#if you say you want to be there for your family bc you don't want to see children cry? Well if there's war then your family will suffer

[prosciuttoon]

Anyway, Shuro isn't the only character with problems, he isn't even the only Japanese/ Eastern Archipelago character, so not the only one with that specific background. And yet, he sure is the only one who acted out the way he did.

If you like him for .. whatever reason (narcissism? Based on your posts, I guess), that's fine, but like. There's extremely valid reasons for not liking him that aren't just "ur racist" or "you just don't understand!!!!"

hes the only one that acted out bc he was the only one that laios was interacting with that was the reason they fought?? laios wasnt talking to hien or benchidori or maizuru like that he didnt even meet them until he reunited w shuro in the dungeon

and when did i ever say “you’re racist if you hate him” all i did was talk abt the cultural context of his upbringing that would make him a terrible communicator. also, narcissism is such a weird word for liking a character a lot? and its not like im making him look innocent and flawless bc im literally explaining his flaws and where they come from. if someone doesnt like him bc he reminds them of someone that hurt them im not gonna try to change their mind, wouldnt hurt to know Why he acts like that but if theyre informed and still dont like him thats perfectly fine!!!

since i think u sent 2 asks ill just put the first one here and answer it too:

in the post abt him leaving izutsumi in the dungeon to come back “if she wants to” the “nuance” i was talking abt was the fact that he said “if she wants to” i.e giving her a choice to return (which she didnt do because she hated that place obv). also sorry hes not powerful enough to abolish slavery in his country, hes not even the heir to the family. dont think the eastern archipelago is strictly based on a specific time or reality in japan, probably just inspired by reality but not based on it, so shuros family is likely one of many families serving their “feudal lord” who rules a province of the country. in history, feudal lords were also under shogun and the emperor, but neither are mentioned in the manga iirc so i will guess that wasnt the case.

my aim w my posts isnt to force ppl to change their minds on whether or not they like a fictional character. im just giving an extra perspective w stuff from extra content plus my own experience (i.e being asian too) that some people may not know about. what they do w the info is up to them im not trying to tell people how to think. if they learn smth that changes their opinion fine if they dont also fine its not that serious. im just talking about my interpretations of the character.

if i see a critique i may think “wait but do they know about [insert notable info]”. if they dont know, would maybe be good to know bc its important to the character, if they do know and thats the conclusion they came to, thats it! i dont do any more than that n ur acting like im forcing everyone to like him.

tldr; just cuz i am explaining the root of his flaws doesnt mean im ignoring them. i still call him what he is! a loner who cant set boundaries and it only makes problems for himself and people around him, but i also happen to be interested in Where the behaviour comes from! (which happens to be heavily due to culture). doesnt mean im calling u racist if u dont like him wut

#asks #dungeon meshi #toshiro nakamoto #shuro

[bitegore]

Zionists want you to conflate Judaism and Zionism. Zionists want you to believe that Judaism cannot exist without Zionism and that all Jews are Zionists. Zionism would have Jews believe that a Jewish state is the only way that they can be safe from antisemitism and will point to any instance of antisemitism as proof that Zionism is the solution- so Zionism wants gentiles to be antisemitic in their support of Palestine. They want you to conflate all Jews with Zionism and the state of Israel, and they want you to treat all Jews regardless of political affiliation as the face of Israel. Antizionist Jews exist, and incidences of antisemitism ostensibly acting against Zionism will not help dismantle the forces propping Zionism up.

Don't do their work for them.

#red rambles #viva palestina #antizionism #i haven't actually seen a lot of antisemitism personally. not recently anyway. but that's more a feature of me not following antisemites #i DO however see a lot of people talking about the people they're seeing throw their support behind antisemites using palestine #as an excuse to conflate all jews with israel #and i cannot stress enough that that is literally what israel and zionist forces abroad WANT. #i am jewish. my entire family is jewish. i want to see palestine free. and i have SEEN how the jewish community gets conflated with israel #both from the inside and out #and i am dead serious when i say that every time someone is antisemitic it strengthens the conviction from people abroad #that it's a terrible sad situation but there's 'no other choice' #if you're being antisemitic you are doing the enemy's work for them. Stop it. #like... look. i am putting this in the tags bc im talking in the tags but i mean this. I do not give a single flying fuck if you personally #are a giant raging antisemite at the moment. Your personal beliefs are your problem and not mine. I do not fucking care. But if you are #being openly and loudly antisemitic *in your support of palestine* you are absolutely not fucking helping. I am so dead serious right now #if you want to raise awareness and you're being antisemitic because of deep held beliefs or whatever i want you to look around and read the #fucking room. Do you understand how much of Israel's international support comes from the idea that they are the only country where jews ar #safe from antisemitism? do you see how every time palestine comes up people point at incidences of antisemitism in anti-genocide actions to #discredit the entire movement? do you not understand how your actions are cutting the movement down at the knees? #i'm jewish and proud of it. i don't like antisemitism. but there's a genocide on and i'd rather work against it than quibble over who i #work alongside. i dont fucking care. you can be as antisemitic as you like in private. stop fucking the movement up. #there are bigger things to worry about here. if i can put aside my own concerns as to who i'm talking to you can hold your tongue #and fight the good fight instead of handing weapons to the people who are trying to fucking flatten gaza.

[muninnhuginn]

The Anya-Twilight interaction in the middle of this chapter is pretty interesting.

The Anya side of this interaction seems clear enough in that she's trying to obfuscate when asked about her exposure to classical language. The fact we don't see her face as she claims she doesn't remember makes me think she very possibly *does*, but doesn't want to talk about it. And, of course, as I've seen pointed out already, her face when she's first asked is very reminiscent of how she looks in the recent 'Ania' short chapter. She has thoughts/feelings about her past and they've clearly affected her, but they're not for the audience to see yet.

However, the Twilight side of this? I'm a bit stunned at how obviously he does not want to be asking this question of Anya. We know he's considered there's some reason in her past for her knowledge of classical language. We know he's a chronic overthinker. Even last chapter, he was thinking of this, but didn't ask. Anya getting second place though basically removes any plausible deniability. If he doesn't ask now, he's neglecting his duty. But still, he has to work up to it, almost leaves the room before he decides to broach the topic, and when he does, he *mumbles* it. Twilight doesn't really *act* with Anya when it's just them. His mumbling is not an act; it's reluctance.

His reluctance to ask the question of Anya is, in some ways, more egregious than how easily he drops the topic once Anya claims she doesn't remember. Not pushing her further and bringing the topic up later is a valid tactic (and likely one we may see), but we can see that he knows there's more to it. Unlike the audience, he can see her face, after all. And for now, he's indicated he won't push further despite that knowledge. By choosing to back off and patting Anya instead, he's (in a very low-key way admittedly) prioritising Anya over the mission.

It's just so neat how this one interaction showcases so much about the both of them. It hammers in Anya's trauma about her past, without spelling it out in words, but at the same time, it shows how Twilight's approach to fatherhood vs his mission are coming increasingly into conflict. We've had something similar on a larger scale with the recent Yuri-mole arc, with his role as Yor's spouse vs the mission, but it's still playing out on a smaller scale in scenes like this. And it's fascinating how the mission isn't always the clear-cut winner anymore. Sure, early on, we had Twilight sabotaging the Eden entry interview, but that was a moment of passion inspired by his whole "not wanting children to cry" deal. In other words, fuelled by some of his own trauma. In the recent chapters though, he's had time to think and justify before he acts. But the pendulum is still swinging towards his family when given the chance.

#spy x family #sxf manga spoilers #admittedly whilst I like that he's starting to choose his family more I think sxf has a more nuanced approach to the whole deal #if you spend your time saving the world but not your family then you're still neglecting them. And on the other side #if you say you want to be there for your family bc you don't want to see children cry? Well if there's war then your family will suffer #sxf seems to push for the idea that these two wings should work in tandem. it's not being there for your family OR working for world peace #one doesn't work without the other. and yeah they're on two entirely different scales of magnitude if you take a step back but #they feed into each other? the mission IS important (war would tear apart families) but so is being there WITH them.

[hood-ex]

wait idk anything about the tevis’— why would tommy tevis call dick his son? would you be willing to give a quick rundown

After Dick failed to get himself incarcerated, he became an enforcer for a mob boss named Tommy Tevis. Tommy took Dick in and made him part of his family. Tommy considered him an honorary son and thought very highly of him.

Nightwing (Vol. 2) #107

He even told Dick that everything he had (his home, his reputation, his family, etc.) was Dick's as well. Lynette, Tommy's wife, told Dick that Tommy would let Dick do anything. The whole family loved Dick, including Tommy's 15 year old daughter, Sophia. Sophia actually had a crush on Dick, but Dick acted like an older brother to her, helping her with her homework and such.

While Dick was away from the family for a few days, the cops busted into the Tevis's home. Lynette got killed in the gunfire, Tommy got taken to jail, and Sophia got taken in by the state.

Dick, while mentoring Rose, broke Sophia out of the state home. He got Sophia to help him with the mob. Then, when Chemo fell on Bludhaven, Dick saved Sophia and left her with Amy. When they reunited at the hospital, Dick asked Sophia to leave the mob behind and join a boarding school.

So, yeah, that's Dick's relationship with the Tevis family.

#no but i love when tommy tells dick that bruce must be proud of him--and dick gets this shameful look on his face and stays quiet #and then tommy playfully pinches dick's cheek and tells him not to worry bc he thinks dick is great/he thinks highly of dick #i mean say what you want about tommy being in the mob and all--but he does seem to be tuned in to dick's emotions #and when the other mobster was kinda grilling dick about being bruce's heir--tommy was frowning real hard on dick's behalf #and he later checked in with dick and was like hey that was kind of shitty and i don't want you feeling like your back's against the wall #like idk it just shows that tommy does care about dick--and he knows bruce is a sore spot for dick #dick--on the other hand--is a bit more emotionally distant from the family #he's just gone through some very traumatizing events and now he's doing some morally questionable things #so there's no way he can be truly authentic with the family when his whole lifestyle is now inauthentic to who he really is #and we see that when dick goes on a job that has a kid involved--and he didn't know there would be a kid there #and he gets very upset about a gun being involved and having a kid watch her dad get beat #so even though he might care about the tevis family--i don't think he could ever feel Truly part of the family #honestly wish a writer would bring back sophia though. would be nice to see dick still in contact with her #Dick Grayson #Tommy Tevis #anon

[taegularities]

some men are textbook villains fr

#tw religion? #kinda need to rant.. kinda wanna explain what's going on #some ppl are part of humanity but don't know how to be humane... like the guy i started talking to almost 2 weeks ago #liked him a lot bc he was funny sickeningly sweet mature and understanding.. until he was not #tl dr version is that we somehow drifted to the topic religion and i told him im not too religious and don't believe in superstition much #i was extremely respectful and even when he said that he does believe a lot i was like 'thats cool!! different people believe in different #things!!' and at first it was a normal convo until man went all psycho on me (after one damn week!!!) and started talking about how #id have to be religious in a relationship with him.. my dude i barely know your fav food can we not talk about relationships yet #but he says he doesn't even need a woman who cooks/cleans just someone who believes.. n im like i get it but i can't change myself like that #and then guy moves to marriage and is all 'well my entire family is religious' n my mom and sister (who's 16) would be putting pressure on #you n force you to pray etc.. and I'm like???? who can force anyone to a thing like that are u kidding #things escalate and my absolute STUPID ass tells him about my deepest fkn trauma to explain what made me abandon religion bc #life just never got better and this trauma remained for yrs... and he gets so angry that he says he wants to stop talking to me just to spam #me all day next day.. he'd keep messaging me switching between 'i still want you we shouldn't throw this away i have feelings for you' #AFTER A WEEEEEEKKKK!!! and then goes back to 'i wasted my time with you you were so unnecessary im in a bad mood bc of you' #even said 'you'll never find a guy with a trauma and mindset like this. i will find a religious girl but no one will love you like that' #and the worst thing is that he told his friends and mom about the trauma i had just to spite me.. note that he promised to never tell anyone #(and then still asked for forgiveness and for me to rethink whether we want to end this after telling me 473626x he wanted to end it) #(nothing even ever started you bitchass) #also note that his mom knows my mom n basically most of my relatives.. so i was here trembling for days fearing they'd get to know about it #mom somehow convinced her to not tell anyone bc it's important to me and very very fucking personal.. #but he harassed me all day - i wouldn't answer and he'd send 55 messages.. multiple missed calls like dude i got so fkn scared #my heart jumped whenever he texted he was so fkn aggressive and SO MEAN #'you just needed to adjust and we would've been okay' 'tell me are u gonna fkn be religious or not????' 'you ruined everything' kinda mean #i just :') it was the worst time and i don't think i've ever seen someone degrade me so much or make me feel this defective #but.. it's finally over. his mom called my mom and mine was like pls teach him some manners.. n since i couldn't and wouldn't text him back #and literally avoided whatsapp bc of him she ended it all for me and now it's hopefully done forever #anyway i saw jks gcf performance yday n him singing still with you put a genuine smile on my face.. ill stick to THAT boyfriend honestly lol #def gonna delete later #but ty for reading if u did <3

[introspectivememories]

shanks' need/desire to protect his friends and family from anything and everything vs buggy's gigantic inferiority complex that makes him take any act of protection/love as someone looking down on him, FIGHT

#buggy could trip and shanks could catch him bc god forbid buggy hurts his knees #and instead of saying thank you buggy just goes: what? you think i can't handle hitting my knees? you think im too weak? #what this man needs is the world's most patient therapist #and on the other end i think shanks' desire to protect his friends and family does come off as condescending smtimes #and like all of his emotions are dialed up to a 100 when it comes to buggy #and so at a certain point it does come off as possessive and off-putting and i think that's why buggy chafes at it so much #bc buggy barely belongs to himself as is and i don't think he could handle all of shanks' desire #like buggy already thinks he's weak and cowardly. less than in every sense and then on top of that to have shanks protect him?? #it would ruin him i think #and like of course shanks doesn't understand!!! what is there to understand when you've always been good at everything? #he loves his people and he loves buggy especially so and he wants to take care of them!! all the power he has is just a tool he uses to kee #them safe. and i do think there is a voice in shanks' head that says 'just take buggy. he can't resist anyway. you could keep him safe by #your side. he'd never be in danger at your side. just take him' but shanks knows that's one step too far and so he never does it. #anyway the occupy way too much of my brain space these days #one piece #buggy the clown #op buggy #buggy one piece #akagami no shanks #op shanks #shanks one piece #shuggy #shanks x buggy

[bumblingbabooshka]

[TUVOKTOBER: Day 13] Do you have slor-tukh-sa money, Elieth?

#grocery shopping with the family <3 #Vulcan telepathy is fun bc you can add a little stir-the-pot comment into a conversation from several aisles away #slor-tukh-sa is a branded sugary fruit cereal I made up. Very popular with children across several federation planets! #As a kid there's nothing you want less than a food that's advertised as being GOOD for you by your parent #also in the end they don't get the sugary cereal but they do all get a coin so they can watch a gum dispenser dispense a single piece of gu #in a flashy and interesting way (they have to beg Tuvok for this as well but he's tired after a long day of saying no #and distracted by the cashier and honestly having them leave him alone for a few minutes while he completes this transaction is worth it) #<- Sek keeps his coin and instead helps his father with the groceries though....show off #[REDACTED] family shenanigans #Tuvok #st voyager #bea art tag #tuvoktober

[cinna-bunnie]

thinking about older women

#hey auntie 👉🏾👈🏾 #some of them b dancing on that line and i am looking respectfully (⁠´⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠.̫⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠`⁠) ♡⁠ #many such cases... giggling at how often w how many ppl aksjak family friends.. or it be ur own family 💀💕 #someone's mom would joke about snatching me up like 😭😶‍🌫️ ma'am first of all .. would #and the touchy prima (⁠〒⁠﹏⁠〒⁠) ♡⁠ yes please put ur hands on me i am so comfortable with physical contact (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠) let me hold ur hand ♡ #🚶🏾‍♀️ being hot is nice sometimes #the forbidden fruit... hey tía (⁠´⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠.̫⁠ ⁠.⁠ ⁠`⁠) 👉🏾👈🏾💕 #some of the exchanges I've had were so 😵‍💫😵‍💫 ma'am.. i got a lil crush on u. #← not my actual family. i do not have one. engaging in one from this perspective is a lil different yfm 🚶🏾‍♀️u don't have to get it #or maybe u do idk im zooted rn and feeling rly gay abt aunties and older women in general okay 😩💕 #i need to go sweet talk someone's tía i know she's looking beautiful tonight 🚶🏾‍♀️ i see u girl. i love ur hair your nails are beautiful #i love your color coordination you have such good fashion sense (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠) ♡⁠ #ur earrings are so pretty i love your necklace i love your bracelets (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠) lemme go help y'all cook or I'll make the drinks whateve #let's talk.. ♡⁠ #Lupe... what are you up to these days 😩💕 my favorite. a family friend #i kinda see family friends as family too sorta bc my fam was p small when i did have one so a friend would be a basically auntie #but also not.. technically. so ╮⁠(⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)⁠╭ idk. they r tías 2 me though and i love them. #they r so nicey 2 me ｡⁠:ﾟ⁠(⁠;⁠´⁠∩⁠`⁠;⁠)ﾟ⁠:⁠｡ ♡⁠ #she wanted me to say her name n talk to her in Spanish a lil bit and she ate it up 😵‍💫 (⁠｡⁠ﾉ⁠ω⁠＼⁠｡⁠) ♡⁠ she loved the way i say her name #i had such a crush on her omfg. low-key but not but yeah but respectfully..

[astrxealis]

hi guys please wish me luck for my college entrance exam tomorrow for one of my dream schools xoxo

#⋯ ꒰ა starry thoughts ໒꒱ *·˚ #LET'S GOOO MGA PAREH 💙🦅💙🦅💙🦅💙🦅 #i'm so chill for some reason even if ik i will never forgive myself if i don't get in. anyway. manifesting!!! i will pass with flying colors #IT'S REAL DAMN STRESSFUL FOR ME bcs i am aiming for honors courses which means i have to be top 15%... i am top 15% (and higher) in my batch #in school anyway but... urgh... #so. yeah. give me all your best wishes thankyousomuchxoxo AHHEHEHWHSHFJAH sobbing (but fr. if you do. i really appreciate it!!) #i believe in myself :] mostly. the time limit scares me and math and abstract reasoning bcs 5 minutes for 30 items but yeah. okay. #i am Smart ..... bro i literally got perfect on my physics exam and got 100 in statistics (i am really proud of these in particular) #my extracurriculars are good !! all my math scores are insane (cue a math nerd) and science (science nerd) english (god. no explanation #needed) honestly every subject is slay and so is my essay-making but ERGH. honors course... top 15%... #i will try to be chill! honestly i am already lol the nerves aren't getting to me somehow. gl to me and all that i know and do not know. #both here and irl :3 also to fellow ph kids (who are most likely younger than me if they aren't older and yk not worrying abt cets anymore #LMFAO) err idk if . okay idk what i was going to say LMFAO anyway i'm busy af and idk if i'm good with teaching others #but if you ever want any tips from me (honestly i don't really have tips. i do what i do and just make it. but there's a lot involved there) #feel free to come to me for anything ^_^ anything at all tbh. doesn't have to be acads idk i like helping others in general. BUT IT DEPENDS. #but yeah just hmu whatever i will have you know i am genuinely a smart & responsible kid and i am proud of that bcs my family is amazing w #smarts but also the Hard Work is there so :3 !! english is my forte science is my forte math is my forte. also socsci and whatever tbh. #i'm probably insane but i genuinely love all those topics and what we learn in school FISHFK so yeah !!! okay i shut up now #will do my best... zzz... and then i will work on myself. to be better than i already am and even better than i could possibly be. ya. fun! #the mga pareh is a joke btw i like imitating filipino kids like that. like yooo mga pareh let's goooooo wahee!!!!!

[skrunksthatwunk]

kinda drives me up a wall when people go "hey i think x action in a war/combat scenario is inhumane and cruel and shitty" and someone responds with "oh but within the laws of war it's allowed or there's procedure for it etc etc". it doesn't have to be a war crime to be unforgivable man it's a shitty rulebook anyway

#like whether or not something's bad isn't determined by whether or not it adheres to arbitrary rules people made up and never obey #i thought we all knew that already. c'mon man. get a grip #obviously war crimes are bad but that's not where the badness potential ends y'know #this post is due to my dad talking about smth i sent him mentioning US troops firing on a bunch of guys in smth on deserters and he was lik #well they're not like citizens or refugees or deserters they're retreating enemy combattants. so it's different. #it IS different but isn't it still like. overly brutal? idk. #like would you want them to pursue Your ppl regardless? are they not allowed mercy just because you proved stronger? your positions could #be swapped easily and you'd think that as fellow combattants you would feel that deeply. idk maybe i'm just too soft or whatever but like. #seems stupid to me. war generally seems stupid to me but this specifically right now seems stupid to me #yes i know there are practical concerns and sacrifices in combat that make sense when you're actually there and me saying there should be n #wars and we should make it a fucking priority to not have wars doesn't mean ppl already in a decision-making role in the field should do #what i (an idealist) would do. they're responsible for minimizing loss and shit. whatever. doesn't mean it's not fucked up anyway. #and that's assuming the best case scenario for a leader in such a position. usually they just want to minimize Their side's losses. usually #by maximizing the other side's. or they just want to win and will sacrifice anyone for it if it's practical #which happens a Lot. usually it's a mix of the latter two to my understanding #as if americans' lives matter more than anyone else's and the other side doesn't have a right to mourn bc they offended us somehow #ugh that shit irks me so bad dude. there'll be like a terrorist attack in europe or smth and the news'll be like #ONE AMERICAN WAS KILLED. and twenty swiss. THE AMERICAN WAS VISITING FAMILY THERE ON SUNDAY MORNING WHEN TRAGEDY STRUCK etc etc #fucking hate that. i don't care if they're on 'my team' or whatever they're all equally human and equally dead #why the hell should i care if one of them was an american. just say 21 people died. like i get reporting on it briefly ig to like notify #ppl At Best but like. it's so grating. why can't you be normal about other people fucking goddamn you #why is this a controversial statement. why is giving a shit about people killing each other (often for like 10 ppl's financial gain) wrong #like. come on. i don't care if they 'deserve it' or whatever because i don't think they do. and even if they Did i don't think it's #America's Time To Step Up!!! every time smth like this happens (but only when it is financially beneficial to us to do so #such that we ignore atrocities all the fucking time bc it's inconvenient. we're not superheros. we're cops.) #not saying america shouldn't do anything bc like. idk. you screw everyone over to have all the power maybe you should use that influence fo #good. but my definition of 'good' is wayyyy way different from everybody who's ever held office here apparently so like. nuts to that #eugh. anyway im cutting myself off here rant over. for now

[trans-li-ling]

This event really recontextualizes Li Ling's distaste for authority and desire for justice, doesn't it? It's not just rebellion for rebellion's sake, it's also because Yun Chuan, one of the few people he truly respected who engaged with him on his level was imprisoned and (he was told) dead despite him knowing that Yun Chuan would probably never do anything worthy of imprisonment, and never being told the crime and essentially being told to just forget about it. Like, that's someone who's main interactions with authority were clearly ineffective, and when he finally receives respectful guidance it's taken away in what appears to be an unjust example of authority. No wonder he was a trouble student.

#Dislyte #Li Ling #Like not to start making shit up but making all your classmates afraid of you and then trying to start fights with adults doesn't seem to #Indicate a well adjusted childhood. Also it seems like his father(? Not 100% sure the exact relationship) just like... Shuts him down. #And the way he says it at least to me implies he cares a lot about status like he doesn't want their family associated with a criminal #Which is maybe not the best priorities because this is The First your child is hearing of it. Also idk bc Li has been used for other #Characters and they don't talk with recognition or familiarity but I want so bad for Li Xiao and Li Ling to be related. Please I need this. #Anyways authority has clearly personally failed li ling. Also his dad(? Again not sure) seems like a dick #Mostly unrelated I bet if Li Xiao hadn't told Li Ling Yun Chuan was dead Li Ling would have gone on the warpath to find him #Also in his bounty with the kid he mentions that he would have liked to have someone there for him when he was skipping school... #I'm diagnosing him with autism post haste

[ladamedemartel]

Aurora's obnoxious (but tame compared to last year) gift for @lordofthestrix

Every Christmas presented itself with the same exact problem. No, it was not an issue as to what she ought to buy Tristan for Christmas, nor was there any concern over what she might find for herself underneath the tree. The problem was far simpler: what to open first. Some years, excitement overcame her. Certain gifts required Tristan’s immediate attention so that Aurora could bask in his reaction. Other years, it seemed best to get the customary gifts out of the way (if only to assure Tristan that he would indeed get his replenishment of hand-embroidered handkerchiefs. Aurora still recalled the disappointment he’d tried to conceal the year that she had not made him any out of fear that he had grown tired of the repetitive gift). Some years, the grander gifts demanded to be given last for some practical reason or another that could only be given after all other gifts were opened; that usually made the choice easier. This year, the choice was not easy. It had required much internal debate, but eventually Aurora had settled on a course of action.

The handkerchiefs would be presented first. There was the traditional array of handkerchiefs with his initials, a few owls, some with sprigs of lavender, rather standard fare. Yet, while the designs were perhaps expected, there was something else to them. Visually, there was nothing that would draw much attention, but there was a scent. It was soft, barely there. Notes of lavender, but something else too. It smelled like Aurora, but also…decidedly not. Still, it was just a smell. Aurora hoped that her brother would, at least for the moment, dismiss it, assume it was simply some remnant of whatever perfume Aurora had been wearing when she’d embroidered the handkerchiefs.

She further hoped to misdirect him from the scent by putting a small velvet box nestled in the midst of the handkerchiefs. Inside the box was a tie clip. Once, “regard” rings had been all the rage. Aurora had more than a few in her jewelry collection. She thought it high time to revive and reinterpret the trend. Rather than spell “regard,” she had opted for her name instead. Two stunning amethysts bookended the piece with an opal, two rubies and a rather fetching piece of uvarovite as well. In years prior, she’d never been able to find a stone for the “U” of her name and finding one large enough had been difficult even now. Fortunately, she was only designing a tie pin, not a ring. Even more fortunate: the stone was a beautiful shade of green so that all of the colors of the piece represented her. Any vampire with any sort of age to them would recognize the meaning of the piece, the tie to her should Tristan wear it. It would convey her message where scent could not.

The remaining fare was somewhat typical: some new shirts, adorned with the lavender hearts that she’d introduced at his birthday; chocolate delights from their favorite little shop in Paris; some delightful fountain pens; and several other ornate gifts. Each carried that same something extra as the handkerchiefs, the same scent that lingered of Aurora without actually smelling precisely like her.

Finally, only one box remained. She handed it to Tristan and curled against him, nuzzling into his side. “This one is very special.” she murmured. And it was. Aurora still remained the torture of staying still, wrapped in God only knew what so that the perfumer could extract her scent. She’d had wraps at the spa before, but this was far different and had been exceedingly unpleasant. Aurora couldn’t remember the last time that she’d had to lay still for so long. Actually, she’d fallen asleep and had woken to the perfumer unwrapping her to begin scraping her body free of whatever he had rubbed over her body (some kind of fat that she did not truly wish to identify). In retrospect, Aurora did not think her skin had ever felt softer than after the perfumer had scraped every bit of tallow from her, and the scent he had captured had been well worth it. He’d captured Aurora. Aurora as she smelled when she was unadorned with perfume. Aurora as she simply was. With that start, it had been a simple matter for the perfumer to take her scent and work it into the cologne that would suit Tristan. Beneath it all would be a note that would belong uniquely to Aurora. Would Tristan catch it? Had she left enough breadcrumbs on his other gifts by spritzing some of them with the new cologne? “I had it made especially for you. Merry Christmas, Tristan.”

#lordofthestrix #this post is brought to you by me watching the series perfume on netflix #which is... i don't want to say based on perfume story of a murderer bc that movie and book is part of the plot on the show #but yeah #i was watching it and aurora went “i should make tristan an aurora cologne” #so that's what he got this year #also i used the schedule feature for this post #rather than send it to your inbox #bc i was afraid i wouldn't be able to copy and paste correctly from my phone #and i didn't bring my laptop to my family's

[vvanessaives]

❝It was believed that the marriage between lady Arianne Aspasia of House Vance of Wayfarer's Rest and Colton of House Celtigar was one of love. A claim that held only a partial truth: the affection lord Colton felt for his dear wife was undeniable, while the rumors surronding lady Arianne spoke of a deep closeness she only ever shared with her childhood friend, princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. Though, the union gave life to two twins: Visenyra Cornelia Celtigar and Maegar Lucretio Celtigar. At their birth, the siblings were graciously gifted with two dragon eggs of princess Rhaenyra’s she-dragon Syrax, a most precious gift from the woman they would grow to consider almost as a second mother. The favoritism and even the curious naming of the Celtigar twins, undeniably reminiscent of House Targaryen offspring, kept the realm whispering about the true nature of lady Arianne and princess Rhaenyra relation.❞

#hello no thoughts i'm posting the hotd ocs on main #the day i will make gifs too it's the day you all will know i'm too far gone to be saved #anyways jfdnfk i don't even know how to tag this #*ocstuff #mine #hotd #hotd ocs #oc: arianne #oc: colton #oc: visenyra #oc: maegar #ok now's the part where i go insane with facts. mh ari and rhae love each other end of the take have a nice day everyone #something something 'if i can't dream of our family i'll make yours mine and you'll make mine yours' #rhae giving the not-targ kids of the woman she absolutely doesn't love at all mh-mh like: (twirling hair) they would look cute with our-I #MEAN YOURS. YOURS KIDS. nfsdkjfn also ari is a dragonrider bc i decided she claims a..uh unclaimed dragon bc shes sexy and cool #she has a lil personal name for him (which i still need to fully decide on) but for everyone her dragon goes by full title. the lord of the #skies...ari is such a lil show off ksdjfkf. also house celtigar has valyrian blood going on too. i chose it exactly bc i wanted the twins to #have the white hair fashion <33 as it stands rn with my Lore everyone here dies after the dance beside maegar (FOR NOW) so f. vhanya has a #very on brand toxic relationship with u know who if u saw me post at least once about this show sdjfk and mmmh dare i say ari chose each #name for her kids with rhae...colton standing there like uhh i'm the father u know? SHUT UP wifey is naming the kids with her girlfriend #also lil fun fact before i shut up forever: when i made ari i just went yea VANCE surely there's NO house vance in here (later discoveries #pointed out i'm a clown but luckly i exactly needed a forgettable house of no-ones for her. vance who?) anyways it's all cool bc incredibly? #one branch of house vance supports the blacks during the dance and idk the coincidences of life huh

[withoutalice]

Guys i normally don't yap about this but i was reminded of it when my bf came over the other day-

He admitted to me that he felt like he was forcing me to be around him (which isn't true - if anything i'm the one who's really forward lol).

And while i believe everyone should be held accountable and that statistics exist - teenage boys are demonized in the school system. They are often collectively punished as a gender through high school (this include FTMs in my experience). The phrase "boys will be boys" is lessening the errors of serious bullies and generalizing a whole group of children of different backgrounds and emotional levels to just one gendered expression.

It just made me very sad that he said he was scared of being perceived as a threat to me (or even accidentally hurting me) because of our difference in stature (a solid one foot height difference 💀). I think it's because of how adults ignore the actual emotional depth of boys (includes FTM!!!) since "they're more simple" or they need to grow up on their own to be a "real man".

All teenagers need guidance. And between Covid isolation to the prevalence of online communities trying to lead young people astray to capitalize off of insecurities and strip them of humanity (look at the language used in self-help programs online - it's blantantly objectifying!) that guidance is needed now more than ever.

Behavior is learned but humanity is innate and needs to be cultivated...

#coming from a girl in a family that's had it's fair share of bad men generationally- #nah bc he was like “am i forcing myself on you?” “am i a creep?” #and i'm giving him the most basic hug #there are seriously two kinds of guys: #“oh she's being nice to me she must want to sleep with me” #and #“oh she's being nice - i'm probably scaring her into doing this. she's doing this so i don't get mad-” #my bf's the second one #bro this is your sign that i'm not going to go around #and ruin your life by saying you forced yourself on me #just bc we had a disagreement #also yeah that's a women issue i think #me too movement is important but there are some SERIOUS mean girls out there! #women + men need to be held accountable #withoutalicespeaks! #i love my bf

[bumblingbabooshka]

Processing some things

Also the fact that he's crouching with his hands on his knees is so cute to me for some reason?? He does this in another episode too - the one where Chakotay finds a symbol on an unknown planet...it's just so adorable to me. He could just lean down but no. Also of course his fingers are spread again - GOTTA utilize the whole hand whenever you do ANYTHING (if you're Tuvok)

#anyway. he's so pretty I'm gonna bite my arm off spongebob style. #Tuvok in the Maquis: I'm gonna spy on these criminals but also?? I'm gonna try out a new eyeshadow look. #Tuvok calling Neelix 'sir'....one and only time v_v treasure it Neelix #Do these replicators make clothing? (yes.) Will they make me a uniform like yours~?? (No. They most CERTAINLY will NOT. <3) #<- also Neelix is naked and Tuvok brought him a towel in a way that was very theatric but also very 'lets dry you off' #like...not just handing it to him #I love Neelix's scrappier early seasons vibe <3<3 #I also like whenever he was like 'GOD these Starfleet people are a bunch of BABIES...eat the damn leola root. It's good for you~!' #I FROGOT KES WAS HELD CAPTIVE BY THE KAZON???? KES ARE YOU OK??? #Kes: I'm told I'm too curious...it's my worst quality~ <- and then the writers never let her out of sickbay #In my ideal world Kes & Neelix are like brother and sister (harkens back to Neelix's lost family and gives a slightly more sympathetic #reason for his overprotectiveness which would now not be romantic jealousy but still something he had to let go of for them to truly be #friends) and also Kes tried every work station aboard Voyager...every episode she's somewhere new but her MAIN job is still in sickbay #Kes is in a pseudo cult and she said nu uh I believe in a different pseudo cult and I love that for her #Kes: I don't want to be dependent on the caretaker!! (reasonable) Our people have magical mind's abilities that allow us- (ok Kes) #just bc she was right doesn't mean it's not a WILD thing to think HEhehehe #SNRKEHEHEHE HARRY STOP TOM CAN'T TAKE THIS #Tom: How can I let down the only friend I've got~? / Harry: Friend? What makes you think I'm your friend~? / Tom: -sobbing into his pillow- #Neelix saying 'Well...the fool needs company!' ok <3 I'm twirling my hair a little....got a bit of rizz... #literally an hour ago he was willing to leave them all for dead and now look at him #OUG hTom Paris the racism....ough the racism...not even the fantasy alien kind.......oaaau ugh oh it hurts the real world racism..... #TOM NO STOP TALKING!!! TO M NO THE RACISM - TOM PARIS !! TOOOOM!!!!! <- walter white screaming meme #(remembers its Harry's FIRST mission) a different kind of pain.... #Janeway and Tuvok holding hands: We're so fucking doomed. This is a terrible position and we have to do what's morally right but #by doing this we're going to be trapped here - maybe for the rest of our lives and not just us but the entire crew. But we have to #do this horrible thing BECAUSE we're good people. #<- not enough attention is paid (including by me bc I forgor) to the fact that Tuvok was with Janeway when she made that decision #and backed her up...just a sad little moment to themselves #OOF Tom...three for three on the racism....TOM #Neelix's sales pitch...yeeAAAH~!!

[avisisisis]

i love being that one friend with a very chaotic personality that gives horrible advice on purpose (then gives some actually good advice) and offers to murder people for you but i also. would like to be taken more seriously. in a "please stop using me as just comedy i am a real person and don't find the jokes you make at my expense (is that the word?) funny" way

#this hasn't been happening as often. bc we're on vacation and i don't see people as ofyen #i like to stay home. i love my home. and i love the loudness of my family but not the loudness of the rest of the world yk?? #but uh #today my friend came to my house #and she has this joke #it's basically about how my siblings are “basically blessed by aphrodite” while i'm. ugly. compared to them #and just ugly in general #she doesn't say ugly but she does imply it. how does she do it?? by pointing out every fucking flaw my face has #“haha your head is egg shaped” #“lol you have a big forehead” #“you look like you have one big eyebrow!” #“your eye bags make you look like a raccoon” #<- this one hit me. harder than others bc like. that's smth ik and it's smth i'm trying to work on #i'm like this because i don't sleep much and because i spend too much time with my phone #i'm like this because i eat too much when i'm not even hungry and i refuse to exercise #and i'm trying to WORK ON IT. #and she just. laughs. at the consequences of all the stuff that's been actually harming me #and i KNOW that i should talk to her about this but HOW #how tf do i do that #it's not a “i don't want to lose her” thing it's more of a “i don't want any more conflict” #my 2022 and my 2023 have been so full of fights and just. pure negativity #and it was all bc of my friends. bc they're toxic and too stupid to see that they're wrong sometimes #and everytime i talked to one of them they would tell me more about the drama between them and some of my other friends and i HATED it sm #i'm flooding the tags w this cause it's. idk i wouldn't want it to be the first thing ppl see if they find this post #also i need to go to sleep it's almost 4am #avis talks #vent