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valent1neg0d · 3 months

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THINGS I WISH I KNEW WHEN I WAS GETTING STARTED WITH THE LAW OF ASSUMPTION (AS SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN MANIFESTING FOR 5 YEARS)

1. the law of assumption is personal. considering how we have different sets of experiences, different environments, different upbringings, and even different languages, we have different assumptions.

because of this, we are affected by teachings and success stories differently. it's important to note this since a lot of manifestation coaches will teach you about the law in a way that worked for them (and the others they may have taught) but it's possible that their advice (even my own) may not be the best for you. even abdullah and neville goddard, two of the people who are known to start this discipline, may have ancient or varied belief systems and techniques. this is normal considering the world they lived in before is different from the world we live in now.

although, you should still read on abdullah and neville because they will teach you the basics and they will help you understand the foundations of the law.

as an example, you might manifest your dream career faster with simple affirmation techniques but a coach may have taught you to focus on visualization techniques.

even the idea that "dominant THOUGHTS manifest" or "what you BELIEVE in manifests" is entirely up to you.

note: notice how i said "may not be the best for you" instead of "may not work for you". any technique can, does, and will work.

how i learned this: when i was learning about the law, i mainly focused on neville's teachings because he was one of the most prominent figures in the practice. and though i liked his practical techniques (especially mental diet and inner conversations), there were some beliefs that i do not agree with e.g. divine timing, appointed hour, avoiding "does not" "is not" "will not".

when i was going through sammy ingrams' takes, she said that it's better to have concise affirmations/short list (non-verbatim) than a long list of 25+ affirmations. but going through affirmations without being specific about them doesn't personally resonate with me and that's just because i'm a detail-oriented person (also a writer).

what i can advise:

learn about different approaches

a. through scientific concepts. e.g. quantum physics, reticular activating system, cognitive reframing, cognitive behavioral therapy, the psychology of placebo effect, the psychology of affirmations, Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (a.k.a. the psychology of self-fulfilling prophecy)

b. through religious and/or spiritual concepts. e.g. passages from the Bible, passages from the Quran, deity work, spells and rituals

c. through self-development. e.g. identity-based habit

start the practice with an identity you like in the present or an identity that you resonate with (learning style, talents, interests, etc.)

examples:

-visual learner = vision boards

-loves writing = scripting

-words of affection love language = affirmations

take teachings with a grain of salt. do not limit yourself and do not allow other people to limit you. experiment with concepts, ideas, and techniques, and have fun with them.

2. techniques are only reminders. you are manifesting either by thinking, feeling, or acting out your desires. you are manifesting every second of the day either with your thoughts, emotions, or by embodying a state. you are only being intentional when you anchor techniques.

note: it is true that your dominant thoughts manifest. it is also true that what you believe in manifests, the same way that your inner knowing manifests. BUT these ideas are meant to empower you. they are meant to remind you that manifestation is as easy as thinking, feeling, acting, believing, understanding, deciding, etc. if an idea doesn't feel good to you, it doesn't have to be an ultimate truth you embrace and carry on with. this is the same with techniques.

what i can advise:

choose one technique and practice it for 7 to 21 days. it can be mental diet, affirmation tapes, sats, mind movies, etc. as long as you can persist with it. give it time. give it time. give it time. in other aspects of the world, you give change some time. when you're calcium deficient and you decide to drink calcium supplements, you realize that it's counterproductive to ask "why am i still calcium deficient?" as soon as you start your regimen because you know your body is changing with the supplement and you put your trust into it. after all, why would you choose a supplement you have no faith on? you just give it time.

note: you can still manifest changes to be instant. you can affirm "i am seeing results now", "results come immediately", "my manifestation is quick". the amount of time you're using a technique does not equate to the amount of time your results will come.

the reason why i encourage you to practice for maximum 21 days is so you can fully explore and master the technique you chose. with the abundance of topics and methods discussed in social media, switching and trying new things is tempting. now, there is nothing wrong with this. it's just that, you wouldn't be able to take a step back and reflect on what worked and what takes more effort when you change techniques every so often.

try a technique that is popularized in the media. a lot of the times, the reason why this technique gained traction is either because it's simple or because it has worked for a lot of people. now, here's the thing: if said technique wasn't for you, at least you can say "oh this is a tiktok/twitter/youtube/old/beginner technique, there are other techniques out there" and you can try another technique with less resistance. but, if it did work, then it did. congratulations.

you can invent your own. here are some techniques that i invented throughout the years.

a. "name is set and solid with the fact that..." - works amazing for sp, getting people to commit, getting people to pursue you

b. "okay! manifestation powers go brrr!" - funny but i do this when I'm spiraling; it also helps me surrender doubts and i think it's because it's so simple and unserious lmao

you can combine them. for example, you want to do sats but you cannot hold a vision for long, what you can do is montage photos or videos that is similar to the vision you want to manifest. you can also have affirmation tapes running in the background.

3. "concept" work can be such a banger. assumptions are basically the conception about the world, about yourself, about the people around you. hence, when you manifest and apply the law of assumption, you change or reinforce a conception.

these can be done through:

self-concept

what it is: your awareness about yourself; the way you perceive yourself.

how you can apply it: there are multiple ways to establish your self-concept but the best way, is to start reinforcing the universal truth: that you are inherently worthy. you deserve money and resources because you are worthy. you deserve love because you are worthy. you deserve ease because you are worthy.

other ways to grow your self-concept is celebrating the identities you have within yourself that you like e.g. that you are strong, you are disciplined, you are beautiful. be careful about strongly tying yourself into these identities though because these are not the reasons why you shall receive. again, you shall receive because you are inherently worthy.

why it works: by having a strong self-concept, you develop ease. you are less likely to rationalize or question the law or why you deserve the things you're asking for. and as you may think, rationalizing may be a form of resistance. questioning may be a form of resistance.

one of the ways i have seen this is when people receive incentives from work, instead of just receiving or saying "thank you", they say things like "what have i done to receive this?", sometimes completely rejecting this gift because of fear that they might lose something when they receive. this can be an example of a weak self-concept. consequently, the company starts questioning "did my employer really do enough to receive this?".

on the other hand, someone with a strong self-concept can take this incentive and buy the things they like because they know they deserve it. they can also take this incentive and say to themselves "oh it's because i worked hard these past few days". it's the knowing and confidence they have within themselves that everything around them has no other option but to recognize.

conception of other things (e.g. of love, of money, of a specific person)

you can work on your conception of other things the same way you work on your self-concept: choosing a narrative that is uplifting to you.

in case you have resistance to a specific object, you can also listen to people's success stories to start shifting to a more positive and desirable perception. one of the ways i do this is by going back to abdullah and neville's story. these two men lived at difficult times, through difficult eras, yet they manifested their desires. they managed to let go of the 3D.

4. practice some distance as you're starting. you were exposed to a different life before the law, it's only normal and human to have doubts or spiral once in a while. however, when you set distance on things that do not help you embody the state, you set distance on things that will feed your doubts and spiraling.

for example, if you're shifting to a state of wealth and you're affirming "i have 1,000 dollars". it's unhelpful and opposing to be constantly surrounded by someone else saying "you only have 10 dollars".

now, i do understand that not everyone can do this right away because of circumstances. but PLEASE do whatever you can to set this distance. find a voice to reinstate your truth.

a personal story, i am an asian girl living with a grandmother who was pessimistic about love because her two children (my mom and my aunt) struggled with it. because of this, she used to constantly remind me of how love is difficult. i didn't know this at the time, but this created a set of beliefs in my head. consequently, as a teenager, i only seeked and allowed love which was difficult because that was all i've ever known. that was all my assumption.

but around the pandemic, i went back to the countryside with my dad where i had a lot of time on my own. this was when i got deep into new-age spirituality and did shadow work. from here, i realized: this is not my assumption about love. before my parents broke up, my assumption was that love is easy. you only have to make the other person laugh. when i was busy in school and would spend most of the time at my friend's house, my assumption was that love is support and light. i started to get these epiphanies that a lot of my pessimistic perception was because of someone i was constantly surrounded with and that i have to build new assumptions.

but around august 2020, i have to go back to the city with my grandmom. i was afraid of the toll i might get into when i got back. however, because i already practiced distance and understood what are the assumptions that serve me, what are the assumptions that i want, i was more at peace. i listed down affirmations about myself, about love, about money, about being "deserving".

after this, every time she told me what love was, i can stop her and say no. i can tell her that it's not the universal truth, and certainly not mine. along the way, i started manifesting that she believes love is easy and supportive. i started manifesting that she believes i deserve love that is soft and tender.

then, when i got into my relationship, she was nothing but happy and supportive.

other ways i have practiced distance while manifesting:

unfollowing content creators who normalized hating men.

unfollowing content creators who were shady and negative about relationships.

unfriending highschool guy friends who do not make me feel safe about men.

unfriending relatives who make unnecessary comments about my looks, my studies, my relationship, and my earnings.

unfollowing girls who made me feel bad about also liking girls.

unfollowing manifestation gurus who romanticize struggles because "the more you struggle, the more you get blessed"

unfollowing manifestation gurus who say stuff like "if you want money, you have to take action to deserve it. not just manifesting"

now, you can totally manifest these people to change and be better, as long as it will make you feel good.

that's all i can share today (since this post is already getting long). i hope you learned a thing or two. thank you so much for reading. i love you and i appreciate you !

#law of assumption #loassumption #loa tumblr #loa blog #neville goddard #living in the end #loass #loassblog #manifestation #manifesting #affirmations #visualization #self concept

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astrosouldivinity · 5 months

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Karmic Lessons of The Zodiac Signs: 🪬

All signs Included. I posted this already but I made some changes like fixing grammatical errors to improve the flow 🤍

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Karma of Aries: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 1st House Placements)

Aries karma is rooted in self-love, individuality, assertiveness, and power. As the first sign of the zodiac, they are the trailblazers and innovators of the future. Their ambitious, fearless, and passionate nature draws both competitors and admirers. Aries can be impulsive, viewing the world as their battlefield. They overcome adversity and emerge stronger than before. Aries karma involves learning how to collaborate with others effectively, fighting for the benefit of others rather than against them.

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Karma of Taurus: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 2nd House Placements)

Taurus's karma revolves around finding balance between the material world and the spiritual realm, as well as seeking stability and growth. They often experience transformations related to their possessions, stability, and inner peace. In their pursuit of peace, Taurus individuals may become fixated on material wealth and power, which can disconnect them from the source of their spirituality (Mother Earth). Therefore, they must learn to balance their grounded, earthly, and soulful side with their inclination towards luxury, pleasure-seeking, and hedonism. Striking a harmonious balance between these aspects is key to their karmic evolution.

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Karma of Gemini: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 3rd House Placements)

Gemini's karma revolves around information and prophecy. Gifted with the power of communication, they have the ability to connect with a wide range of people. Open-minded and curious, these individuals have a natural inclination to expand not only their own perspectives but also those of others. They make excellent teachers and prophets. Gemini individuals are constantly on the move and rarely ever still. However, their impulsive and sporadic communication style can lead to misunderstandings if they are not mindful. Learning to harness their communication skills with care and consideration is an important aspect of their karmic growth.

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Karma of Cancer: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 4th House Placements)

Cancers carry generational karma, as their nurturing and empathetic nature drives them to serve their loved ones. They often struggle to break free from their family unit and grow independently. Feeling responsible for their family, they may find it challenging to detach even from toxic relationships. This can lead to codependency, where they attract relationships where they become the caregiver. The energy of Cancer tends to attract emotionally wounded individuals with unresolved familial trauma. These dynamics present opportunities for Cancers to learn boundaries, self-care, and the importance of healing their own emotional wounds in order to break free from generational patterns and evolve on their own path.

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Karma of Leo: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 5th House Placements)

Leo's karma is centered around cultivating self-love within themselves and following their heart, while also guiding and inspiring others to find their own path. As natural-born leaders, Leo energy has the ability to ignite the best in others through their fierce self-love. However, their ego can become a challenge, potentially leading them to become consumed by their own power and inadvertently causing harm to others. At their worst, Leo may encounter enemies who try to diminish their light and undermine their influence. It is through navigating these challenges and finding a balance between self-love and humility that Leo individuals can fulfill their karmic purpose and shine as guiding beacons for others.

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Karma of Virgo: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 6th House Placements)

Virgo's karma revolves around being of service to others, maintaining routine, and fostering organization. Virgos have a reputation for being overly critical, but this stems from their genuine desire to help others. However, this inclination can turn toxic when their judgments come from a place of cruelty rather than genuine assistance for the collective. Virgos may struggle with low self-esteem and perfectionistic tendencies. It is essential for them to learn how to manage their need to critique others and to show themselves compassion when they find themselves looking down on their own perceived imperfections. Embracing the beauty in imperfection is a crucial lesson for Virgos on their karmic journey. By finding a balance between their desire to serve others and their need for self-acceptance, Virgos can fulfill their karmic purpose and contribute positively to the world.

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Karma of Libra: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 7th House Placements)

Libra's karma revolves around finding balance and healing karmic partnerships. As natural peacemakers, Libras tend to attract individuals who disrupt their harmony. These relationships often involve power struggles, with Libras typically finding themselves being controlled or manipulated. Additionally, Libras can be prone to escapism as they find it challenging to cope with the injustices of the world similarly to Pisces. But instead Pisces experiences this at an emotional or spiritual level, Libras struggle with comprehending the unfairness and imbalance that exists in this world. To fulfill their karmic purpose, Libras must learn to establish and maintain healthy boundaries in relationships. They need to develop the ability to assert themselves and stand up against manipulation or control. Finding inner balance and cultivating a strong sense of self-worth will help Libras navigate these karmic challenges and create harmonious partnerships based on equality and mutual respect.

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Karma of Scorpio: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 8th House Placements)

Scorpio's karma is centered around transformation, destruction, desire, power, and revealing the darkness within others. These individuals are secretive and obsessive, not to be taken lightly. They possess a deep understanding of the human psyche and emotions, which they can use to their advantage. However, they must be cautious not to get trapped in their ego and misuse their knowledge of human behavior to harm others for personal gain and control. Scorpio energy is constantly undergoing transformations, not only for themselves but also for those around them. The three stages of Scorpio's transformation are represented by the scorpion, the eagle, and the phoenix.

The Scorpion~ represents the lower nature of Scorpio, embodying negative qualities associated with unevolved Scorpio energy such as being evil, manipulative, vengeful, jealous, secretive, and controlling.

The Eagle~ symbolizes the beginning of Scorpio's evolution, signifying power, ambition, and courage. At this stage, Scorpios are less inclined to be vengeful as they focus on achieving their goals.

The Phoenix~ represents the final stage of Scorpio's evolutionary journey in this lifetime. It symbolizes rising from the ashes, where Scorpios bring their darkness into the light and prevent it from consuming them. They transform their darkness into light and inspire others to do the same. This stage represents a powerful transformation and rebirth for Scorpios.

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Karma of Sagittarius: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 9th House Placements)

Sagittarius's karma revolves around the themes of hedonism, commitment, freedom, and knowledge. Intelligent and free-spirited, they have a natural inclination towards learning and exploring every aspect of life. They often see life as an adventure and are driven to expand their minds and experiences. Their enthusiasm for growth is a key aspect of their karmic journey. However, Sagittarius individuals need to be mindful of their search for freedom and self-indulgence. It is crucial for them to find a balance between their pursuit of freedom and their commitment to growth and development. Part of Sagittarius karmic lesson is to understand their own value and the unique perspectives they bring to the world. Recognizing the importance of the knowledge they have accumulated is vital for their personal growth. By embracing their role as philosophers and sharing their wisdom with others, Sagittarius individuals can fulfill their karmic purpose and contribute to the expansion of consciousness.

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Karma of Capricorn: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 10th House Placements)

Capricorn's karma revolves around responsibility, discipline, labor, and pessimism. These individuals are known for their hard work and strong work ethic, leaving a lasting impact in whatever field they choose. They may have grown up being the "responsible one," often prioritizing the needs of others over their own. Their childhood may have lacked the typical carefree experiences as they had to mature quickly due to the weight of responsibilities placed upon them. Rebellion may have been against their nature, as it contradicted everything they knew. However, it is important to note that Capricorn's ruling planet, Saturn, governs karma. This means that anyone who harms Capricorn will face consequences from Saturn's karmic energy. Additionally, the energy that Capricorn puts out into the world will be reflected back to them almost immediately. This highlights the importance of being mindful of the energy they project, as it will have both immediate and long-term consequences.

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Karma of Aquarius: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 11th House Placements)

Aquarius’s karma is centered around innovation and acceptance. These individuals may have experienced a sense of being outsiders during their upbringing, feeling unseen or unheard. They may have felt as if people perceived them as a concept or even an alien. Despite their inclination to go against the grain, Aquarius individuals inspire others by unapologetically being themselves. Aquarius individuals are natural humanitarians, drawing people from all walks of life by helping them connect with their community. Their presence alone brings about change and they have a unique ability to implement change through their actions and ideas. Their innovative and accepting nature allows them to make a significant impact on society and inspire others to embrace their true selves.

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Karma of Pisces: (Sun, Moon, Rising, Mars, Venus, MC, Saturn, or 12th House Placements)

Pisces karma revolves around escapism, the subconscious mind, and sacrifice. These individuals are otherworldly and esoteric, defying any attempts to box them in. They are prone to creating false realities as a means of escaping the harshness of the world. With their intuitive gifts, they can understand the intentions of others and empathize with their unhealed subconscious patterns. When Pisces energy enters your life, they are teaching you how to heal your soul and discover your soul's purpose. Pisces energy is transformative and has the ability to heal all.

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mickules · 2 years

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Dangantober Ghost Photo breakdown

Dangantober Ghost Photos with some little behind the scenes ghost shenanigans

they may be ghosts for a while....

Full breakdown of each character below ↓ MAJOR DANGAN SPOILERS

The main idea was inspired by Sayaka, the avoidable tragedy of her death, and the vengeance that allowed her to name her killer from 'beyond the grave'

Each ghost is stuck, or trapped in some sort of loop, compelled to act according to certain 'rules', much like how they lived under monokuma within the Killing Game. Each rule has some connection to a ghost's talent, aspect of their life, or death. Reminding them of their regrets in a fashion that wouldn't allow them to pass on.

Sayaka "Don’t swap the dormitory name plates." Her fate in the game was a self-fulfilling prophecy. She was so scared of being trapped in the school, that she trapped herself. It seemed like a perfect stimulus for a ghost, going over the events of her death again and again, but never being able to break out of the cycle. She always leaves behind the message, as she'll never know if Makoto understood her regrets.

Mukuro "Don’t pick a fight in the gym." Mukuro's haunting is based entirely on how her death was a result of picking a fight with monokuma, and how she loses everything. Her lingering grudge creates an animalistic aggressive atmosphere like a Fenrir Wolf, her stoic soldier persona lost as she lashes out at people who remind her of her failure. She hides herself like she did in life, only visible in reflections as Junko's shadow - and will try stab you in the back, playing out her own betrayal.

Leon "Don’t play with baseballs near the hallway" It seemed like the worst fate for Leon would be being stuck, static in his unwanted role as The Ultimate Baseball Star. As with his murder, he couldn't help himself, but resorted back to those skills to dispose of evidence. His animosity making the game almost unplayable for everyone else, he releases all his frustrations toward himself, almost zombie like, at a scapegoat: baseball.

Chihiro "Don’t enter the locker rooms at night" Chihiro's murder and trial was mostly co-opted by red-herrings, like Genocide Jack and the location of the murder. So the idea is that the story got warped by a series of Chinese whispers; Genocide Jack miscast as a 'bloody Mary' style urban legend, Chihiro a forgotten footnote. Based on how Hina thought Alter Ego was actually Chihiro's ghost; I thought the haunting could work more like a séance or a ouija board; asking Chihiro questions beyond the veil much like how AlterEgo helped the class, Chihiro is only trying to help.

Mondo "Don’t eat the butter in the cafeteria" I REACHED for Mondo, I know! but he got turned into BUTTER! I wanted to incorporate his execution with his motive to murder, so his ghost is based on Calabar beans, supposedly able to sort the guilty and the innocent. If you swallow without worry the poison might not spread, but if you eat cautiously and chew; you'll die. He appears slowly, enough that you can ignore him, the same why you might ignore your guilty conscience. He may be a hypocrite, but in a way he's trying to save you from his own fate.

Taka "Don’t pass notes in the classroom" Not unlike Sayaka, it's another case of replaying actions when they were alive, but Taka is still continuing his role as 'Hall Monitor' His prompt is passing notes since that's what lead to his death, originally the note you were passed in class was going to be written by Taka but that felt like it broke his own rules. He disappears if he's ignored, much how he faded after Mondo's death. Ishida is only triggered if you interrupt his routine, disrupt his pace, and create disorder from what he sees as order, holding Mondo's pickaxe almost like a reaper's scythe.

Hifumi "Don’t play hooky in the art rooms" I know Hifumi is the 'Ultimate Fanfic Creator' in the english, but my brain always autocorrects that to 'Doujin Author' instead. And given his focus on fandom culture, I thought his haunting playing out like a video game, something in the zeitgeist like Slenderman the Eight Pages would be appropriate. Originally I had you collecting his artworks, with Hifumi hunting you down, blinded by the blood covering his glasses. He creates his own narrative much like how Celeste convinced him to go through with the murder. He certainly casts himself as a 'protector', expressing glee at being justified in his actions.

Celeste "Don’t default on your debts" As much as you could see Celeste's talent as unwholesome, she took absolute pride in it, and part of that was following through on a bet. Celeste does seem like the type to always find an angle; so she will find a way to exploit those around her into spoiling her, but that's not enough to dispel her stripped aristocracy. She's not in some vast ornate fireplace, she's in an incinerator where you burn rubbish. And the Versailles Witch won't let you get away if you get close enough to see her indignity.

Sakura "Don’t be disrespectful in the dojo" Sakura was very difficult since, like Chihiro, she's got no real impetus to become a vengeful spirit at all. But given her choice to betray the class to protect her dojo, it would be cold comfort being forced to watch over a facsimile of a dojo, at arms length, in a fashion like Tantalus. Her statue is based on Nio, muscular wrestler like figures who stand at the entrance of shrines to protect them from evil. She functions a little like SCP-173, she can only move if she's not watched.

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Given that the sdr2 kids were all remnants of despair, and all had the potential to be as monstrous as Junko - I tried to link them each to an urban legend or a cryptid or similar, to make them another degree removed from humanity. Additionally, their rules are written to sound more like threats, than the THH kids' warnings, to make the distinction that they were more dangerous, far more active.

Imposter "Never copy someone else’s work" There's a common belief that everyone has a doppelgänger, a normal extension of the concept that there are only so many different faces in the world, so some are bound to be potentially near identical. But it's often seen as a bad omen to see yours - a signifier of your imminent death, or maybe a tragedy. The Imposter craves the sensation being someone else, so they don't have to be left with the void that is their own personality. By reducing you to the imitation they show you a fraction of their own personal despair.

Teruteru "Never take someone’s food without asking" Although it could be argued that all the ghosts are kinds of Poltergeists, but I wanted Teruteru to have less of a physical appearance but to express himself through the items in the kitchen - the thrown knives, the rattling pans, the food, much how he was truly himself whilst cooking, but outside of that he projected a false and vain persona, a persona which has been burned away. There's also a reference to the crimes he's implied to have committed whilst a remnant of despair, namely cannibalism.

Mahiru "Never record over something without checking" A large part of Mahiru's philosophy surrounding photography is in capturing the smiles and happy memories of her subjects. Writing over any of those would be unthinkable to her. She's based on Spirit Photography, ghosts and apparitions appearing in celluloid, with some aspects of the Ring, a ghoul able to cross over and reach you through a medium which something shouldn't be able to. The AV equipment she haunts is supposed to have been left behind by classes 77 and 78, the only other echoes of them that remain at Hope's Peak.

Peko "Never knock on an occupied stall" I know it's unfair! But she spends so much of case 1 in the toilet, and disposes of the evidence in case 2 in a bathroom.... Plus, I based her haunting on Hanako-san, a ghost who haunts a toilet stall, and only appears if someone knocks at her door. Peko cannot act alone - she can only act if she's called upon, if someone asks for her. Her multiple hands juggling the masks of the many identities she wears as she has none of her own. The colourful façade of 'Sparkling Justice' being her most memorable, and overriding her own face. Delicate yakuza tattoos wrap around her fingers, and she's missing her little finger on all but one of her hands - a common yakuza punishment for failure.

Ibuki "Never interrupt someone’s musical performance." If Sayaka is a siren, Ibuki is a Banshee, not only due to her singing voice, but also as she heralds the death of Hiyoko. Ibuki became trapped in someone else's elaborate web which lead to her death, so in her haunt she becomes twisted within the threads of her own vocal chords - as a reference to how she couldn't tell anyone what was wrong due to the despair disease. Her exceptional hearing helping her locate you, like a spider finds flies through the vibrations of the web. I was also inspired by the so-called suicide song, Gloomy Sunday, and getting such a song stuck in your head

Hiyoko "Never taunt someone with hurtful names" I wanted to make the rules more specific than just 'don't be a bully' so I used Hiyoko's vice of name calling as what makes her zone in on you; much how she picks apart insects when we first meet her. She's mistaken for a Zashiki-warashi, a harmless child spirit, a Japanese yokai in ode to her love of traditional Japanese culture. She's actually closer to a Usutsuki-warashi, a bad-omen, spirit of a child culled during famine when there wasn't enough food to go around - much like Hiyoko was culled to remove her as a witness.

Mikan "Never feign being sick" Mikan was partly based on Annabelle, the possessed Raggedy Anne doll, in how her innocent and clumsy nature belied the darkness beneath, but also how she was ultimately still just Junko's puppet on a string. Her only place of control is in the nurse's office where she can inflict her own feelings of helplessness onto her patients. (but there was also definite inspiration from the Silent Hill 2 Nurses, not just in the eerie way they move, but also how they are objectified, much like how Mikan is.)

Nekomaru "Never cheat in a sporting event" St. Elmo's Fire (witches fire not the movie) is an electrical phenom, an omen that precedes a lightning strike. Based on his appearance plus his transformation into the electrical Mechamaru, it also is reference to the electrical pulses that control the beating of the heart. Nekomaru essentially treating a bad-sportsman with the taste of a future where an infirmity forcibly retires them. Originally I had him drag them from underground to slow them to a crawl, but it seemed against Nekomaru's principles.

Gundham "Never harm an animal" Gundham would probably revel in the exaggeration of his myth; it's what he would do when he was alive. He's one of the more cryptid like, more of an animal than a person anymore, his transformation based on a Rat King. This phenomenon is where several rats get their tails tangled together with dirt creating a ring of trapped rats encircling their knotted tails in the centre. I originally thought to recreate it with hamsters, but given his beloved Devas survived him, I thought keeping it being rats was better.

Nagito "Never throw something useful away" Nagito is a difficult one since he would find no compunction continuing his test of hope vs despair, much as his role as servant in UDG. The Honest Axe parable has a woodsman drop his old axe into a lake, a river spirit offering him a gold and silver axe asking if those were the axe he dropped. If he refuses he is rewarded, but if he dishonestly accepts he his punished. If you accept Nagito's offer, you admit that you gave up on the item too soon, as a microcosm of giving up hope, you get a taste of his karmic luck as 'reward'. Nagito probably has a very good idea how to break their bonds as ghosts and allow them to pass on, but he won't give the ultimates the answer so easily.

Chiaki "Never delete someone’s saved game" Some of you were right on the money, Chiaki was based on Ben Drowned, I was originally going to draw her like the 'elegy of emptiness' link statue but it was so goofy, I went more classic .exe/doki doki style. Like many of the more positive characters, she's not really fit to be an evil spirit, and plus she was never actually a remnant of despair. The ominous foreboding feeling she gives you is a heightening of paranoia that would hopefully steer you away from contacting the other ghosts.

Junko Is the culmination of everything, the source of every rule. There's no despair after all if there's no one for her to torment, her vitriol enough to outlast her own death in canon by several games, she's dragged every victim into her purgatory. Like with the killing game, those she's trapped with her have the chance to 'beat her' but the game is rigged in her favour. She may be unable to manifest unless every rule is broken, but she's a master of manipulation. She's been the one to spread the rumours, so that people actively seek out to 'break' her rules, supernatural happenings being encouraging rather than deterring, making more people tempted to see for themselves. The ghosts were given just enough autonomy to believe they have agency, when they're trapped in Junko's loop.

If each ghost moved on, she'd have no one give her an endless stream of despair, no hauntings to spur on the thrill seekers/ghost chasers, no reason for all her rules to be actively broken by one person. She'd be slowly forgotten, slowly dissipate, and essentially disappear.

Originally I had Junko's haunting take place in the principle's office, She would call you over the tannoy, but I chose to make it more ambiguous. The idea was that, were she able to manifest, she was the only truly fatal haunting. Imagine the despair if they found a dead student in the principle's office.

I just wanted to thank everyone again, I had a lot of fun with this! It isn't a strict au, so if you wanted to play around with it, go ahead :) I hardly have a monopoly on ghost aus after all - there are loads of far better thought ones about, so if you liked this I'd recommend checking some out!

#danganronpa #danganronpa ghost au #dangantober #horror fiction #THH #SDR2 #thh spoilers #sdr2 spoilers #long post #I do wanna say this was an october drawing/writing challenge #I was fully flying my the seat of my pants #god this took me way longer than I thought lol #I had to retype this TWICE I love tumbl

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astrosky33 · 1 year

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PLANET MEANINGS IN ASTROLOGY

[READ] People often question why there’s so many meanings for each planet/house and the reason is so that you can learn more than just one thing about yourself through each placement. Otherwise astrology would be very vague and boring. These are all meanings that I’ve learned from my astrology classes at Kepler College

THE SUN: your ego, your identity, your vitality, attention, spotlight, leadership, creativity, authority, royalty, pride, generosity, individuality, development, dignity, consciousness, things that make you happy, festivals, validation, and self expression

THE MOON: your inner emotions, emotional responses, emotional instincts, care, your comfort zone, femininity, your mother/motherly figure, family, your childhood, your nurturing instincts, fertility, baking, maternal instinct, adaptability, nursing, menstruation, pregnancy, boobs, the ocean, habits, and comfortability

MERCURY: communication, speaking, the mind, health, perception, lower education (pre-k, elementary, middle, and high school), writing, social media, cell phones, short trips, transportation (not flights only ground transportation), mannerisms, twins, gestures, reason, change (in general), forgetfulness, clumsiness, the press, trading, publishing, correspondence, profanity, gossiping, literary works, daily routine, mathematics, youth, and printing

VENUS: love, attraction, romance, who you fall in love with/who you’re attracted to, your love languages, beauty, sympathy, pleasures, art/artistry, self love, harmony, femininity, rhythm, sentimentality, compromise, sharing, cooperation, aestheticism, dancing, entertainment, values, festivities, possessions, luxury items, cheerfulness, sloth/laziness, jewelry, your vagina, and sensuality

MARS: passion, desire (in general), confidence, ambition, lust and sexual desire, sexual preferences, sex style, anger/aggression/aggressiveness, competitiveness, athletics, temper, impulse, courage, fire, self-assurance, tasks, masculinity, assertion, dominance, activity, physical energy, heat, sexuality, enthusiasm, forcefulness, friction, combativeness, war, your dick, tattoos, motivation, and violence

JUPITER: luck, abundance, wealth, success, opportunity, popularity, expansion, knowledge, honesty, wisdom, travel, air travel, ease, blessings, philosophy, higher education (college/uni), optimism, religion, justice, the law, exploration, profit, vision, devotion, study, growth, faith, fulfillment, speculation, and gambling

SATURN: hard work (and rewards), achievement and mastery, challenges, struggles, karma/karmic lessons/karmic debts, your father/fatherly figure, work (in general), fears, guilt, delay, longevity, old age, limitations, discipline, responsibility, your work ethic, contraction, the past, deficiency, bones, skinniness, practicality, confinement, effort, self-control, stability, endurance, maturity, detachment, consistency, grudges, and history

URANUS: friends/socialization, technology, film, unplanned/sudden changes, uniqueness, ups and downs, fluctuation, rebellion, independence, invention, freedom, originality, the unexpected/surprises, freaks/freakiness, p*rnography, shock, chaos, natural disasters, science, engineering, fans/followers, and electricity

NEPTUNE: kindness, compassion, creativity, glamour, sensitivity, selflessness, escapism, intuitiveness/intuition, the hidden, dreams, imagination, deception/lies, delusion, mysteries, hallucination, disguise, confusion, disappearance, evasion, divinity, spirituality, inspiration, mysticism, transcendence, hypnotism, prophecy, fascination, and idealism

PLUTO: transformation, power, sex, orgasms, destruction (ending in renewal), rebirth, intimacy (not just sexual), death, intensity, magnetism, regeneration, infatuation, obsession, black magic, seduction, manipulation, sexual organs, evolving/evolution, extremes, and purging

MY MASTERLIST

MORE BEGINNER ASTROLOGY

HOUSE MEANINGS

#astrology #astro community #zodiac #astro placements #astrology tumblr #astro chart #birth chart #planet meanings #planet meanings in astrology

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itsclydebitches · 11 months

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I know there's a lot to unpack in James' new interview but I am feral, FERAL I SAY, over this fucking line right here:

"His need was to be loved, and his tragic flaw was the belief that he was unlovable."

Back before Season 3 hit and Tedependent became ~trendy~ (not actually lol) I was heacanoning and writing Trent as a pretty anxious individual, someone with a ton of internalized self-loathing whose "whole vibe" was more of a mask than legitimate self-confidence. At the time I worried about him coming across as too OOC because really, what did we have to support this? Ted Lasso's prevailing theme of men discovering love and support when they previously had none? The lovely parallel of Trent struggling with many of Ted's own flaws, but presenting in opposite ways (cutting cynicism vs. endless optimism)? The then—far less developed—comments from James that Trent might have a rough relationship with his father? It felt unsubstantiated, unpersuasive, built more on my own interest in those kinds of characters and the occasional awkward moment from Trent than actual canon. Even into Season 3 I questioned whether my reading of him as struggling, significantly, with the care Ted offers wasn't just a result of my own, imagined inner life for him.

But NOW.

I'm sorry, hold up, can I just re-confirm that TRENT'S TRAGIC FLAW IS HIS BELIEF THAT HE'S UNLOVABLE? Unlovable??? Thank you, James Lance, for validating every reading I've had of this character since he first appeared on screen. Do people realize the depth this adds to every interaction Trent has? Particularly with Ted? Unlovable Trent Crimm starts off this relationship with a sincere compliment on his style ("I like your glasses"), something that Season 3 will present as a core part of his personality, something he's largely hidden away. Unlovable Trent Crimm grappling with the fact that yes, Ted enjoyed spending time with him. Him. WHILE he was playing the part of the asshole journalist. Unlovable Trent not being rejected when he admits, in moments of vulnerability, that he "Loves [their] chats." Unlovable Trent having his father's (likely snide) "Independent" comment reframed as a fun pun + advice to follow his "bliss": you have support, Trent, no matter what you choose to do. I don't care if you're successful covering a masculine-coded sport, I care if you're happy. Unlovable Trent committing the ultimate betrayal and being forgiven for it, immediately. Unlovable Trent being forcibly integrated into the Richmond family; actively accepted rather than passively tolerated: yes you should work here, yes you're a Diamond Dog, sit your butt down, Trenthouse Magazine, you will never be excluded again.

I'm sorry for the rambling post but I'm just so!! Insane about this!!! So much of Trent's hesitance could have been written off as a result of his career. That is, it might have been merely a learned reaction after decades of deliberately pissing people off. Of course they dislike him, but take him out of that environment and everything's fixed. Yet James has confirmed that he played Trent as intrinsically believing this. The career was a result of that unfounded fear—Might as well keep people at a distance before they hurt me first—as well as, simultaneously, a desire to somehow achieve the love that should have been unconditional from the start—Maybe my father will like me if I can be that "alpha male man's man" in print. Because this isn't just a flaw, it's a tragic flaw, a literary term that denotes a deficiency that leads to the character's downfall. This belief is so entrenched that it has led to Trent actively self-sabotaging his chances of being loved in the first place; a horrible self-fulfilling prophecy. He NEEDED someone like Ted—a fucking love sledgehammer that forces people to accept his care in the least subtle ways possible, even when they're acting as their own worst enemy—and by god, he got him!

Aside from Nate, Trent has always felt like the most isolated character to me at the start of the series (and even Nate has a good relationship with his mother and sister). What we've learned in Season 3 and James' interviews has only reinforced that reading for me: he was closeted in his marriage, unintentionally hurting his daughter, he's suffering under his father's expectations, he hates the press persona he's created to survive, he's bored at his job, footballers and other potential interviewees despise him—and not without reason (Roy). He has no friends that we see pre-Richmond and he's reached a point where the simple act of someone saying that they liked spending the day with him—again, while he's actively TRYING to piss them off and keep his distance—has him in such a state of shock he runs for the door, pens an uncharacteristically hopeful write-up, and is well on his way to upending his entire life for that man.

Because of course he is!!! From Trent's perspective Ted is a fucking impossibility shaped into human form. This is a man in his 40s whose greatest lifelong fear—now all but a certainty at his age—has been dismantled in a matter of hours. I'd write a book-length love letter to him too! And RIP to finale!Trent, but I would have run fucking Rom-Com style after the man who not only changed my life, but my entire sense of self-worth. (Ah fuck, but there's that tragic flaw again, keeping Trent hesitant. I now stand by my reading of the "I'll leave you be" scene as an unrequited goodbye.)

But finale aside, the man who'd convinced himself he was unlovable fell for the man who was love incarnate.

If that's not the most romantic shit you've ever heard idk what is!!!

#Ted Lasso #Trent Crimm #Tedependent #mymetas #don't worry everyone I'm SO normal about this🙃

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fizzingwizard · 1 year

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Randomly visited reddit and saw this:

My first thought: it's an incel pretending to be a woman, because what modern woman thinks she's spoiled milk a 30??? (Aside from also trashing her girl friends - girl, get better friends!) But their profile doesn't seem weird in any way, so, I guess there are some people out there who really somehow believe youth ends at 29. Even some who have aged past it.

It's not even true that all 30 year olds are less beautiful than they were at 20. People age in different ways at at different rates: yeah, your likelihood of getting wrinkles and gray hairs is only ever going to go up. But some people don't have their style figured out in their twenties - some people turn thirty and freaking bloom. And you can't call that a late bloomer. 40 isn't a late bloomer either! 20 is nice but it's not the heaven on earth it's cracked up to be, and 30 is just getting started.

Idk about the rest of you but you know those posts about how embarrassing it is to look back on 14? Yeah, related to those when I was 20. Now I've passed the big 3-0, and guess what - I think 20 year old me was so silly lol. So insecure, so afraid to make mistakes, so resistant to change. I enjoyed my twenties, but my early thirties have so far been way better: I'm more confident, less self-involved, and I find happiness so much more easily than I did back when I thought everything I did had to matter So Damn Much. And if you think that doesn't relate to being attractive: confidence is 90% of it. Just walk up and smile. A confident, happy person always attracts others even if they're just average-looking.

Also for people who like men, don't forget: men in their 30s usually aren't quite the energizer bunnies they were in their 20s when it comes to ~sexy times~ The 20-year-old stud who insisted he could go for a roll multiple times a day, every day, is probably much less gung ho at 30. And also more forward-thinking, and less amaaaaazed by omg boobies!!! When you're young, half the excitement is just how new everything is. It gets less intense, thank goodness. (But it's still hot!)

This post just totally rubbed me the wrong way. It read as a still young woman anxiously wringing her hands in apology for having the audacity to be single at... 30?? And apparently not trusting women to have good advice about dating at 30 (so no point in me responding to her, lol), but perfectly comfortable kissing up to incel mindsets such as "women past 25 should accept that they're sloppy seconds" etc. "Value as a partner" do you have intrinsic worth as a human being?? Yes??? Then your value does NOT degrade. Yeah, you might have gray hair, the horror, so unsexy (I've had very visible grays since I was 23 and been dyeing since 26 lmao). Doesn't mean you're less hot than some 20 year old who doesn't know what she's doing. Doesn't mean it'll be at all hard to find a partner who will love you warts and all. Do you have this same expectation of men? Are you gonna start dating a 30 year old dude and then complain that he gets tired more quickly than a 20 year old would?? Is he less sexy just because he doesn't party all night and drink twice his weight without effect? Overrated overrated overrated!

My parents divorced in their 60s. My mom's got a new boyfriend who takes her dancing under the full moon. They're living their best lives way past their so-called "prime" and no, that is not rare - it's just a choice. If you view yourself as having some expiration date, you're not gonna do anything to improve your happiness once you're past it. Don't let incels or misogyny or whatever convince you your perfectly wholesome milk has gone bad, because that is a self-fulfilling prophecy.

ETA: Well, while I was working this got 150 notes, and although that's barely a drop in the bucket, it's still a lot more than my rants usually get (about 2 lol). So I just want to clarify a couple things so I stop getting comments about them.

This post was from the askmen subreddit. I left that out, feeling "reddit" was context enough, but I guess the implications may not have been obvious, especially to tumblr users who don't also use reddit. Askmen isn't a horrible place (a number of the responders pointed out why they prefer older women to younger ones), but many of its members have a pretty incel-adjacent vibe. Plus there are a number of women (real or not) who post there, many of whom have a similar brown-nosey "unlike those radical feminists, I'm a woman who knows her place" attitude.

It's fine to suggest the OP may have internalized misogyny from being abused - but it's not a given, as nothing in the post is a definite indication of abuse by itself. Big kudos for the compassion - just keep in mind that my response was about general attitudes towards dating post-twenties and not about abuse victims.

To the person who thinks a relationship of six years makes a difference somehow?: You seem to have interpreted my post as an attack on people who feel insecure about returning to dating after a breakup. But I think it's clearly nothing to do with that. Of course it is natural to have anxieties about being single after so long, but nowhere in this post was that denied or mocked. Whether you've been together one year or six, this post would always be weird - those natural anxieties don't make misogynistic mindsets about decrepit 30-year-old women any less gross. If you had decided to write a reaction to the OP's post, perhaps you would have chosen to center it on the effects of coming off a long term relationship, and I'm sure it'd be insightful. However, I am not you, and I chose to react to the attitudes around aging in relationships reflected in the post.

#rant

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jimmy-dipthong · 11 months

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ツッコミ, Japanese comedy, and linguistic relativity

Recently, I’ve noticed that while watching Japanese comedy in Japanese, I’ve started laughing at the ツッコミ, when before I would just laugh at the ボケ, or not laugh at all. I used to complain to my Japanese partner that I thought ツッコミ was unnecessary. So what changed? Why have I started laughing at it?

On QI, when asked if he came to a theory about the nature of jokes while writing his book The Naked Jape, Jimmy Carr said,

“There’s all these different theories from around the world, and they’re all pretty much nonsense. They all work in exactly the same way though. All jokes are sort of two stories. So the first story makes you make an assumption, and the second story makes you realise that the assumption was wrong” — Link to video

This is backed up by other research into theories of humour and is called the Incongruous juxtaposition theory.

ツッコミ, like all jokes, works like this. The first “story” (aka the setup) is the ボケ, usually something weird or absurd. The second “story” (aka the punchline) is the ツッコミ, which points out that the weird thing is weird.

When I first saw ツッコミ on a tv show, I didn’t think it was very funny. Why not just say the absurd thing and leave it at that - the weird part is the funny part, right? I don’t need to be told it’s absurd. However, I now think it’s more complicated than that.

In the english speaking world, usually our setups are pretty normal sounding, and then the punchline is absurd. So we begin to conflate “absurd” with “punchline: laugh now”, because when you hear something absurd, that’s when you’re supposed to laugh - that’s when the laugh track plays on the sitcom; that’s the point in the anecdote when your friends start laughing; that’s when the people around you are laughing and you’re expected to laugh too. In contrast, the opposite is true for japanese jokes: the setup is absurd and the punchline is the status quo.

(I realise this is a gross oversimplification of how comedy works but bear with me)

Japanese people experience the opposite: they conflate “status quo” with “punchline: laugh now”, because that’s when they're supposed to laugh. What is “funny” is such a social question that it’s entirely dependent on culture. Funniness is a self-fulfilling prophecy - if something is considered funny, then it’s funny. Japanese people have been conditioned to find their ツッコミ punchlines funny, just like we have been conditioned to find our punchlines funny.

So, the “laugh now” signpost looks different for english speakers vs japanese speakers. Why does that make me laugh at a ツッコミ joke in Japanese but not in English? I believe it comes from where my brain starts recognising “a joke has begun”. (Side note: I think in English, we’re more likely to retroactively recognise something as a setup to a joke)

For example, let’s take the scene from Ranking of Kings I already partially discussed in my Why Are Anime Translations So Bad post.

In this scene, we’re given a setup. These orcs are harassing Despa's apprentice Bojji in a tavern, but Despa doesn’t seem like he’ll be provoked. He’s controlling himself - acting very mature. Then one of the orcs makes fun of Despa’s face, and Despa immediately punches him through a table and exclaims “You can insult my apprentice, but I won’t let you insult me!” Classic English-style punchline.

But then, Kage comes in and says “逆でしょ！” which doesn’t have a great translation but it’s something like “You've got it backwards!” As an English speaking audience, this feels unnecessary. We already laughed! Kage’s overexplaining the joke!

But when I was watching this in Japanese, I recognised Despa’s line as the setup, and unintentionally waited before laughing, because I knew the real punchline was coming after it. It was only until I was doing research for that anime translations post that I realised Kage’s punchline wasn’t funny in English at all.

All of this to say, laughter is a social and cultural behaviour and (I believe) we laugh to show others that we understood some sort of juxtaposition. That’s why people tend to laugh more at stand up comedy when they’re in the audience as opposed to watching it alone on their phone. Even when we’re alone, because those social and cultural influences are imprinted on our brains, we laugh. And language is the ultimate cultural compartmentalisation tool. When I speak Japanese, I need to be aware of cultural constructs (such as respect hierarchy) that simply do not exist in my native language (Australian English). Which means when I’m watching something in Japanese, the social and cultural influences that I subconsciously let affect my brain at that moment will be different, which leads to me finding different things funny at different times. This idea is known as linguistic relativity, or the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, made famous by the fantastic film Arrival (it's also apparently quite hotly debated and misunderstood, but that's a post for another day).

To get back to my original question - What changed? Well, I think I finally managed to soak in enough subconscious cultural understanding of what to expect in a Japanese joke that now I end up laughing along with everyone else! Being in “Japanese mode” makes me subconsciously aware of different cultural norms (including comedy norms now), which means I might find a joke hilarious in Japanese, and not funny at all in English, even if it was somehow perfectly translated without losing or gaining any extra meaning. I think this is probably true for all multilingual people.

#langblr #japanese #japanese langblr #language acquisition #language learning #linguistics #japanese language #language #learning japanese #jimmy blogthong #comedy #linguistic relativity #japanese culture #anime

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rrasado · 6 months

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⸢ FURINA'S HAIR: SYMBOLISM ⸥

OTHER NOTES ➽ My personal interpretation of our beloved archon's design, specifically the way she styled her hair in all forms.

SPOILERS ➽ SPOILERS FOR 4.2 ARCHON QUEST, PROCEED WITH CAUTION!

Focalors, who had pure straight hair. Seamlessly luscious befitting that of the divine.

Focalors, who separated her humanity and divinity, one day seeking that human half for a greater goal.

Focalors, who approached a short-haired Furina that possessed the same raw curiosity for living as Focalors did when she first left her watery form. So young yet so full of life.

Furina, accepting a role at the cost of herself, donning a polished attire that still resembled her human apparel.

Furina, who faced the eager audience that was Fontaine with the same long curls as Focalors, which was unlikely to have grown naturally in such a rushed length of time.

Furina, who paraded a unique haircut, yet you can see where the end of her short hair is, and where the temporary locks start.

Furina, who had shown us in her mental stage the rigorous pursuit of a solution for the prophecy; working with both her true human self and the godly persona she played.

Furina, who, unlike Focalor’s hair, had a distinct cut that’d separate the short thrill of humanity and the long lamentation of an archon.

Furina, who unlike Focalors', was always a figurehead even in design, one who didn’t have the same true divinity as Focalors.

Focalors, who, unlike Furina, didn’t have the pleasure of experiencing the glory of a god to her people nor the amusing titillation of a human.

Focalors, who will forever outgrow her hair until it’s long enough for even the Oratrice Mecanique d'Analyse Cardinale to chop it, thus ending her divine run.

Furina, who, unlike Focalors', was able to live out her humanity even when the long tresses of divinity were cut from her hair. Only appearing when assuming a fleeting role as Fontaine’s archon.

Furina, who may now grow her hair at her own pace, not as an artificial divinity, but as a human who yearned for spectacle.

Focalors, who designed her human self in a way that’d allow for Furina to grow, because that’s the one thing she knew she couldn’t fulfill herself, as evidenced by the lengthy tresses that flow behind her before her demise.

Focalors, whose hair is unnaturally split into two, might've been the forewarning of her two halves.

Focalors, and her humanity, are differentiated by the consequences of cutting their hair, of cutting their divinity.

Tag list :: @cxsinesis @luvielle

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lieutenant-teach · 2 months

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Post fix-it (Anakin doesn’t go Dark and fulfills the prophecy, clones get civil rights, everyone is happy or on the way to it). Cody speaks about problems concerning clones’ and his own appearance. Hurt\comfort, romance, discussion of sexual harassment.

Only a couple of months ago Cody wouldn’t believe if anyone told him that the war would be over, and the Clone Rights Bill would pass. Yes, a lot of work is needed to be done – settling cadets and shinies saved from Kamino, helping the Jedi get back into ‘diplomatic’ style, figuring out what the veterans want to do with their lives – but right now Cody is content and doesn’t think about it. At least, he tries. Obi-Wan is sitting right next to him in a cozy loveseat, in front of the cracking fire, leaning into him and reading some news on his holopad. Cody promised himself that he won’t speak about heavy topics at night – they both have had enough during the daytime, and Obi-Wan needs some rest after he and other Jedi rummaged through Sith artifacts they found hidden by Palpatine.

But a couple of thoughts, doubts are nagging in the back of Cody’s mind.

And Obi-Wan must have felt it, because he closes the pad and turns to him.

Cody raises an eyebrow in a lame attempt to avert the attention.

– What is bothering you, my dear? – Concern is written all over his face, and Cody hates it.

– Nothing serious. Just some stupid thoughts, not important.

– Which are so not important that your uneasy emotions emanate all around?

Cody remembers how hurt Obi-Wan was after discovering all the lies Anakin Skywalker had been hiding through several years – from negative emotions like fear and jealousy to secret marriage to murder of the whole Tusken tribe. Now he knows Cody’s also hiding something… Of course, it’s nothing as bad as it was with Skywalker, but the fact remains.

– Well, sir… Obi-Wan, - Cody’s still not used to calling him familiarly. He shifts a little bit facing him fully. – I’ve heard some brothers mentioning that before, and, frankly, I still don’t know what is the right way to react and what to do.

Obi-Wan furrows eyebrows, but listen attentively, and more concern bleeds into his eyes. And Cody hasn’t even told yet what actually happened.

– They weren’t complaining per se, just confused. They say when they come out onto the streets, sometimes, I guess, some not very polite strangers – some natborns comment on them. You know… appearance. Call them pretty or handsome or attractive while not being asked for any kind of such compliments. And… I suppose, we are attractive to some, though it’s hard to tell when you see your face every day and you don’t even need a mirror, - Cody lets out a small self-deprecating smile, but Obi-Wan only furrows further. – They’re confused – during the war we also walked around sometimes without our buckets on, but no one reacted like that. No one noticed any attractiveness. But now, as we’re still in the centre of attention, now suddenly they see us.

Obi-Wan opens the mouth, but Cody isn’t finished yet:

– Today I was walking to my workshop to complete these wooden porg toys for younglings, when someone stopped me and started flirting with me. – He feels uneasy even thinking about it. He’s never felt so awkward before. Not even after he kissed Obi-Wan for the first time and then started mulling over – maybe, he was kissing badly, maybe, he had a bad breath – and not even when after this his former General began reassuring him everything was fine. No, it was a feeling similar to when after several years with the Jedi respecting them and teaching self-worth he looked back on their collective life on Kamino. They were created for the Republic. Units to serve. To be used and discarded. But then the Jedi insisted that they’re not units, but people. Everyone deserves respect. And they were mistreated both by the Kaminoans and the Senate. It was impossible to even start realizing that it shouldn’t have been like that. How must they react now to the previous treatment they’ve got used to? Especially these days, when they’re recognized as sentients? Quite often they were never seen at all or as furniture at best. But now they are at last considered, called pretty, so it is good, right? But why does it feel wrong? – And it felt wrong. I was looked at, admired for my physic, but I wasn’t seen at all. It doesn’t make sense, right? – Cody chuckles self-deprecatingly again, feeling stupid for not being able to figure out his own emotions.

– It does. – Obi-Wan sighs. – First you’re not seen at all, now you’re seen as beautiful dolls. Two sides of the same coin. It shall take time for the general public to realize fully that you have the same rights of respect as anyone else. And it does make sense you do not feel good when called like that, especially when not asked for any kind of such attention. I think I shall talk to Healer Che and Knight Secura about it, maybe Master Tapal also – they can organize something for the Brothers, some lessons specifically about such situations. Mace should know, too – I think about political implications of addressing such attitude…

– Isn’t it too much? Overreacting? – Cody doesn’t want any trouble for both his brothers or the Jedi. Catches Obi-Wan’s somber gaze and deflates: - I guess it’s not. Thank you for bothering.

– Not bothering, it’s serious, - Obi-Wan’s eyes are immensely sad now. – I’m so sorry it happens to you all. Thanks for telling me.

One boulder is off Cody’s shoulders.

– But there’s something else, right?

– Yeah, it’s more personal… and really stupid, - Cody hesitates, then tugs his shirt, pulls it over his head and throws on the floor. Rolls his shoulders, straightening his back: - Who do you see?

Obi-Wan is obviously taken aback – both by question and by Cody’s actions. As they haven’t been that intimate. Taking time, not hurrying into naked business. So Obi-Wan hasn’t seen him shirtless… in romantic context, let’s say.

Cody likes the way his General’s… former General’s gaze wanders over him – quickly, not wanting to be intrusive. But clearly interested. But the doubt – unreasonable, as he tries to convince himself – rots all the joy.

– I see you. Why do you ask?

– Don’t you think about… Jango Fett?

Obi-Wan looks offended.

– I’m his clone, I look the same, and you’d met him long before you met me, - Cody prods with some masochistic insistence. – You’ve told me I’m different in the Force. But our outwards are identical.

Obi-Wan sighs and takes his hand gently.

- Will you believe me if I say I haven’t thought about him in what – three years? I never ever seen not a tiniest bit of Jango Fett in any of you. The Force signature, shall I say, impacts how we, the Force-sensitives, especially the trained ones, perceive the world…

– But do you find me… handsome? – Cody interrupts him – he knows what Obi-Wan’s is trying to tell him. He’s heard it before – “You feel steady and warm, like a sun”. He never expected sex issues to be so complicated, he thinks to himself.

– I do, - Obi-Wan sounds as if he’s saying a vow. – Cody, I have no intention to be insensitive, but do you presume that when I’m with you, I imagine… Rex instead of you? Or Waxer? Or literally any of your brothers?

The idea is the most moronic ever, despite Obi-Wan’s serious voice. Cody even laughs:

– Course, not! – he catches the idea his Jedi is conveying and lets the other boulder fall. He smiles warmly, feeling easy: - I hate being beaten by my own logic.

– I know it may be hard for you, darling, - Obi-Wan starts and then smiles back. Cody knows he feels the change in his emotions, because the concern on his face fades away. For now, at least. – Well, Cody…

– Yes? – Cody is alert, as per usual. Obi-Wan blushes and ducks his head a little bit – Cody finds it adorable. – What is it, sir? – he teases, flashing a flirty smile. He already suspects what he’ll be asked about, and it feels gloriously absolutely opposite to what happened this day.

– Would you allow me to touch you? – Obi-Wan doesn’t look confident – obviously remembers Cody’s not nice experience too. – Of course, the fact you took off your shirt doesn’t oblige you to agree, and it was rude of me to assume you’d enjoy hearing that, especially after today’s unfortunate experience…

– I want it, - Cody doesn’t intent for Obi-Wan to feel as if he did something wrong. Because he didn’t.

Obi-Wan slowly stretches his hand and lays it on Cody’s chest. The touch is gentle and warm, very careful. His heart is fluttering, and there’s a funny feeling in the stomach – intensified by the intimacy of the situation.

Cody cannot take his eyes off Obi-Wan’s face, mesmerized by love written all over it.

– You’re beautiful, - the hand slowly slides lower, on his belly, tracing tense muscles. – Dear, you are beautiful, - finger pads move up, circling chest muscles, brushing the nipple – the latter causes a tremor of pleasant vulnerability in Cody. The hand travels over his shoulder, mapping every inch of skin.

Cody presses his hand to Obi-Wan’s cheek – the beard scratches, but he likes it. Then he lowers it and touches the hem of his Jedi’s shirt, looking questioningly into his eyes. He’s not sure if he oversteps the boundaries – maybe, Obi-Wan is not ready to go this far as Cody is.

– How can anyone say no to these puppy eyes? – Obi-Wan laughs quietly. – Not that I ever wanted, - he raises his arms, allowing Cody to take the shirt off and throw it away to his own.

Cody wants to have a look, but he only catches fair skin before Obi-Wan throws his arms around Cody’s neck, presses himself into him and plants a long and really nice kiss on lips. Cody isn’t stupid to complain about it – especially when he hugs him back, feels warmth and lean muscles under his palms, heat of chest and stomach against his own. And he moves closer, exploring Obi-Wan’s back, taking in all scars – his heart squeezes with ‘there could have been no scars, if not this karking war’. He interrupts the kiss only to press his lips to the shoulder sprayed with faint freckles. He feels like he’ll explode of tenderness. Feels Obi-Wan caressing his shoulder blades and neck, kissing his temple.

– It’s all right, darling, it’s all right, - the Jedi murmurs into his ear, practically cradling him. Cody doesn’t like the somber in his voice, so he uses his weight to tackle Obi-Wan down into the loveseat. Hears delighted chuckle into his ear and grins, shifting himself to look into his eyes. Then leans for a kiss, and the initiative is met with vigour.

#star wars #codywan #clones #fanfiction #my fic #fanfic #jedi #pro jedi

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accio-victuuri · 7 months

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It’s not a secret that i don’t really buy into the whole “blonde character in XZS chapter 6 vlog is WYB” cpn. but i do understand, with the blonde hair, turtles were thinking maybe ZZ knew about the styling change so that was a clue.

I still stand by that, the person represented in there is someone from the XZS staff who is also ZZ’s friend. His hair is dyed like that and he must be the one overseeing the edits aside from XZ so he is a main character too. He is holding a camera cause that’s his responsibility, gather content.

Having said that, I can’t help but 👀 when i saw this:

I mean. What are the chances that this character we are suspicious about sort of looks like WYB in the YBO photoset. His hair is platinum blonde but maybe ZZ was just told it’s gonna be blonde. The clothes. The camera he is holding. It’s the kind of coincidence that’s equivalent to the universe fucking with us. Honestly. It’s some kind of self fulfilling prophecy 😂

And well, it’s not like it will ever be confirmed. So it remains a “mystery” like all other mysterious candies in this fandom 🖤

#yizhan #bjyx #there is no science here i’m just clowning like i always do

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smokestarrules · 2 years

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Hunter & Vee

(Because, apparently, Hunter doesn’t have enough character parallels already.)

Quite a few people have already said that something interesting about Hunter being in the Human Realm is the sheer amount of connections he’ll find there. To the potential Philip and Caleb’s backstories, their statues, the Golden Guards’ emblem being the Gravesfield crest, there’s a lot there for him to discover about his predecessor’s life.

But also there’s Vee. And I’ve just realized that she’s got a lot in common with Hunter when you really think about it.

Firstly, they’re both Grimwalkers, aren’t they?

Basilisks were extinct, but Philip brought them back, likely in the same way he made Hunter and the rest of the Golden Guards. All you need are a few magical ingredients, a bone of the original species, and then you have a number of basilisks for whatever purpose arises. Interestingly enough, the books Hunter’s looking at in Labyrinth Runners seem to imply that Grimwalkers themselves used to be known as an extinct species, so I can’t help but wonder if Philip himself banned their creation in order to keep everyone off the scent of his own ones.

Adding onto that last point, the entire reason that Hunter and Vee exist is to be to Philip’s advantage one way or another. Hunter is a Grimwalker of Caleb, of the man Philip feels betrayed him. Philip wants him back, but only on his terms, and so Hunter is the forever-occurring test. Hell, it’s unlikely that Philip’ll ever achieve that goal of creating a perfect brother for himself, but I doubt he’ll ever understand that, either.

As for Vee and the rest of the basilisks, their purpose is to give Philip more information about the Day of Unity and how the Draining Spell would work. The Collector is the one who initially gave Philip the Draining Spell, but basilisks drain magic as a part of their biology, so using them as research could only assist Philip as he slowly neared the day of the eclipse.

Even their NAMES prove how much Philip really values other people - anyone other than humans, that is. Vee is Vee, or the roman numeral for Number Five, and Hunter, not even a person in Philip’s eyes, is given Philip’s own title for a name. Philip can't waste time naming them all, after all; that’d be using far too much brainpower and emotional attachment that he simply does not have, and so Hunter it is.

They’re also both powerless to a point, though both of them now have ways to overcome that obstacle. Basilisks do not have magic inherently, but they are capable of taking it from other things and then using it themselves, though they’ll run out eventually. Hunter, on the other hand, has found himself a palisman - Flapjack - whose inherent magic has bonded deep with Hunter’s own style as they fight together.

Then there's the Philip Trauma(tm).

When they are discovered in their hiding places, their reactions are about the same. Luz finds Vee and Vee panics; declares that she’s never going back to the Demon Realm because Philip is there, and immediately jumps straight to the worst conclusion: that she’s going to have to go on the run from him again.

Hunter is the same. When the Coven Scouts recognize him and tell him that Philip is looking for him, he needs Gus’ help to calm him down from an anxiety attack.

Even the 'prophecy’ given to Vee by her camp friend in Yesterday’s Lie fits both Vee and Hunter pretty damn well. Guilt and fear.... a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Guilt and fear makes Vee rebel against draining the rats, gets her punished, most likely. Guilt and fear makes every last Golden Guard betray Philip, because in the end, they realize that he’s not someone anyone can trust. Hunter is a good kid. Vee is a good kid. Therefore, they are destined to always oppose Philip, no matter what he wants. Hunter is a self-fulfilling prophecy; the Golden Guards always betray Philip. Vee is always going to disagree with Philip.

...

I just think that Hunter and Vee could be a very formidable duo against Philip, should he regenerate in the Human Realm and begin to cause trouble again. God knows they deserve maybe more than anyone to put him in his place. I hope that their similarities can be explored somewhat in s3, and I also believe they could be rather healing for each other. They both need friends.

Also, as a sidetone; I suppose that at the end of the day, all we can hope is that the parallels between Hunter and Vee stay true to this scene as well (and I know they will).

Camila’s going to love Hunter, too.

#toh #toh spoilers #the owl house #the owl house spoilers #hunter #vee #hunter toh #vee toh #philip wittebane #caleb wittebane #emperor belos #camila noceda #smokey speaks #vee noceda #500 #1k

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uglypastels · 2 months

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Corroded Coffin, Cryptic (1991)

After the release of their record-breaking debut album, Corrosion, expectations of Corroded Coffin's next record were high, to say the least. It is, after all, not often that we get to see a new artist climb its way up the ladder of success as smoothly as we saw it happen in '88. The band's debut dominated not just the Rock charts, positioning the rookies comfortably among the greats of Guns 'n Roses, former Beatles and even Michael Jackson. All this accumulated into one of the best-selling albums of the year and ended award season with three Grammy nominations the next year. On top of that, their Corrosive Damage Tour grossed over 20 million dollars, nearly selling out every date on the roster.

Thus, when the band released their single "Unnamed," immediately hitting the top 10 on nearly every chart, everything seemed to be heading in the same direction for the band's sophomore project Cryptic.

Unfortunately, that does not seem to be the case.

It is natural for artists to want to out-do themselves, fearing to be seen as a one-trick pony, but in the case of Corroded Coffin, that came to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. The musicians' need to proof their skills and range, resulted in a incoherent collection of songs that veer too far off from what their fans had grown to love in the first place.

When asked about what they thought of the album, one fan said: "I don't know what I just listened to, but [Corroded] Coffin it ain't."

"They better get their shit together, because I'm not paying money to see this crap live," another listener exclaimed.

Experimentation is always encouraged in the music industry, as is re-invention, but there is a time and place for it, and for a band that has only released one prior record, that time was not now. All choices made in the production, from the voice filters to a new peculiar guitar style, seem to have come from a clear place of insecurity, in particular in the band's frontman, Eddie Munson.

That is now surprise however, as prior to the release of Cryptid, Munson had already been quoted to voice his concerns on several occasions. When on air with Jackie deLange from HRM.FM last December, the singer/guitarist talked of the fears that come with a hit release such as Corrosion:

"The second Corrosion started rising the charts, the only question on everyone's mind was What's next? And shit if I know. We never expected to get where we are now with this record. It was made in a toilet of a studio on a barely existent budget, if you can call it that. The odds we're certainly not in our favour and I still don't know how we managed to pull this off. [...] It's deffinitely an immense amount of pressure for someone that barely graduated high school. I don't know if I can do anything as well as that, but I can for sure try."

The quote also begs to question, is the real problem behind the lack of further success the amount of recources available to them under the new label? Having signed on to Black Widow Records mid-tour, the band gained access to equiptment and people unimaginable to unsigned nobodies as they were while creating their breakout hits. Such a change must have been overwhelming, and while it can bring a new form of freedom to the process, it also clearly creates a much larger area for mistakes.

Either way, I hold out hope that it was nothing but a hiccup in the discography, and that the band will come to realise what makes their style theirs and grow with it, but for now the album will remain a reminder for us all that you must learn to walk before you can run.

- The Corroded Coffin Archive (Source: Metal Edge)

#eddie munson #corroded coffin #eddie munson fanfiction #eddie munson edit #edit #eddie munson blurb #eddie munson fic #fanfic #fic #rockstar!eddie

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sailtomarina · 8 months

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Matching Souls, Luna-style

Hermione didn’t believe in divination. Magic, yes, but fate? Destiny?

Rubbish.

Even though she’d seen the Hall of Prophecies for herself, was best friends with the “Chosen One,” it all seemed self-fulfilling. And true love? Soulmates? That seemed most dubious of all.

She believed in the love built on a firm foundation and grown over time, like the type of love she grew up seeing in her parents. She thought it was the type of love she had found in Ron.

Until it wasn’t.

They said Slytherins were the snakes, when what Hermione should have really been watching out for were the two-faced badgers and sharp-taloned eagles. How dare Susan consult in Luna’s so-called love match reading; how dare Luna offer up Ron’s name as if he wasn’t already taken.

So here she was, sitting on a stupidly comfortable cushion inhaling incense she was certain did more to worsen her headache than open anyone’s “inner eye.”

“I’m so glad you accepted my offer for a reading, Hermione. Your match is somewhere out there, and we’re going to find them, whoever they are!”

She couldn’t help but glare at Luna’s outstretched hands dubiously where they lay palms up on the table. Hermione wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it wasn’t this. Maybe a crystal ball, perhaps cards, or even tea leaves. How was Luna supposed to see anything—not that she believed she would—just by holding her hands?

“This will only work as well as you allow it to, you know. If you don’t believe, then, well, I won’t see anything.” Luna’s voice was calm in her reprimand.

It was her bluntness that lessened Hermione’s armor. She couldn’t really see what Luna had to gain by pretending. She might not make a lot of sense much of the time, seeing things no one else could, but Luna did make some uncanny observations. Hermione attributed her accuracy to a keen spatial awareness.

Now that she stepped back to view her breakup from a distance, she realized that her and Ron had been doomed from the start, Luna’s involvement notwithstanding. Hermione had just been too close to see all the warning signs. She must have felt at least some of that beforehand to have accepted Luna’s invitation in the first place.

“I just…I mean, this isn’t what I expected. How are you meant to see anything without any tools?”

“It’s an old spell that’s been in my family for generations. I say the incantation, take your sacrifice, and then we see what we see.”

Bells rang in her head.

“What kind of sacrifice?”

Luna’s serene smile was at complete odds with the next words out of her mouth. “An offering of blood.”

“Luna Lovegood! Is this blood magic?” Hermione hissed, infuriated that her friend would even consider dragging her into this. Blood magic was strictly forbidden at Hogwarts.

“Yes, but that doesn’t make it inherently bad. Blood magic is some of the most ancient and powerful magic in existence.” Luna tilted her head as if carefully considering her next words. “I would have thought you would know that given your extensive research and time spent in the library.”

Hermione knew she didn’t mean it as an insult, but it certainly felt like she was being called out by the Ravenclaw. She felt as if her intelligence was being challenged, and Hermione did not back down from any battle of minds.

Luna was right. Hermione had read several texts describing this particular branch of magic as neutral as any other type of magic—what mattered was the caster’s intent. Blood magic could be used to protect just as well as harm. She knew from her own experience that there were regularly used spells that could be just as damaging, like obliviate.

She shoved the warnings about taboos and so-called dark magic into the box alongside all the other rules she’d broken over the years with Harry and Ron.

“Just tell me what to do.”

With a delighted giggle, Luna wiggled her fingers until Hermione placed her hands atop them. Closing her eyes, she muttered a string of words that made little sense to Hermione. She felt a change in the air, though, as if all noise had been sucked out of the room leaving only their own deep breaths and the pounding of her heart.

Luna smiled at the end of her incantation and let go with one hand to pick up her wand. She used the tip to gently flip Hermione’s free hand over and cut a shallow incision along the thumb with another spell. As a bead of blood threatened to drip, Luna pressed her own thumb against it and closed her eyes.

Hermione couldn’t deny the strange pressure surrounding them that she hadn’t felt before. Remembering Luna’s words from earlier, she, too, closed her eyes and wished with all her heart to open herself to the other girl.

“Thank you, Hermione. I’ve seen what I need to see.” Luna blinked heavily, as if waking from a deep sleep.

“Which was?”

“The good news is that your soulmate is here at Hogwarts.”

“They are?” The fact surprised Hermione. She felt like she knew most of the students at the school. How had she not felt anything in all this time?

Luna nodded in a solemn manner before continuing. “He is. The bad news is that he’s in a dark place right now. What I can sense, however, is a passion for knowledge and competitive drive that rivals yours. You share a great capacity for love, though that fire can burn just as powerfully towards hate.”

Hermione frowned at the revelation. There weren’t many students that vied for the top rankings. She wasn’t particularly close to any of them, and a few she either had never spoken to or outright avoided.

“That doesn’t sound so bad, I guess, other than the part about “hate”. When you say “dark”, is that literal or metaphorical?”

Luna nodded approvingly at her question. “Both. In fact, if you make your way up right now to someplace where you can see the stars best, I have a feeling you’ll get to meet him.”

A place where they could clearly see the stars…that sounded like the Astronomy Tower. Hermione hadn’t been up there in ages, not since before Dumbledore’s death. She likely wasn’t the only one. The deck was bound to be deserted at this hour, but maybe…

“I think I’ll test out your theory. Thanks, Luna!”

Hermione snatched up her bag to make her way towards the tower. She was in such a hurry, she missed Luna’s parting words.

“You’re welcome! Tell Draco I said ‘hello’.”

She’d confront Luna loudly the next day over a bowl of creamy oats, the entirety of the Great Hall staring at them with mouths hanging open. Her explosion would earn Hermione the ire of their mutual friends as they rallied to defend the mild-mannered Ravenclaw. What she did not do was actually talk to the true subject of her outburst, who watched everything unfold with his signature arched brow.

It wasn’t until a week later that Hermione and Draco would be forced into a class partnership, and then a month after that they conceded to studying together outside of the library. A couple of months later, Hermione grinded out an apology to the same girl she’d screamed to at the start of the term, with an amused Draco watching nearby.

Through it all, Luna maintained a saintly patience, forgiving Hermione before being asked. She already had her maid-of-honor speech all planned out and had recently gone on a date with her own soulmatch.

But she told Hermione none of these things, nor Draco. She did, however, compliment them on their radiant auras. They were truly magnificent now that they’d found one another—almost as pretty as Pansy’s eyes.

WC 1304

DHR Month Prompt: Week 2 - Bonds, September 8 - Soulmates

Cross-posted on AO3

I almost forgot about this after skipping the freebie day on the 7th (others still submitted, so make sure you check those out), so I felt a bit rushed writing this out late at night. It's rougher than I'd like, but I still hope you enjoy my take on todays theme!

#dramionemonth #dramione month #dramione #harry potter fanfiction #dhr fanfiction #draco malfoy x hermione granger #hermione granger #draco malfoy #luna lovegood

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cousticks · 6 months

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What's your opinion on Chuuya and Shirase's relationship?

Alright. Alright alright. This is half 'their relationship' analysis and half just rambling about Shirase because that boy runs circles in my head. It got long so I'm putting it under a read more, but I really really encourage anyone to read it if you think about Shirase because I'd love to see others' thoughts too <3

Thank you SO much for this ask in particular, it was the push I needed to ramble about Shirase and was a lot of fun to think about

While Shirase... kind of sucked. He's a teenage boy. He's a really arguably normal teenage boy, with a bit of an ego, as teenagers tend to have. He's a teenage boy who grew up on the streets and had a pretty big lack of security. Chuuya, with all his flashy powers? He offered security. So when that security seemed threatened (such as with Chuuya seeming to join the mafia,) Shirase panicked and lashed out because his stability was threatened. And took it out on Chuuya. Which... trying to kill Chuuya wasn't great, but that's the world they live in. They're just teenagers, but the way they grew up? Teenager drama culminates in people getting really, really, hurt, or dead. Shirase is a traumatized street kid too.

When they first meet, Chuuya is half dead. Shirase offers him food and the Sheep as a whole offer him a place to go. At first, they definitely saw each other as just... kids. Like that's it. They were kids trying to survive together and helping each other do so. But if you think about it, Chuuya was in pretty bad shape when he found the Sheep. I really don't think he got out of the Suribachi explosion unscathed. He didn't know what was food. He probably didn't know much in general, honestly. Chuuya probably started thinking of himself as a burden upon the Sheep before he found his strengths (aka combative ability.) I think its somewhere in that period their relationship got more transactional. Self-fulfilling prophecy style, Chuuya would have stepped up to make up for all the Sheep did for him, thinking he had to do have been worth the Sheep's investment. And I don't think he'd ever say that outright. But he'd still make it pretty obvious that's what he's doing. The Sheep are a band of struggling kids, they're going to tend towards a hero.

Here's the thing about people that get popular. Here's an analogy. Think of some of the more rabid fans of celebrities you can think of, when the celebrity does something they don't like. How they post, outraged, about how the version of their idol in their head isn't matching what the actual person is doing. To a band of kids, Shirase included in this, Chuuya becomes an idol. He has an image to uphold. And these people that mean so much to Chuuya, that saved him, are going to get upset when he goes outside of those lines.

Now, Shirase in particular, I mentioned his ego. Originally, he was the savior. He saved Chuuya. He gave him that piece of bread. Shirase led Chuuya to the Sheep. He found the Sheep's hero, where's his recognition? He's jealous, for sure. And he knows Chuuya's status in the Sheep is above him by that point. So, as a jealous teenage boy with a violent life and an ego, he probably takes it out on Chuuya by pulling the "remember who saved you" card. To put Chuuya in his place, in Shirase's mind. To put Shirase back above, where he thought he was supposed to be.

And... all this kind of sucks. Chuuya is idolized and still talked down to. Shirase is jealous and bitter. But they still clearly have some kind of generally amiable relationship. Shirase approaches Chuuya like a friend first, in the arcade. There's definitely fond memories of Chuuya's transition into the Sheep. Its not all one-upping each other.

Let's go back to what I said about Shirase and security. He lashes out when that's threatened. Well, what happened? Chuuya left (Shirase's plan failed) and the Sheep are forcibly dispersed by the Port Mafia. All of Shirase's world pretty much comes crashing down around his feet instantly. Nothing is the same anymore. He wasn't a gang member ruling the streets of Suribachi anymore, he lost his platform, he was just some punk with a job and a cheap motorcycle. And its obvious he was driven to try to get back to where he was. We see in Stormbringer that he was hoarding supplies to try and recreate the Sheep. He craves that same stability back. The boy lost everything, of course he's upset. And who's been his scapegoat all this time? Who would he logically blame? Not himself, with that ego. He blames Chuuya. Shirase's hostile reaction when they first reunite in the car factory isn't surprising at all, all things considered. But... Shirase plays along anyway, eventually. Because he's threatened. He needs protection, security, and at this point, familiarity. Chuuya offers all of that under the threat of being targeted by Verlaine. I really think its that return to a brief sense of 'normal' that helped their relationship start to heal for Shirase's redemption arc in Stormbringer.

It takes until Chuuya is really under threat and duress and actually showing that he's struggling to break Shirase's illusions. Chuuya is still an idol figure in Shirase's head up until the battles in the lab. Chuuya always just gets up and keeps fighting no matter the situation. That's part of his illusion, the part he's forced to play to keep the Sheep's support that he still carries with him. Shirase had to see Chuuya struggling and showing it in a fight for the gears to finally click back in Shirase's head to the boy he offered a piece of bread years and years ago. I think that's part of how Shirase finally found it in himself to tackle the skeleton and save Chuuya in the lab. Its really a reflection back to their first meeting under the bridge. Its kind of like a reset.

Notice how after that moment they kind of start to get along again. They make fun of each other and laugh like kids again. That reset was what they needed to kind of start to heal it. Chuuya had to stop being an idol, to put his feet back on the ground and for Shirase to get over his ego-jealousy to realize Chuuya is still a kid like him.

They part on good terms. They do a secret Sheep handshake. Things aren't great but... things have never been great before in their lives anyway.

In conclusion, my thoughts are their relationship was bad in the Sheep because Chuuya was this hero-figure King of the Sheep, and the disbandment of the Sheep was the best thing that could have happened to their friendship. I think Shirase has a lot to apologize for, but Chuuya is a very forgiving person when he understands where someone is coming from. Hell, he forgave and didn't hold hatred for Verlaine after he killed the fucking flags. Chuuya forgave Shirase the moment he stepped in to protect him. What constitutes a better relationship is unique to them and the shitty hell situations that have followed their entire lives. They part on good terms. They forgave each other in the way teenagers do, by laughing it off, calling each other a mess, and moving on.

#bsd chuuya #bsd shirase #bsd fifteen #bsd stormbringer #white hill road #placeholder shirase tag #asks? answered. hotel? trivago.#casper the friendly ghost

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woodsfae · 1 month

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Babylon 5 S03E17 War Without End: Part Two previous episode - table of contents

Emperor Londo of the Great Victim Complex.

And so the fall of Babylon 5 begins, with two idiots deciding to take on Ivanova!

DUDE sick fight moves by Susan Ivanova. And Marcus must be internally fist-pumping that he pulle off a drop-out-of-the-ceiling attack. Style points: 1 Marcus, 100 Susan.

Zathras sees all. Zathras knows all. Poor Zathras.

Oooooooo. Future John and Delenn have a baby! How exciting. Delenn calls Sheridan's time "so many years ago" and references the "terrible, terrible price," That's something for me to chew on. I wonder if it will be revealed this episode or is foretelling for the season 3 finale or even later. I am really not sure how the pacing on B5 goes or if they'll still be fighting the Shadows into season 5.

The Shadows are only visible when they sleep? That's cool and unsettling information, but I'm not sure how that tracks with Londo's next reveal, which is that he is also possessed? So perhaps Londo tries to turn on the Shadows at some point and is leashed instead.

G'Kar!! Down an eye and plus a sick leather patch. Must be time for Londo's death vision! I hope G'Kar gets to live to enjoy it. Londo caused a lot of death for the universe and the Narnuan people. Aww and then he didn't. I am a bit bummed that G'Kar's end appears to be with Londo, dying together as the Shadow possessing Londo kills G'Kar back. It is pretty punk rock of G'Kar, though. Who else has choked a shadow-possessed Centauri emperor before?? No one except G'Kar of Narn.

Right before Sheridan is pulled away, she tells him not to go to Zha'dum, but all these prophecies seem to be self-fulfilling and an inescapable part of the paradox.

Uh-oh, why's that spacesuit doin' stuff. Ah. Never mind, it's a "yeah, Sheridan's back!" Someone slap a time stabilizer on him before he gets yote into the timestream again.

And there goes the theft of Babylon 4!! Time heist!

There goes Sheridan. Shoulda put a time anchor on him!

Revised Sinclair prediction: his aging as they move towards their own time aging him is the/a reason why he gets the ole Minbari physical transformation since Minbari live so much longer, to extend his lifespan.

Oop, Sheridan's back again. Or the space suit he was wearing is, at least.

Yeah Susan Ivanova. she can do anything. Ivanova has B4's command station.

Delenn in the blue spacesuit?? Plot twist!!

Hmmm, so some of what I thought Sheridan was going to do (fight 1000 years in the past) is actually Sinclair's plot. That makes more sense, actually.

Zathras makes it all very clear: "You (Sinclair) are the one who was. You (Delenn) are the one who is. You (Sheridan) are the one who will be."

Babylon 4, A Thousand Years Ago

Valen?? Sinclair has always been the prophet Valen!! I did not see that coming. What an entrance! Appearing to Minbar flanked by two Vorlons, arriving in a vast space station in a flash of tachyons...Sinclair is Valen. fuck, that's cool.

Next!

#jeffrey sinclair #war without end #minbari #delenn #john sheridan #susan ivanova #marcus cole #londo mollari #g'kar #woodsfae b5 #babylon 5

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