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bokettochild · 4 months

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Random Legend Headcanons that haunt my brain at stupid hours <3

He has a big sweet tooth, but less so for sugary things and mostly more for fruits

greatest seemingly "irrational" fear is dogs, he has never liked them even since childhood, and the only dog he can stand is the old sheepdog his grandparent's kept to keep track of the goats

Sky is his favorite. Sky is real with him and doesn't dismiss him as an asshole = automatic favorite. They also share a lot in common

he and Sky like gossiping when no one is paying attention to them. Not about the other heroes necessarily, they just both find it fun

oral stims: he likes his hands free, but chewing/sucking on things helps him focus better and stay calm. He refuses to admit how many times he's found himself chewing on his medallions

he loves puzzles. You'd think he'd gotten enough of them in his adventures, but nope! Hes been doing this long enough that going WITHOUT puzzles to solve actually makes him feel bored. He likes the challenge of it, it keeps his brain ticking

history nerd. A lot of Hyrule's culture/history/tradition was lost because the people were just trying to survive after Ganon killed the hero, so Legend really likes trying to hunt down the pieces of the past to put together what it was like. It's a big puzzle for him, and he loves talking about it if he feels he'll actually be listened too

he knits. He doesn't know many patterns, but he knows some basic stitches and the repetition calms him down

good at most needlework, sucks at embroidery. He likes it, it's just too stressful for him. He's in awe of the fact that Sky's so good at it.

he actually loves the sea I know most writers have him scared of it, but he's got far more happy memories than bad ones, so while it's bittersweet, he still enjoys being near the water (as log as it's not storming)

hates lightning storms with a passion. Storms in general make his arthritis worse, but the lightning trauma sucks a lot more

actually enjoys light rain showers. it still effects his pain levels, but not super bad, and it's worth it to him

has the most un-attractive laugh ever. He tends to snort and cackle like a madman. He does have a "polite laugh" but it's far less genuine.

he CAN cook, he just doesn't care to. Food is an annoying requirement and necessity for him most of the time, and more of a chore than he's willing to admit

he has the biggest soft spot for kids, partially because of Gully, partially by nature

the most susceptible to Baby Therapy (the effect of feeling at peace, content, happy, or relief while holding a small child) Ulli figured this out early on and now abuses it.

he loves stargazing. Stars are a constant no matter where he goes and they're like old friends (got this from the manga)

he's an artist and a perfectionist, his preferred medium is paints, but he does carry a sketchbook

loves physical contact, but is hesitant about others boundaries, so he rarely initiates or maintains it

I have more, but yeah, this is getting pretty long :')

#lu legend #linked universe #linkeduniverse #ketto can't sleep #so have some blorbo thoughts

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beanghostprincess · 4 months

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Sanji has helped me in so many ways. I will forever be grateful for the creation of this character. He quite literally means the world to me right now.

(TW: ED/Depression/Suicide attempt mention)

I've always struggled with food. Well, not always. But at the end of middle school (more or less. Give or take. Age 12/13) I became obsessed with what I ate. I still don't know exactly how it started, but I think it has always been a mix of my need to control my life when it's crumbling down and the necessity to look skinny (both things are my mother's fault, mostly. And also lots of things going on at the moment). So I started skipping meals constantly and throwing away food and throwing up. Not gonna get into details, but it ruined my life without anybody knowing until a huge depressive episode came and then I tried to off myself, yadda yadda yadda. Then I just stopped eating food and my meals every day were basically a monster and gum and maybe a piece of fruit. I couldn't even drink milk without crying. Then it got a bit better. Then a bit worse. It wasn't very consistent. And then I started doing exercise but that only made me even more obsessed with calorie intake and healthy food and I still can't drink milk or bread without at least feeling awful about it.

And then I watched One Piece.

I know it sounds extremely silly and dumb, but it has helped me in so many ways. I'm not gonna get into all the things it has done for me, because then I'd have to talk about Robin, Nami, Luffy, Pudding and Buggy which are, like, the characters that have helped me the most next to Sanji, and I would not finish this post.

But Sanji is just so, so important to me.

He speaks about food with such passion. His whole thing about not wasting food literally comes from an experience of starvation and because of the sacrifice his father made for him. He keeps saying he refuses to let people go hungry, no matter what. That we all deserve to eat. He relates food to love and cooking is his whole life. It kind of started as a joke when my brother said "nooo, now you can't waste food because Sanji would be sad" and I- That day I literally ate wayyy more than usual with that thought in mind. And I didn't feel bad afterward for once. And he's just- He just makes me feel so comfortable around food. Which is the normal amount of comfort somebody should have and sometimes it's not even that, but it helps. It helps so much.

Then his whole thing with Germa and the Vinsmokes. It killed me. My relationship with my mother is, uh, you can call it complicated but I fucking hate her so. Yeah. And Sanji's story about rejecting his blood relatives and finding better people who will love him hit so close to home. Him being different. Weak. More emotional. A good person. Sanji refusing to use the name Vinsmoke. It's my whole life. Sanji self-sabotaging himself all the time and constantly sacrificing himself, too? I just can't do it, man, he means the world to me. And then Wano happens and he turns out to have the same body as his siblings but he's still himself. He's still Sanji no matter how much in common he has with the Vinsmokes. And as somebody who's constantly dealing with people telling them that they look like their mom? I fucking love it. I know I look like her and I even act like her sometimes but that doesn't mean I am her. And it doesn't mean she deserves to be part of my family, because she isn't and I can't wait to get rid of her in my life.

It's not only food and family, though. Sanji has helped me accept myself in so many ways too. In the way I perceive others and in the way I act. He has helped me eat. He has helped me realize you don't have to consider your blood relatives family if you don't love them. He has helped me see that my kindness is a strength and not a weak spot.

Not to mention that his whole thing with gender and sexuality, how the fandom portrays him, and how I personally write him has been of so much help in understanding myself. I recently discovered I was a lesbian, and also being genderfluid I just- I just love Sanji so much I be projecting my gender issues and internalized stuff with comphet on him. And let me tell you, it helps.

This whole thing is just something short and sweet I wanted to say because media affects people. In the best of ways. One Piece in general has saved my life in many ways, but Sanji in particular is still helping me every day.

#i love you sanji i love you i love you #i started crying while i wrote this lmfao pathetic behavior sorry sorry i love my boy too much #but one piece is literally my favorite thing i swear i haven't been happier in years #and i still struggle a lot with everything but it's a lot of help #one piece #black leg sanji

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bethanydelleman · 9 months

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So many people judge Elinor Dashwood for accepting Willoughby's "apology" (it's really just a sob story where he throws every female in his life under the bus), but she doesn't really forgive him AND she is in a very delicate emotional state and dead tired when it happens. For a full defense, I've taken the quotes that show what Elinor is thinking during Chapter 44-46 of Sense & Sensibility. (This is really long)

He arrives right after Elinor is finally assured that Marianne is going to live, after some very trying moments where Mrs. Jennings was predicting that her sister would die. She is waiting for her mother to arrive, and then he walks in. Her emotional state is intense:

Never in her life had Elinor found it so difficult to be calm, as at that moment. The knowledge of what her mother must be feeling as the carriage stopt at the door—of her doubt—her dread—perhaps her despair!—and of what she had to tell!—with such knowledge it was impossible to be calm.

She is not happy to see him, she only barely agrees to hear him out, she is mostly pissed, "Miss Dashwood, at this point, turning her eyes on him with the most angry contempt" And this is Elinor! Who usually controls her expression of feelings.

Elinor remains pretty annoyed with him throughout:

“I have,” returned Elinor, colouring likewise, and hardening her heart anew against any compassion for him, “I have heard it all. And how you will explain away any part of your guilt in that dreadful business, I confess is beyond my comprehension.”

But as Willoughby goes on, Elinor wavers:

Elinor’s heart, which had undergone many changes in the course of this extraordinary conversation, was now softened again

“You are very wrong, Mr. Willoughby, very blamable,” said Elinor, while her voice, in spite of herself, betrayed her compassionate emotion

She does agree that his explanation at least makes him a slightly better person, but her language is hedged, a lot:

“Yes, you have certainly removed something—a little. You have proved yourself, on the whole, less faulty than I had believed you. You have proved your heart less wicked, much less wicked. But I hardly know—the misery that you have inflicted—I hardly know what could have made it worse.”

And even when she is admitting this, she's going over in her head what could have made him such a terrible person:

Elinor made no answer. Her thoughts were silently fixed on the irreparable injury which too early an independence and its consequent habits of idleness, dissipation, and luxury, had made in the mind, the character, the happiness, of a man who, to every advantage of person and talents, united a disposition naturally open and honest, and a feeling, affectionate temper. The world had made him extravagant and vain—Extravagance and vanity had made him cold-hearted and selfish. Vanity, while seeking its own guilty triumph at the expense of another, had involved him in a real attachment, which extravagance, or at least its offspring, necessity, had required to be sacrificed. Each faulty propensity in leading him to evil, had led him likewise to punishment. The attachment, from which against honour, against feeling, against every better interest he had outwardly torn himself, now, when no longer allowable, governed every thought; and the connection, for the sake of which he had, with little scruple, left her sister to misery, was likely to prove a source of unhappiness to himself of a far more incurable nature.

Now we have the ending:

He held out his hand. She could not refuse to give him hers;—he pressed it with affection. “And you do think something better of me than you did?” said he, letting it fall, and leaning against the mantel-piece as if forgetting he was to go. Elinor assured him that she did;—that she forgave, pitied, wished him well—was even interested in his happiness—and added some gentle counsel as to the behaviour most likely to promote it.

So she ends the conversation/whine fest with a lecture on how Willoughby could improve himself! This may be a great example of Christian forgiveness, but she certainly doesn't think he is a good person.

Now Elinor is alone and she reflects on how his charm overcomes her knowledge of his faults:

Willoughby, he, whom only half an hour ago she had abhorred as the most worthless of men, Willoughby, in spite of all his faults, excited a degree of commiseration for the sufferings produced by them, which made her think of him as now separated for ever from her family, with a tenderness, a regret, rather in proportion, as she soon acknowledged within herself—to his wishes than to his merits. She felt that his influence over her mind was heightened by circumstances which ought not in reason to have weight; by that person of uncommon attraction, that open, affectionate, and lively manner which it was no merit to possess; and by that still ardent love for Marianne, which it was not even innocent to indulge. But she felt that it was so, long, long before she could feel his influence less.

and slightly later:

But the rest, which one night entirely sleepless, and many hours of the most wearing anxiety seemed to make requisite, was kept off by irritation of spirits. Willoughby, “poor Willoughby,” as she now allowed herself to call him, was constantly in her thoughts; she would not but have heard his vindication for the world, and now blamed, now acquitted herself for having judged him so harshly before. But her promise of relating it to her sister was invariably painful. She dreaded the performance of it, dreaded what its effect on Marianne might be; doubted whether after such an explanation she could ever be happy with another; and for a moment wished Willoughby a widower. Then, remembering Colonel Brandon, reproved herself, felt that to his sufferings and his constancy far more than to his rival’s, the reward of her sister was due, and wished any thing rather than Mrs. Willoughby’s death.

I think wishing Willoughby a widower is the most damning line here, but the sentence prior make it clear that it is for Marianne's sake, not Willoughby's, that Elinor wishes he was free to marry. And she repents almost immediately. Also, and importantly, Elinor is still not sleeping! So she is still running on anxiety and no sleep when she wishes Mrs. Willoughby dead.

Later, when she does tell Marianne about the encounter a few weeks later, we can see her opinion of Willoughby has definitely soured:

“The whole of his behaviour,” replied Elinor, “from the beginning to the end of the affair, has been grounded on selfishness. It was selfishness which first made him sport with your affections; which afterwards, when his own were engaged, made him delay the confession of it, and which finally carried him from Barton. His own enjoyment, or his own ease, was, in every particular, his ruling principle.”

To summarize: Elinor was tired and emotional when Willoughby arrived and under the influence of his charm, she did begin to think better of him. She did forgive him, but while still dwelling on his faults. When she has time for rest and reflection, and without him present, she thinks more clearly and knows that everything Willoughby did was selfish.

#sense and sensibility #elinor dashwood #john willoughby #willoughby #the confession chapter #jane austen #elinor was tired #Willoughby is very charming #but she never lost sight of his crimes

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midwesternvibes · 1 month

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This one is currently winning on my little motivation poll so here we go

SEPERATED LEO AU!!! (because we don't have enough of those already lol)

Link to original post

So, I wanna talk more about how they all refound each other (link to how they met here)

Just to recap, Big Mama has Mikey, Draxum has Raph, and Splinter has Donnie. Big Mama's in her Nexus Hotel, Draxum is in NYC with a cloaking broach, and Splinter's in the ever iconic sewers.

Big Mama is actually a very kind mother to Mikey! She loves her little baby, and especially loves how he has her beloved Lou's smile. She spoils him to death and lets them express himself however she'd like. (If you haven't picked up on it yet, Mikey is genderfluid in this au and generally presents as a feminine man) Mikey absolutely adores skirts and zip-up hoodies, and usually wears a very bright suit top with a big orange ball gown skirt to formal events that Big Mama matches at Mikey's whims (I cannot draw for the life of me so if anyone is willing to draw this for me I will work out some kind of trade with you if you'd like 🙏)

But yeah, Big Mama does not let her fight in the Nexus, and has even toned down the brutality of the Nexus due to Mikey's pleading. There aren't any more lethal fights and she rarely makes binding, lifelong contracts because it made her baby upset to see all the sad and scared people.

They are a very cute duo and both genuinely love each other very much

Then there's Draxum amd Raph! Draxum luckily snagged two cloaking broaches before his lab exploded and slapped them on both him and his 2 year old son before heading up to the surface. The two of them then got a apartment in the.....*shuddder*........human world. Draxum tries to hide them in mostly secret, only leaving the house for groceries and necessities, but eventually realizes that poor Raphie is very lonely.

This is made so much worse when he meets the little girl downstairs and wants so desperately to follow her to school after their playdates.........Draxum finally caves.

With the help of Mr. and Mrs. O'Neil, he enrolls Raphie in the same Kindergarden as April and lets him finally go to school after years of homeschooling. Raphie struggles with the transition a bit, but eventually he gets the hang of it and thrives! Draxum encourages him to join as many clubs as he can (without getting overwhelmed of course) and is his biggest fan.

Once Draxum is able to settle down, he's actually a huge soccer mom and goes to all of Raphie's events, he gets totally embarrassed sometimes. Draxum and the O'Neils are really good friends and try to have dinner at least once a week

But once again, a very happy family! They struggle to show it sometimes, but they truly love each other and only want what's best for each other

Then we have Donnie and Splinter! Splinter was mutated with the DNA from his pet rat that he picked up on his travels with Big Mama and Draxum to get the turtles, and he was only able to grab Donnie and retreat to the sewers before Draxum's while lab collapsed. He, along with the other two, belive his partners and other children to be dead, so he never goes searching for them. Instead, he raises his son in the sewers on his own, foraging for all that they need just like in canon.

However, their sewer home is PREEEEEEEETY nice, since Donnie doesn't really doesn't have anything better to do other than make their home as nice as possible. He's has all major appliances working since he was 6 and only makes improvements from there. He also has his little pet project, but Splinter doesn't know about that yet!!!!

Speaking of Splinter, he varies pretty dramatically from canon. He's a lot less depressed because he had a much better experience with the yokai world and doesn't feel nearly as ashamed to BE a yokai (or yokai-adjacent) and keeps himself in much better shape, helping him with the dysmorphia that he does have. Overall, Splinter's doing pretty well, and he's a pretty attentive parent overall!

He was able to access some of his funds from his Lou Jitsu days and pays for Donnie to go to online school, and by the time Donnie meets up with the rest of his family at 11, he's halfway through high school work and has plans to go on to college so that he can start building up his tech empire by the time he's 18

But yeah, yet again, a overall happy parent/child relationship!

(Then there's Leo. All the angst had to go somewhere, right???)

Moving on! Now, the adults all lived separately with each of their respective kid, but when Raphie was about 8, he got really sick. Like, really really sick. Draxum went to as many human doctors that he could trust, but none of them were able to figure out what was wrong with his baby. He finally musters up the courage to go down to the Hidden City, and finds out that Raphie has Mystic Overload Syndrome. While he's running around trying to find stuff to help his little boy (he's so affectionate guys), Raphie sneaks out! He starts running around the Hidden City unbroached, and he feels truly seen for the first time in his life.

While running around, he literally runs into another turtle yokai, one who's dressed in expensive orange clothes...........

This post got REALLY long, so stay tuned for more! Next post will probably be how Draxum and Big Mama finally met, and then how Splinter and Donnie come into play!

(Don't worry about Leo this isn't about him he's fine)

First // Previous // Next

(Also stay tuned for the name reveal of the AU!

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slocumjoe · 10 months

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do you think any of the companions drink? what would their habits be?

how the companions booze it 🍻

Cait; Hard drinker who, surprisingly, can't hold her liquor. She gets drunk quickly, but takes some time to drop out of the race, so to speak. Obviously, she used drink out of trauma response, but having gotten clean from the drug addiction, Cait drinks sparingly and rarely. Like, actually eats as she does so. Doesn't drink water because Cait isn't a water drinker. Her drunkenness depends heavily on her mood pre-boozing. Her booze of choice is beer.

Curie; does not drink. However, did try wine. Did not like it. She just makes sure there's water and food available for the local alcoholics, and badgers them to partake in such necessities. The worst days at the clinic are days after a party and she likes to lessen that load as much as possible.

Danse; Alcoholic. One of the alcoholics Curie is always after. Danse drinks when he doesn't have work, to sleep. No exception. And he drinks a fucking LOT. Like...opposite to Cait, he takes a lot to get drunk, and even more to fall down. He chugs vodka, whiskey, tequila...basically, if even one shot isn't for the faint of heart, Danse takes swigs right from the bottle. It impresses some people, but he isn't doing it to impress. Danse isn't that kind of person who takes pride in his alcoholism. This problem gets worse after BB, but he gradually gets better as time goes on.

Deacon; used to have a problem, so now alcohol is kind of a...soft no. He'll have a drink. A drink. And it won't be anything too crazy. A glass of wine, a beer or two, maybe a shot. He drinks as a social thing, just to be polite. Customs, yknow? Besides, he wants to keep his head clear. Also suffers from bad hangovers. The type to spend the whole morning puking even if he didn't have that much.

Gage: Also used to have a problem. He wasn't an alcoholic, but rather, weak to peer pressure. He wanted to impress all the big tough raiders by putting away as much crap as they could. And for the most part, Gage very much could outdrink most people. But being that drunk that often is not safe for a young man in his position, and he learned real quick that its better to the smart stick in the mud than the fun, cool, vulnerable target.

Hancock; the type of guy to think his problem makes him cool and fun. Im sorry, but he is. Hancock is the kind of person who's like "yeah man I was barely walking and shit, I had like, 30 shots or something? Haha I forget dude! So I'm like half crawling back to my place and its fucking...what, 10 in the morning? And I got work in 2 hours man, and everyone on the streets looking at me weird, ahah, shit was crazy!" Hancock drinks whatever he has, with no preference or complaint. However, there's a specific brand of whiskey that burns like a mother fucker that he likes to drink to show off. Doesn't eat or drink water. Curie has yet to give up on him in all but spirit.

MacCready; the most normal, healthy drinker. He likes the occasional beer, but his soft spot is a margarita. Or a sangria. Not into alcohol on its own. He doesn't want to taste it. He'll rarely have a drink without food. Drinking water is his weakness here, as he also isn't a water person. Mac will have a beer with dinner, and maybe another, and maybe another if the vibe is right, and if he doesn't catch himself, will end up tipsy. If he doesn't catch himself at tipsy, homeboy is getting pickled.

Nick; Used to enjoy a martini, a brandy, a wine, a rum. A gentleman of refined taste. At least, thats what he'll say. OG Nick bought his alcohol based on coupons or whatever was cheap. This man drinks bud light. Now, Nick mostly just babysits people who can get drunk. But he used to have his alcohol in accordance to whatever he was eating. Sub from the shop down the corner? Donuts? Afformentioned bud light. Dinner with Jenny, homemade seafood pasta? A wine. He's big on the idea that certain drinks have rules.

Piper; wine bitch. Drinks out of a coffee mug if ones clean. If not...girly gets a straw. She doesn't have a problem, but you wouldn't know it if you saw her while she enjoyed a drink. Wine is pretty much the only drink she likes. Beer is gross, moonshine has done enough to her, vodka is too strong to be enjoyed. She likes wine because it tastes good to her. Her taste sways towards the dry ones. Because she drinks for the taste, she isn't keen on getting drunk, so Piper is good about staying fed and hydrated. When she isn't, her hangovers are...demonic.

Preston; drinks occasionally, and never wants to get drunk. He doesn't like the feeling of being drunk, though he doesn't get hangovers. Even when inebriated, Preston mama-hens and keeps everyone eating and chugging water, so he ends up taking care of himself as well. His taste is both broad and limited. He'll drink anything—provided its local. Preston will not drink a name brand. He doesn't want Heineken, he wants Craig's magic wheat poison. He doesn't want Franzia, he wants a bottle of whatever the twitchy lesbian living in a boat house has fermenting amongst the seaweed and barnacles.

X6-88; the only alcohol you could get this man to drink is alcohol disguised as dessert. Ole Smokey banana cream moonshine comes to mind. He'll know its alcohol, you can't hide it from him, but provided its tasty enough...you might get him to indulge a little. If only for the fact that its basically candy. Otherwise, he isn't drinking. He probably can't even get drunk, not without causing a shortage.

#fallout 4 #fo4 #paladin danse #preston garvey #nick valentine #x6-88 #piper wright #companions react #robert joseph maccready #porter gage

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ageless-soul-au · 4 months

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I’ve literally never met another person who ships First Hero with an OC. I MUST know everything about her now 👁️👁️

Oh goodness, where to start! Firstly, thank you so much for your interest in her! We love Stella a lot and she's super fun to write when we get to do so, so it'd be my pleasure to talk about her! Iirc we touched on her a bit in the more recent Stolen Altars chapters, discussing her with another character we havent seen in a while. That conversation gave us a bit of a peek into what Stella was like in her home era, and her family.

To start, Stella was never a meek woman, and she's always been incredibly stubborn. Fueled by spite, that one, and so willful, she's about as ornery as an old mule. That comes shining through in a lot of ways, in a lot of her relationships. With her grandfather, who was her legal guardian after her parents died, that manifested as frequent arguments and a lot of her storming out of the house, long hair trailing behind her like a tropic storm tail.

With her coworker, it often showed up as flippant disregard. She was going to do what she wanted, and normally there wasn't anyone willing or able to stop her. Working at the time bureau as she was, she did get the opportunity to pursue a medical track, which seemed to be the one thing she and her grandfather agreed upon, and she was good at it, as well as a quick study.

However, her stubborn streak bit her when her recklessness got her coworker put into the hospital, and she mellowed quite a bit after that. She began investing more time and care into that relationship especially, becoming, in that coworkers own words, like a second mother. Around this time, she cut her hair, and also acquired the scar on her nose. The new, good relationships with her peers didn't ease tensions with her grandfather though, and if anything, made them worse, and she continued to be directly oppositional to him until and after she met Matdas.

A note: her attitude was still shit when she met him and her bedside manner was still even worse.

Following that, some few years later and after figuring out her living situation with Matdas, there was an event, which forced her to take her small child and run, slipping through time to safety but leaving Matdas behind in the process.

From here, she remarried out of necessity to provide for the baby, her step-spouse passing of illness when the kid was old enough to understand what was going on, somewhere preteen ish? (I'd have to go back and look, forgive me ^^; ) and from then until just before the end of her life, things were relatively peaceful.

Stella was adept with magic, as it'd been a skill that was incredibly useful with her medical work, and did her best to try and pass that on, but…. She realized fairly quickly that it would be better for everyone if she simply wrote down all of her spells for her kid, because spellcasting was not a hereditary skill. She was a good mom, and by then she'd mostly figured out the patience thing, doing her best to show her child that they were loved no matter what. Stella was a comforting constant in a world where people often had a tendency toward cruelty.

She then fell ill, her child a teen, and didn't recover. The loss is still v e r y acutely felt.

That said... We're not exactly done with her or this story yet! Stay tuned! :3c

-Mizu

#ask #asau stella #ageless soul au #ASAU first

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ober-affen-geil · 2 years

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Ok so having just started the Murderbot Diaries series by Martha Wells I was going through the Murderbot tag here and noticed 2 things. 1) people yelling about respecting Murderbot's canonical and consistent touch-repulsion but not really supplying any alternatives and 2) at least two pieces of art of what seemed to be people attempting to either respect (charitably) or get around (uncharitably) Murderbot's touch repulsion by having it "link" or "hold" pinkies with someone for comfort.

As someone who is....not exactly touch averse or repulsed but certainly touch neutral (it's not something I flinch from but it's also not something I seek out or really enjoy) I thought I could provide helpful insight for both points: namely, "here is how someone who doesn't enjoy touch would prefer it to be substituted because humans are pretty touchy feely and getting your brain around someone genuinely not enjoying that is tough" and also "this is why touching just pinkies is not the loophole you think it is".

Keeping in mind this is more meant to be for fic reference, but if it helps with insight for real life that's great too. For clarity, this is based on my experience which is mostly for sensory reasons and is not in any way trauma related; others may have different experiences.

I will start with the pinkie and why that's........super not great actually, because it will help get into the headspace which will help with "what to actually do instead".

The thing is, linking pinkies as a substitute for holding hands, which seems to be how it's being used here, does not "get around" touch aversion because it's not enough contact to "set it off". It actually does the opposite (for me). Now I have to be hyper aware of how much my pinkie is curled, how high am I holding my hand, how far away from my body is my arm, does it feel like I'm pulling on *their* arm or hand or pinkie, is my hand sweaty, do I have an itch, I can feel my joints creaking as I struggle not to move too much lest I dislodge them...etc. If the point was to offer me a point of contact that was small enough for me to be able to not notice it too much? It failed. Badly. I'd rather have a full body hug.

Linking pinkies doesn't work as a loophole because it fundamentally misunderstands the main source of the touch aversion: concentrated hyper awareness of the body. The smaller the touch the more tightly concentrated the awareness is, and the worse it will be. It's also a non-standard kind of touch which means there is NOTHING to go off of in terms of what is wanted from you, aka its a very difficult touch to "perform" (yes I'm talking about masking). Edit: Also! Your fingertips and finger pads are *designed* for sensory input! And are a part of your body that is nearly almost always uncovered! Which means a) practically GUARANTEED skin to skin contact which is Worse and b) congrats, you picked one of the few areas on the body that is Designed To Tell A Person They Are Touching Something.

What a touch averse person would prefer, if you wanted to offer comfort or convey affection, is to first and foremost *not to ask them to perform for YOUR comfort/frame of reference to begin with*.

Words of affirmation, a simple hand gesture (such as placing your hand over your heart), literally just asking them if they want to talk, sitting in silence with them (engaging in parallel play), or perhaps offering a blanket/comfy clothes/food are all much better ways to actually offer a touch averse person comfort or intimacy while also still respecting their boundary.

Actual "loopholes" in (my) touch aversion include incidental contact that doesn't last and is ignored/meaningless to all parties (such as brushing past someone or being in a crowded space), the "mom" override (when I know someone really needs physical comfort in that moment which, tbc, is doing fuck all for me and is entirely about the other person), and functional necessity (such as medical attention or grabbing someone to help them up or keep them steady). (In case anyone was keeping track, Murderbot has shown all of these "exceptions" to my knowledge.)

I just. Hope this helps with understanding the mindset instead of just being beaten over the head with "respect touch aversion or you are ableist" because i do understand its hard to wrap your head around. But we deal with it so frankly, you can deal with it too for a change.

#Murderbot #the murderbot diaries #Touch aversion #Touch repulsed

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sharpestasp · 3 months

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FemFebruary: Maria Hill

Maria Hill, the woman Fury picked.

I'll be honest, I am mostly influenced by fic for her. @tielan handles her with finesse, competence, and love. I have not seen all of her appearances. What I have seen leads me to label her as more level-headed in her situation evaluations (Natasha jumps to worse case scenario too fast for instance).

Maria has the Coulson ability to follow orders, and hedge them within certain parameters as needed. She is a little bit colder; it's easy to see why Fury picked her as being closer to that analytical necessity.

I came at her with a finite level of comic awareness behind me, and felt the casting could have gone better, until I actually watched her. The actress seemed to really think out who this character was and USED it in body language, phrasing, looks… all of it. So my apologies to her, for past me's assumptions.

I would have loved to see her team up more strongly with people outside of SHIELD more (maybe she did in bits I have not seen). I would still be down for her throwing together a different task force of her own. (what death, no there was no death).

All in all, she is a solid character, and could very easily have been used as a lynch-pin to different stories than what they used her for.

#mcu #maria hill #marvel cinematic universe

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ccchloister · 10 months

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It's so strange how the problems that come with existing online have forced me to find words to explain concepts that I assumed were mostly universal. I thought knowledge, talent, expertise, hard work and persistence were skills that were valuable and should be encouraged in everyone. A.I. has taught me otherwise.

A.I. might as well stand for Anti-Intellectualism, because that's the spirit behind the excitement. It literally takes the skill and labor out of skilled labor. Learning is being treated like an inconvenience, a problem to be eliminated in the name of efficiency. Entire disciplines are being treated as grand sacrifices in the name of mass production and instant gratification.

Why does art need to be efficient? It's not food. It's not medicine. It's not shelter. How fast are people shoveling content into their gob that between social media, streaming, and physical media, it's still not enough? Technology has already pushed creators to pumping out content at an unhealthy and unnatural rate just to try to appease social media algorithms. Now that same output is being used to train new algorithms to pump it out even faster while cutting creators out entirely. It’s sick and cruel. And instead of this exploitation being treated like an injustice that needs to be corrected, I'm told "It's inevitable. Adapt or die. Don't put your work online if you don't want it taken", delivered either with condescending pity, callous apathy, or malicious glee.

If A.I. fans aren't taking the "hardened pragmatic realist" approach, then they are shallowly aping socialist ideas, blaming capitalism for exploitation, not the tech. A very "guns don't kill people, people kill people" take. Just because exploitation of creatives is not a new concept doesn't mean A.I. isn't responsible for making it INFINITELY WORSE. They’ve also decided that people shouldn't be pursuing art and knowledge for the sake of profit and that the skilled creators trying to protect their labor are greedy, elitist gatekeepers trying to keep art from "the common man" (because creatives aren't the common man, apparently). It's that same resentment and distrust of experts that's typical of anti-intellectualism, except creative fields are in this weird place where they aren't even respected the way STEM is, so there's an extra layer of belittling and disrespect to the othering. Consumers feel entitled to art, but they don't understand how it's made, and they definitely don't respect it as a discipline.

The glut of creative content available for "the common man" to consume has never been greater or more accessible, but it's still not enough. It's not enough to just consume art. They want ownership. They want the sense of accomplishment that comes from making something, without having actually *made* it. And despite their finger-wagging at creatives wanting to protect their careers, they also want to make some money. Etsy is flooded with A.I. prints, kindle is filled with A.I. books, spotify is loaded with A.I. songs. There’s even A.I. kickstarters. Along with replacing writers and animators, CEOs want to replace actors, voice actors, and models with simulacrums they can make do whatever they want, forever, and A.I. fans are hoping they'll be the ones hired to facilitate that process. Even without actively profiting, A.I. still devalues the work of skilled laborers. Why commission a skilled artist when for 15 dollars you can buy a machine that will give you infinite works of the same or better quality, instantly? Do you have faith in consumers to prioritize ethics over convenience? Do you think it's right and fair and good to make compensating skilled creators an act of charity rather than a necessity?

A.I. users overestimate their contribution to the final product, thinking their idea is so unique and their vision so strong, that of course they should claim ownership… conveniently ignoring all the infinite little decisions A.I. made for them based off the knowledge and fine motor skills of millions of artists. It's like they think fully realized Good Ideas are a natural resource waiting to be excavated, and traditional creators had the unfair advantage of pickaxes, physical strength and a knowledge of geology to find the rich veins. Now A.I. is providing scanners and and powerful machinery so "the common man" doesn't need strength or knowledge to quickly mine those same veins first.

But that's not what art is, and that's not how creation works. Art is communication. Imagination is fostered through life experience, observation and processing information with your human brain. It's something every living person could do, because every person is unique with unique life experiences. Creation is practice, study, experimentation, problem solving, and adapting to limitations. There is nothing stopping anyone from doing these things. Natural ability has been grossly overvalued: most people with "talent" were not making hyper-realistic paintings at 13 like Picasso. What happens is a child shows a slight aptitude, the adults in their life notice and give them positive reinforcement, and then they are motivated and encouraged to pursue that interest. So instead of treating the naturally talented as having an unfair advantage, why not blame the adults in your life for not encouraging your interests at a young age. Or if you want to be brutally honest, blame yourself for not pursuing your interests despite a lack of external validation. You have agency.

I try to imagine, what is an A.I. fan's idea of a perfect future? One where no one has any advantages that another person doesn't, where "everyone's special so no ones special"? Where all labor is automated and no one has to do anything they don't want to and everyone spends their infinite free time bettering themselves for it's own sake rather than for money? Every time they mention the evils of capitalism and how we need universal basic income and other ideas of a post-work society it makes me want to pull my hair out. We don't *have* those things. We aren't even close to those things. So it is functionally useless to factor that into your argument. Who is Tech to use A.I.'s elimination of thousands of jobs in non-Tech industries as a bargaining chip to try and incentivize the government to create safety nets for those displaced? Since when has your government prioritized it's citizens over corporations? Have proponents always been this naive, or only when trying to assuage concerns over the consequences of their new toy?

Even if we did achieve that techie utopia, what makes them think most people will use their free time productively, exercising their brain for it's own sake? Because speaking for myself, I can have every good intention of using my time to create and learn, but those things frequently lose out to short term, dopamine-driven feedback loops like social media and video games. Without any external incentives, I guarantee far less people will pursue learning for its own sake if the knowledge-based roles that keep society functioning are filled by machines. Think of how we've had to reintroduce exercise into are lives just for exercise's sake. Hows that going? Again, speaking for myself as an overweight person: Not Great. I might intellectually know physical fitness is important, but the difficulty and unenjoyable nature of exercise and the benefits not being immediate and obvious means it frequently loses out to activities I do enjoy. I know not everyone is like me, but many, many people are. Now replace physical fitness with cognitive abilities. Abilities that require work, who's benefits are totally abstract, and would be wholly unnecessary for living in an A.I dependent society. If that doesn't give you chills up your spine, then you must stand to benefit from a culture of stupidity that's hopelessly dependent on tech. And I hate you.

No ones going to read all this.

#AI #Tech #Art #Artists #creation #anti intellectualism #knowledge #labor #exploitation #Long #word dump #future

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throttlegainwell · 3 months

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As promised (to @quieterandquieter), a very long snippet from ch. 1 of a Jancy WIP.

Rated hard-M/soft-E (mostly for talk of, uh, bodily fluids). ~2.6k.

Nancy was going to scream. She was going to go out to the nearest cliff, lean over the edge, and scream until there was only enough air left in her lungs to keep them from collapsing on themselves—like she wanted to do, incidentally, after a day at the Post. She knew about that physiological necessity because she had aced her anatomy classes. She had aced them because she was a good student. She was a good student because she wanted to be taken seriously and treated with respect—because she wanted to make her mark on the world and utilize every tool possible to get there.

She was never going to be taken seriously in that building. By those people. All she could do was hope that they weren’t a representative sample, but every day wore that hope a little thinner. She couldn’t do anything right, it seemed. Not to mention that it was becoming increasingly clear that the game was rigged.

Still, she had her dignity, if nothing else. She held her head up as she marched out of the building, one foot stolidly in front of the other even as she itched to yank her shoes off of her feet, aching from running around all day, and toss one of them straight through the window.

Jonathan trailed behind her, already digging his keys out of his pocket with one hand and smoothly catching the door with the other when she dropped it on him, lost in her brain-vibrating haze of rage and despair as she was. Which she felt bad about instantly, of course. But he didn’t complain. Just reached out to rub her shoulders for a moment, which kind of made her feel better and worse—better because the grounding touch was nice, worse because it brought to her awareness that she was being a self-absorbed dick and thoughtlessly taking out her frustrations on someone who hadn’t done anything to slight her. Allowing this place to throw them out of sync and drag her down into the bitter ugliness where everyone was out for themselves and there was no decency.

There were better ways to deal with stress than letting those assholes turn her into one of them.

In fact, there was one way in particular that she knew would improve her day.

She glanced at him with apologetic eyes, the sincerity of her contrition possibly undermined by the shameless way they passed over him, taking inventory of all the places she wanted to touch the moment they had some privacy. But if the way his eyes widened and his breath caught for just the briefest moment were any indications, he was on board with her. His gait quickened, strides lengthening, even as he reached out to offer his hand; even as his fingers curled around hers when she pressed her palm against his.

She flattered herself imagining that he was already shifting his hips in anticipatory impatience when they pulled away from the curb, even as he tried to fill the charged silence between them, making conversation about his day that she responded to dutifully but, admittedly, distractedly. He probably wasn’t horny yet any more than she was, just from one knowing look and some hand-holding. But he glanced at her from under his choppy bangs at the traffic light, eyes big and warm, swallowing hard. It soothed some wounded patch of her ego, definitely.

“Pull over up there,” she said, when they’d reached a semi-private area away from the prying eyes of the main drag.

“You okay?”

“Yeah. I just need to take care of something.”

With raised eyebrows and a quizzical mouth, he pulled into the side street, behind the old bank that no one used now that they’d built the new one and that was already closed for the day anyway.

She waited until he’d put the car into park to undo her seatbelt, but then she was on him—before he could clock her intentions, before he could react. That quizzical curve of his lips moved under hers, morphing into an expression she would have loved to appreciate with her eyes if she weren’t so occupied feeling out the shape of it with her tongue.

A few things happened, then, in very short order—record time, actually. So fast, in fact, that she was kind of stunned, after, as she went over it in her head: she swung a leg over his to straddle him in the tight confines of the front seat, ground down into his lap as though she could fuse their pelvises together like some kind of metamorphic rock transformed by pressure and heat, and licked her way past his teeth to tease at him in a sharp counterpoint to the truly relentless force of her crotch against his. And that lasted for all of a minute or two before his breath stuttered into her mouth in hot little puffs, carrying with them a whine that stuck in her brain like a raucously catchy chorus to tangle around the minutiae of the day until it was the only thing standing out; and as his hips pressed up into hers, jostling her hard enough that he practically unseated her, jolting those nerve endings like she’d dropped down onto her old bike too fast and sending a spasm of pure feeling through her, that raw feedback that wasn’t good or bad but just so much.

He was still panting when she finally processed what had just happened.

“Really?” she asked.

Belatedly, she hoped that he didn’t take it the wrong way—that he didn’t think it was like the door, something she was dropping on him just because she was mad and he was in her path. It was just that she hadn’t really been intending to get that far. Wouldn’t have dreamed of it, not out here where they only had privacy so long as no one happened by and he still had to drive her home. She’d just wanted to touch him a little—or, okay, maybe a lot. To tide herself over with that closeness. To be held a little and hold him back. The intensity was maybe a bit much, but it was just the residual frustrations of the day manifesting in the roll of her hips, maybe some overly aggressive lip maneuvers. She’d gotten carried away—something about the weather, maybe, pushing all the sense out of her mind.

His answering swallow was loud in the silence—loud and wet-sounding, like maybe it was a delayed reaction, all those muscles temporarily useless until his brain recovered so he wouldn’t drown in his own spit, struck dumb. He blinked up at her, one hand rising up to push his hair out of his face, but maybe just to have something to do while he tried to get his bearings.

His laugh was a little choked, too, like even he couldn’t quite believe it. With a sheepish shrug, he said, “You look really nice today.”

A sardonic barb jumped to her tongue after all—something to draw incredulous attention to what a mess she was—before she realized both that he was serious and that she wasn’t even in a bad mood anymore anyway. It was genuine. The Nancy Wheeler contorted around his lap, with her pulse still pounding so insistently against his fly that it seemed crazy he couldn’t feel it, was not at all the carefully put together girl she’d begun the day as. She was sweaty. She’d had to wipe off most of her makeup because it had run when she was crying in the bathroom earlier. She’d gotten newsprint on her most mature and least enticing blouse, chosen specifically as an experiment to see whether maybe her clothes were the problem (conclusion: no, she was definitely not the problem; if anything, dressing to be un-enticing had made them worse).

Affection softened her lips, the set of her jaw, her fingers still wrapped around his collar and the back of his neck. She raised her hand to wipe a strand of spit from the corner of his mouth, her thumb stroking slow and tender along his skin, skating down to his chin, the vulnerable length of his throat. Touching his face because she had to do something, and the alternative was to grab his hand to shove it down her sensible dress pants until the throbbing pressure in her crotch dissipated enough that she wasn’t in danger of chewing a hole through her lower lip. And that was not happening out here—she wasn’t so far gone that she’d lost all sense. Just most of it, apparently.

But her dilemma was this: as much as she’d come to enjoy their amorous encounters, she’d never gone from interested to desperately needing focused attention so quickly before. Never gotten so painfully turned on so dizzyingly fast—so turned on that she could hardly breathe around it, driven totally to distraction. It was like an itch, maybe—a maddening thing siphoning her attention away, pulling her along a singular impulse that it seemed only reasonable follow. Which was new.

Maybe because this was the fastest she’d taken him from interested to overwhelmed and boneless before.

“You look real,” he continued, his voice vibrating out into her thumb where she was still petting him. “Tough, serious, and real. You mean business.”

Maybe he looked at her like this and saw the monster-hunter. The truth-chaser. The conspiracy-conqueror. Someone he’d photograph if his camera were handy. Not the crying chick in the stained blouse; not the girl who’d fucked up the lunch orders again; not the idiot who thought she could write and deserved a seat at the table.

Her eyes were still red and puffy, at least from what she could tell when she’d glanced into the side mirror at that last red light, and he was calling her tough because she’d stuck it out.

That was something to examine another day—the softness and open admiration in his voice, the way it clenched her heart in her chest and made her want to press her forehead to his and shut her eyes—to just let him wrap certain and loving arms around her. At the moment, there was an altogether different clenching drawing more of her attention. She was both apologetic, of course, and possibly hornier than she’d ever been in her life. She’d needed a win, and certainly her ego had been further soothed by this turn of events—at least for now—but there was also the enticement of a new discovery to empirically pursue. Because this certainly warranted further investigation. Maybe a lot of investigation.

Scientifically, of course. And all reputable studies, after all, were replicable.

Her brain whirred away as her chest warmed, as her spirits kept lifting. The car was stiflingly hot in the early summer air, muggy under a late afternoon sun, but that didn’t matter.

He kissed her sweetly while she thought, more alert but with no intent, until he had to kind of nudge at her hip to get her to move off of him.

“Uh, can we go to my house first?” he asked, eyebrows raised in supplication. “Your mom might want to invite me in, and…”

She smiled when he gestured at his pants—at the wet patch sluggishly wicking out over his thigh, up his crotch—but she blushed a bit, too, at the reminder that he’d come in his pants because of her. But it was probably lost in the still-needy flush heating her face, the warmth of the air around them.

When he looked out to pull back onto the road, attention taken up being a responsible driver, she glanced down at her own crotch—she felt like she might just slide out of her seat, wet as she was, and couldn’t quite believe that she didn’t have an embarrassingly visible problem of her own.

Nancy was polite enough not to ask whether his Mom or Will would be home yet—it seemed inconsiderate to ask him about his family while a small lake of jizz was still cooling, soggy and sticky, in his boxers—but she crossed her fingers that the house was empty. Not so much so that Jonathan could avoid the embarrassment—they were crafty enough that she wasn’t worried about that—but because she might actually cry for the third time today if she didn’t get to do something about this need within, say, five minutes of Jonathan peeling himself out of his pants and washing up a little. And that last part was optional and dependent entirely on his comfort level with being sort of gross for a little longer.

By the time they’d arrived at his house, she was still trying to decide what she might do to sate this ache if his family was home. But she hadn’t come up with anything useful beyond hopeful, ineffectual squirming and the vague awareness that Jonathan wouldn’t leave her hanging like this, even if he did have to navigate an awkward family encounter first. But for the first time all day, Nancy caught a break—Joyce’s car wasn’t parked out front and Will’s bike was absent, too.

He held out his free hand behind himself as he flipped to his house key, the touch of his fingers against her palm maddeningly, absurdly energizing. She occupied herself—on the walk up to the porch, unlocking the door, through his empty house as she trailed after him—by replaying those frenzied three minutes in the car.

That startled, confused sound when he came—that nerve-jangling buck of his hips before he’d stilled. The shock on his face when he’d looked at her.

His gait was awkward and shuffling until he’d closed the front door behind him, already reaching for his belt and shucking his pants before he’d made it all the way across the room.

“Give me two minutes,” he said, one hand on the bathroom door frame as he looked over his shoulder at her, eyes wide and bright. She nodded, and he disappeared into the bathroom. The water running in the sink was muffled through the closed door, but the faint splashing reached her anyway.

She went to wait on his bed, turning over this new data. The urgency had faded slightly between the car and his bedroom, but not the need. A quick glance at the clock was all the thought she spared for anything approaching propriety as she remembered that she’d been facilitating her own sexual pleasure since before she’d known what an orgasm was; the help was nice, but she didn’t need it. Especially not when she had such potent inspiration to stir her imagination.

Maybe she’d come at him too fast, more intense than usual.

Maybe he’d just been kind of turned on from the moment he’d realized that she was angling for sex, the way she knew he had when he’d sped up out on the sidewalk. Maybe he just liked her when she wasn’t so put together, so made up and conventional. But she found, as she kicked off her shoes to strip off her pants and step out of them without breaking stride, that it didn’t actually matter so much. All that mattered was that she was the reason he’d gotten so turned on, the reason he’d lost it so quickly, the reason he’d had to check the front seat when he got out of the car to see if he’d left any awkward evidence behind (and he hadn’t, so it wasn’t that terrible).

#writing tag #jancy fic #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #normally i wouldn't post such a long WIP snippet but oh well lol #long post #very long post #nsfwish text

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cosmic-walkers · 1 year

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I greatly detest the whole ‘Feanor and Galadriel are foils but Galadriel is better than Feanor in that she didn’t yearn for power when she got to middle earth like he did, and he just went for his stupid silmarils and to wage war against Morgoth' becuase as always that tends to just reduce Feanor to a misinformed fandom version of himself and make him seem arrogant (and for some reason misogynistic???) and also completely erases galdriels flaws and complexity (and the fact that those flaws are typically praised where as Feanor’s are shamed). Which Feanor himself is also extremely flawed he is not perfect- but come on? More so, people tend to completely gloss over the reason both feanor and galadriel went to middle earth and compare/contrast them for it and make feanor seem rebellious for no reason.

Feanor didn’t go to middle earth for power, he left valinor because he felt he had no other choice.

The valar were not protecting him against Morgoth, he didn’t have any trust in them because they didn’t earn his trust. And when one of their own fucked up after Feanor had continuously brought up how dangerous/problematic he was (but the valar ignored him because he was Feanor) they wanted Feanor to fix their mistake. They wanted Feanor to literally kill himself (because he says that if he breaks the silmarils he will die - and take this as you will, but I personally do not think he said that lightly) for their problem. And what is worse, is that Morgoth killed finwe as well and the valar still did nothing. Feanor didn’t trust them, he didn’t feel safe. One killed his father, the others were willing to kill him, all of the them wanted his Silmarils even if it cost him his life, after not treating him well at all. He didn’t feel safe in Valinor because unlike all the other elves, he was not protected, he was not favored by the valor. He left valinor out of necessity, because valinor was not safe for him. at the root he was protesting the valar's treatment of him and the other elves because if they didn't stand up to protect feanor, then any other elf could've been treated that way in the future.

Galadriel, who was loved and cherished by all—the valar included, did not have to leave Valinor. She did not leave out of fear, or even wanting to fight Morgoth, she left because she had the desire to rule people of her own. She wanted to be given lands and people of her own. That was her prime motives.

She wanted to be a ruler. And she got that, easily. One could say this is a flaw, but it was never corrected or called out by Tolkien because unlike Feanor’s flaws, Galadriel’s flaws are written as character growth and development. And the thing is, she does get to rule people, multiple times. She is given rule and power in realms, through celeborn and even through her heritage, realms and people are given her to rule (mostly sindar and silvan elves- and some of them do take issue with this). and even when she returns to Valinor, she is in the ruling family in Valinor by both Finarfin and Ingwe and the Teleri (lmao I forget their kings name) blood that runs through her veins. She is also welcomed back Into valinor with open arms. Even the Valar want her to return. She doesn't leave out of fear or distrust, she leaves because to her, it is a way to rule power/people.

Feanor’s desire to venture to middle earth is not the same as galadriel. Therefore, none can be compared or contrasted. I very much love both characters, but I think you are doing a disservice to yourself if you look at them through a ‘Feanor vs Galadriel’ perspective because of how they are treated in the narrative. Feanor is always going to look worse in comparison to Galadriel, and he is going to be under simplified when it comes to his motives. People don’t see he was afraid, they see he was arrogant which isn’t fair. Especially when it can be argued that Galadriel is also arrogant tolkien just favors her more. and like I said I do like her so whether or not you think her motives are bad or good, are up to you. But I think they shouldn’t be seen in comparison to feanors, whose life in valinor was not as easy as Galadriel’s.

If you want an actual foil of Galadriel and Feanor, I’d suggest trop Galadriel who is a lot like Feanor and ventures to middle earth for reasons that are similar to Feanor (stop Morgoth/sauron, avenge finrod). And in TROP galadriel actually does have flaws that she needs to work on, that are called out by the narrative. Similar to Feanor--Rings of Power galadriel is the most accurate flaw to Feanor.

You cannot compare someone who is loved by all, cherished by the author himself, and practically given realms and lands because of who she is and how loved she is, to someone who is going through unaddressed trauma, stalked/harassed by a literal god, ignored by the ones who are supposed to help him, and at the end of the day acts of of fear. That is not a fair comparison.

any maybe this is just a twitter thing, but the mini fan war i've seen going on between the two fans of the characters (or just everyone collectively agreeing that feanor is stupid for waging war against morgoth when the valar did nothing and that galadriel is the better version of him), is really dumb.

both galadriel and feanor are honestly remarakable characters that are allowed to exist without being pit against one another. that just reduces both of their characters and takes away any form of complexity they have.

#feanor #galadriel #silmarillion #the rings of power #it's okay to hate feanor but stop reducing him to some whiny man child

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best-underrated-anime · 3 months

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Best Underrated Anime Group A Round 3: #A3 vs #A1

#A3: Girl who sees ghosts meets poor shinigami. Comedy ensues.

#A1: Teens with special powers seek & protect other unique teens.

Details and poll under the cut!

#A3: RIN-NE (Kyoukai no Rinne)

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Summary:

Rinne Rokudou has bigger problems than going to school—namely, helping spirits pass over to the next life. Because of this responsibility, he often finds himself short on money and struggles to buy his necessities: food, clothes, and exorcism tools.

Sakura Mamiya has been able to see ghosts since she was little. She hoped she would outgrow it, but even after starting high school, nothing has changed. To make matters worse, the first time her ever-absent classmate, Rinne, shows up for school, only Sakura can see him. She assumes, as anyone would, that he is a ghost. However, to Sakura's surprise, Rinne proceeds to attend school like normal the next day.

Propaganda:

This is one of Rumiko Takahashi’s underrated works (mostly getting overshadowed by Inuyasha due to her releasing this series after the fact), and I don’t see a lot of people talk about it often. While it’s not my favorite of her works, it’s one that I still like because of the way she portrays the characters. Plus, it still has that classic Rumic comedy and feel to it and I really love the animation with her artstyle. Anyways, if you like supernatural comedies (with a hint of romance) then vote for Rin-ne!

Trigger Warnings: None.

#A1: Charlotte

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Summary:

Yuu Otosaka has the ability take over a person’s mind and body for five seconds at a time, allowing him to cheat his way to the top of his class and enter a prestigious high school, where he continues his dishonest acts. His shenanigans are eventually stopped by Nao Tomori, the headstrong student council president from Hoshinoumi Academy, who sees through his deceit. Through coercion, Nao convinces Yuu to transfer to Hoshinoumi and join the student council.

With Yuu begrudgingly assisting in council affairs, the group sets out to find and protect new ability users from harm. However, as they further investigate the abilities, their findings entangle them in far more complicated matters than they could ever imagine.

Propaganda:

I would encourage anyone who enjoys shows that make you think to check this one out! Due to things revealed near the end of the series, a second watch-through is well worth it to see the clues towards the ending and foreshadowing along the way. Consequential drawbacks for these special powers are included throughout the series. Plot-twists keep the audience hooked through it all. There is character growth as the main character changes and as hard choices come up later. It does take you on an emotional roller coaster from light-hearted humor to hitting you right in the feels. (I totally did not watch this anime just because my favorite voice actor is in it lol)

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse, Child Death, Emotional Abuse, Flashing Lights, Gender Identity/Sexuality Discrimination, Graphic Depictions of Cruelty/Violence/Gore, Rape/Non-Con, Torture, Mutilation.

The non-con warning is for female characters unwillingly having their underwear publicly exposed.

When reblogging and adding your own propaganda, please tag me @best-underrated-anime so that I’ll be sure to see it.

If you want to criticize one of the shows above to give the one you’re rooting for an advantage, then do so constructively. I do not tolerate groundless hate or slander on this blog. If I catch you doing such a thing in the notes, be it in the tags or reblogs, I will block you.

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#anime #best underrated anime #polls #poll tournament #tournament #anime tournament #animation #group stage #group stage round 3 #tournament polls #group a #rin ne #rinne #rin-ne #kyoukai no rinne #charlotte #charlotte anime

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evansblues · 9 months

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Based on his chart, can you tell what all his soul is looking for in love? People have done chart readings before, but you give more a neutral reading and better understanding

I love this question. With regards to Chris I would say it’s not so much what he’s looking for but what he needs. I can tell from his Juno conjunct Pluto in libra that his spouse will change him significantly, and she will balance him out. It will be a very big, life-changing event when he finds her, and it will open the doorway to the next phase of his life. She will be his other half, and this is something that he hopes and dreams for since it’s his 11th house. I said before that he needs someone who simulates him mentally, this is crucial. He’s mostly, in his personality, a combination of Gemini and Scorpio. These are the two signs that are the most inquisitive. They are the two signs that need to have the answers; the other signs see the truth or facts as a function of some thing. A means to an end. Gemini and Scorpio see it as a necessity, he will need somebody with placements that support the same need for knowledge and exploration of fact, Gemini and Scorpio are the diggers. They are the ones who will go finding information. He needs someone who appreciates that, and probably has the same tendencies because if he’s with somebody that doesn’t understand that or doesn’t have the same passion for it, I t’s not going to validate him in the way that he needs. It’s absolutely crucial. This is further supported by his mercury conjunct Venus and Athena in his 8th house. Information is something he loves and is personally transformed by. These placements are trining his moon in Scorpio, so his emotions are tied into it. He’s a deeply emotional person with his moon in Scorpio especially in the 12th house and especially with those cancer placements, so he will need someone who understands a great depth of emotion and who can meet him there.

I have always seen people talk about his future spouse like she is some kind of 1950s housewife. Remember how television was back then where people never talked about serious or dark issues? She will need to have a darkness because he needs to connect on that level and he has a darkness so he can’t have somebody who’s all sunshine and rainbows because he won’t feel understood and he won’t be able to talk to them about his thoughts on things like the occult. I mentioned how Tara isn’t into that and probably says things that are denigrating of it; he needs somebody that he can express his more esoteric views to. It’s mandatory. The person he will end up with is someone who is going to have similar troubling life experiences, very deep emotions, and an interest in things like tarot and astrology, probably some sort of eastern philosophy. However, she will also have to have balancing qualities to her. She’ll have to have a depth of emotion, but she will have to have a constancy where he feels nurtured and grounded, like his Cancer placements need. I talked about a couple of his exes being too similar to him where they didn’t balance each other out. They just had the same traits, and it made things worse when they were bad or manic when they were good. It’s generally necessary for people to be understood emotionally but also balanced and soothed. This requires someone with similar life experience and outlook but a different temperament and approach.

He needs someone who stimulates and encourages his creativity. I see a lot of creative potential for him. But he’s very lacking in fire signs and he needs that for his north node In fact, speaking elementally, he has a lot of air and a lot of water. They don’t go together. They are separate, that’s why he yo-yos. He needs fire and Earth. I would guess that he needs somebody with a balanced chart because they need to relate to him with the signs that he has, but they also need to balance him out with the elements that he doesn’t have; they can’t just have the opposite signs because those aren’t as relatable. Compatible, yes, but Scorpio in particular needs another Scorpio placement to be understood. For those of you that know at least sun sign astrology, where you talk about what your Sun sign is and how you relate to other people with difference Sun signs, (oh I’m a Leo, what are you?) you will know that there are some people that you always get along with and some people that you never get along with, just based on Sun sign. Scorpios need others Scorpio placements. They need people who have the same depth as they do, they need people who have the same inquisitiveness that they do, and they need people who have the same karma and darkness that they do. I wouldn’t want to see too much of it, but it needs to be present.

He’s always attracted to these people with cancer placements. He has his Venus and his mercury there so they stimulate his love and his inquisitiveness, but it always seems to be a problem. I think because it’s too much, particularly if it’s the sun right there. The thing about cancer placements is that they have the potential, if they’re conjunct especially his mercury, to directly square his Saturn and Jupiter, which means it’s would affect his career negatively. So as much as he likes those placements and is drawn to them, it’s probably not the best placement to have. A better placement. would be, for example, something in Virgo that’s trining his Cancer. It’s grounding earth and if it’s a good placement like Venus and it’s conjunct midheaven it will make him look good publicly. edit: it would have to be early Virgo in his ninth house to avoid squaring his Sun, and it would have to be a benefic.

His Gemini and Scorpio placements also cannot be too negatively aspected because they’re very dear to him and very integral to who he is so they can’t be a source of conflict. I would expect to see a connection to them, obviously, because they’re his personal planets and a negative but not terrible aspect to something like his Mars, where it would be more of a banter thing than fighting could be fine he might even like that. Although, one of the big obvious things that was wrong with his relationship with Jenny was that she has both her son and her moon in Aries, which directly sextiles his Gemini and it was too much fighting. It might’ve been fun banter at first, but then he just became too much because it’s both their Sun and her moon and his Mars and that’s way too much, even though the sextile is a harmonious aspect.

I realize I’m describing more of a chart than I am specific attributes, but the thing is charts are so complex I can’t tell you what this person would be like because there are a number of ways that various placements can manifest, and even people with very similar charts can have one significant difference in their big three and thus be very different people. Even identical twins are still different people, because the same chart can still have leeway in how it expresses. One of the key things that he needs is someone who has a chart distribution that compliments his and a lot of that is gonna depend on the rising sign. So even if you have for instance a Virgo Venus, which I already use as an example, if it’s in your fourth house it’s gonna be a really big problem because that’s his public image and a fourth house Virgo is gonna be very private, so he is not going to feel very good to someone who wants their privacy. It means that everything in their home life is gonna be out there. That’s another problem with some of the placements I see him being drawn to over and over is that the area of the persons life or the individual who has that placement is different from where he has it and if they don’t jive, it won’t feel good. He has a very public Leo, where his north node is and if somebody has a very private Leo, that would conflict with his need to be out there. Or it could conflict with someone’s sense of self. I don’t think he could be with a Leo rising, for example, because that would mean that what he’s trying to be is too much of what somebody else is an identify, since it’s their first house, that could be a source of conflict. This is why the rising is the difference in how the chart placements affect someone’s life and which areas it happens in. Thats why the rising sign is so important to have and that’s another thing but I would be looking for. Because he has all of his planets in the top half of the chart he would need someone with a similarly public journey in life. That was the big problem with Minka. All her placements were in the bottom half.

In short, he’s looking for someone that can meet him emotionally, he’s looking for someone that can stimulate him intellectually, he’s looking for someone that doesn’t judge him and has similar experiences to him, he’s looking for someone that doesn’t negatively affect his work or public image, and he’s looking for someone that he can banter with, but not argue with; he’s looking for an equal.

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oodlyenough · 1 year

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last of us 1x08

I had fucked up dreams last night after watching this episode lmfao

Obviously this will talk about the content of the ep so general cw for attempted child sexual assault and uh cannibalism I guess

Overall, probably one of the best this season. Very faithfully adapted from the game, which is a neutral point, but I was impressed that for all I knew what was going to happen basically beat by beat I was still on edge.

Not sure if this is #unpopular or not but I found David MUCH creepier here (from a starting place of "very creepy already" in the game), and I also found his characterization overall to be better. I've never really been sure if in the game you're meant to ever trust him, but I never did, partly because Nolan North plays him with the slimiest voice imaginable, so him turning out to be a creep is kind of a no-shit moment.

Whereas I thought this David was much better at putting up a front, which in turn made him all the more terrifying. It was way too easy to imagine this David pre-apocalypse, teaching (UGHHH), ingratiating himself in the community, getting away with all of it because these kinds of men so often do. The slide "from teacher to preacher" god like of COURSE this mf would find a different way to gain power, control and access over people including/especially children... Ugh it was all 2 Real and that much more creepy.

I also though the way they dealt with the cannibalism was very good honestly. It would've been easy to purely justify it with "people are starving, and we're eating the dead" -- which is kind of what David says, but you can use the context clues to deduce that it's not just that they're eating their dead out of desperation, but that they are actively hunting people for food, he's keeping it a secret, it's, imo, clearly part of his sick power-tripping rather than necessity (as others pointed out, relatively inexperienced Ellie finds game very quickly and easily in one hunting trip lol).

I also thought the slight tension between David and James was interesting here -- obviously James is also a freak, lol, but their disagreement over how to handle Ellie and the general rift between them, as the episode goes on I think you do get the sense that even James is uncomfortable with this side of David and tried roundabout ways to talk him out of going after her or just about shot her in the head. (I keep wanting to joke that James is like "I can excuse cannibalism, but..." but frankly 1. one of these things IS worse than the other and also 2. in the end he still enables everything David does anyway! Bc of course he does. Isn't that how it always goes.)

This was definitely the big showcase for Ellie and for Bella Ramsey. (Watching people whine and cry about it, "two episodes of mostly Ellie wahhhhh" lmaooo shes the main character of the franchise losers, deal with it.) Ramsey was very good. Everyone's saying it but yes the primal screaming in that restaurant scene, ugh, chilling and excellent.

I did find the very first scene between Ellie, James and David had me wincing, like Ellie's tough guy voice was just so bad and felt like a kid play-acting ... but then I suppose that was probably the exact intent, that Ellie was trying to be threatening but wasn't capable of actually BEING threatening in that moment. There's a huge difference between that fake bravado and her (entirely justified) rage and violence later in the episode.

Joel was very Joel in this. I don't have much to say about him lol, it was nice to see Pedro's Joel go a bit unhinged, something we've heard tell of in various episodes but only seen scraps of before. "It's all right, I believe him" is such a memorable bit of the game and it just as chilling here.

Ok time for some criticisms:

They leaned HARD into the pedophile angle for David here. That was always in the game, but it was fairly subtextual, with more emphasis on the cannibalism. Here it was the reverse. Although disturbing, I generally didn't mind -- but I did feel the final scene, and specifically his dialogue in it, about "liking the fight" was just too Ick for me. Very HBO. I felt we didn't need it to know what he was going to do. (Then again audiences do miss the obvious all the time...)

I didn't really miss the infected fight in this episode. I saw people say that you need it to build a false sense of trust between David and Ellie but like... lmao idk I never trusted that guy for a single second. BUT I will say I *do* wish we saw more infected in the series overall. I know it's not about the zombies~ but they are still, uh, the reason all of this is going on, fundamentally. They're what makes rebuilding a functioning large-scale society near impossible, because it falters so easily with a simple misstep leading to infection and outbreak.

The ending felt a bit rushed. The Joel-Ellie reunion didn't hit me as hard as I wanted, although it seems to have resonated with the show fans. It's not an issue (for me) of him pulling her off David, or not -- I like the way it played out -- it's just... I dunno. Something about the way it ended on the two of them wandering off together, maybe? Maybe I liked the game's cut to black with her sobbing in his arms more?

I also felt that because they spent more time with David's community, there was a real glaring absence of them in the climax. These people have been under David's thumb for who knows how long, presumably with James + co as his enforcers. Now they're free but directionless. What comes next? Obviously, the show can't explore all of that, but questions like "why hasn't anyone tried to stop Joel in town" "why didn't anyone notice the fire" "where are other guards" etc... I think we could've used another scene with Hannah and her mom (who totally looks just like Mel from TLOU2, lmao).

AND the biggest one of all...

Feeling pretty :/ about the "violent heart" speech to Ellie. From David's POV, it makes total sense for him to say those things. He's trying to manipulate and groom her. I completely buy the dialogue, from him.

But I was left wondering if I the viewer was meant to agree, concluded that I am probably supposed to agree, and also that I ... don't. This has been a recurring criticism from me of the show's portrayal of Ellie. I've mostly tried to make my peace with it by acknowledging Show Ellie and Game Ellie are different characters evolving slightly differently and living slightly different lives yadda yadda... But I dunno. I guess I won't be able to say how I feel about it until I see s2 and s3 anyway lmao.

#the last of us #the last of us hbo #god this post is long af

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romeoandjulietyouwish · 2 years

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Not sure if you write for them or not but could I get a 💪🏽 or ✊🏽 (or combined) for imodna?? If you don’t write for them then just 💪🏽 for vaxleth please since I know you already did the other one for them! Thank you for considering, I love your writing!

bridal carry, protecting

Launda always keeps an eye on Imogen. Always, even when the human is pissed at her, even when she should be doing other things. Imogen is always worth her attention. And it's a good thing because even with her purple hair, she can sometimes fade into the crowd. That's exactly what she's trying to do right now, falling behind in the group, hunching her shoulders more.

Were things normal, Launda would do the same, put herself between Imogen and the road. But things aren't normal so she just keeps an eye on her.

When they pass a crowd of drunkards, Launda seeks Imogen's eye. And just like she knew she would, Imogen flinches, her hands tightening around herself. Imogen told her once that drunk people's thoughts are awful, they're messy and loud and sometimes violent.

And still Laudna doesn't go to her, no matter how much she wants her. She knows her comfort would not be welcome. But she does drift a little closer just in case.

It's a good thing she did because only a minute or so later, a teacher leading a crowd of school children pass by them. Their thoughts, Imogen has told her, are worse than any others, they're piercingly loud, like constant screaming and they so bright and complicated but too simple.

Imogen cries out in pain, falling to her knees. Since she's so far behind the group, she's alone in the road. And passersby, unaware of the cause of her distress, flock around her, checking if she's alright.

Before she even knows what she's doing, Laudna's eyes and mouth and nose start pouring black ooze, her neck cracking as she grows just a little bit taller, limbs twisting unnaturally. Her voice laced with unearthly whispers, she commands, "Get away from her."

The crowd turns to her quickly, scrambling back in fear. Laudna drops back to her normal form, cracking her limbs back into place as she kneels down beside Imogen who has her hands clamped over her ears, rocking back and forth.

"Imogen," Laudna says softly, touching her shoulder. "Go into my mind." Imogen nods, eyes squeezed shut and a moment later, Laudna feels the familiar presence of Imogen in her mind. Most people can't detect it, but Launda has taught herself to, not out of distrust but out of necessity. She wants to be able to calm her thoughts when Imogen is inside, make it a safe place for her.

And that's exactly what she does as she scoops Imogen into her arms, holding her in a bridal carry as she rushes towards the group. she fills her mind with a calm memory. It's of the two of them sharing a bed in a shitty inn. The roof was so thin they could hear every rain drop on it and were half scared it would collapse on them. It was such a peaceful night.

She tells them they need to find an inn, to rest for a while somewhere quiet for a few hours, that she'll stay with Imogen until she feels better. But her mind is mostly focused on that memory and the feeling of Imogen's hand gripping her shirt, a silent plea to stay.

As if Laudna would be anywhere else.

#my fic #critical role #bell's hells #imodna

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