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rebeltarot · 7 months

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YOUR UNIVERSE ➕ Uncovering Your Strengths

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[3 piles] ・ [4 decks] ・ [5 cards for each pile] ・ [letters, signs, messages, songs]

Hello love, and welcome to my pick-a-card reading. you can find instructions and my disclaimer below. please read these before choosing your pile.

Disclaimer: All Tarot readings on this blog are meant for entertainment purposes only. My Pick-a-card readings are based on my knowledge of the tarot and my intuition. Tarot is a divination tool and should not be considered a replacement for medical or professional guidance. It is not intended to be used as such, and any choices made in response to my readings are your own responsibility. All interpretations are speculative, and whether you believe in it is your choice. Readings are for self-reflection purposes only; take what resonates, and leave the rest. My readings are timeless unless stated otherwise.

Painting: The Interrupted Sleep - François Boucher (1750)

Helpful Links: How to choose your pile ➕ Request a reading

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

PILE 01 ➕

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

A, R, O, blank, X, Z, Libra, Virgo, Saturn, 8th house, Divine timing, I always feel your energy, When I close my eyes I see you face, The best friend you have will help you, Wealth beyond your fondest dreams, Live your own life, Happiness, Longing, Captured, Start Somewhere

Song: Don't You - Sickick

UNCOVERING YOUR STRENGTHS

Tarot: The Wheel of Fortune, Justice

Oracle: The Adventurer, Stink Bug, Rejection

You are like an alchemist, someone who transforms any lesson and any situation into an opportunity for growth and learning. Your adaptability is remarkable, whether it's adapting to the different phases of your life or transforming the world around you. No matter where life takes you, you seize every opportunity to learn, grow, and leave your mark on the world. You carry a reservoir of wisdom with you, and your words leave a lasting impact. Because of your fair nature and your integrity, you can attract many good things into your life. With the wheel of fortune, I do feel like people either love you or they avoid you. You are vocal about your values and beliefs. Your greatest strength lies in your unwavering loyalty to your own principles and moral compass. You speak your truth, you always act with integrity, and you are unstoppable when it comes to issues of fairness and justice. You're a humanitarian at heart, and you are far from a safe place for people who deny a people’s humanity and rights. Your nature comes with significant responsibilities, and people often look to you for emotional labor, which can be draining. Yet, your thoughts and ideas are your pillars of strength. Even if you doubt your ability to meet these expectations, you are more than up to the challenge. Unlike others, you allow your mind to wander and expand. You are open-minded, and this comes with the inherent burden of responsibility. You effortlessly identify moral shortcomings and courageously confront them. While you may feel uneasy about this, it's a source of strength. You are a true advocate for justice, deeply self-reflective, and willing to confront the issues you might be avoiding. You understand that some battles are worth the effort, and you remain an idealist at heart. You find beauty and growth in facing resistance, and your resilience and unwavering hope are your greatest assets. You adapt and persist, always ready to fight for what is right and just. Your loyalty to your values, sense of justice, and morals might unsettle some, occasionally leading to rejection. Nevertheless, you remain true to yourself, embracing growth and understanding.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

PILE 02 ➕

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

F, A, N, X, Pisces, Aquarius, Taurus, Moon, 10th house, Dark hair, Monday, Superficial, You make me want to do better and try harder, Dance with me - make me sway, Be true to who you are, Think happy be happy, Today I am excited about everything, I found my life when I laid it down, The best time for new beginnings is now

Song: Naturally - Tinashe

UNCOVERING YOUR STRENGTHS

Tarot: 10 of Wands, 4 of Pentacles

Oracle: The Gambler, Raccoon, Trickery

You're a diligent individual, and your core strength lies in your sense of responsibility and unwavering determination. You shoulder your burdens with grace, and it might sometimes give the impression that everything comes easy to you or that your endurance is hereditary. However, your most valuable asset is your brilliant mind, which houses a complex ecosystem of thoughts and ideas. It can be a heavy load to carry at times, but it bears a lot of fruit. Your ability to see tasks through to completion is commendable, and giving up is not in your nature. Your biggest virtues are your reliability and stability. Once you've set a goal, it's nearly impossible to divert you. Anything you consider worthwhile receives your full commitment, and you protect it with unwavering devotion. Taking risks is second nature to you. When you deem something worthwhile, you dive in headfirst. Even in the face of setbacks or failures, you persevere. You don't view these challenges as the end of your journey but rather as valuable lessons that bring you one step closer to your goals. Failure, in your eyes, is an invaluable teacher who reveals what doesn't work, making you even more resilient. Jealousy or envy don't deter you; instead, they inspire you as you can see behind their masks. Rather than fixating on your own limitations, you focus on the potential and the evidence that achieving your goals is possible. If someone else has accomplished it, you believe it's within your reach too. Rather than being paralyzed by greed or jealousy, you let them inspire you to do better. Problem-solving is another of your strengths. Your ingenuity allows you to navigate any obstacle in your path. Nothing is impenetrable to you as you operate with a clear vision and unwavering determination, unimpressed by potential distractions or the opinions of others. Your way of thinking is creative and innovative. You also possess the ability to adapt and pivot when necessary, using your grit to work smarter rather than harder. Your vulnerable and open heart, combined with your self-honesty, are loyal companions on your journey. You consistently maintain authenticity with yourself and those around you, and you possess a discerning eye that can spot deceit from a mile away.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

PILE 03 ➕

CONFIRMATION

Signs and confirmation that this is your pile. This can be anything from your initials, astrological placements, significant messages or signs, places, songs, etc. Please use your discernment.

G, E, I, Cancer, Aquarius, Taurus, Capricorn, Aries, 12th House, 3rd House, 7th House, 1st House, Venus, Root Chakra, She sees possibility everywhere, I wish my eyes could take photos, Dreams, Strong Eyebrows, You are my mirror, Don't be scared - I ain't afraid, It hurts when I hear your name, I hear your messages in songs

Song: My Potna Dem - $ilkMoney

UNCOVERING YOUR STRENGTHS

Tarot: The Emperor, 6 of Pentacles

Oracle: The Herald, Giraffe, Balance

You possess a natural gift for leadership, embodying authority and integrity in your actions and words. Your strength derives from your unwavering discipline and proactive, action-oriented approach to life. Your stability and reliability stem from your commitment to your values and morals. You naturally capture other people's attention, and when you enter a room, your presence cannot be unseen. Your strength exudes strength itself, and commanding a room is second nature to you. Generosity is another pillar of your personality. You're a giver at heart, known for your charitable nature. Your deep humanity and boundless empathy are truly admirable. Community holds great importance to you, and you're always ready to lend a helping hand to those in need. Your unwavering support and generosity are truly commendable, as you focus on giving rather than taking, enriching the lives of those around you. One of your unique abilities is seeing the silver lining in every situation. Regrets become stepping stones to growth, and melancholy transforms into an abundance of hope and idealism. Your "what-ifs" don't hold you back; they serve as inspiration. Your optimistic mindset positions you as your own herald of change. You maintain an idealistic worldview and vision. Personal development is of utmost importance to you, and your ability to turn your focus inward inspires and uplifts those around you on their journeys of self-improvement. Your natural inclination to give and help others is complemented by your self-awareness, which recognizes that you can't pour from an empty cup. Another one of your strengths lies in your internal focus. You don't seek external validation, nor do you indulge in envy or comparisons with others. The only competition you engage in is with your previous self, constantly challenging and focusing on your growth and expansion, all while taking your time and progressing at your own pace. You are a fearless explorer, unafraid to step out of your comfort zone in the pursuit of learning and evolution. You're results-driven, and you hold your values in the highest regard. You embody resilience, courtesy, and unwavering support in your interactions with others. Your approach is consistently marked by humanity, grace, and love, leaving a lasting impact on those fortunate enough to know you.

Your reblogs are highly appreciated. Thank you so much for supporting my work!

#pac #pick a card #pick a pile #tarotblr #tarot community #free tarot readings #tarot readers #personal reading #self-discovery #tarot of tumblr #free tarot #pick an image #tarot readings #divination #witchblr #spiritual community #tarot reading #tarot #channeled messages

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laidee-flegman · 7 months

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Shadow Work prompts for family trauma healing

What specific family memories or incidents still haunt me today?

How has my family's trauma affected my self-esteem and self-worth?

Can I identify any patterns of behaviour or thought that I learned from my family?

What's my deepest fear about facing my family trauma head-on?

What's one thing I appreciate about my family despite the trauma?

How do I cope with painful family memories? Is it healthy or harmful?

What are the beliefs or stories I've told myself because of my family trauma?

Have I ever confronted my family about the trauma? If not, why?

What role did I play in my family dynamic, and how has it influenced me?

How does my family's trauma show up in my relationships with others?

What's my go-to defence mechanism when family trauma resurfaces?

What boundaries do I need to set with my family to protect my healing process?

What emotions or feelings do I avoid or suppress because of family trauma?

Can I pinpoint any strengths or resilience that emerged from my family trauma?

Do I hold myself accountable for my healing, or do I blame my family for everything?

How can I express anger or resentment in a healthy way?

What's my vision of a future where family trauma no longer has power over me?

How has my family trauma affected my goals and aspirations?

Am I carrying any guilt or shame related to my family's past?

What self-care practices do I need to prioritize in my healing journey?

Have I sought support from friends, professionals, or support groups for family trauma?

What's my biggest "aha" moment when it comes to understanding my family trauma?

How can I use creativity, like journaling or art, to process my feelings?

What advice would I give my younger self about dealing with family trauma?

Who in my life has been a positive influence or role model for healing from family trauma?

How do I want my own family (if I choose to have one) to differ from my family of origin?

What rituals or ceremonies can I create to release and heal from family trauma?

How can I forgive myself for any perceived shortcomings related to my family trauma?

What's one small step I can take today to work on my family trauma?

What's the most badass thing about me, knowing that I'm on this journey to heal from family trauma?

#journal prompts #shadow work prompts #shadow work journal #journaling #journal #journals #writing prompt #shadow work #trauma journaling #trauma journal prompts

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compassionatereminders · 7 months

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Dunno if you're still interested in perspectives around the "burden" thing, but here's my two cents in case you are. (TW: internalised ableism)

For me, whenever somebody insisted that I wasn't being a burden it always felt disingenuous and invalidating. I could see the stress I was causing, I could see the sacrifices people were making to compensate for my shortcomings. Without me, people wouldn't have to disadvantage themselves. Denying that didn't feel like kindness, but like condescension. Like people didn't even trust me to to see the the situation as it was, and I was burdening them even more by making them be dishonest about how my disability was hurting them. I was constantly busy trying not to be a burden, not to have struggles, ideally not to be noticable at all. If people expressed worry for me I had failed, and I had to make up for that failure.

The first time somebody said: "Maybe you are a burden. So what?" it felt like a breath of fresh air. Finally I was being taken seriously! Finally the fact that I needed more help than most, the fact that people would have to give things up to give me that help, wasn't being treated like something I wasn't allowed to talk about. It let me finally acknowledge how much it hurt me to be in that position through no fault of my own. And on top of that it challenged my belief that those things obviously and naturally made me unloveable, unworthy and shameful. Maybe I won't ever be able to achieve what others can, or repay the people who have made sacrifices to help me. Maybe I shouldn't have to. Maybe I shouldn't have to structure my life around trying to.

Idk, for me the negativity kind of is the point? When I identify with being a burden it's not to put myself down, it's to validate my experiences. It's an acknowledgement that my disability does have negative consequences for me and others sometimes, that it does kind of suck. Trying to deny that has done nothing but bring me and others more pain. Owning it has empowered me to start building a life that isn't focused on other people, on making sure I never bother them, but on me and what I want or need.

You obviously don't have to feel the same, but that's how it is for me. Hopefully you get something out of this, but if nothing else it was really therapeutic for me haha

Thank you for the thoughtful explanation! I'm happy you've found something positive in reclaiming that word and I didn't mean to invalidate that experience

#chat with kat

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athetos · 11 days

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the expectations placed on butch lesbians both inside and outside of the queer community. As soon as I was able to dress myself and pick out my own wardrobe I started presenting masculinely, and while I wasn’t aware of it at the time, I felt a lot of pressure to be “exemplary” as compensation for my lack of gender conformity. I felt the need to prove myself to others, namely gender conforming straight cis people, and pushed myself to excel in school, at my hobbies, and be an all-around “likable” person. As though to make up for my shortcoming of being butch. When my grades inevitably slipped in high school, thanks to a combination of undiagnosed adhd and stress, it almost felt like I lost my identity, my one “redeeming” factor. I became a chronic people pleaser, because I felt if people liked me, they could see past my “flaws.” This is still something that I struggle with today, perhaps even more so now that I openly identify as butch, and feel like I’m representing my community. Some of the worst judgement I’ve faced hasn’t been from loud and proud homophobes, but from the subset of gender conforming cishet women who see me as a threat.

Within the greater queer community, butches are expected to be chivalrous, capable, hardworking, brave, good in bed, strong, and protective. We are assumed to be dominant tops. If you have a problem, a butch is expected to fix it. I embody some of these traits, and am proud of them. Others, not so much. As a submissive bottom, I have to constantly shut down people who expect me to be their aggressive top. The thing is, butches are expected to handle any and everything that comes our way, which is oftentimes far more than we can handle. Would I defend my siblings if it came down to it? Yes, to my last breath. But that’s the thing, isn’t it? The butch martyr. A commonly used fiction trope in queer media, and a common occurrence in real life. I definitely don’t think it’s a bad trope in fiction (my favorite novels all fall into this at some point or another), but it echoes how we are perceived in real life. The expectation that, perhaps, butches have to suffer.

And I resonate with that, which might not be a healthy thing. Hell, the title of my blog at the time of this post is “your local butch Paladin.” But I don’t want to be hard, uncompromising, and brave all of the time. I want to be soft and warm, too. Sometimes, I’m the one who needs protection. We all do. I fear that sometimes butches aren’t respected as people. Sometimes, it feels like we’re just seen as sex objects, or guardians that can carry any burden. I’m not interested in being a full-time caretaker, or the sole rock in a relationship. I want to be taken care of, too.

At the same time that I embrace the expectations placed on me as a butch, I also reject them.

I’m just rambling; I’m not really sure if I have anything original to say. This has definitely all been said before, by writers far more eloquent than me. I just hope you all think about how you treat butches, and question why that is.

#butch #okay to reblog but I’m not really expecting this to get outside my circle on here #so I can. not account for every nitpick someone might have for how I wrote this

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entomolog-t · 1 year

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gt tropes: I love some good fearplay, particularly when the tiny is not in any real danger, but is still plenty intimidated. Especially when the giant neither means to be intimidating, nor does much to counter/prevent it.

Lets get those glasses back on.

Time to analyze on of my favorite subjects in G/t; Fearplay.

Fearplay, especially in the context of G/t deals with two main drivers; fear and power. With the theme connecting them being control, or lack thereof. These themes/emotions are deeply ingrained in our nature, as some of the most basal emotions we feel. Not primitive; but ancient.

Fearplay in and of itself is a very broad topic and greatly depends on the specificity in the interaction. So, lets breakdown what we have

Tiny is unintentionally intimidated by the Giant, and the Giant does little to help this fact.

For a more personal analysis of this trope it would help to know which aspect of the G/t dynamic you personally identify with.

The G/t dynamic sets the stage by introducing a power dynamic, with the resulting gradient of power causing the tiny to fear. The unintentional nature indicates a level of safety; The danger is mostly just through perception.

From the perspective of fantasizing as being the tiny, this could indicate a desire for relinquishing and control without relinquishing ones safety. However the devil is in the details. What traits do you typically assign to the Giant in this scenario (assuming you fantasize about being the tiny). From the example, its sounds like they are either unaware or uncaring of how they are perceived. Particular traits assigned to giants especially within fearplay could be personal projections of aspects within ourselves which we are afraid of.

Do you find others do not understand your intent? Are you perceived as cold or uncaring? Or are their other aspects you assign to the role of the Giant that may offer personal insight as to what you fear within yourself.

If this is missing the mark it could be less projection and more oriented on your interactions with others; such as being afraid of those who come off as cold but using this fantasy as a way to cope, as they are not truly a threat, just an unintentional one.

Another key factor we are missing is how do you like this scenario to play out? Does trust build over time? Does the tiny accept this is the way the Giant acts, or does the Giant change their mannerisms to suit the tiny. This small details could offer a lot more insight.

Now, from the perspective of identifying as the Giant in this scenario. There is something deeply alluring to be feared. As stated earlier, fear results from a unbalanced power gradient and to be feared is to be powerful. To be powerful is to be in control. Control means personal safety. It is equally important in this scenario to try to assign traits and specifics to both parties. Does the Giant notice they are causing fear? What traits are assigned to the tiny? How do they feel towards the tiny? Are they interested? Frustrated? Does being feared make them happy or upset?

In a lot of fearplay scenarios, there is an overarching theme of the Giant desiring trust. They want someone to know they have all the power, but still love and trust them. Their size might be symbolic of the faults or shortcomings they have (please love and trust me in spite of my size/my faults), or it could simply be a manifestation of desired power and control for their own security.

I would highly recommend playing out these scenarios while keeping an eye out for particular traits assigned to the players, as well as the emotions you personally feel when and where in the scene.

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See the receptionist to book our next session.

#g/t #giant/tiny #g/t shitpost #g/t community #g/t prompts #g/t questions #G/t tropes #G/t Trope psychology

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spacelizzbian · 9 months

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Ahsoka s1 ep6

Love how they reminded us of the fact that there are "former imperials working at every level in the new republic" ain't no way they're getting back to the normal galaxy this episode? like bro, dw I didn't forget the New Republic kinda sucks 😂

Deadass thought Ahsoka was gonna spill on her world between worlds experience 💀

Hm, Ahsoka seeing Sabine giving the enemy the map as a fault of her own shortcomings as a teacher when it shows that she really was Anakin's padawan.

Urging Sabine to do what's right and putting feelings aside, while being unable to do that herself and fearing what could happen because of it..... this coming after the episode where Anakin's legacy and Ahsoka's unease with it was explored is 😭😭

Though it is throwing me off that she's still saying the same stuff as before her epithany last episode?

I understand it would be too easy if those fears caused by Anakin's betrayal would be healed after one episode and they probably wanna save that moment for a more exciting scene than her and Huyang sitting in the mouth of a space whale. But it'd have been better if Ahsoka showed that she has progressed in this regard?

I cannot believe they did the cheesiest thing and actually had Huyang say the thing.

This show so corny I love it

Pour one out for the Wolfren people, there was a prison on board lmao

God I hope he keeps his promise, he's a more interesting dark sider if he does

Something about them being so far from civilisation is actually creeping me out....

They were in hyperspace for all of the events of last episode, probably longer, that distance between galaxies is incomprehensible.

If anyone gets stranded or hurt they'd be so far away from help, the typical "fleet arrives to the rescue" at the last second can't happen now.

I don't think it's ever sunk in for me how hopeless Ezra must've felt being stranded here

A signal?!? Really??? That was fast lol

You know, for a literal different galaxy, I'd have expected this planet to look funkier.

Even Dathomir looked more mythical than this

I guess I take back all that dreadful pondering about being stranded far from home in a deserted galaxy cause apparantly there are fucking people living here

ok sure

Poor Sabine, not Jedi enough for Huyang, too Jedi for them witches 😔

I swear to god if they show us another iteration of order 66

I don't think I've ever commented on Shin and Baylan's designs but I love how they almost have a game of thrones fantasy knight vibe about them. Makes sense as this convo suggests they seek glory from the past.

Props to Kevin Kiner, the music is stealing Thrawn's intro scene

Wild guess Im throwing out there, Enoch is Ezra but like ... brainwashed as Savage was

Either that or he is deep undercover as one of those stormtroopers, that def sounds like something he'd do

Bro why there so much familiar kind of typical star wars life on this DIFFERENT galaxy?? 💀

OH HE JUST A BIG LIL PUPPER 🥺🥺

Damn, last episode really felt like clone wars in style and this one really feels like rebels lmao

Shin self identifying as a trained Jedi? Interesting.

Her doubting what Baylan is saying?

Oh?

I cannot wait for Baylan "destroy the past" Skoll to face off against Ahsoka "recently started healing from the wounds of the past" Tano again. I can practically feel the emotional culmination of this show and Ahsoka's character concluding

Oh these creatures are gonna get fridged so bad aren't they?

Ah shucks my wild angsty guess disproven so quickly

Tho Ezra just chilling with a bunch of lil creatures is also very him

They can sense Ahsoka approaching in the whale?¿?¿? That sure is convenient for them

Lmaoooooo Morgan is so angry she's like "sOMEONE FUCKIN KILL THIS DAMN WOMAN ALREADY IVE HAD IT

👏 UP 👏 TO 👏 HERE 👏

WITH HER IMMORTAL BS"

Thrawn upon learning Ahsoka's master was Anakin: "oh, psssht, I know what buttons to push, easy"

#ahsoka #sabine wren #ezra bridger #thrawn #shin hati #baylan skoll #ahsoka series spoilers #ahsoka spoilers #ashowka #sw

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starry-skies-116 · 2 months

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There’s several differences between my Jack and canon Miko that I feel like highlighting just so people don’t mistake them for ‘the same personality:’

They’re both reckless idiots, but while Miko puts herself and others in danger to get in on the action and try to prove herself, Jack does so because he feels personally responsible for the wellbeing of other people- especially those he cares about. It’s basically a situation of acting on an inferiority complex vs a hero complex.

Jack makes way more absurd and borderline idiotic decisions than Miko: jumping off of speeding motorcycles, licking spilled chemical samples off the floor to try and identify its properties without a scanner, trying to ingest laundry detergent to build immunity, digging through the trash for spare parts, throwing himself into danger multiple times just to try and do the jobs of the other Autobots- he puts himself in harm’s way a LOT.

You know that ‘exaggerated swagger of a black teen’ meme? Yeah- that’s season 1 Jack in a nutshell. Bro��s an unchecked theater kid on top of being a mad scientist- if Ratchet thought Miko was bad, this Jack would be enough to give him an aneurysm.

“Oh, you look like you’re having fun! What are you doing?” “eating laundry detergent” *panicking “NOW WHY IN THE NAME OF PRIMUS WOULD YOU EVEN-”

He’d definitely insult Miko’s hair, too. Like- he’d take one look at the pigtail and rat-tail combo coupled with the razor-cut scene bangs and instantly think: “That is the most ghetto sh█t I’ve ever seen in my entire life.” He’d be acting like he didn’t try to cut his hair with a cosplay sword on his own back when he was twelve.

Their definitions of punk are very different, too. Wild outfits, speed metal, loud music and American pop culture are primarily what Miko thinks of punk culture. Jack holds a philosophy similar to Hobie- that being punk is doing whatever you like to do and doing right by what you believe, even if it irritates other people. He takes the sentence ‘freedom is the right of all sentient beings’ and makes it a creed that he lives by.

He applies this trait to the other Autobots as well- he doesn’t ‘other’ them into separate categories and solely think of them as war machines. He recognizes their capabilities and their strength, sure- but he also recognizes how much pain they’ve been through, all the mistakes they’ve made, and still chooses to see them as people worthy of being loved. That’s one of the main reasons why the Autobots develop such strong emotional connections with him.

The death of Jack’s father absolutely destroyed him to the point where he doesn’t really value his life anymore. Like- at all. He’s so willing to throw away his own livelihood, compress himself into a box and try to cover every single one of his insecurities and shortcomings entirely on his own just so he can feel secure about the fact that people don’t have to worry about him anymore.

The worst part is- by the time Season 3 rolls around, Jack is so critical of his own flaws and mistakes that he genuinely believes that every bad thing that has ever happened to the Autobots is his fault and that it would be better if he never existed.

This one’s a no-brainer: Miko’s terrified of spiders- Jack thinks they’re cute.

If he was present during the ‘band practice’ scene, once Miko starts shredding on the guitar he’d start singing all of his favorite Celestial Odyssey OST’s to his little heart’s content. No doubt about it.

#ask answered #transformers #transformers au #transformers reboot au #tfp #transformers prime #jack darby #miko nakadai #tfp au

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dear-mrs-otome · 4 months

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(Oh god Alfonse with the mysterious second man... or that event where Jude has to step in to prevent Roger from... yeah) This isn't a yuck anyone's yum thing, I just want it to be called what it is is all. For, y'know, safety and comfort reasons so people know what they're getting into. Especially when MC says "no" several times before finally giving in because the suitor (coughElliscough) refuses to stop. It really scares me that some readers think that counts as consent. It's cool if that's your kink but like... remember to have a safe word and talk that sort of thing through with a partner before trying it in real life, folks

I agree in that I don't want this to be a yuck someone's yum. What does it for one person won't for another and that's absolutely okay. I'm also a firm believer that cybird has the right to make whatever style of game they want...and to be fair, there are certainly characters in the game who don't seem to fall into this camp.

My concerns are twofold: the first mainly lies in making sure that people are able to know in advance what a route may contain in a narrative genre where people often identify so personally with the protagonist. I think that cybird has begun that endeavor with some of their content warnings in English... but on occasions it falls woefully short, so I am always glad for fans making others aware - with the caveat that what sets one person off will absolutely not always set another. I think it's most useful not for people to say 'SUCH AND SUCH CHARACTER IS AWFUL BECAUSE THEY DO X' and turn things into judgement than it is to clearly delineate what happens and let people decide for themselves if that is beyond the pale - for them - or not.

Secondly, my concern lies in the industry as a whole forever conflating 'dark' with SA. That the easiest way to mark a character as a Bad Boy is to have him assault the MC. That I feel is a shortcoming on writers and frankly a bit lazy (although there's an entire thing to be written somewhere, certainly by people far smarter than me, about conflating rape/assault fantasies with a culture where women/othered feel less free to express their own sexual desire BUT I DIGRESS) I do give Ikevil props for allowing their suitors to do other equally shocking things though, and allowing them other means of expressing their 'villainy'. At the end of the day I suppose we do have to remember that the game isn't called 'Ikemen Heroes' and so the warning is somewhat right on the label. 😂

I think conversations like this are important though too. I'm less worried about people perceiving something as consent or applicable to real life, because I do believe that almost everyone is able to draw a clear line between fantasy and reality, but I also think that makes it even more important to have discussions outside of that media where we pick it apart (lovingly) so that we can reinforce that boundary. Variety is not only the spice of life but it also gives us more context with which to frame our own patterns of thought.

Whew I really didn't mean for that to turn into a whole Thing, but thank you for the ask Nonny 🥰 I hope we're all looking forward to a (well-warned) launch of a fun new game!

#mrs o blathers

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max-imumbooks · 4 months

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Renegades Thoughts

Spoilers ahead!

----

There are things I really enjoyed about Renegades. It's just that it's shortcomings kind of overwhelm everything else. Like, they have the perfect characters to carry a truly interesting story right there, and they chose to just... not. I saw so much potential as the books progressed that every refusal to go down an untraveled road just got me more and more frustrated.

Adrian's and Nova's team members are adorable and convincingly normal. Unlike the adult superheroes, the patrol team are all teenagers who could be anyone's brother, anyone's sister. They're people first and foremost. AND they have cool and unique superpowers! Girl who can transform into a swarm of butterflies, anyone? And being one of the most badass heroes among them? And Adrian brings his drawings to reality, which doesn't seem all that valuable in combat on the surface, but in execution lends Adrian a versatility that others don't have.

As far as the plot goes, the fact that the story plays with superhero archetypes meant that I was looking for a predictable/archetypal story structure. In my head, it should have gone thus: Book 1 = ends with Nova being found out, Book 2 = consists of heroes vs villains with Nova and Adrian on opposite sides, and Book 3 = Nova and Adrian realizing the hero/villain conflict of their parents' generation doesn't have to be their story, and find a way to come back together to navigate a path of their own, joined by others their age from both sides.

That's not what I got.

I read these all back to back, so it all kind of runs together in my brain (especially since I listened on audiobook), but iirc Nova isn't even suspected until Book 3, and even though she's arrested, she's ultimately acquitted in short order. She's not TRULY found out until the finale.

The FINALE.

She then proceeds to stand by while Adrian is quite literally tortured, flayed even, with hardly a word of protest. It turned my stomach to know that this girl I've come to enjoy so much suddenly lacked any spine whatsoever, and it was enough for me to feel like Adrian's quick forgiveness after wasn't actually earned. Nova ends the story still in a moral deficit, which was kind of lazy. Like-- why.

I also expected Nova to grow into her own identity, as she starts of executing someone else's plan to infiltrate the Renegades, and then ends up crafting her own plan when she's suddenly required to maintain the facade longer than expected. In my mind, I expected her to actually take on a role of authority, but any time she's undermined or in conflict with other villains she shrinks back into obedience. When she finally acts to her own morals, it's not because she's grown and gained unique experiences, but because it turns out her uncle lied to her about the deaths of her parents and baby sister Evie.

Speaking of, what REALLY gets my goat is that the most interesting twist on the story, the thing that would have 100% redeemed this story if it had been explored in the main text, happens in the EPILOGUE.

See, there's this character we meet in the same scene we meet Nova. Nova is on the street during a parade, and a young pickpocket tries to steal her bracelet-- the last token Nova has of her parents, her most prized possession. The pickpocket turns out to be Maggie, codename Magpie, a Renegade who has a talent for identifying and unearthing valuable items. From then on, Nova positively loathes Maggie, and the feeling is mutual. They hate each other's guts, and can barely be in the same room without fighting each other.

It's actually quite refreshing that Nova doesn't suddenly lapse into mother mode, as other stories may be wont to do. Two girls hate each other-- it happens! And it's 100% in character on both girls' parts.

But here's the thing: in the finale, Maggie is revealed to be Evie. You know, Nova's murdered baby sister whose death motivates every one of Nova's actions for three whole novels? Yeah. That Evie. No one knows, not even them. Maggie was delivered to an orphanage as an infant, after her parents were found murdered and her older sister missing, never to be heard from again. Maggie grew up hoping that her sister would re-appear and claim her, but she's abandoned that dream-- she's far too cynical and streetwise for that.

But imagine. If the story had let Maggie and Nova learn the truth... How would they reconcile? Would they believe it? Would they eventually come together and love each other like they always dreamed of doing? THAT would have been 100% more compelling than the lukewarm commentary of the hero/villain dichotomy that we got. That could have easily been the main focus of Book 3.

Ugggggggghhhhh... it makes me want to tear my hair out.

Especially because there's been no mention of Marissa Meyer of returning to the world of Renegades.

On a side note, as a kid I had a habit of fancasting the characters in almost every book I read. I've mostly grown out of that, but this series did have a character (Nova's uncle) that instantly put an actor in my head-- Phil LaMarr, who I know predominantly as Malefic J'onzz in CW's Supergirl. Nova's uncle Ace had such a distinct presentation and delivery that LaMarr's face was the only thing that popped into my brain. (And in casting LaMarr, it would suggest that Nova would be black or at least mixed race, which opens up a whole world of wonderful casting choices.)

So-- yeah. Any story where the most interesting and compelling plot twist happens in the epilogue is certainly on the struggle bus.

#marissa meyer #renegades spoilers #my thoughts #a little more informal #gonna do both takes moving forward #i hope anyway #it's double the work #but hey #i like giving my more spoilery thoughts #but also want to give people a spoiler free review to see if they want to read it without ruining the story for them

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rainbowsky · 1 year

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I used to love you& your blog. But I feel so disappointing today after reading your post on YSL incident. Cbiz & Chinese marketing is not that transparent. His fans are doing right. It will repeat if they stay silent. Goodbye! Hope you can maintain balanced love for our boys. Today you seriously sound unfair to XZ.

This is in reference to a previous post.

If you have been a follower of my blog for any amount of time then you will know that I don't shape or state my opinions to please other people. It would be utterly fake and dishonest to my readers if I were to do that. If you came here to read only things you agree with, then you probably came to the wrong place.

As for this whole issue with YSL, what is unfair to GG is for his fans to continually create petty scandals that make him look bad and threaten his career. When will they get it through their heads that he is a grown man who can take care of himself?

He has repeatedly, repeatedly, repeatedly implored his fans to behave rationally, stay calm, and let him take care of his own issues, and has said that he doesn't need 'protecting'; he is a grown man who can take care of himself.

IN MY VIEW (which you are totally free to disagree with), no one can credibly claim to be a loyal fan of GG while simultaneously causing disruptions and trending his name under negative topics. While going to war against a brand he's worked hard to build a good relationship with. While creating - as I said in my previous post - more negative public perception about him as a traffic star with disruptive, aggressive fans. Particularly given the openly stated position the government has taken against that type of fan culture.

And all this while people in China are watching loved ones die, and sometimes having to make the unimaginably difficult decision to cremate them in the streets because crematoriums and morgues are overflowing.

2/27 happened at a similarly troubling time for the country, when the earliest covid lockdowns were in place. It was the timing of that scandal that helped make it as serious as it was, because GG became an outlet for people to vent their anger, pain and fear upon. Now is not the time to be trending him over whether a makeup palette was attributed to his name when purchased.

His fans don't seem to GAF about his repeatedly stated wishes, nor about protecting his reputation as an artist or an individual. All they seem to care about is perpetuating their own sense of fandom consumer/traffic clout. They don't look beyond that to see that public perception and his reputation with the powers that be are infinitely more important to his long term survival in the industry, particularly given his age and background.

They keep doing this to him, over and over again. They did this with Ace Troops, they did this with ADLAD and of course 2/27. They are so full of their own sense of righteous superiority that they can't actually see clearly to realize how much they are disrupting his career path and bringing trouble to his door.

They are deluded enough to think this is behavior he thanks them for. Something tells me that is not what he mutters to himself when an issue like this arises.

But don't take my word for it, his own fan club released a statement asking people to stop.

Fat Shrimp Suggestion Book Tips

I would like to convey to you the current communication situation: the studio has conducted close communication with the business team and the brand as soon as possible. At present, the brand has confirmed the relevant reasons and apologized to the artist and consumers through customer service replies. The follow-up cooperation is also being optimized simultaneously. The shortcomings of the business team in their work have also been identified internally, and adjustments and improvements are being made to address specific issues. Here, I hope that the attention and discussion brought about by this matter can stop here. I also sincerely ask everyone to be vigilant, not to be tempted by any provocative content, not to be provoked by irrelevant or unknown people to participate, not to heat up discussions on any brand or other related content, and to avoid irrelevant disputes caused by divergent interpretations. As always, we will work hard to maintain a good Internet environment.

Here's the thing: there is never any need to go from zero to "BRIGADE AND BOYCOTT!!" every single time something arises that fans are concerned about. There is such thing as trusting GG to handle his own shit. If they'd give GG and his team time to actually address issues on their own, none of this disruption need ever happen.

If his fans really had his best interests at heart, his name would never appear on a negative hotsearch brought about by them. If they had his best interests at heart, they would take care to ensure that his name would never be attached to public disruption and disorder. They should know by now that he will be held accountable for their actions.

And if my stating my perspective on this is too much for you (while you stating your opinion - anonymously - is totally fine), then all I really have to say is,

Edit: more on why this is a problem.

#it's in the air it's all around #solos belong to moling su sect #ggdd controversies #love letters from anons #ask

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apersonwholikeslotus · 1 year

Text

'Just Shoes'

Pairing: A side of AusHun (not the main focus though)

Warning: Alcohol mention.

Notes: okay so, I was having feelings about baby Liechtenstein and her stuffy Austrian dad, and then I was listening to My Fair Lady, and then I'm also writing stuff for my friends as a Christmas present. And this happened, first thing I've been able to finish in a week. Enjoy.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Erzsébet walked through the house wiping her hands on her apron while looking to make sure she didn't miss anything. She liked to tease Roderick far too often that being his lover should come with 'not being the maid anymore' privileges, but she also knew she would be bored without the daily chores. Speaking of though, she couldn't seem to find Roderick or Liesl anywhere. Usually Roderick would come around by this point insisting she had done enough for the day; or Liesl would show up wanting to help. Something Erzí never let her do. She didn't mind it anymore, but she was also insistent Liesl wouldn't end up working for someone else. Her excuse for the six year old was always something along the lines of 'What if your prince shows up? Will you want to be covered in dust to see him?' it always worked.

Her wandering took her to the side of the house with the ballroom. The large room wasn't used often... but Roderick was one for parties so whenever he decided to have one on a whim she preferred to not have to clean it when there were other things to do. She hated the parties, having to dress up and be overly nice to people she hated. Roderick and Liesl both adored them though, well, Liesl adored watching people show up for them. The girl had to go to bed before it even officially started, she had been excited about her 'debut to society' for years already. She asked every year without fail when she could go to her first one; and Roderick told her every year without fail as soon as she was sixteen.

"No, no, no, your timing is off!" Erzsébet stopped at the closed door, listening, Roderick's voice was easy to identify inside. She assumed it was Adéla he was scolding, he always claimed she embarrassed him at balls.

"But papa! You're doing the counting!" Instead of hearing the Bohemian woman she heard her daughter, giggling as she argued with her father.

There was a loud huff, "You can't blame your partner for your own shortcomings,"

Erzsébet heard the counting resume, along with footsteps far too heavy to be her lovers. She listened as the counting died out replaced with humming; Liesl started singing mimicking the sounds the song would make on a piano.

"See" The footsteps stopped with Rodericks voice, "That's where you lose your stride, when you start singing"

"I can't stay quiet, you hum, and mama sings when you two dance"

"Your mother and I can keep our step," she listened as the steps continued this time with Liesl counting out loud, Erzí opened the door just a crack looking in. She tried not to laugh as she saw Liesl standing on Roderick's feet; stepping in unison with him. They went through the motions a few times, she recognized quite quickly they were doing the waltz.

"Finally!" Roderick exclaimed, "I've never seen so much potential, just a little more practice and you'll be a dancing protégé"

"Really?"

"Absolutely. Don't you think so, liebling?" Roderick looked towards the door making it known that he had seen her. Erzí opened the door the rest of the way, coming into the room as Roderick picked up Liesl.

"Of course, we should just go ahead and send you to France to learn ballet," Erzsébet teased lightly, watching as Liesl held onto her father tighter.

"Please don't" both her parents quickly assured her she wasn't going anywhere, not as long as they could help it, calming Liesl down quite fast.

"What were you two doing in here exactly?" Erzsébet asked, trying to play it off as if she hadn't been watching them for the past ten minutes.

"Obviously I was teaching her how to dance, our princess needs to be well versed in many things" Roderick almost rehearsed the line, it was heard at least once a day in their household both them, and the other people living with them stating it. Liesl was Roderick and Erzsébet's daughter but by now she was being raised by everyone in the house. The theory that everyone would stop cooing over her after they got used to her presence, turned out to be completely incorrect. Even with Adéla who claimed to hate both the girl's parents with every ounce of her being.

Erzsébet knew her partner though, and knew dancing and now holding Liesl however small she may be was tiring him out quickly. "Edesem, why don't you go find Emma and see if she has anything for you to do?"

At the mention of the Flemish woman, Liesl half wiggled out of her fathers arms running for the hall with both her parents yelling after her to not run in the house.

As soon as Roderick was sure his daughter was gone, he simply sat down on the floor, immediately eliciting a laugh from Erzsébet.

"That tired are we?" she asked him, sitting down next to him.

He nodded, "She has endless amounts of energy, I swear it comes from your side"

"Oh I don't think so," she countered him, "Maybe she got it from your brother"

Roderick groaned, "Don't ever make me think about Liesl inheriting anything from any of my siblings ever again"

She rolled her eyes at him a little, thinking him being overdramatic. "She has endless energy because she's six Kedvesem"

"I am aware..." he trailed off for a moment, "You're sure you want another one?"

"I want three more" Erzsébet quickly countered,

"Three!" Roderick laid down completely putting his hand to his forehead, "I think I need a beer to even deal with the thought"

She laughed at him again, "That's what you said when we found out we were expecting Liesl"

"No, then I needed a beer and a chair," He jokingly patted the ground, "Now I'm already sitting so I just need the beer"

"You love her" she smiled at him.

"I never said I don't" Roderick countered, sitting back up.

"Let me finish, I know you love her because you danced with her, letting her scuff your favorite pair of shoes"

"They're just shoes,"

Erzsébet hummed, "They're never 'just shoes' with you."

#tw: alchohol mention #cw: alcohol mention #hetalia #aph austria #hws austria #aph hungary #hws hungary #aph liechtenstein #hws liechtenstein #aushun #ig #hetalia fic

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mbti-notes · 1 year

Text

Anon wrote: Hello, I am an inferior Fe who has been told that I sometimes can’t take a hint. It hurts my feelings a bit because I’ve been trying my best to read social cues but it appears that my efforts have led to little improvement. I have some F type friends and family around me so I try my best to learn about social cues by modelling their behaviour and understanding their values better. But at the same time, this is really mentally exhausting for me and it definitely doesn’t come naturally.

Because of this, I’m constantly doubting my social skills and I get anxiety when put into social situations. Furthermore, I constantly overthink social situations and dwell on all the social cues I might have missed. What should I do to improve my inferior function? I would really appreciate it if you could give me some advice. Thank you!

---------------------

I'm afraid you haven't provided enough information for me to understand the situation fully. There are several issues to unpack:

1) Type Development: Please state your exact type because I must examine how the entire functional stack is coming together to create the issue. Blaming everything on one function is misguided because that's not how the functional stack works in real life. When you're misusing one function, chances are, you're also misusing the rest.

I often warn people about the inferior function. You should develop functions in the order of your functional stack. Generally speaking, I do NOT recommend trying to develop the inferior function due to the high risk of suffering from inferior grip and not realizing the harm being done to oneself. When a person's ego development isn't properly aligned with their function development, trying to develop the inferior function is premature and can do more harm than good.

"Modeling people's behavior" isn't optimal for dominant Ti learning. Ti must understand operating principles and modeling alone won't get you very far. In the worst case scenario, modeling leads you down a self-destructive path. In order to be like a Feeler, you have to negate who you are as a Thinker, which is harmful. While learning from others can be useful in some situations, you shouldn't try to change yourself to be like others at your own expense. First and foremost, you have to respect your type and learn to inhabit it with ease. Then, you can use the best qualities and characteristics of your type to find the most effective entryway into learning a skill.

For healthy type development, inferior shortcomings should be addressed through auxiliary development. For example, auxiliary Se would make you more present, observant, and assertive as you interact with the environment, or auxiliary Ne would open your mind up to generate multiple possibilities when engaging with the environment. Both of these functions have great potential to help with socializing, so are you using your auxiliary function optimally? If not, that's where you should be focusing your attention. Read past posts on the topic.

2) Social Skills: The information you've provided about your social skills is too limited, so I'm not in a good position to evaluate them objectively. You've been repeatedly called out for inability to read social cues, so you're understandably sensitive about it. However, there are many possible reasons why people fail to pick up on social cues (that are unrelated to inferior Fe). In order to solve a problem properly, you have to be able to correctly identify all of the contributing factors/causes. It doesn't sound like you've done enough reflection and analysis of WHY you have this problem and what exactly lies at the root of it.

Firstly, due to the fact that many people mistype as IxTP because they mistake poor social skills for inferior Fe (even as the other functions don't fit properly), I need to know whether you're 100% certain of your type and that inferior Fe is the cause of the problem. There are no other factors that may be contributing to your inability to read social cues?

Secondly, I need concrete details and illustrative examples of the conflicts between you and these F friends/family. Context is required to determine whether their criticism of you is fair and reasonable. For example, it could be the case that: they are being too demanding of you; their relationship behavior is unhealthy and then you trying to model it only makes things worse; their values are very different from yours and proper mediation is necessary to establish mutual understanding; etc. Relationship problems are rarely caused by only one person. I need a better understanding of the relationship dynamic in order to determine the exact nature of the conflict and how to address it in the best way.

3) Emotional Intelligence: You mention "overthinking". Rumination is a symptom of being unable to acknowledge and resolve undesirable feelings and emotions, which points to low emotional intelligence. A large part of socializing is dependent upon knowledge of emotions (in oneself and others): identifying them accurately; responding to them appropriately; managing them productively; understanding how they are reflective of people's beliefs and values. I've already written a lot about EI, see past posts, the site index articles, and the book recs on the resources page.

4) Communication Skills: Conflict resolution is dependent upon your ability to communicate about issues in a way that is respectful of all parties involved. While it's generally good to be considerate of people, you have to be able to strike a healthy balance between honoring your own needs and meeting the needs of others. You shouldn't just do what people want you to do without reflecting on whether that's the best course of action in the bigger picture.

In a healthy relationship, two people should be able to accept and love each other as they are. When one person is constantly trying to change the other to match their own preferences, it means there is a problem of poorly defined boundaries. Different individuals need and want different things out of a relationship, thus, two people should learn to be understanding of differences. They should negotiate and compromise so that both parties are able to get what they need and want from the relationship.

The willingness and effort you put into improving your behavior should be recognized and appreciated by people. But that will only happen if they understand what's really going on with you. Perhaps they criticize you because they mistakenly believe it should be as easy for you as it is for them. You have agreed to do something that is difficult and exhausting for the sake of meeting the needs of others, but you have to ensure that this doesn't leave your needs unfulfilled in the process, otherwise the relationship becomes unfair and unequal. Whenever necessary, you have to speak up, explain yourself, advocate for your needs assertively, and help people understand your hardships. If they truly care about you, they should be willing to empathize and negotiate a fairer outcome for all parties.

#istp #intp #inferior fe #emotional intelligence #social skills #ask

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iamnotbored · 2 years

Text

To my star 2: on love and forgiveness

watching this show as it was airing and seeing all the “hate” towards jiwoo was a revelation, a lot of viewers thought that seojoon forgave jiwoo too easily, and i get that, jiwoo was so harsh on him, seriously who ghostes their bf with a f’cking post-it? on their birthday?! and if i was seojoons friend i would scream at jiwoo til his ears bleed.

but seojoon loves and seojoon forgives, that is who he is and that how he has been since the beginning. when his actor friend tried to put the blame on him for the fight, he didn’t say anything to anyone, not even pilhyun and homin, he waited it out believing that his friend would come clean, not many people would do that. but seojoon is not a pushover, he knows his limits and he will let go when he is ready.

when it comes to jiwoo, seojoon is not blind to his shortcomings, he likes him despite those, because to seojoon (who knows jiwoo better than any of us) jiwoo is not defined by his misstakes.

“you hide away as if you are the only sad person in this world. you don’t think about facing the problem and solving it. you have unnecessary pride and you never tell people your real feelings, making people go crazy!”

“but still, i’m saying i like you”

seojoon only gave up when he was convinced that jiwoo wanted to be with his ex, and that he is standing in the way of jiwoos happiness, as long as jiwoo loves him he would have continue to pursue him, again this man loves jiwoo more than jiwoo loves himself

for those who thinks that seojoon deserve better, i also get that, “jiwoo hurt seojoon this much so seojoon should hurts him just as much before they can get back together”...i used to believed that input and output of love should be equal in a relationship, but how do you keep score when one person is swimming and the other is playing badminton? seojoon and jiwoo are very different people and they have different love languages, and so when we say for better or worst, this is jiwoo at his worst, this is where seojoon get to decide if their relationship could survive this, and because this is seojoon and he knows how hard those steps jiwoo took were, he choose to love and forgive

some of my favourites lines are these,

“if you keep pushing me away, i can’t continue to chase after you like you did for me”

“is that a threat?”

“no, i’m begging you”

this perfectly showed us how different these two are and how their traumas and history shape who they are as people today, jiwoo doesn’t love seojoon any less than seojoon loves him, but sometimes we messed up and we hurt the people who loves us the most. and this is when we need those people to say “its ok, when is hard i will go to you” and i will love you and i will fight for us

i want bring up one last thing, should they take a break to get some therapy before getting back together? uhm, yes to therapy always, but no on the separation, i dont believe in the idea that we have to be healed and complete before we are allowed to be in a relationships, who is to say that we can be 100% healed from our traumas? aren’t we just learning to live with it and not let it get the better of us as we go? to love and be loved is a big part of our journey to heal, you don’t have to struggle all by yourself untill you are fit to be loved.

life is short, if you have found your forever person, don’t let them go. as much as we should cut out toxic people from our lives, we should hold on to the people that makes us happy. i dont know if those among us who identify with jiwoo will ever find their own seojoon, god i hope we do, but i think that if we all just learn from seojoon to love and forgive more we would be one step closer to our own happiness.

credit of the wonderful pictures: twitter user @_ouruniverse09

#to my star 2 #to my star #tms2 #kang seojoon #seo joon x ji woo #jiwoo x seojoon #hwang da seul #kdrama #kbl

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necrobarbie · 1 year

Note

If you haven't already! I would like to read your rant about addiction in homestuck

so i dont have any like, pre-written essays on it or anything its more like i just make scattered posts when it pops into my head + try to include it in fics (ive got a list of things i wanna take notes on during my next reread and addiction in general is one of them) but i am going to freestyle throw some thoughts down here

breaking down addiction in homestuck requires:

-identifying the main addicts (gamzee = sopor, roxy & rose = alcohol)

-identifying how these characters are treated by the narrative* (are they allowed a voice? are they allowed to be sympathetic? dimensional?) (in gamzees case the answer is almost always no)

*not the characters. the characters can be cruel and dismissive of each other w/o it being the true takeaway of an exchange etc etc etc

there are certain things that pop up again and again in homestuck as an undesirable trait (in this case using undesirable as a negative quality that is not seen as deserving sympathy or care). addiction is one of them! reflecting on the root of the addiction isnt so important to the text as the ability to mock them for their perceived weakness and stupidity is.

roxy and gamzee in particular have similar bases to their addiction: theyre isolated, which, while a common trait in homestuck (the solitude of their irl spaces vs online spaces), is a unique isolation. theyre both without guardians to oversee them and more alienated (against their own desire not to be) from their friends than others.

roxy is one of only two humans on a post apocalyptic earth and, even tho she love love loves her friends she fades into the bg often (fitting for a void player). jane jake and dirk have their love triangle. dirk cant love her the way she wants him to and lil hal is ultimately untouchable. jane struggles to truly understand her. calliope has to interact with her through even more barriers (tangible and social, being a cherub). she just wants to feel close to someone! she wants to be put first. its sad. its painful. she doesnt want to wallow in it, and she doesnt want to potentially drive away her friends by not being silly bubbly roxy. so she turns to alcohol which helps keep her distracted and as a bonus, knocks her out for long stretches of time. it also could serve as a connection to her mother, given thats how she had access in the first place (oh, rose...).

so, roxy is the primary focus on addiction in homestuck but is she a well written example? debatable.

i love her of course and find her decently written up to a point--one point being how extremely rushed her recovery felt. the majority of act 6 is rushed. simply TOO MUCH is happening off screen. and this is where id really need a reread & notes to refresh…ive got a major in gamzeeism minor in lalondeism here. and gamzees addiction is easier to talk about bc he is initially a stoner joke, then an ableist psychotic stereotype, and ultimately blamed for every shortcoming both sober and high. no route is a win for him, no option would make the narrative more sympathetic to him.

idk how to end this post. uh. hope this was at all what you were hoping for. peace

#asks

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docholligay · 2 years

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Encanto had many shortcomings, in large part due to as you say the ambition of complex ideas that don't have the time to be really explored, but it does hit me pretty well emotionally. A lot of people hate the abuela storyline, but I actually thought it was the best done because it had the most time to be complete, and Dos Oruguitas was just a really effective sequence

Yeah, I absolutely am there with why so many people find it moving and interesting, and I actually don't think it's bad by any stretch of the imagination, as far as kids' movies go. It has incredibly touching MOMENTS. I found the moment we see that Bruno has drawn his own little plate at his fake table so he can pretend he's eating with the family SO sad in a perfect way. But it really really tries to take on too much, and to me it a major failing that makes it fall below some of its peers.

It would have been a really brilliant 12 episode series or something like that, where it had time to go into Isabela's whole thing instead of she's a bitch->reason->solution and 66% of that takes place in 3 minutes. Or where we could really see that Dolores has feelings for Dude Whose Name I Could Not Be Bothered To Learn, and why, instead of a really rushed and confusing bit at the end. Or where Luisa's problem and solution aren't bound up in the same song. But mostly, BRUNO!! This is a thing that actually does stick in my craw a little bit. His sisters had...no feelings, about him being gone? Pepa really dislliked him that much for getting in her head? Abuela who asked him about all the stuff that made him leave was like, 'My son is missing and I do not acknowledge this as a terrible tragedy even though I am deeply DEEPLY (understandably) fucked up about my husband's death, still? I just don't talk about him.' Julieta, who we are pretty expressly shown to be Nice And Supportive? Never thought about him? I mean Pepa's a little petty, I can buy that if you sell, but Julieta? He hasn't even been GONE that long.

And I KNOW I'm going to get eaten alive for this! I know that! But it really needed more focus. It tried to juggle a lot of things and dropped a bunch of them, and that doesn't make it a horrible film for idiots or anything like that, but I do think it's not as solid as some of its contemporaries.

Which is why it surprises me that so many people apparently hate the abuela storyline! It's easily the one done to completion, its humanizing and tender, and more complex than I would have expected from a kids movie. I think its one of the places the movie absolutely soars! I would ask why, but I think I actually don't want to know ahah. I assume the answer is basically, "it's making an EXCUSE for someone who is MEAN to MIRABEL, someone I IDENTIFY with because I have ALWAYS been made to feel LESS SPECIAL in my family" and I'm like, "okay." I think the narrative that people with pain in their past can heal and learn to be better, and realize they are projecting on people around them, is a better lesson for kids. YMMV.

Anyway yes! It was a decent-to-good movie that could have been great but wanted to tell too many stories and had a few too many characters, but it has moments of supreme emotional effectiveness and a few banger songs. Love the abuela storyline, love Mirabel, actually love that there is not an animal sidekick!!

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