappointed?"

"In some ways, yes. But it brought me to you."

His hand moves, only a little bit, but it finally, finally covers yours.

"I would have liked to do this all the proper way. Wining and dining, and courting and whatnot."

"As if anything about this situation is proper."

He considers for a moment. "You're right. But you deserve the world. I can at least give you this."

He leans down to kiss you, and both of you tumble backwards.

If the others notice your tent is unoccupied and Wyll's is a little full, they don't say anything.

Well, one of them noticed.

Gale was... more complicated. He was pompous, arrogant, and brilliant enough to almost justify his hubris. The two of you clashed often. Sometimes over important things, which routes to take and who to trust, but just as often over petty nonsense, the shape of clouds and how much spice should be used in the soup. The wizard was stubborn, but had clearly not spent much time around dwarves, who have honed stubbornness into an art form.

Gale backs down. Again and again.

To his surprise, Gale finds himself happy to do so. He finds himself troublingly enamoured of the particular expression you make when you win an argument, your eyes glinting.

At some point, it changed from arguments to a game, a private jest between the two of you. Not that you'd let anyone know, not even Wyll. And he certainly didn't annoy you any less.

"If you'd put on some decent armour, you wouldn't be injured as often!"

"I can't wear armour, I can't cast in armour!"

"If your stubbornness gets you killed, it's on your head!"

"And if your constant whinging about the state of my defenses causes the orb to combust, it's on all of our heads!"

"Fine!" You storm away.

"Fine!" Gale calls after you, red in the face.

And Wyll just smiles.

"He drives me mad!"

"Mhmm." Wyll runs his fingers through your beard, comb in hand and a lot of oil nearby, as you rant, hours later, in the privacy of his tent.

"Have you met a more stuck-up, boar-headed man anywhere?"

"Mhmm."

"He won't shut up!"

"Is this about the arguing, or something else?"

"I- What do you mean by that?" You narrow your eyes.

"You wouldn't be this worked up if he only drove you mad. You would have simply punched him, and left him in a ditch."

"I concede that. But what are you implying?"

He leans down to kiss your forehead. "Just know, whatever your feelings for anyone otherwise, I love you."

You hold his jaw, turning his face towards yours. “Are you… do you like Gale?”

“I've had my moments, he has his charms. Are you… uncomfortable with that? If it hurts what we have-”

“The concept of multiple partners, no, but… Gale!?” You sputter. And try desperately not ot think of Wyll kissing Gale no not thinking of that not at all–

Wyll playfully tugs your beard. “Alright, lover-boy, whatever you say.”

“I’m not…”

You realize you have no real defense. Wyll saw right through you, and while that usually made him even more of a delightful lover, in this instance you merely huffed and roll into your blankets.

You toss and turn all night.

In the morning, you storm up to Gale as he cooks. "It smells delicious."

"Well if it's not- what?"

"It smells delicious. You're a good cook."

Shadowheart's mouth falls open, and Astarion chokes.

Gale considers for a long moment. "...Thank you."

"And if you can't wear armour, you should stand behind me."

And then you leave.

It turns out, when Gale stands behind you, he feels much safer. Not to mention, he can admire the view.

The newly brokered peace between you is tenuous, but in the silence where you're no longer shouting, something else blooms. Gale begins to ask about your life underground, and you ask about his magical studies, carefully avoiding the subject of Mystra. It's not that you have any particular interest in the arcane arts, but the way his face illuminates and his gaze becomes distant but intense, it endears you.

You kneel by the river with him, washing pots and pans after dinner. He takes a sharp breath in. And then he says it.

"I love you."

"... I'm sorry?"

"Shit. That... wasn't how I meant to say that." He scrambles to his feet and looks as though he's about to flee into the brush.

"I'm not-"

"I don't..." Gale sighs and runs a hand over his face. "I can't ruin what you have with Wyll. I won't do that to him, or to you. If you don't feel the way I do, I'll never speak of it again. But you should know that I admire you beyond words." He takes a steadying breath. "I admire you, and adore you, and even as you infuriate me, I can't help but love you. Desperately. But I understand that you're not free."

You ball the front of his robes in your fist and pull him down to your level. "Kiss me, idiot."

"What about Wyll?"

"Oh, don't stop on my account."

Wyll is leaned against a nearby tree, goblet in hand. "I can't think of a better sight than the two of you."

You wrap your arms around Gale's shoulders and pull him in for a kiss. You hear Wyll's footsteps, and he's suddenly on his knees behind you.

Gale pulls back, gasping, his mouth falling open and shut. “I…both? Both is good? I can… both?”

It doesn't surprise you that Mystra was too jealous to require anything but monogamy from her chosen, but there’s still a flicker of some protective emotion as you watch Gale grapple with his feelings. “You don’t need to commit to anything now. Or ever.”

He takes a deep breath. “I have more than one burning fuse on the end of my life. I’m not giving this up. Not for anything.”

The speed with which he hauled both you and Wyll to his tent is startling. You didn't think the wizard was athletic in any capacity, but he seemed determined to prove you wrong.

The next morning, as you passed Astarion, he glanced up at you. “So. Are the three of you investing in a bigger tent? You’ll be a circus before long.”

You throw a sausage at him, but make a mental note to search for roomier lodging.

#wyll ravengard #wyll x tav #baldurs gate 3 #gale dekarios #gale x tav #bg3 gale #bg3 wyll #male tav #bg3 x male reader

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bbcphile · 7 months

Text

Today, I’m crying about Li Xiangyi’s childhood, the way it taught him that losing meant he didn’t deserve to exist, and how that governed his response to the East Sea battle ten years earlier and to all the revelations at the end of the show.

Li Xiangyi obviously loves his shifu and shiniang, and they definitely loved him, too, given that his shifu wanted him to focus more on enjoying life and less on changing the world and obtaining victories, and given that his shifu sacrificed himself to try to save Xiangyi and his shiniang wanted to. So, his childhood with them definitely had more love, support, stability, and learning opportunities than his earlier life, which features such traumas as seeing his mom murdered in front of him, living on the streets starting at age 4, watching his older brother die in front of him and then forgetting his older brother existed, probably from traumatic amnesia/dissociation. That being said, though, his shiniang and shifu made some truly horrific decisions that caused some epic problems for both Li Xiangyi and Shan Gudao! It’s not just that they withheld incredibly important knowledge about Xiangyi’s early life and background from him (who his parents were, why they were murdered, that he had an older brother, the secret of his heritage)--although wow, that is a terrible way to raise a traumatized child–it’s also that they fostered competition instead of caring, both with the children they raised and between each other. I’m thinking in particular of the fact that, once shiniang and shifu separated, they each took a child (based on drawing lots) and had Xiangyi and Shan Gudao fight once a month to determine not just which kid was the better martial artist, but which adult was a better teacher, and, by extension, parent and person!

That last thing is just so infuriating and, frankly, abusive: it makes each kid think competition and winning is how affection is earned, and that any sort of mistake or loss or failure is the absolute end of the world, because you’re never just letting yourself down or not reaching your potential: you are proving that you don’t deserve their care and affection. It also taught Xiangyi that he was responsible for their caregiver’s happiness and reputation, and once you have that kind of overdeveloped sense of responsibility as a child, you carry it through into every aspect of your life, because you don’t know any other way of being. No wonder Xiangyi thought he carried the world on his shoulders: growing up, the mountain home/training center was his world–since it seems like he didn’t have interactions with anyone else until he left the mountain at age 15–so he had been carrying that belief for at least a decade without having seen any other models of ways to exist.

Also, we know Xiangyi thinks he owes his shiniang and shifu for having brought him into their family: having that added sense of debt makes everything so much worse, because he essentially thinks he owes his entire existence to them. It seems like Xiangyi felt like he had to win the competitions to prove he deserved to be there, but also to prove he deserved to exist.

For his early life, he only felt the positive side of this expectation, because he never lost, since his martial arts skills were so much stronger than Shan Gudao’s. He was unintentionally primed to assume the outcome was a foregone conclusion, because he didn’t have any real challengers. This also hammered home the idea that he was right about things, that he should call the shots, and that collaboration wasn’t really relevant to his life, since it wasn’t as if his shifu taught Xiangyi and Shan Gudao how to fight side by side to defeat other opponents. Losing seemed like something that happened to other people (namely, Shan Gudao), and given the emphasis his shifu and shiniang placed on the competitions, I imagine winning time after time was more than just an adrenaline rush; it was positive reinforcement that he deserved the good things that had come his way, had repaid the debt he owed his shiniang and shifu, and would continue to earn love, respect, a family, a home, and a right to exist.

But when he lost? When he had never had a model for what losing safely feels like? (When the only times he lost were when he lost deliberately to try to cheer up Shan Gudao, but was berated for it, and told it was shameful and wrong to throw a fight for any reason, so losing becomes even more associated with shame?) When losing wasn’t a way to learn, but a sign that he might lose his love, his family, his home? What happens when the scaffolding upholding his right to exist—his ability to win—comes crashing down?

Suicidal ideation. Because he lost not only the battle with Di Feisheng, but also his shixiong, his shixiong’s body, his fiancee, the lives of his men, his reputation, his new home (the Sigu sect), and being able-bodied. In short, he lost everything part of him always feared he’d lose and then some. So why would he think he still has a right to exist, after that? How could he believe someone telling him it wasn’t his fault, when all he has ever known is that the responsibility for everyone he cares for lies with him?

(I feel like it’s really telling that he didn’t go back to his shiniang’s or shifu’s home after everything went to hell; he said it was because he had been unfilial and couldn’t bear to go back after his shifu died, but it also seems like, given that he had lost everything else, he felt like he didn’t deserve the comfort, family, and home it represented, so staying away is his punishment.)

Given all this, it makes total sense that Li Lianhua wants so desperately to think of Li Xiangyi as dead: he can’t actually reconcile being alive and having failed. So he tries to create a new persona that doesn’t want to be the best in the jianghu or thrive on praise and responsibility, while he tries to correct what he thinks of as his mistakes, before he dies of Bicha poisoning.

He tries to live the life his shifu wanted for him, where he enjoys pleasures like wine, food, relaxation, and growing things instead of focusing on making a name for himself or winning, and he tries to stay away from people, attachments, and love, because you can’t lose them again if you don’t have them to begin with.

But of course, saying someone is a different person doesn’t make it so. He still wants to be the best–the best physician, the best at scheming, the best at detective work–because he still doesn’t actually know how to be any other way. So he still has the same problems as Li Xiangyi: he still withholds information and commands more than collaborates (it’s frankly amazing he works as well with Fang Duobing and Di Feisheng as he does), still has an overdeveloped sense of responsibility (he believes he has to be the one to save those he cares about and stop everyone else, whether Shan Gudao or the emperor), and at the end, is still suicidal (because now he thinks he’s responsible for the death of his shifu, for not seeing Shan Gudao’s plot, and probably in some warped way for the Nanyin situation once he learns the truth of his heritage, because the man has never met a situation he can’t take the blame for).

It doesn’t surprise me at all that Li Lianhua doesn’t fully get how much he means to Di Feisheng and Fang Duobing at the end, or that he thinks they just want their version of Li Xiangyi: he can’t imagine being loved and still having made a mistake.

#mysterious lotus casebook #mysterious lotus casebook meta #li xiangyi #li lianhua #tw: suicide #Shan Gudao #I had more to say about how LXY loses everything once and decides he deserves nothing #while Shan Gudao lost every day for a decade and decided he deserved everything #and how both maladaptive coping strategies are from the absurd competition they grew up with #but it was already too long #so it's going here #some day I will actually finish my fics and post them #but for now it's meta time

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saintmeghanmarkle · 4 months

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A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? 📌Part 1 of 2

These are her humiliating moments over past year that she’s been publicly called out for in some way. All with proof, all archived from media reports around the world. Get cozy, save this post, and as always, appreciate the upvotes so it doesn't get targeted for downvotes! Posting it now as many of us will be celebrating Christmas with our loved ones. Although we are a diverse bunch, this unites us all :)

Here’s some from 2022 to inspire you:

Harry and Megan of “overseas”

the Funeral candle

no Jubilee balcony

voetsek Megan

I love the part where…(YouTube comments on their Netflix trailer)

Marriott Meg

12% Rotten Tomatoes rating for Netflix flopumentary, with her cutesy (mocking) curtesy

What was your favourite from 2023?

Air New Zealand’s epic trolling tweet re Sussex Class (a truly underrated gem). Proves Meg never bought Thomas Markle his flights for the wedding, as Harry claimed in Spare. https://archive.ph/wip/chjhf

'Live to Lead' quietly dumped on Netflix New Year’s Day. Jacinda Arden's PMO puts out a statement that when she filmed it years earlier it wasn’t affiliated with Harry and Meghan. https://archive.ph/DiDzT

South Park, Worldwide Privacy Tour episode.https://archive.ph/Sqc99

Frogmore no more. KCIII evicts Harry and Meg from Frogmore. Toad Abode eviction, just leave your spare keys on the bench.https://archive.ph/PeCPQ

9 edits on a Telegraph article about Harry and Meg's 'appalling treatment' from the Royal family. https://archive.ph/wip/suU7g

Chris Rock blasts their victimhood (on Netflix special, extra irony). Points out all families speculate on what the baby will look like. https://archive.ph/3NdgW

The underrated British Vogue moment, where they posted a pic of the best wedding veils of all time of Meghan, intentionally on William and Catherine’s anniversary. The public response was epic. They were not having it. Trolled by posting pics of Catherine in her veil. https://twitter.com/BritishVogue/status/1652309496482394116

Coronation weekend: Montecito Meg will never appear in that historical record. Claims a 4 years olds birthday is more important (hot tip: kids are portable. Just like Lili was for her birthday during the Queens Jubilee). Weak PR attempt about lemon cake with lemons from her tree, and somehow Harry defying the laws of physics and time to make it back in time for Archie’s alleged party. Close second: her urban safari hike PR pap walk the next day. Honourable mention: Anne’s feather. https://archive.ph/m0fcH https://archive.ph/9BsWW https://archive.ph/7UNDp

Queen of Hertz; flees via high speed “near catastrophic car chase” papped taxi “chase” that the taxi driver, Backgrid, and NYPD deny. 4 paps, with 1 on a bike. For 2.5 hours. Yes, a bike. https://archive.ph/EBmZ9

Spotify, bye-bye to “f$&@ing grifters”. https://archive.ph/OWTI2

Publicly manifesting Duchess of Dior? Dior source is “nonplussed as to how the story came about.” Dior firmly stares - No Deal! Update: a few months later, Princess Maria Olympia of Greece has a Dior and Aquazura contract. Repeats the process with Cartier page six article Aug 6th. Nothing. Camilla wears Dior a few days later. https://archive.ph/wip/k0hiA

Netflix manifesting: rom coms, Bad Manners feminist Miss Havisham, Harry saves Africa (sarcasm on it not being a country), Meg to offer advice of safe birthing practices, buying the rights to a Princess who dies in a car crash https://archive.ph/wip/W9xQg https://archive.ph/wip/8COXT https://archive.ph/JDspD

“Turns out Meghan Markle was not a great audio talent, or necessarily any kind of talent” - United Talent Agency CEO Jeremy Zimmer. https://archive.ph/wip/4TnM6

Taylor Swift turned down Archetypes Spotify appearance. https://archive.ph/VjC07

No Emmy nomination for Harry and Meghan, "devastated". Scoreboard: Meg = 0 nominations. Thomas Markle = 2 Emmy wins. https://archive.ph/wip/m3PQS

UnSussexful trends on Twitter after Harry and Meg blame their lack of success on "bad luck."https://archive.ph/CauG3

Report surfaces that Sussexes tried to bum a ride on Air Force One following QEII’s funeral. Access denied. Also tried to tie Jill Biden’s lemon dress the day after the Oprah interview to Meg as a sign of support. Meg sends Jill a basket of lemons. https://archive.ph/ZofTQ

Celeb “friends” bail. Public reports the Beckhams aren’t friends after no invite to Brooklyn’s wedding, no celeb studded InterMiami game. Serena holds a baby shower, no Meg to be found.https://archive.ph/k02N8 https://archive.ph/6rfSO

No birthday wishes from the Royals. Confirms no Balmoral for the one year anniversary of the Queen’s death, despite the Sussexes confirming they will be in Germany the day after for Invictus.https://archive.ph/0IAaO

Sussexes claim to be friends with John Travolta! And he noped that one in record time.https://archive.ph/dPjLW

Meg attempt to convince everyone she was at the Taylor Swift concert in LA while Harry is in Japan/Singapore but no pics exist. Despite many actual celebs having pics there. Not a single one. Outside of the one helpfully provided to Page Six that’s a cropped version of her pink linen suit from the Laker’s game, Harry cropped out. Later, the pic is updated with Harry back in it after it's pointed out on this sub. https://archive.ph/DhvlY

Meg dresses in beige coat, scarf, in August. In California. Attempts to merch them, including the Nucalm (aka sticker) on her wrist, with only that cuff of the coat helpfully rolled up to show it off better. Note she has not managed to elude the pap on her “casual walk”, yet there is nary a pic from the Swift concert. Skills. Despite posting it on their own Insta with a promo code, one day later NuCalm denies that they are affiliated with Meg. Ouch. https://archive.ph/MVGfP

A) Meg and Harry attend Beyoncé to deflect for on the Heart of Invictus flop and rumours their marriage is in trouble. Harry manages to make Beyoncé with Meg look like he's a sulking toddler. B) Meg attempts to change the SEO results and attends Beyoncé a second night in a row, takes pics with Kerri Washington and Kelly Rowland. Kerri Washington crops Meg OUT of the pic on her Instagram.https://archive.ph/As4RZ https://archive.ph/wip/NOL8m

Meg’s Backgrid planned pap, inside the restaurant, at In N Out. Allegedly buying milkshakes for a 2 yr old and 4 yr old an hour away. Which is why she's 'late' to Invictus. (Still think this was likely her assistant who hopped out of the car, went inside to take the pic, and then met her after the drive through, and they sold the pic via Backgrid.) https://archive.ph/wip/bvgjX

post link: A Year in Review: All the times Meghan Markle been publicly called out in 2023. Highlights and favorite #MarkleMoment from last year? : SaintMeghanMarkle (reddit.com)

author: somespeculation

submitted: December 17, 2023 at 02:25PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

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