#my goal is to be as annoying as possible and put out as many bad quality gifs as possible

[yuri-for-businesswomen]

another crazy thing about having been a prostitute is to realise how little difference there has been in how many of my male sexual partners have treated me and how sex buyers treated me, especially since i was an escort where often you get paid to simulate dates. i even had sex buyers beg to see me again meanwhile men in real life often ghost or keep me at armlength especially when there are no romantic feelings involved.

this is why i dont want to have sex without feelings and care for each other anymore - it almost feels like im prostituted all over again, bad in a different way because i actually like the men i sleep with and want them to like and appreciate me too and consider my desires (dont get me wrong obviously prostitution is always worse than sleeping with men im actually attracted to and want to have sex with but it hurts in a different way to realise that ive often also been just a means to get off to them).

like for example, since sex buyers often pay for time instead of sex act (or both combined), they want to get the most out of their money and do the most to you in the set time - but as a prostitute you want to get it over with as soon as possible and it feels like torture. meanwhile so many heterosexual men who dont pay for sex try to reach orgasm as soon as possible and then its over, lmao. like the direct comparison between having been prostituted and having voluntary sex with men will make you feel absolutely crazy but it also made me realise why i thought i didnt even like sex for so long. because i was always treated like an object, not a person. men will do the bare minimum to keep you around for sex if they dont see you as wife material (and then they also do just little more than the bare minimum up until they reached their goal of marriage then usually start neglecting their wives as we know).

which brings home the point that we need a cultural and legal shift. as long as men treat sex as masturbation with another person, and women as objects or tools, there will always be demand for prostitution, and there will always be (privileged) women deluded into thinking „might as well get paid for it“ or even „at least now im being appreciated“, paradoxically. thats how bad heterosexual men treat women in bed.

this also emphasises that yes, #allmen, because even the men who dont buy sex contribute to the system of sexual exploitation with their behaviour. the reason ive heard men say most often why they dont buy sex is not care for women, but pride. they can convince women to get them off so why pay for it? same with porn, they dont stop watching because they care about women, but because their dick stopped working. and then of course you have a lot of sex buyers who dont even want to do the bare minimum mentioned above so they buy sex to go immediately to using a womans body with no „hassle“. the state of heterosex is fucking dire because i know im by far not the only one experiencing this.

and even before prostitution i could feel it but not really put my finger on it, now with this horrible experience and a radical aligned feminist view on things i realise and its really dark. and dont even try talking to men about their inadequacies in bed because they will act like youre the problem and an annoying nag for voicing desires.

#mine #anti prostitution #heterorealism #and the more i talk about heterorealism #the more i realise that heterosex might be the core issue of the patriarchy #even for women who dont have or want heterosex because its omnipresent #and impacting all female-male relationships in a way #how we view our bodies and ourselves #and the inherent discrepancy caused by female vs male anatomy and priorities during sex #etc!

[ickadori]

++ 𝐒𝐇𝐄𝐍 𝐗𝐈𝐀𝐍𝐆

[summary] forced to voice an embarrassing thought to keep from dying, shen does what he does best and comes to your bedside to tease you.

[cws] gn reader. minor spoilers for the UMA spoil fight. reader has a broken rib. unedited.

Maybe turning into a semi-mindless zombie wouldn’t be so bad - at least you wouldn’t have to worry about doing a skin routine any more.

You also wouldn’t have to shout out your hopes and dreams and completely embarrass yourself in front of the trio.

67 seconds.

You sigh to yourself, arms crossed over your chest as you listen to Shen’s dream —a very grandiose one at that, but a part of you feels as if there’s a small possibility of it happening…or maybe that’s just your bias talking—, and three sets of eyes turn to you, waiting.

“Oh,” you start, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at the attention. “I…I think I’m just gonna let the timer run out, guys. Don’t worry about me. Carry on.” You wave them off.

“Stop fuckin’ around, this isn’t a game.” Andy snaps, and you shoot him an annoyed look. The man that had come charging in with a rocket launcher, snagged a zombie-bride, and then proceeded to have the entirety of the zombie town participate in a brawl was telling you to stop fuckin’ around?

“Maybe you should try telling that to yourself, you half-dead per—” A head of blue hair is suddenly blocking your vision, and you blink as Shen crouches in front of you, his eyes trained on yours as he gives you a patient look.

“What’s going on?” His eyes flick between your steadily decreasing timer and your face. “Even if we kill Spoil, their ability won’t go away, you know. You’ll stay a zombie.”

“That’s fine,” you obstinately turn your nose up. “I’ve been thinking about switching up my look anywa—!” A scream is pulled from you when you’re suddenly snatched up into the air, and you look back to see Andy holding a fistful of your shirt, a maniacal grin on his face as he propels the both of you closer to spoil.

“You wanna be a zombie, eh? Then let me help speed up the process!” You recall how Andy had immediately spoiled when he got too close to the UMA, and a wave of panic washes over you as you’re forced to come face-to-face with your decision.

“W-Wait! I change my mind! Andy, I said—Andy!” He catapults you into the air, and you wonder for a brief second how the hell Fuuko could possibly get used to this.

Andy grins up at you, and your hands reach out for him as you go flying back down, only to be met with nothing as he cackles. “You know what to do if you don’t wanna die!”

Your gaze moves to Shen who’s watching on with a look of amusement, and your cheeks and ears burn as you slap your hands over your eyes.

Damn it all.

-

“I’ve gotta say, your dream is quite the lofty goal.”

You groan as you flip over in the infirmary’s bed. Not only had you been forced to shout your humiliating dream at the top of your lungs, but Andy had also failed to practice the same care and compassion he put into carrying Fuuko around, resulting in him breaking two of your ribs when his torso slammed into yours to keep you from going splat on the ground.

Maybe if I ignore him, he’ll go away - it’s wishful thinking, but it’s better than facing him after you loudly declared that your dream in life is to—

“I never saw myself getting married,” Shen muses, “but if it was to you…well, I don’t think I’d have too many complaints.” The heart monitor you’re hooked up to starts to beep wildly, and you make a noise of embarrassment before you’re hastily moving to pull the wires away from you.

You only manage to get one off before a pair of warm, strong hands are covering your own and pulling them down to rest in your lap, and your head snaps up to lock gazes with Shen, that signature smile ever present. “I hate you.”

“Yet you wanna marry me - you’re a strange one.” He breathes out a laugh, slightly leaning forward in his chair, and you go to turn your head only to find that you can’t.

“Shen, stop.”

“What?” You narrow your eyes at him, and he pouts before dropping his ability. “I don’t like when you hide that cute face of yours. Haven’t I told you that?” Yes, many times, and it’s only served in making you want to hide it even more to conceal your burning cheeks.

“Well, get used to not seeing it because I’m never showing it again once I get out of here.” You’ll go into hiding—put your ability to good use and vanish off the grid and lay low in the African jungles or something. You could live off the land; build a small house, start a garden, hunt for food, really just reconnect with nature while you waited for the world to end.

Yeah, that’ll do.

“Oh that won’t do,” Shen tsks as he shakes his head. “It won’t be much of a wedding if I can’t see your face.” The beeping goes haywire again, and you sputter as you shake your hands free from his grip.

“I-you-we’re not getting married!” The both of you hadn’t even kissed yet—you weren’t even in a relationship, not really! There was…something between the two of you, but with the possibility of being killed so high, no one was really eager to form such connections.

The idea of getting married to Shen had only come to you after hearing Andy announce that he was getting hitched, to a zombie of all things, and your mind had immediately conjured up images of you and Shen being the ones to tie the knot. It had been a silly thought, but your brain had latched onto it nonetheless in that instant.

“Yet.” He stresses, and then your hands are back in his, his fingers intertwining with yours. “We’ve got a lot of milestones to hit before we can finally tie the knot, after all.” He leans in a bit more, and your eyes widen as his flick down to your lips. “…I think now would be a good time to hit one of ‘em, don’t you?”

…you must have died. Andy hadn’t caught you at all and you had burst open on the ground - they were probably scooping your body parts up right now to give you a proper burial.

You must be in Heaven right now, and this is simply all just some kind of hallucination that God blessed the love-sick idiot with, and who were you to deny such a generous blessing?

“…yeah.”

His lips are soft against yours, incredibly soft, like pillows, and his scent wraps around you and squeezes you tight. You feel warm all over, and when one of his hands move to cup the side of your neck, you briefly wonder if you had went to Hell instead with how hot your skin burns.

His tongue runs along your bottom lip, prompting a gasp from you, and you feel him huff out a laugh through his nose before his tongue is making its way in. It’s rubs against yours, and then it’s running along the roof of your mouth and forcing you to abruptly pull back from the ticklish feeling.

The both of yours breathing is ragged, but that doesn’t stop either of you for going in again - the next kiss is messier, sloppier, chockfull of held back emotions that had been festering for months, and Shen curls an arm around your waist to tug you closer.

A sharp pain follows the action, and you wince through a groan as Shen immediately pulls back and moves his hand away from your side. “I’m sorry,” he pants, lips moving to press against your temple. “I got too caught up.”

“It’s okay.” So much for being in Heaven. “It’s just still really sore.” He hums, fingers softly tugging at the hospital gown you wear as his eyes take in your face. You take the chance to do the same, although you find your gaze focusing on his pink, puffy lips more than anything else.

They curve into a grin. “See something ya like?”

“No.” His fingers push into your cheeks.

“Your face is burning up. You sure you don’t see something you like? You positive? Maybe you want another kiss, huh?” He squishes your cheeks together, forcing your lips to pucker, and you make a noise of complaint before he’s pressing a quick kiss to your mouth. “And another, yeah?” He kisses you again, a loud, exaggerated ‘mwah’ sounding after, and you laugh as best you can with your cheeks squished together.

You don’t know if marriage is in the cards for you two, but even if it’s not, you think that just being with him as you are now is enough.

#undead unluck #undead unluck x reader

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Omg omg omg I almost missed the ask box being open! First of all though: thank you ever so much for all your hard work.

My question is this: I really like Mpreg fics. And I remember reading one where Derek thought Stiles rejected him and the baby. Only Stiles didn't even know male werewolves could get pregnant. I can find fics with this trope where it's Stiles who is pregnant but not the other way around

I think so!

Naps are nature’s way of reminding you that life is nice by FicLogia

(1/1 I 3,033 I General)

Melissa puts the patient chart away and comes closer to the omega. “It’s normal to change your mind. Especially for someone in your position.” Young, unmated, barely graduated. The omega ob-gyn has seen it one too many times.

Derek shakes his head, runs a hand over the arc of his belly, relishing the feel of it, a quiet sigh escaping his lips. “I want this baby. We wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“Then why? Why didn’t you say anything?”

Little Dash Of Pink by AsagiStilinski

(1/1 I 4,790 I Teen)

Derek always thought those stories he heard about male pregnancies in his family were just old wives' tales and bad jokes

Suddenly, that's no longer true, and he's not too sure how to tell his husband

ay it out loud, love by pineneedlepants

(4/? I 29,137 I Teen)

When Derek first finds out, it's a rainy thursday that reflects his mood perfectly. He's been oddly dizzy lately, with bouts of nausea that don't make any sense to him, and he's pretty sure he's never slept as much as he is now, not even as a carefree teenager. He thumps his forehead gently against the table top, willing the water he drank not five minutes ago to stay down. He's rubbing his head on the wooden surface when he hears it.

There's a soft thump thu-thump coming from somewhere near him. He lifts his head slowly, as not to make the world spin and tries to concentrate where the soft beat is coming from. Because it couldn't possibly be -

Derek cannot be -

With growing horror, he directs his eyes downwards, to his slightly softened belly. His hands have stilled on his skin, trembling lightly. The soft thump thu-thump comes again, and again, and again, the sound getting louder with each soft flutter, until the pulse matches Derek's own. It's almost mesmerizing, a beautiful cadence that flutters in and out of rhythm of Derek's own heartbeat. --

Or the one where there's a misunderstanding of the century, a little angst, a surprise baby and a deliriously happy ending.

A Legend of a Lonely Boy by bunnymaccool

(1/1 I 42,991 I Explicit)

Peter Hale managed to climb his way back up from death only long enough to do one, terrible, horrible thing. It was enough to accomplish his goal. To leave a legacy. Two months after killing his uncle for the second time, Derek is feeling sick and weak, heavy in his own body. What Deaton is telling him should be impossible... but...

There is a werewolf legend. About unmated alpha who desperately desired to have heirs, so he studied the moon and the stars in such great depth that he discovered a secret. On the night of the full moon, when the stars aligned just so … he could plant his pups into whatever body he desired. Regardless of species, regardless of gender.

The danger is this ... werewolves are not meant to carry pups alone. They need someone to guide them, love them, protect them during this time of vulnerability. A partner. A mate. But Derek Hale has none of these things. He has no one. If he and his pup are going to survive, he may just have to follow the ridiculous suggestion Deaton puts forth. The completely annoying, loud-mouthed, pain in his ass suggestion that makes Derek want to rip someone's throat out. With his teeth.

Through the Dark by WriteByNight

(11/35 I 93,401 I Explicit)

Stiles is down on his luck and out of money, just trying to finish his last year of college. Out of ideas, he goes to donate his sperm and meets Derek Hale, who is looking for a surrogate to carry his and his infertile girlfriend's baby. Stiles is instantly attracted to the alpha werewolf, but pushes his feelings to the side in order to fulfill Derek's dream for children.

Derek and Stiles grow close, but try to deny the feelings growing for one another because as soon as the pregnancy is over Stiles will have to give the baby over to Derek and Braeden, and walk out of their lives. However, the closer he gets to his due date, the harder it is to come to terms that he'll have to let go of the man he's come to love.

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #rape #mpreg #anon

[rayssion]

Let's chat about Magnus Chase and the gods of Asgard!!

So not me saying 'tomorrow' then proceed to delay that tomorrow for as long as possible, not my fault though! Each time I decide to write the review people just be like "oh, look at her, she seems at peace, let me just go.... Annoy her" that's my family summarised btw.

But yeah, we're finally here!

First off, the general rating for me is 4.5 for the entire series.

Now let's talk about somethings:

As a matter of fact, there's nothing I hate in this books like wth why dose it have to be this good??? Which translates to: I'm just going to fangirl, that's it, just FANGIRL.

I also want to establish that I didn't know not even a single thing about Norse mythology before reading these books. I didn't even know what Norse meant guys, I'm hopless like that. And even after they explained them a little my brain is still stuck at the "they're fancy vikings" setting lol I'm sorry.

So my whole Norse "knowledge" comes from, you guessed it, how to train your dragon🤡. It's bad, I know I know, yet it's still a start right? Like dude I never watched any Thor movie before (in my defense, it's not horror, and I enjoy horror) so just to put it simply, I don't know shit about Norse mythology.

Which is good btw!! Me not knowing anything about the mythology is actually good to measure how much Rick is good at explaining things that are totally new.

The first book took me two days to finish because it's like an introduction, so there were many new words and terms that my small brain couldn't keep track with, so I suppose you can really enjoy the series as a reread more than first time reading. Guys, it took me days to learn how to pronounce ginunngagap. So unless you already have a background on Norse mythology (not jumping into the books like stupid me) I feel like one's can't see the books true potential.

Alright, so we laid the ground about me being an uncultured swine, now we have the writing: we got the classic Rick's first person pov writing style that he went for in the original series pjo. But I got to note that it clearly improved, I can see that he was trying to step out of narrator Percy's shadow as he wrote mcga and toa, seeing that he wrote Magnus as an oblivious kid who's trying to stay out of everyone's business as much as he can, and he wrote Lester with no heroism in him whatsoever at the start. So clearly he wanted something to add contrast and volume to his universe and that's quite good. He achieved his goal with toa much more than in mcga in my opinion. Magnus, as lovely as he is, still finds time to roast people the good old Percy Jackson way, in other words you can see the resemblance between the two characters at some points. (I didn't include tkc because for me, Sadie and Carter are like Percy devided into two people, the fierce rushy personality went with Sadie, and the trying-to-pretend-to-be-calm-so-as-to-improvise-a-plan personality went with Carter, yet the two of them can be be snarky at their times).

To be Frank with you guys, not much of a character development happens during the books, I mean yes, Sam stands against her dad, and we get Amir into the picture, but yeah that's it. I guess the character who got the most change was Randolph, we love a little remedy arc at the end.

Oh other thing I like to point, Muslims don't call mosques you know "mosques" we call them Masjids (Masjid, sing.) I see it's a little slip but I prefer if it never happened, because mosque actually means "house of mosquito" so, yeah.

We also have the matter of Sam's hijab, I'd like to say that's not how being a hijabi works but I don't want to start a religious war here. Let's just say, you don't just wear your hijab when you want and not wear it when you don't want. What's the point then, if I can easily just go with my head uncovered? But we're not having this conversation, most of you won't be interested in this anyways.

And another thing! I've seen all these fanarts of Alex in the wedding dress (because I'm a sucker for Alex) and I wanted to point out, Alex was disguised as Samirah, Samirah is Muslima so her wedding dress would be, you know, Muslim friendly? Idk. But yeah, it should at least be ancle lengthed with high neck and long sleeves and the veil must be thick to cover her hair, like a hijab. Also it should be wide/big a little not clenching to her body. Just a little advice for artists there :).

Now that we spoke about Sam, can we talk about Alex? Tbh I like, knew nothing about genderfluidism(?) before this book (I read it on some blogs here on Tumblr and I imagined something totally different so I'll spear you my pathetic story) so it was nice learning new things with Rick. Like bro, in my head Alex is mostly a boy yet when I rant to my aunt I mostly use she/her. It confused the heck out of me during the first chapters actually. But I'm proud to say that I FIGURED OUT THAT LOKI WAS HER/HIS MOM LIKE BY MYSELF WAY BEFORE THE BIG REVEAL SO YEAH I'M HELLA PROUD.

I love Alex. Nothing else to say, I'm infatuated.

And yet if I'm infatuated with Alex then I'm fucking ready to die for Magnus at any given time! The boy is just so adorable!! He's so sweet even if he's being sarcastic like I just want to kidnap him and keep him in my pocket forever! I wanna hug him and pat his back, ruffle his hair and kiss his forehead because he deserves it! I just love him guys! Everything about him is just so endearing even if he was being a coward he's still lovely! I know I'm not making any sense here I just want you to know that I'm head over heels for him. Also I wanted to say that one of the things I really admired about his character is that he's never the fighter, I love how everyone else would be plunging into the battle and he'd just stand there waiting for either a chance to bargain with the enemy or an injury that he must heal. I love how Rick went out of the line this time and chose a god that, tbh, we'd never hear about him on regular basis. Like in pjo we had our protagonist Percy, son of Poseidon who's one of the big three, tkc we have Carter and Sadie channelling the power of Hores and Isis, major gods and Hores is the king or the gods, hoo's heroes are kids of the Olympians and Apollo is like, an Olympian god himself. So it was a nice turn to have Frey a neutral god who's concern is to live in peace, having our protagonist's main power to be healing or like disarming people, nothing big or fancy, yet it fits so much! Like my boy just wants to live a simple quite life (with a transgender genderfluid partner if possible and practically canon gay parents) even when there's an enemy he's like "can't I just go stand there and then a miracle happens and I don't need to fight them anymore?" Gosh I love him.

Magnus and Lester are just so relatable and so average-human-coded that you can't help but love them!

And I liked how most of the characters are also lovable, like the whole floor 19? They're just the best family and I'd be so delighted to spend eternity with them (till Ragnarok at least) I really love their dynamics. And then we have Blitz and Hearth and oh boy how much do I love hearth! I was like that's my soulmate out there pretty much since he was introduced. I'm not joking guys, these people out there have one of the best found families ever.

I also wanted to note that I'm kind of a sucker for villains like especially those who are antihero much. So, confession time, I kinda liked Luke back in pjo, I liked Set in tkc, and like Apollo himself I might simped once or twice for the emprors. The thing I wanted to say is! First book I like liked liked Loki, ngl till the end I found him fancy. Like if he wasn't so much interested in Ragnarok and world ending and whatever I might even put him with my favourite characters. Like, why do villains have to be hot?? If you don't want me to simp then don't make them hot! (What am I doing guys, I must seek help wtf)

Another topic, people would be oohhh percabeth omg omg and I'd be awww big sister Annabeth is the best! Like have you seen those Annabeth and Magnus scenes??? Bro let me tell you I'm fucking dead, like they're the best cousins out there, like that's so cuttee!!

This's a p.s actually but I wanted to say another thing, about the ending of the ship of the dead, yes it was emotional, yes I teared up. But don't you guys feel like there's much more to it? Like I'm sorry but how could we not return to the fact that Magnus can talk to birds now (Disney Princess™)? Or how in the first place can he talk to them, hearth himself doesn't know if his father had the ability. Speaking about fathers, the visions that Magnus saw about Alex's father, are we just going to pass them like they never happened? Guys idk I feel like there are some plot holes that might be left intentionally (hopefully for a next book sometime) and I also feel like there's something wrong with the gods, like the last scenes we had with them, I might be paranoid but I really feel like Frey was hiding something. Anyways yeah, that's what I wanted to add.

So this barely covers anything from the feelings I had reading this series (because I'm a sensitive bitch who visibly tremble and scream while reading fluff) but yeah, I must hurry up a little, so next thing we have is a couple of screenshots I took cuz why not? Some of them might even be out of context but I like it.

So I was going to post them in different posts and tag them here and Tumblr just said NO ") so yeah ig.

Hope you guys enjoyed this review (which is me basically simping as always) I'm like 100 pages into tsats now, hopefully I'll come back to talk about it soon.

Have a nice day/night♡!!

#magnus chase and the gods of asgard #magnus chase #alex fierro #samirah al abbas #hearthstone #blitzen #mallory keen #thomas jefferson jr #halfborn gunderson #annabeth chase #loki #loki mcga #fierrochase #mcga #rrverse #riordanverse #rick riordan #book review #series review

[suzannahnatters]

2023 In Books!

Due to mild fatigue, 2023 was a bad reading year for me - I did not reach my yearly 2-books-a-week goal for the first time since I began logging them, and many of the books I did read did not agree with me. But I still found ten fiction and 7 (!) non-fiction books I had to shout out for the end of the year.

Top 10 Fiction THE RED PALACE by June Hur A historical murder mystery set in Joseon Korea, featuring crystalline prose, a painstakingly evoked historical setting, and an understated romance in a dark atmosphere of terror, secrets, and palace intrigue. Despite being written for a young adult audience, this book impressed me with its complex picture of a deeply flawed real historical context.

TOOTH AND CLAW by Jo Walton A Victorian style comedy of manners in which every single character is a dragon, from the dragon parsons and spirited young lady dragons to the crotchety old dragon dowagers and feckless young dragons-about-town. All of them wear little hats. Sheer cosy perfection.

DRAKE HALL by Christina Baehr My bestie surprised me this year by spontaneously producing four whole novels pitched as "cosy Victorian gothic, with dragons". I haven't read the final edition of DRAKE HALL yet but it's sunshiney, summery, cosy goodness. With dragons.

CRIMSON BOUND by Rosamund Hodge (re-read) A dark and bloody fantasy full of lifegiving female friendship, ride or die siblings, theology, guilt, and stabbings. This one also contains gratuitous St Augustine quotes, a one-page retelling of the VOLUNDARKVIDA, and a love triangle that exists to present the heroine not so much with drama as a proper ethical dilemma.

EMILY WILDE'S ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF FAERIES by Heather Fawcett The story of a mildly autistic lady academic researching faeries with her flamboyant rival professor, who is probably secretly an exiled fae king…but the annoying part is his habit of making his students do all his field work. Cosy, thrilling, hilarious.

THE LAST TALE OF THE FLOWER BRIDE by Roshani Chokshi This gothic-infused psychological thriller was dark, creepy, and sometimes heavy, but it's also a tale that flips the roles of innocent maiden and Bluebeard, engages in valid Susan Pevensie Discourse, and ends on what I found to be a genuine note of hope and healing.

THE COLDEST GIRL IN COLDTOWN by Holly Black This book tackles vampirism as a metaphor for the evil hidden in the human heart, and it's epic, bloody, twisty, and monstrous. I couldn't put it down. Not sure I'd recommend it for the target audience, but it's mature and well-crafted enough to be enjoyed by grown-ups as well.

THE WITCHWOOD KNOT by Olivia Atwater I've read a number of Olivia Atwater books, and this one is head and shoulders above the rest. The best blend of gothic and fae, like a grown-up LABYRINTH, with one of the great fae butlers and so many subtle yet walloping feels. It felt like an old fairytale in the best possible way.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN by WR Gingell The WORLDS BEHIND series is about trauma and healing and repentance, and in this, the fourth book, everything comes decisively to the boil as our favourite twisty knife uncle pits his wits against an enemy who very uncomfortably mirrors himself.

Top 7 Non-Fiction (because I couldn't get it down to just five)

TWO VIEWS ON WOMEN IN MINISTRY by Beck & Gundry (eds.) Four New Testament scholars from a range of complementarian and egalitarian perspectives debate the question of women in ministry, with a lot of detailed scholarship. If nothing else, this book proved that this is something orthodox Christians can honestly disagree about, because there are significant exegetical strengths and difficulties with each position - it's time to stop seeing women holding ministry positions in the church as tantamount to heresy.

REFLECTIONS: ON THE MAGIC OF WRITING by Dianna Wynne Jones This collection was magical - funny and sad tales of her life, many good and passionate thoughts on books and writing, and one absolutely marvellous study of narrative structure in THE LORD OF THE RINGS. Absolutely delightful and highly recommended.

PATERNAL TYRANNY by Arcangela Tarabotti A 17th-century nun takes aim at the misogyny of early modern Europe, wielding razor-sharp logic to argue boldly for the equality of women. But it's Tarabotti's passionate faith, which somehow managed to survive moral injury and spiritual abuse, and even came to see hope and encouragement in scriptures which must so often have been used against her, that will stay with me.

THE GOLDEN RHINOCEROS: HISTORIES OF THE AFRICAN MIDDLE AGES by Francois-Xavier Fauvelle A series of bite-sized essays on the medieval history of Africa from approximately the Islamic conquests of the 7th century to the arrival of Portugese colonists in the fifteenth. Each essay offers the most fleeting glimpse of a long-vanished, half-imaginary world of often breathtaking sophistication and splendour. I loved them.

ONE HOLY LOCAL CHURCH? by Bojidar Marinov This short book, which draws very solidly on past luminaries like Rutherford, Gillespie, Spurgeon, and Hodge, helped me think through some of the questions I've been asking myself about ecclesiology and the role and authority of elders, particularly as I've been rethinking women in ministry. Terrific.

TEN DAYS IN A MAD-HOUSE by Nellie Bly "People on charity should not expect anything and should not complain." In 1887, the American "girl reporter" Nellie Bly got herself locked up in a New York lunatic asylum, and this shocking expose was the result. Sometimes, nineteenth century attitudes towards women and the poor were beyond parody.

A PEOPLE'S TRAGEDY: THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION, 1891-1924 by Orlando Figes Some aspects of this book have aged poorly - the unthinking acceptance of Russian imperial aspirations, for instance - but apart from that, this is a sweeping, epic picture of the Russian Revolution, covering three decades and every level of society, from daily life in the village commune to the political rivalries of Lenin's declining years, without ever becoming dull or bogged down in detail.

#my year in books #2023 wrapped

[sweeethinny]

mama's boys

I saw this picture yesterday, and all I could think about was Ginny and the boys so here it is :)

------

''You won the top award of the night,'' The reporter began, and Ginny stopped politely to listen, even though James and Albus were shaking hands with her apprehensively, as they always did when they were surrounded by paparazzi and excited people shouting their names. ‘’How do you feel about that? To be the first woman in more than a decade to win the Quidditch Best Player award?’’

''I feel so proud,'' Ginny began, putting a hand on her children's shoulders and bringing them closer, each on either side of her. ''It's an honor that the academy remembered me among so many men, and we know they can be quite sexist about female Quidditch players, so,'' She smiled. ''It makes me very proud.''

''Your kids seemed very happy with your victory, they even wanted to accompany you to the stage. How do you feel about that? Is it too much pressure? Knowing they clearly have you as the best no matter what?'' This was a common question, ever since some reporter pointed out that James and Albus were mama's boys, everyone was looking for signs where the two of them were spoiled or whatever shit like.

Ginny took a deep breath, not understanding how her loving and caring for her children was such a bad thing.

''There's pressure, yes, but it's much more on my part than theirs. And honestly, I think even if I didn't win, they'd be screaming and jumping around like they did. My family are my biggest fans.” She finished, already moving away from the crowd and again holding hands with the boys. Harry had Lily-Lu on his lap out of the hustle, as she was very irritated and anxious with all the lights and noises.

''My mum is the best,'' James said over his shoulder to the reporter, who was quick to catch his friend's attention with the camera to photograph that moment.

''Much better than all those guys!'' Albus added, making the crowd even more uproar, a mix of ''awnn'' with ''they're so cute'' and ''what spoiled children’’. Ginny ignored everyone, pulling the boys more tightly towards her and walking towards Harry, who was trying to contain his laughter.

“Get ready for the news tomorrow,” he muttered, the five of them walking to where their car was; the Floo would now be overwhelmed, and Apparating with children was something Ginny and Harry avoided doing as much as possible. And the comfort of the car was unique, and they could still stop for ice cream and pizza. ''It will be in all the tabloids that the boys are a ''mama's boy'' officially''

Ginny rolled her eyes, getting into the car after putting the kids in the back seats. ''As if it's a horrible thing for my kids to love me,''

''I love you too, Mummy,'' Lily-Lu said, already scratching her sleepy eyes.

''Mommy loves you all, my loves,'' She turned to look at them, the boys with bulging eyes and flushed cheeks. ''I'm not mad that you said that.''

''But why do they look surprised that you won?'' James began, annoyed. ''You scored more goals than most of them! And, and, and I went to the games! They don't play as well as you, Mommy,''

''Yea! That guy… he's not that good,'' There were several that Ginny thought Albus' description would fit, so she just nodded.

''The Academy is not fair dear,'' She smiled sadly. ''Not with women at least.''

#hinny #harry x ginny #next gen harry potter #my fic

[pbandjesse]

Today was great. I am so very very tired. And also my back is sun burnt!! Which makes me annoyed but it's fine. I had a really great day.

I slept okay last night. I woke up a little before my alarm and was in a good mood. I was nervous about the day. This was my first market of the season and it was a big one.

James had already packed everything in the car. So I didn't have to bring much. I got dressed and felt very pretty. James asked if I wanted to get McDonald's breakfast. And I thought that would be really nice. So we would leave home and headed there.

We got to the museum after stopping at McDonald's at 8. Which was early. I wasn't actually supposed to set up until 830 but I knew where I was supposed to be, I had the map with the assignments, so I started setting up.

I said hello to the volunteer coordinator and soon other vendors were showing up. James would come back outside to help me put my tent up. I was struggling a little to do it alone. I was a little frustrated with James. They didn't have to start work until 830 and I thought they were going to stay outside and help me. But they would come back to help and I would take my time getting set up. But it was great in the end. Even if there were some hiccups. Specifically with my card reader. I needed a verification code from James's phone and they weren't answering me and I was getting very mad and then I had to walk across the parking lot to get the code and was just not thrilled. But it was fine. We made up. And continued a really good day.

I would accidentally start being in charge as other vendors started showing up. Helping to direct where people could go or who to get help from. But finally Kathleen would take over and she's great. I'm really glad she likes me so much because I also really like her and she's so supportive of my art and products. Feels good.

And this was a very very good day. I would be making sales throughout the day but I also was doing live print making and giving away my prints. And this was drawing people in. Plus giving out my business cards to so many people. I was having great conversations. Getting other people's cards to invite to Puhtok's music festival next month. Just having a great time.

I would start making sales right away. And it was funny that there was almost no rhyme or reason. It was a little of everything getting sold. Stickers, prints, plushies, keychains. I even sold a totebag! People were so sweet and telling me how much they liked my stuff and the energy of the day was just beautiful.

And it was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. But the wind was strong. It wasn't so bad at first. But a few hours in people's tents started flying. Things were getting broken. My neighbor would let me have her extra tent weights and it was the only reason I wasn't flying away. But even that would save me. My baskets were going everywhere. And towards the very end of the day I had to have someone help me take my tent down because it tried to go flying and was just to dangerous.

I would get to spend a little time with friends today. Meril was there. And Jordan. We would go and get bagels together before the market started. And Stanley would spend some time hanging out with me enjoying the music. Jesse would even come out and sit with me and we would talk about me possibly coming to work with him to do events. Which I think I would really enjoy. A change of pace and I think me and him would really really do well working together. We will see if it leads anywhere in the near future.

I had made $200 by noon. I was thrilled. I was way past my goal, and had covered my table costs within the first hour. I was a little tired and frustrated by the wind but only a little. In general I was just in a great mood. It was great weather. I felt pretty. My body wasn't aching. I was having fun printing my free cards. I was meeting nice people. The music was good too! And best of all my airline tickets was finally sorted and I didn't have to be stressed about that anymore.

Eventually my tent would have to come down. One of the vendor volunteers would come and help me. Kathleen came over too as I was not the only one who decided to take down their tents. I would also take one of my tables away. I was just getting to tried to chase my stuff and my sticker displays just wouldn't stay up. Annoying. But whatever.

A dad and son would come up to ask a sewing question. They wanted to know how to close the last part of the goldfish plushie they had just made. So I taught them how to do a ladder stitch and the dad though it was magical. He tipped me $5. Which was unnecessary but very appreciated.

I would do my last few prints. But I was almost totally out of ink. So I packed that away too. And would just have my stuffed animal table out and would be chilling for the last hour.

Which is when I got sun burn. I didn't even realize! I had put on sunscreen but I did not get my back. My fault. Boo.

At 4 I started packing the last of my stuff. And as I was putting things away I made two more sales! Which ended my day at $450! That is my best ever one day market! I was so proud. This felt so good. Like validating. I'm a real artist and I'm really doing this. And I know not every week will be this successful but this was a great tone to start the season.

As I was finishing packing James came out to help carry things to the car. And once that was done we would spend the next couple hours enjoying the rest of the festival!

I had a lot of fun seeing some music, enjoying the jam sessions, wandering around the musuem and overhearing people talk about how cool the museum was. It made me feel so proud. I love the museum and I want other people to love it too. And this was just so good. This was such a wonderful event.

I would do some museum education stuff. Talking to people. About print for a long time. And the cannery. James hates when I do that without my name tag on. But I always tell people I work there before I start touching stuff. And I had some really awesome conversations. I also saw someone who looked super familiar and it turned out I knew him from TikTok! He makes the videos for the Baltimore Banner and we have talked on there before! That was very cool!

Me and Jesse would go pilfer the machine shop for some bolts. And James was running around helping with things. Eventually we went to get food. James got a burger and I got a really really excellent Egyptian falafel. It even had the whipped garlic sauce I love. It was a really really good meal.

I would eat at the front desk. And would answer some questions and chat with people. But eventually James was tired and I was tired and there was nothing else we needed to do. So we would go and find Beth and Bri and Jesse and said goodbye. And I was just in such a a good mood. Very very happy, after a very very good day.

My skin was starting to hurt though. I decided that I would take a cool black tea bath when we got home. And I would do just that.

When we got back here our neighbors, Sean, Victoria, and baby, were going for a walk. And we stopped to chat. Got to meet baby. And I was like "you made that!! That's crazy!!!" And she said "it's true!!". We let them know we would be traveling and to not think Callie was a criminal. And they wished us safe travels.

After we got eveything inside and put out of the way I would go and run my bath. And James would go for a walk to decompress.

And the bath was nice. But it didn't take the pain away as much as I hoped. Ah well.

When James got back they put aloe on me. And we would go through the bags to double check stuff and move some things around. And I am very pleased. My backpack is not to heavy. And I have everything I want to be on hand. And things are charged. Including my two battery packs. James would go over their list and we would make a plan for tomorrow.

I would hang out in the floor on front of my mirror. Which I have been doing a lot since I moved the bed and it's my favorite thing. Its like when I was in grad school, sitting in my walk in closet. It's good for the soul. I plucked my eyebrows a little and cleaned up my cuticles and enjoyed the evening.

I had bought a T-shirt at the end of the day and I am wearing that now, chilling in bed, and we are waiting to check in, 24 hours before our flight! I'm nervous and excited. I am hoping to get a good amount of sleep on the plane. I will do my best to just be chill and enjoy the ride.

I plan on getting my post up before we get in the air. But after that I am not sure when my post will be because of time zones! But we did get world service on our phones so I am hopeful about being able to use my phone. Fingers crossed!

I hope you all have a beautiful day tomorrow. I love you all!! Goodnight!!

[archduke-enver-gortash]

✈️💤🐈🤔 for zeke?

✈️ AIRPLANE — does your oc like traveling, or do they consider themselves a more homey person?

i actually think zeke would love travelling! getting to see as much of the world as he possibly can would certainly have been a goal of his had he grown up under normal circumstances. sadly he is pretty much confined to baldur’s gate only pre-game, even if he is allowed to pursue his career as a detective. never even considers that it might be something he’d enjoy because of his father/position in the cult before he gets tadpoled. while excitement about seeing new places is understandably dimmed by the whole “maybe turning into a squid” and “brain got scrambled by sister” deal, he still finds some joy in it though.

💤 SLEEPING SIGN — is your oc a light sleeper or a heavy sleeper? how are their sleeping habits?

went into it a little here already but. you know this man is a mess. you cannot call what he does “sleeping” most of the time. he is very jittery and his brain is very full too many thoughts for sleep. has to be coerced or forced to go to bed. thank you for your services sceleritas and (later on) shadowheart <3 and throwing tomatoes at gort for making it so much worse. if he does sleep he probably has at least one new bruise when he wakes up because he moves around so much. talks during his sleep constantly. shadowheart girl i am so sorry. he’d also be one of those people who can sleep standing, sitting or with their eyes open and it’s really creepy lmao.

🐈 CAT — does your oc prefer a wide circle of friends or a few close friends?

oh. you are asking the hard ones for our pal zeke huh. to properly answer this i’m gonna have to let you in on a lil secret of his that he’d gut me for telling anyone: he is so fucking lonely. not just lonely but he wants to be liked so desperately. “but romeo why is he such a creepy lil asshole then?” well. sometimes you are child of the god of murder and want to drown the world in blood. sometimes you spit venom at everything around you because you think father’s love is all you ever should need. sometimes you are massive dweeby dickbag who with his straight up annoying as hells flaunting of his stupidly big brain and making fun of you for “being an idiot” and constant cruel comments somehow tries to impress you?? sometimes you just grow up in the cult of bhaal and i don’t think that i have to explain that you will not find friends there. sometimes you weasel your way out of it for a couple hours a day to pursue being a detective but then you meet a guy who ruins you inside and out and turns your already bad paranoia into “everyone is out to kill me” levels and isolates you from everyone but him, even tries and succeeds in this with your fucking sister and of course your already more than strained relationship is so many more cracks closer to crumbling. sometimes you painstakingly find out that the only person who really understands and completes you is also your ruin. ezekiel my man your answer to this question truly does not matter because you will not keep friends in this life. your red thread with gortash will strangle you and everything in between.

🤔 THINKING FACE — what are some of your oc's quirks/mannerisms?

he does make that 🤔 face a lot probably lol

knows so much random shit. his area of expertise is obviously crime/murder/deduction shit but still

nail biting. they’re so disgusting lmao

crouching on chairs. putting his feet on the table. bah

snorts a lot. condescendingly or when he laughs

really intense stalker stare that he loves to give you from the darkest corner of the room. most people don’t notice because *points at +15 to stealth* but it’s awful

awful handwriting oh my god. gortash can decipher it but no one else even attempts lmao

rips the skin off his lips. bites them too

lots of scratching. does that until he’s completely open and bloody when stressed, which is pretty much 24/7 let’s be real

lots of stuttering when he talks.

either talks in very short, blunt to the point answers or gives you unhinged rants there’s no in between.

swears like a sailor but uses very complex words at the same time, often in the same sentences.

you can also very much tell that he learned to speak very late in life as his enunciation is clearly off in some areas.

generally just an awful conversationalist. interrupts people constantly, especially if he feels like what he has to add to the conversation is more important.

very pouty. constantly.

blushes very easil— *i get stabbed by what appears to be a shadow to you and it disappears as quickly as it appeared*

#the tonal shift in those last two…. i am sorry dude 😭 #oc: zeke #thanks for the ask! #amatres

[marciabrady]

How would you rank the Disney fairies (Cinderella’s godmother, the three good fairies, Maleficent, Pinocchio’s blue fairy, Tinkerbell) from most to least favourite?

As annoying as this might be, when I really love things- and I mean really, really love things- I can't possibly rank them because if I put something over the other, then it's like reducing the impact or power of the merits it has. Idk if that makes any sense but I just love all the fairies you listed so much, there truly isn't anything I dislike about them or could be improved upon imo, like they're all such beacons of light to me that, while I can't rank them because they're all number one in my heart, I can certainly list what I love and what I feel is special about each! In order of their respective debuts on the silver screen (also I'm doing this off the top of my head, so there's so many more nuances to these ladies and things I love about them that I probably will forget to list because I'm doing this on the spot):

The Blue Fairy: THAT VOICE. She's the definitely of ethereal in every way, from the way her design has her to be slightly transparent, to the heavenly beam that radiates from her core, and how stunning she is. This is when animated characters still had realistic proportions and a mature vibe to them (a huge cry from 3d). I just love how realistically she represents, what I believe, to be the distinction between the higher powers and us mortals. Not to get too deep, but I've met far too many non-spiritual people and atheists who hate any type of belief in...anything, really, because they're world-weary and believe, if a higher power/s existed, than why do bad things happen? I think they conflate how perfect that higher civilization is said to be, or something like heaven, to how flawed us mortals are and how many bad things happen on earth but one has nothing to do with the other. We have free will and just because certain people do bad things or have bad judgement, that isn't a reflection on whether or not a smarter or higher power or whatever exists, or whether an afterlife does. Like...if a pope does something bad, that's because he's a bad person, but that doesn't mean we have to banish any religion that has popes from the face of the earth? I'm not sure if this makes any sense but I feel she represents this and I love it so much. She's there and she exists and we have her on film, yet she feels so indicative of that unattainable star that's just out of reach, that we see every night so there's that familiar, but the distance from getting intimate that makes us filled with wonder and awe at it. I love how she grants Gepetto his wish and does have powers to change things, but she ultimately wants Pinocchio to go through life on his own, and she gives him the resources to accomplish the goals that he has set for himself but she's not going to do the work for him. ALSO LET'S TALK ABOUT HER VOICE. Just such an unbelievably perfect casting that's so unique and mature and deep and I...I know the actress performed Shakespeare and could you imagine those otherworldly tones reciting medieval dialogue that's stood the test of time and speaks directly to the human condition??? 10/10!

The Fairy Godmother: There aren't enough good things I could say about the Fairy Godmother. Again, like the Blue Fairy, she exists as proof/signal of the Great Beyond and is so human- she's forgetful, she's warm, she caresses Cinderella and displays such an understanding for her experience that's so validating- but she's also in the film so minimally and comes at such an integral moment, she's still special and otherworldly and that glimpse into greatness that we so badly would love to capture more of. I love how funny she is too- and how she mirrors Cinderella. She provides Cinderella with a dress just as Cinderella provides the mice with clothing. She's kind and comforting, like her Goddaughter, and just as funny and tasteful and interested in design. Also, just as Cinderella chases Lucifer with a broom to "teach him a lesson," the Fairy Godmother isn't mad at all at the fact that Lucifer gets scared and runs off- "serves him right, I say." I love how there's limitations on her magic too- how it ends at midnight. She's so sensitive that she didn't want to put a damper on Cinderella's mood, but still needed to tell her the limitations- and the way Cinderella responds in turn is so heartwarming, on both parts. A seldom known fact is that Ilene and Verna were actually very close friends after the making of Cinderella, Verna was the only person Ilene kept in touch with iirc though she did autograph signings with the other voices in the 1990s, and that always heightened the dynamic, too. Also the song is sooo clever and fun- anyone could sing it! Also, not to fixate on voices, but if Verna Felton didn't knock this one out of the park, she never would've been brought back for Flora so another 10/10 (though all the entries on this list are lol)

Tinker Bell: She was animated by Marc Davis- that in itself is good enough to propel her to stardom! I love her personality- as most people do, it was literally the basis of a franchise. But I love the live action reference model, who is still with us and has built a cottage industry of maintaining a public bond and connection with this very special character. My favorite part of her is the walk she does, patting herself on the bun, after Peter reveals her motives in killing Wendy. I love her character arc and how she's allowed to be flawed- even though she was dead wrong for the way she approached things. Her love for Peter and what she sacrifices to keep him safe is so lovely though. There's so many other things to say but the song of Tinker Bell is anything but unsung so I feel that this will suffice lol

Flora: OK BUT LET'S TALK ABOUT UNSUNG everyone is a Merryweather girlie- and I get it, really I do, but let's also not ignore the icon, the moment, that is Flora? For starters- let's get this out of the way- I'm team Pink and have always been. I actually used to watch the VHS tape as a child with the belief that it wasn't stagnant- that, perhaps if I yell at the TV hard enough this time- that Flora will keep the dress pink or Merryweather will forget to turn it blue before Aurora comes home to the cottage to tell them of Phillip. So, the fact that Flora is the originator of that pink hue? Massive points right there, alone. But also I'm someone who loves beauty and is very drawn to aesthetically pleasing things and the fact that she gives the gift of beauty in itself is so astoundingly captivating to me- beauty in so many things, spirit, and walk, and talk, and character and- it's so much more layered and nuanced than people think. Also, Flora is the leader of the fairies, which I love. She has a level of leadership and autonomy and she's the perfect balance, I think, between Merryweather and Fauna, that the plot is able to continually be propelled because of her. She isn't weighed down by spite or slowed down by being...slower lol she's such a great force. Another incredible job by Verna Felton, and I just love the name Flora so much, in general. Let's also not forget she gave us the most iconic quote from the fairies- "that's because it's on you"- and she delivers the very important speech to Prince Phillip about the tools he'll need on his road to true love. I love her so much and I might venture to say she's my favorite of the three good fairies, though I love them so much I could never choose

Fauna: I LOVE FAUNA! The scenes of her baking the cake is pure asmr and I just love how she's this blend of Billie Burke and Rose Nylund. There's something so human and earthy to her, and I think Aurora is defined by her relationship to song, and that all came from Fauna so she can't possibly be underestimated in that regard. In my person life, I really get frustrated by people who play the middle or devil's advocate or can't choose a side when it comes to things because, in my opinion, it always feels like they're trying to be something or play the contrarian or be all things to all people- but Fauna is genuinely so drawn to the earth and so rooted to her natural temperament, that her ability to soften the blow of other's words and the gravity of a situation or even the conflict is genuinely PERFECT because it's so fundamental to her character and who she is that she could never be accused of being anything but genuine. I love how excited she is at the prospect of taking care of a baby- and her voice in general is just so unique and wispy. I love that she displays fear in a healthy way, like when they get back to the cottage and she hides behind Flora, but how she's still brave enough to go against this fear to venture to the Forbidden Mountains. While she may not be at the helm of creating the plans or being the one to set the action into motion, she's such a ride or die that it's hard to do anything but love her. Such a great character- more like her are needed, though she's so special that there will never be another quite like her

Merryweather: I know I previously said Merryweather was the most popular and everyone was sleeping on the other fairies, but that doesn't mean I think this fairy being the most in vogue isn't deserved! Merryweather is such a sparkling personality and so funny and I love how thoroughly she thinks through things. She's so ready to fight and be physically combative, aggressive, and sharp of tongue, but the very interesting thing that distinguishes her from other characters who are in this mold, is that it genuinely comes from a place of love for her. Her desire to fight Maleficent doesn't come from her hatred of the fairy, but in wanting to protect Aurora. I love how strong she is and bitter and how her pettiness leads to her downfall, in certain instances, but how she's also so human and anything but a Mary Sue that's capable of doing anything she sets her mind to, even with magic- for instance, she stutters when the other fairies bring her forth to soften the blow of the curse. She doubts herself and that's something that's so interesting in a magical creature. Yet, she also thinks she can do the job better than anyone else- as we see her wanting to make the dress and bake the cake over Flora and Fauna. She's also the first to tear up at the prospect of this being their last day with Briar Rose- and she was team ship! Briar Rose + nameless peasant boy (I don't see why she has to marry any old Prince!) and that's SO CUTE to me considering she knew Phillip but still genuinely was so involved with Briar Rose that she could only ever root for what made her happy, even if it was at the destruction of the allyship between Stefan and Hubert's kingdoms. Also who wasn't happy that she turned Diablo to stone LBR a legend who will continue to be appreciated for generations to come

Maleficent: here's the gag- I never thought much of Maleficent until probably the last five years. Growing up, I never considered her in the film and it's almost as if I was unaware of her entirely. I had no opinion- even as a child. I liked the huge fandom she incurred though, as it brought attention to Aurora's movie, but I definitely wasn't one of the people who was obsessed with the Mistress of Evil and I didn't really know where other people were coming from that were, but all the same, it made me so happy it gave a new audience to the film. However, she's a character I love very much now as she's totally tied to one of my best friends in the world who's found a home in her. It's difficult for me to see her, now, without thinking about our friendship so my feelings toward her are happy ones. Another one where the design work couldn't have been better, the vocals were out of the park, and the writing for the character is unrivaled. A queen befitting her throne and perhaps the only other character in the film to match Aurora's sophistication

#ask #anonymous #typos but tumblr won't let me edit UGH

[secretlywritingstories]

I've not been writing much lately. That feels like a scary thing to put into words. Maybe because I feel like I haven't been able to put things into words lately. Since August, it's been me drudging through sludge and trying to keep moving forward, even as I keep feeling stuck and weighed down.

I'm a prolific writer, I usually operate on a 2k goal a day, and I've always got multiple stories going at the same time, easily jumping around between them, all the while grabbing new ideas too.

I do still have multiple ongoing fics. They have not gone anywhere, and they are very dear to me, but even writing them have been hard. So has starting anything new. My head has been foggy a lot lately, and maybe that's why but it's very shitty and it puts me in such a bad mood.

Which feels even more ridiculous but writing is genuinely so interwoven into my life that I am not sure what I'm doing when I am not writing. Because I am always writing! Even now, I force myself to sit down for at least a little while now and again, and I keep up with the daily journalling, even as the entries get tiny.

Writing is always ups and downs, even if I can usually stabilise it for most parts. I just feel like I've been waiting for the upswing for a while and I am getting suspicious as to why it's taking longer than usual to come around. Even if I can find possible explanations, it does nothing really to ease my mind.

I don't particularly care why. It's doesn't feel like it's going to help me in this scenario. I want to know how to move forward. How to have the energy and focus that I used to pull out so easily. I've been looking back at some of my past stories and it feels almost strange to know that I've written so many.

And they're good! I still feel that, but for now there's a little nagging voice in the back of my mind whispering that maybe the new ones I write won't be good. Objectively, quite ridiculous. Every story is unique, but I've grown as a writer with each one. They are far likely to be better than my old works that worse. But the voice is still annoying. I want to squish it.

Maybe that should be my goal. Tune everything out and find a story that'll allow me to just write without overthinking or having to worry about too much around it. Hmm. Either way, that elusive upswing will find me again, I know it, but man, I would like for it to hurry up. (Please).

#spilled thoughts #my tumblr dabbles #writing about writing

[sevilemar]

I put your two asks into one post, nonny, because it's easier for me this way.

I have to say Idealist Media confuses the heck out of me, like V is for Vendetta for example. I've seen other Idealist vibe with that movie, and I feel like I'm sitting in a corner, not getting it and having only silence radiating from me. There's no connection there.

That's not a bad thing. Some things just don't work for us, and that's OK. We are allowed to have different opinions on things.

I don't remember much about V for Vendetta, except that I did find something in it that worked for me, or that I found interesting. There is a million things it could be though, and most of them have nothing to do with shc. And since I have no possibility to re-watch it atm, I couldn't tell you what it was.

Loyalist media is my jam. I could rewatch the Witcher 1st season over and over, I love the characters (except for the idealist one, but she'smore annoying than not) when snake Jaskier asks Gerald is he maybe short of a marble for going to rescue a crazy witch, that's my jam.

Season one of Witcher is pretty awesome, I agree. I love how the fight in Blaviken was filmed, and Geralt, Jaskier and Yennefer and their dynamic are to die for. Also, yay for fantasy that's based on a different cultural background, something I feel more at home in.

I hate being called an idealist, I think all the ideals I'm ready to argue over even with my family and friends are based not around ideals but around people and some group I find a slight personal connection with being hurt. Personal, people based, but in idealist language.

OK, let's get something straight: the shc terminology is not the best when we're looking at the idealist/loyalist divide. Framing it like that suggests that 'loyalists' have no ideals, and that 'idealists' are not concerned about people, or even that ideals cannot concern the people in front of you. Which is all bullshit, of course. Being loyal to the people in front of you is very much an ideal, for example.

That's why I think shc needs new words for it, to be honest. In my experience, 'idealists' look for the bigger picture (as many people as possible, the system we live in, etc.) because they believe that affecting as many people as they can is the best way to achieve whatever their goals are.

They get strength from believing that whatever they are doing, they are hopefully affecting a lot of people. That's why I like to call them big picture thinkers.

'Loyalists' look for the people closest to them, because they believe that affecting them as directly as they can is the best way to achieve their goals. And because not every goal has a direct and noticeable impact, their goals are usually much smaller in scope.

They get their strength from having as much immediate and concrete impact on whoever is around them, and being there to see it. That's why I like to call them concrete thinkers.

I am not perfectly happy with this definition either, but maybe it can help you see the whole idealist/loyalist thing from a different angle, nonny, and take away some of the negativity around the words that I can read in your asks.

But I can't be a loyalist, I have no people of my own, I have no group loyalties,

Just because you do not have people or groups does not mean you cannot build your morality around them, nonny. I am a snake primary, whether I have people or not.

and I will argue with my conservative mom or brothers and friends over lgbtq rights (personal - I'm ace and probably bi, woyh gender stuff on top), over stray cats (my own sweetie was one) or the importance to wear a mask (it makes sence, just like ecology does - our actions, our plastic filled lifestyle naturally has to have consequences), I will argue even more strongly with anyone over my boundaries and holding principles, like children should not be allowed to pet stranger's dogs they see in the streets just because they're children and they don't know a word no (I hate to be used and people like to dump their stuff without my consent and family and friendship interactions become boring and more like work).

Arguing and standing up for what you believe in does not automatically mean you're a lion primary, or even any kind of big picture thinker, nonny. Lion secondaries often like to argue as well, no matter their primary, and/or people who have learned to do it from their surroundings, or who had to learn for their survival.

Though the things you list are pretty big picture things in my experience. And especially when you defend them against your loved ones like you're describing.

You know, I might be even a bit frightened by V is for Vendetta. Maybe I'm bird and this lion movie really hits the wrong idealist spot for me? What do you think with your experience?

Might be? From what I remember it's pretty intensely lion primary, and intensity can be scary.

I think a good question to ask yourself would be what exactly it is about the movie that makes you feel that way? Because you cannot deny that it sparked something in you, something I think would be worthwile following up on for a bit.

Part 2: A follow up to loyalist vs Idealist wall of text. I can't be a bird, my emotional responses come first and foremost, and the questioning and the need to question if ever comes second.

Alright, sounds good to me.

I think I hate being idealist, especially lion, bcs I can see that even if this is the quickest and most accessible way to see, understand and interact with the world, it's not the most effective, or accurate way. I don't wish I could trust my instincts more, I wish there would be a better and more correct way, that would work as quick as your gut instincts, but would also take into account your surroundings and would give you good and correct info, and also would make you feel good and okay too.

Maybe my lion, if I'm one, is burned and so tired of being seen wrong that it just doesn't want to be one, it just wants to have something better and more effective, more pragmatic. I guess snakes are pragmatic, while badgers have a touch of niceness on top of it all.

I'm still made about that V movie, why would you torture someone to get them to see your ideals? He had to leave them alone and go figure how to do it all by himself. And they're not angry at him after all if it, after all that crap he pulled out? Nonsense.

I don't think your lion primary is burned, nonny, not yet. I think it still knows very well what right and wrong is for you. It might be a bit of a wild guess, but I think it's your lion secondary that is burned, not your lion primary. And that means your lion primary has lost its voice, has lost its ability to make others understand in a manner that works well and also feels right.

And roaring truths into a void like that would make anyone tired. What do you think, nonny?

#i really hope i'm not projecting too much #but i do feel like i have seen something like this in a friend #sortinghatchats #ask answers #lion primary #lion secondary #maybe

[traumasurvivorshelpingsurvivors]

Hi, looking for advice, reassurance, and positive words. TW for vague mentions of medical stuff, symptoms, and meds (nothing specific).

I have very bad health anxiety. The symptom or illness I obsess over changes, I'll go through phases where I think I have one thing, then another. Lately a huge trigger for me has been seeing people talk about how certain medications I take for physical and mental health are "bad" and I start freaking out even though they're either prescribed to me or they are over the counter meds my doctor approved of, and I don't abuse anything I take.

I went for a while without having a doctor because of an insurance issue I was having, and now that I do have a doctor, it's possible that I can talk about different treatment options or see if I can get referred to a therapist again since a lot of my conditions are triggered or worsened by stress. But I'm not scheduled to see him again for a long time and in the meantime, I constantly get stuck in "catastrophe loops" where I'm thinking things like, "I ruined my life by accepting these meds, I should've never taken them, I've made my life worse" even though that's a huge exaggeration.

I would also like to add that it's been hard for me to integrate lifestyle changes that would potentially help with my health conditions. For example, I know exercise helps, everyone says that, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment when I complete exercise goals, but because of my mental health I will struggle to go on walks, and then sitting indoors all day makes me overly vigilant of physical symptoms, and it's just this annoying cycle where mental and physical health symptoms feed off each other. I also have a very hard time sticking to habits like meditation even though meditation benefits me a lot too and also makes me feel accomplished when I'm able to stick to it. Also, I have gone through times when self-care has been really hard for me thanks to factors like university, work, family issues, and other things making my life unstable.

Lately, I am going through an unstable past few days full of high stress because of family stuff, even though I felt like I was doing better this month, and not having as many physical symptoms until recently. So now that I've been getting physical symptoms again and taking the meds that address the symptoms, I sort of view it as a setback (even after going for the beginning of the month without experiencing the symptoms or taking meds, and felt like I'd been making some progress in regards to coping).

Like I said before, I can't stop thinking that I've ruined everything or that I'm wrecking my health and other extremely catastrophic thoughts. It gets so bad to the point where I'll genuinely spend all day fixated on these thoughts, I give myself anxiety attacks that last for hours, I struggle with sleeping at night every night, I panic that people around me will shame me for taking meds, and I feel kind of sad that I can't be someone "normal" without these health conditions. Plus, I put a lot of blame on myself due to what I said before about mental health making physical health worse, and vice versa. It's a nightmare, it feels like hell, it's just horrible and I feel hopeless. No one around me understands what I'm going through and I just really need some help with breaking out of this loop. Like I said, I am planning on maybe working on this with a doctor but it will be a while until I can see him again, plus I want some suggestions for stuff I can do on my own too. Can you give me some coping advice and reassurance? Thank you.

Hi anon,

I'm so sorry to hear about what you've been dealing with. It sounds incredibly exhausting to constantly worry about your health, and feel like no one takes your concerns nearly as seriously as you feel they should. It sounds like there are multiple facets that contribute to your distressing thoughts.

Some people who experience health anxiety to this degree may be dealing with Health OCD, which can look like a vicious cycle of thoughts concerning your health, seeking medical treatment, and leaving unsatisfied. People who experience this may ask themselves questions like, "What if I am ill but no one can figure it out because there isn’t a name for it?" or "How do I know that I am not developing an illness that has not been detected?" Compulsions can look like getting multiple opinions both professional and not, excessively checking your body, or catastrophizing google results. While this is not a diagnosis of any kind, if this is something that resonates with you, it might be worth discussing with a professional who can accurately assess whether or not this applies to you.

As someone with OCD and intrusive thoughts, something that helps me is to try and reframe my thoughts. So if I get a thought that worries about my health or safety in some way, I remind myself that, while dysfunctional, this is a way that my brain is looking out for me and wants to make sure I am healthy and/or safe, and then I continue with whatever I was doing. This can be easier said than done and takes practice. Self care can also be incredibly useful, whether that's treating yourself or doing something you enjoy.

Ultimately, if you can access or afford it, a mental health professional such as a therapist can work with you to explore these concerns and come up with some healthy coping strategies tailored to your needs and experiences.

Life itself is a risk and to ruminate about risks is to miss life. If anyone has any additional comments or suggestions, feel free to add on. Otherwise, I hope I could help, and please let us know if you need anything.

-Bun

#mod bun #trauma talks

[myimaginarywonderland]

Unpopular opinion: I don't ever want to see any of the current F1 drivers go to FE,not even Seb. Just because someone speaks out about climate change and the environment does not suddenly make them qualified for an electric racing series where many drivers have struggled in the past to adapt to the cars. FE is completely different because you basically start from zero. The cars are way different than F1, there's thing you have to focus on that were never an issue in F1, the driving is definitely more robust in a sense.

The series are completely different. There's a different seats of skill for both.

FE is also more than just racing. Being in FE means being apart of a series where the goal is the safe the environment. You can't separate FE from what it's meant to be.

And what it isn't meant to be is a place where you can put your favourite "little meow meow" that did bad in F1 or got kicked and put him somewhere where he clearly has no interest in being. Many of you weren't there for JEV who is the prime and maybe only example of someone truly changing from that mind set but let me tell you he was bad in season 1. Hell even still season 2 to a degree. He was constantly annoyed, he did not want to be there and he made it very clear even though he already showed his talent and potential. He had so many bad races simply because he wanted to leave at every given minute and did not care for any results.

But it doesn't work. The reason why Formula E is what it is now is because there were drivers who were willing to give this a chance. Hell, Lucas DiGrassi (think of him what you will) was a main reason for FE being here and growing the way it has. This series was laughed at from the get go. No one believed in it when it started, everyone mocked it because people still think that in some future F1 might be in some way to a minimal degree what FE was from season 1, a series that actually wants to race while helping the climate.

There's so many drivers who are labelled as F1 rejects when the truth is,most of them weren't even close to ever getting into F1. (A harsh reality many do not want to accept.) Most of them where also there from the first season so they were there will FE became what it is today. They weren't kicked, they just knew that they would never get into F1 and found something else they might give a shot. (And I can assure you it has worked out for all of them.)

F1 drivers don't want anything besides F1. Most of them don't even consider anything else because losing their dream is a punch to the gut. F1 drivers are selfish like most drivers. Hell, every driver is. But there is a different level of selfishness in my mind that is required for F1. So, there's never anything else they would consider. I can assure you if you ask most of them, they could not tell you anything about another racing series because they have to be focused on F1 24/7.

But any other racing driver that has learned how easy it is to not be in F1? Yeah, there's a different mentality.

FE is an incredible opportunity and has in the last years shown how much it has grown, so much that it is now finally a world championship.

There's a heavier weight there now and yet still, people barely acknowledge it.

If some F1 driver had to go to FE now, it would ruin everything the sport has tried to become. Because people would compare his career there to his F1 career when it's simply not possible.

People are slowly realizing that hey, F1 is not the pinnacle of motorsport and there's actually way more to racing. Drivers are realizing that the chance to even get to F1 let alone a top team that could ever compete for a title are decreasing year by year rapidly until eventually it might just be a sport for the rich who can afford it.

Meanwhile FE has teams (we are ignoring both Mercedes and McLaren) from all brands coming to the sport because they are recognising the growth and the chance to be in a top series fighting for an actual championship.

We are talking about a series where someone one the race with damage and being dead last at one point. We are talking about the series where something equivalent to the Williams finished on a podium with barely any chaos. We are talking about the lowest mid field cars winning races at some point. This is a series where everyone who isn't in a Nio has a chance for points and basically every team could get on the podium.

But the public only sees the bad races.

You never see anyone calling F1 races bad when 90% of them are mediocre at best since you never even see any true fights.

F1 and FE are completely different and letting an F1 driver into FE would completely erase the way FE has established itself and is ever more becoming a championship that even hard core male old school F1 fans might recognize some day.

FE isn't a step or a place to put anyone who has not gotten into F1 because most of them will be crushed by that.

#fe #f1 #formula e

[undeadsides]

THE SIDES INTRODUCTION!

Divider credit: BenKeiBear and Anlain-Aishang

Note: my sides used to have older names, based off of how I used to hoard names. I used to hoard only names that started with "M"s, so I thought it'd be fun to give all my sides "M" names. I changed them so they could be different and because I do not hoard only "M" names anymore, but you might still see their old names floating around. My sides also use different pronouns, because I use many, many pronouns.

The name "Undead Sides" is a play on "Sanders Sides". However, I don't want to reveal my last name, so instead I used my common username on most socials: IncrediblyUndead.

Undercut are my sides, some information on their relationships, and other silly facts.

(Through out this, I will be referring to myself in 3rd person & using random neopronouns)

EGOTISM — Memphis, he/she

[Plain text: egotism in all caps in pink]

Logo: a hand-held mirror. It's a charm on Memphis' phone.

Memphis represents Revenge's egotism, confidence, (maybe unhealthy amounts of) self-love, and selfishness. She only cares about himself (& Revy) and is willing to do anything to get what Revenge deserves— whether that be through normal conversation or manipulation (... it's usually manipulation). He has a very black and white way of thinking, viewing Revenge and herself as better than those around them, along with thinking they can do no bad or make mistakes.

(Imagine a fusion of Roman and Janus, but if they were much more extreme in their self-confidence and selfishness, & you've got yourself a Memphis)

IMPULSE — Maddox (Madds), it/its

[Plain text: impulse in all caps in red]

Logo: an explosion (similar to the 💥 emoji), placed on both sides of its combat boots.

Maddox represents Revy's impulsivity, controlling a lot of xyr anger issues and violent thoughts. It makes quick judgements, before hearing the full story, and will hold grudges til the ends of the earth. It also represents a lot of Revenge’s self-perseverance, thinking that its actions are helping protect ore. Despite its aggressive and unsympathetic nature, Madds cares heavily for those it finds pleasant (or "not as annoying as everyone else", as it puts it) and will jump in harms way to protect them.

PARANOIA — Payne, xe/xyr/xyrs

[Plain text: paranoia in all caps in orange]

(Used to be: Mercury/Mercs) (also pretend thats yellow and not orange)

Logo: a weird wiggly swirl on xyrs choker.

Payne represents Revenge's paranoia, fear, and overall distrust of others. Xe controls a lot of Revy’s schizophrenic symptoms and intrusive thoughts, but does NOT represent pups schizophrenia. In a case of “ducking out” (something that is impossible in FMP), Payne’s removal would not get rid of Revy’s schizophrenia, but rather cool down a lot of Revy's fear. Payne has a lot of the same goals as Maddox, wanting to protect Revenge, but rather than wanting to beat the shit out of everything, xe would rather run away to get to safety. Payne also has very black and white thinking. Xe holds people xe finds dear as close as possible, while pushing anyone else as far as possible.

COMPASSION — Finnick, he/him

[Plain text: compassion in all caps in green]

(Used to be: Melvin)

Logo: clasped hands as a patch, over his heart, on his battle jacket.

Finnick represents Revy's compassion and care for everyone and the planet earth, along with xyrs low/no empathy. He tends to be objective, wanting to hear everyone’s side of the story and be fair, even when the situation doesn’t call for it. Despite looking unemotionless and sounding monotone, he is often referred to the “nicest” side out of the bunch. He can be overbearing at times with his care and tends to focus in the solution part of a problem, rather than the emotional part.

CREATIVITY — Wentz, or Xx_w3ntzz_xX, he + any neopronouns

[Plain text: creativity in all caps in light blue]

(Used to be: Medusa)

Logo: N/A, as a perler bead necklace.

Wentz represents Revy’s creativity, (potentional) logic, and love for horror, morbid topics, and sexual topics. Nya controls a lot of Revy’s infodumping and hyperfixations and love for research. He doesn’t recognise how his actions or interests can affect others, being loud and annoying and overtalking about not-so-acceptable topics, like what decomposing does to the human body or fetishes; though, nya doesn’t mean any harm. Woof tends to be sensitive to rejection, or what woof assumes to be rejection.

FATIGUE — Nyx, ey/em/eir

[Plain text: fatigue in all caps in purple]

(Used to be: Maven, they/them)

Logo: multiple Zs (similar to the 💤 emoji) as a pin on eirs beanie.

Nyx represents Revenge's fatigue and apathy, controlling a lot of xyr executive dysfunction and general tiredness, however, Nyx does NOT represent Revy's CFS/ME (in the same way Payne does not represent schizophrenia). Nyx tends to be disinterested in everything around em, more focused on emself. Opposite of Memphis though, who’s focused on herself due to viewing himself as inherently Better, Nyx is focused on emself because ey have no energy to care for other people.

My sides are all based on the colour of the rainbow, just like the Sanders Sides are. I do not have an indigo side (which is plot relevant in Flush My Psyche) and I/my self-inserts am the "orange" one.

Some tidbits:

All the sides, minus for Nyx, use canes that are decorated to fit themselves. Memphis' is focused on design and how it looks, rather than usability; Maddox's is falling apart, due to how often it hits things with it; Wentz's cane is decorated in stickers and charms; Finnick's cane has spikes near the bottom and a few political stickers; and Payne's cane has the occassional band sticker.

Nyx uses a wheelchair and occassionally crutches.

The concept of "dark sides" and "light sides" do not exist, as I never viewed any part of me as inherently evil or bad and wasn't raised catholic. (In fact, I'm actually an atheistic satanist so... there would be no way.)

Maddox and Payne could be viewed as on other sides of the same spectrum, both wanting to protect Revenge, but having different ideas on how to do that. They could also represent Fight or Flight: Maddox being fight, Payne being flight.

Maddox and Payne also have similar goals in mind: protect Revenge, any means necessary. Madds and Payne get along better than any of the sides.

Madds and Finnick tend to butt heads a lot— Madds wants to spring into action (usually, a violent action), while Finnick would rather wait until all facts and feelings are known and then make a judgement about action. They argue a lot about what's the best option in any scenario.

(Despite arguing, they will still drop everything for each other, even if they won't admit that outloud. Or know it, themselves.)

Despite Memphis', Nyx's, and Madd's standoffish behavior, the other sides still treat them with respect and care— often to their dislike (or indifference, in Nyx's case).

Nyx falls asleep anywhere and everywhere. It is no surprise to see the sides standing around em, like a shield, as ey sleep in public.

Wentz likes to type, and speak, in "scene speak". How co speaks in it is unknown. But co does it!

Wentz loves to gift people things! ... usually they're realistic and detailed paintings of Their Death. (In FMP, Wentz paints one of these gifts for c!Thomas... He doesn't appreciate it much.)

Wentz is an early 2000s scenester, Payne is a stereotypical myspace emo, and Finnick is a cripplepunk.

(They are these things because I am a cripplepunk scenemo)

Nyx dresses is comfy clothes and usually with lots and lots of layers, as ey has a hard time regulating eir body tempature. Plus, since ey is sleeping everywhere, it's important ey feels comfortable enough to sleep.

Memphis wears ""skimpy"" clothing, often with crop-tops and even smaller miniskirts. Her signature outfit is a tight, bright pink miniskirt, bright pink bra, a neon pink fluffy oversized coat, and fluffy pink knee-high platforms. He loves to go all out and be the center of attention.

Madds wears, like, the "mean, emo big brother" in any disney movie outfits. It especially enjoys wearing shorts that reaches its knees and a hoodie, because there is something desperately wrong with it. (Joke)

Memphis is the tallest side, Wentz is the shortest.

Wentz was the most recent side created! The other sides were made back in middle school or my freshman year of high school, while Wentz was made late 2019 - early 2020.

The sides used to have different traits, before I decided on their current ones:

Anxiety -> Delusion -> Paranoia

Morality -> Compassion

Logic -> Fatigue

Confidence -> Egotism

Violent Thoughts -> Impulse

Payne, Finnick, & Nyx used to be my only sides as I was trying to match the sides' traits in Sanders Sides, but later realised they're my sides and can be whatever I want.

None of my sides represent any of my disabilities or neurodivergencies, because I am uncomfortable with the concept of them "ducking out" & therefore removing my symptoms and traits. (Which is why Payne and Nyx do not represent schizophrenia or CFS/ME, respectively, but rather "control" them— in the same way Remus does not represent Intrusive Thoughts, but Creativity, and simply controls c!Thomas' intrusive thoughts)

(Using Remus is a bad example, as his character jumps around a lot.)

#undead sides #linked in pinned post

[laogodess]

Hey I’m really demotivated Rn like idk how to start like I don’t feel like affirming n I have some real shit to manifest fr like I don’t wanna waste my time like I know my problem is that I don’t affirm enough and don’t persist right n after some time I just give up but I really am tired of my shit, can you please help like give me challenge or something like I please n I love your posts fr ❤️

Hey angel. Thank you for the love🤍

So first of all, my advice for demotivation is too write down your goal. What do you want to manifest? Why do you want to manifest it? How will you feel when it shows up? What will your life look like when it shows up? Get excited. Because what you’re writing IS your future. Read this every morning/every night/when you get unmotivated.

Now, use one or two affirmations max for each desire. It can be overwhelming using so many affirmations. Something what helped me is using a blanket affirmation, such as “everything is perfect” & using one affirmation for my specific desires. (Feel free to message me if you’d like some help choosing once specific affirmation.)

When I affirm, I put a TV show on or a film I’ve watched countless of times (we all have one) & I affirm in my head or out loud whilst I watch it. It feels nice to have background noise and something…comforting I guess? When I shower, I affirm the whole time. When I’m walking around the house, I affirm. I affirm as much as possible. At first it’s weird and uncomfortable but just go with it. Read your motivation if needs be. But just AFFIRM.

No matter how you feel. Feelings don’t manifest, thoughts do. So don’t worry if you’re feeling resistant to saying your affirmations or unmotivated. Just affirm. It doesn’t matter. Just think to yourself, I want my results so I don’t care how annoying it might feel affirming, it’s worth it. And then read your motivation.

Set intentions to affirm and stick to it. Don’t give up and don’t be hard on yourself. It’s okay, just keep affirming and keep going. It HAS to show up. It really doesn’t matter if you spiral or have bad thoughts etc., just pick yourself back up & carry on. (P.S the spiralling and bad thoughts will fade, the more you affirm)

Hope this helps 🤍

#affirmations #law of assumption #law of attraction #manifestation #sammy ingram #manifest #divine feminine #send asks

[scattered-winter]

kyle for the character ask!

favorite thing about him

it's all about the LOVE

he's just. he's an artist he's a romantic he sees the best in people he mastered all 7 colors of the emotional spectrum he's the best of them all he's traumatized to hell and back he's the torchbearer he's the first he's the last he's the white lantern he's the golden boy he's just a kid trying his best I just think he's neat <3

I also love how dark he gets sometimes ! like. idk I like em a little fucked up, ya know?! he tortures and kills bad guys and doesn't show a bit of guilt and I think it's great <3 he's so good and hopeful and loving but he's also a little messed up <3

least favorite thing about him

idk I guess....his stubbornness? I usually don't Hate things about a character just because even their bad traits make them multifaceted! 3 dimensional! but I do admit it's a little annoying when he refuses to budge on something. his follow-your-heart attitude, while GREAT, also tends to give him tunnel vision, and it can be hard for him to see another point of view (especially if he has personal stakes in the matter.) what I'm thinking of right off the top of my head is during Kyle and Connor's teamup, when they meet Kyle's "dad" and Connor is suspicious (rightly so!) but Kyle is so blinded by his emotions that he refuses to even consider that Connor is wise to be cautious. it ends up causing some problems down the line, and temporarily damaged their friendship. from a writer's standpoint it's a brilliant character flaw because it can also be a strength, depending on the situation! Kyle's free heart have done a lot of good and it's why I love him! it just...isn't always good, ya know? from a reader's standpoint it can get frustrating to see him refuse to even consider another point of view even though he really probably should. idk it's all relative

favorite line

just gonna drop these here <3

OTP

y'all know I'm a jaykyle stan to the extreme <3 they could make each other worse in the most entertaining way possible

also like. the PARALLELS

Kyle is a white lantern! protector of life!! Jason died!! they're both willing to do whatever's necessary to protect people! I just think they're neat <3 and I'm a slut for enemies to lovers. what are ya gonna do about it

I also feel like Alex doesn't get enough appreciation. that's probably because she died like 2 issues in but STILL. her ex boyfriend gets a power ring and she's just like "aight let's get you some publicity!" and starts a photoshoot almost on the spot. she was so supportive of him from the get-go and where did that lead her?!

I also cry every time I read Circle of Fire so yeah. I remember my roots I'm a Kyle/Alex truther at heart

I'd also like to put connorkyle as an honorable mention ! I love their friendship so much and I wouldn't mind seeing it with a dash of romance thrown in!

nOTP

I haven't come across anything in fandom that's made me go NOPE tbh! I'm always pretty chill with shipping anyway but I just don't really have many strong feelings about Kyle's love life outside of those stated above

brOTP

his and Connor's friendship is just. GOALS. they meet up during a fight and decide "oh we're besties now" and go on a road trip to find Kyle's dad. along the way they get into a bar fight (Kyle started it) and also start a fight with an entire town of lawyers before finally meeting aforementioned dad (who wasn't really his real dad but shh). they banter they tease and Kyle makes constructs for his friend to carry him around and Connor has to haul Kyle out of ridiculous situations he keeps getting himself into. I fuckin love those two.

just guys being dudes <3

I'd also like to point out that in this scene, Connor is wearing a construct trench coat because he didn't have any other clothes to wear over his suit. truly nobody does it like them <3

random headcanon

I think he draws his friends a lot! sometimes he gives them the finished product as a gift but most of them he just keeps in his sketchbooks. idk I think it's sweet <3

unpopular opinion

he should have an animated series or something. he should have been in Green Lantern: the Animated Series actually. you know what I would give to see Kyle and Razer interact?!? I would kill a man

favorite picture of him

I had to narrow down his Ion appearances to make them all fit under the picture limit, but just know that the entire Ion run is on this post in my heart <3 also included is my favorite background Kyle from his very first solo comic, some of my favorite panels from dark crisis (again, haven't read it yet but bro I am Looking 👀), and Kyle being endearing <3

send me a character!

#i just *clenches fist* #he's so important to me #asks #kyle rayner #em 🎸