#self sacrifice is too glorified

[bill-the-dog-for-the-check]

Now that someone has actually killed themselves in protest of the war, I’m already seeing pro-Palestine people glorifying his actions and calling it a sacrifice, martyrdom, and heroic. Like… are you guys okay? Mentally? You guys are literally becoming a death cult. And then complaining about the cop pointing his gun at him—that guy could have run and started setting other people on fire, it was right to be prepared for that—and they’re turning it into a narrative of the Evil Zionists trying to keep him down with the cops, which the Evil Zionists control.

This is a really scary development. Linking your antisemitic narratives with an actual suicide? If that man had indeed run at people and set them on fire, would their deaths be viewed as “justified to the end of stopping genocide”? Lionizing this guy is an implicit call to self immolate in protest of Israel. This man’s death is a tragedy—it is not an example to follow or something to be proud of. The fact that the pro-Palestine movement is taking it as a sign of their own righteousness and celebrating it is a testament to how radicalized and dangerous they have become. It isn’t just an antisemitic movement anymore—they’re drifting into becoming a death cult too.

#jumblr #antisemitism #anti zionisim #leftist antisemitism #left wing antisemitism #jewish #israel #pro israel #jewblr #palestine #are you all okay? #you’re genuinely starting to scare me #breaking news: suicide is bad

[homunculus-argument]

As goofy as it is, specifically being grim, grimy and gritty to the point of being goofy, I think the greatest achievement of the Warhammer universe as a work of art is the way it manages to glorify war without glorifying war. I've always been crossways with war games, because war is not a game. It's a sickening waste - everything that has ever been invested in war has been wasted in war. Materials, efforts, invention, technology, not to speak of human lives, all that is sacrificed is sacrificed as an atrocious waste. No human being is worth less than their weight in ground meat. The entire machinery is shitty, exists solely because it has to exist, and only has to exist because everyone else is doing it, too. If nobody was doing this shitty fucking thing, then nobody would have to do this shitty fucking thing. The entire concept of organised warfare is shitty in its very essence.

And the Warhammer universe's response to that is "lmao I know, right?" It's an absolute unapologetic crapsack world, that pulls no punches about how bad this universe where There Is Only War absolutely fucking sucks. Those with a capacity for a noble soul and willing self-sacrifice shit themselves when they die just as much as unwilling collateral damage casualties. The sheer extent in which human beings can be objectified and dehumanised - sometimes straight-up literally - is done with such casual callousness that it's downright deliberately comical. Everything being bleak and shitty is a defining characteristic of an universe defined by war, because everything being bleak and shitty is the very nature of war.

As much as the sheer bleak shittiness of it is taken to a cartoonish, unapologetically comical extreme, I can appreciate the honesty of the approach. And that makes me able to enjoy it just as much as my boyfriend, who does like guns and war games for their own sake. With the aknowledgement that War Is Fucking Shit out of the way, I can agree that the design choice of a tank with a goddamn church organ built on top of it just unironically looks cool.

[triple-mayday]

There’s hella theories floating around about the reason behind Tucker Carlson’s sudden divorce with Fox News, but there’s one that I love the most.

Its the sexiest, pettiest, most delicious bullshit to ever be conceived. Behold:

We know for a fact that Tucker got bitch slapped across New York City by Rupert Murdoch himself. Not only that, but baby boy was laid off sometime on Friday and notified only on Monday, when he came to work. So, this unforeseen development was like a kick in the balls. For the uninitiated, Rupert Murdoch is the name of the demonic entity responsible for the creation of Fox News.

Tuckerson and Rupert had a special relationship. According to Tucker himself, the now ex-host was “100% [Rupert’s] bitch” (we love a proud sugar baby). Tucker was basically a glorified court jester - he cosplayed for daddy Rupert as a pro-worker, anti-elitist, anti-establishment, Christian, relatable everyman that broke republicans could relate to. That was, of course, a load of horseshit. As said by Tucker himself.

You see, back in Mesozoic Era (circa 2008-2011), our boy was an active participant in shock radio programs where he paraded himself as an open and proud elitist and a self-admitted trust fund baby.

All of this deliciousness speaks for itself. Tucker Carlson is a chameleon that changes his face depending on what’s resonating best with his conservative audience. Which brings us to the nearly orgasmic culmination of events that could have possibly led to Tucker’s current unemployment.

Tuck roleplayed as a hardcore Christian for quite some time. On that fateful Friday night, he turned it up to 100 for his speech at the conservative think tank Heritage Foundation’s 50th anniversary gala. Bubba was popping off, calling abortions “child sacrifices” and demanding daily prayers. The audience loved it. Rupert? Not so much.

The thing is, for Rupert business comes before fascism. Grandpa worships money, Jesus is merely a profitable business strategy. For a businessman, the rabid fundie shit was already incredibly off-putting. And Tucker’s villain monologue just happened to be the last drop in the bucket that was already filled to the brim by Murdoch’s ex. That’s right. The chair of Fox News broke off his recent engagement because his fiancée was a Jesus freak.

Now onto the good shit. Rupert’s ex had a favorite show. Guess what that show was?

Tucker Carlson Tonight

The woman in question even had tête-à-tête chit chats with her favorite TV personality, thanks to her connection to Fox News CEO.

Tensions were rising in the Murdoch household. The ex-fiancée’s obsession with Tucker only added fuel to the fire. The woman went as far as declaring that Carlson was a messenger from God. One day, Tucker had a dinner at his boss’ estate. In the middle of dinner the Jesus lady pulled out a Bible and began discussing the book of Exodus with Carlson.

Rupert just sat there like 👁️👄👁️

In the end, the man was too freaked out by Christian fundamentalism and kicked Tucker out after his particularly awful speech. It was also a cute little fuck you to his ex cause now her favorite show got canceled

This is just one theory, but it’s my favorite, so I prefer it above all else, and now you get to experience this beauty with me

God, I adore American politics

#us politics #tucker carlson #fox news #rupert murdoch #fundie shit #this whole establishment is a fucking circus #I love América nowhere else will you see this kind of fuckfest on full display #christian fundamentalism

[class1akids]

Since once again fandom is glorifying Endeavor's "redemption arc", let's quickly clarify something. This chapter is not really about him stepping up as dad, but more the tragic endpoint of his years of fuck-ups and avoidance.

There something deeply sad and symbolic about how Endeavor kept running from Touya until the end. Until his legs gave out. Until he had nowhere else to go. And he waited with the apology until Touya's brain was too fried to hear it.

He's been running away for many years. And this is not some glorious self-sacrifice. It's accepting Touya's and his own death as inevitability.

The story even reminds us of how much time there was where he could have tried to engage with Touya, could have tried to atone to him. Not only Sekoto peak, but even Jakku wouldn't have been too late.

But he kept waiting, and procrastinating and still trying to atone and solve his family problems by hero-ing harder, by fighting AFO.

Because stepping up and keeping your eyes on someone looks like this:

So while people glorify his "choice", I'm glad that the manga makes it plenty clear what a pitiful decision this is. Way too little, way too late. A self-fulfilling tragedy and horribly dark ending that could have been prevented so many times, if only Endeavor ever saw Touya as more than just a culmination of his own sins.

And I'm glad that the story will let the real heroes, the ones who clawed themselves back from the abuse step up (again) and showcase their strength and hearts.

Endeavor can't change the ending by himself because he doesn't see anything else.

The fact that Shouto is not here yet is a clue that this isn't THE moment. I don't think that the "die with you" is Endeavor's big turning point. Because given the situation, a hero would choose the same, even if Touya wasn't his son, he'd choose to ride the live bomb into the sky to limit the damage, even at the cost of his own life.

I think the turning point is when we see a leap of faith. When he starts believing in the power of his family and start to see what all of them together can achieve.

#bnha 387 #endeavor #todoroki touya #dabi #todoroki rei #todoroki endgame #because fandom is glorifying Endeavor's redemption again #and not seeing that this is not it

[familyagrestefanblog]

The existence of the Ox miraculous is such an unnecessary ugly detail when you think about Ladynoir and how Chat Noir served as the punching bag and scapegoat for Ladybug, Alya as Marinette's actual partner in season 4, and the whole team in every single way pre-s5

The Ox gives the power of immunity even against any other Miraculous power. One would think with Adrichat's self-harming tendencies that canon had Marinette make entirely about herself because "they're haunting her so much", and her still narratively entirely unchallenged tendency of leaving Chat Noir behind on the battle field as sacrifice or bait to possibly have whatever the hell done to him so she can be save and sound while she and everyone else can look and be cool on his expense

With all that, one would have thought that if Canon Marinette truly loved Chat Noir "sooooooo much" and is oh so haunted by his self-harming behavior and him always getting hurt so she sidelined him "for his own good"

Then how come at no point did Marinette do the actually caring thing by giving Chat Noir the Ox miraculous since he's ALWAYS left behind BY HER so she can leave the battle field and execute her plans with the others save and soundly? If her Chaton's well-being was oh so important to her and it always "pained her so much" to see him getting hurt then why was the Ox only used 2 insignificant times by Ivan at the end of season 4 when it could have saved Chat Noir ALOT of suffering all the way through?

Or the turtle. Or ANY OTHER Miraculous for that matter?

Why was Alya getting two miraculous in Hack-San perfectly fine with Marinette but heaven forbid Marinette is actually expected to ACT like she gives a damn about Chat Noir's well-being as his leader, guardian, partner, and friend and not just the show having her claim superficial words that hardly have anything to back them up once they actually have to mean something?

Its almost as if Canon inherently doubled down on having Marinette be the kind of leader who will only do things in a way that primarily benefit HER while everything else gets swept under the rug because she isn't maliciously intentioned and then never brought up again. And unfortunately it was her who was written to prioritize making an unnecessary team of 18 miraculous holders no one ever asked of her to form (Su-Han even told her NOT to give out the miraculous like candy),

so Marinette was just made to not consider Chat Noir either at all or simply not as worthy enough of any kind of consideration in her entire leadership/ guardianship or actual safety, support, or ANY KIND of resource since that wouldn't be narratively about her, now would it?

She can't have Chat have the Ox because she might need Ivan as Ox in 4 months and she doesn't want to have to ask Chat to get it back or end up NOT getting to use this ONE other Miraculous out of a whole ass box, because that would involve a basic ass conversation Marinette can't have apparently or her not getting to use all of the miraculous however she pleases at any given point

The horror. Now she would have only 14 miraculous to work with!

As per usual, count me fucking unimpressed by Marinette's writing. The negligence towards Chat Noir on even the most basic level is insane and she was declared the epitome of leadership and kindness for this.

Cool that Marinette already decided in her head that Ivan is suitable for the Ox miraculous and he should get it in future, but Chat Noir needing help and protection wasn't some theoretical case, it constantly happened right in front of her eyes and even by her own freaking orders too because she never thinks of him in ANYTHING and the show glorified the hell out of her as leader for doing all that

Why is looking into ANY detail only making Marinette's side of Ladynoir so much worse ever since season 4? There is no escaping this! Just don't add the Ox with this power or actually have Marinette be a good leader towards Chat Noir. But noooooooooo.

#ml writing critical #Ml Marinette critical #Ladynoir conflict salt #Marinette is unfortunately still an awful leader to Chat Noir but can't be called out for ANYTHING #No matter what price Adrien has to pay for it #Rip Ladynoir #And Rip Marinette I once loved so much #Ml season 4 salt #Ml season 4 critical

[insurrection-if]

This will be hard to do I think :). Can you describe the romanceables' routes in a few words?

Ah, ‘a few words’?! ∑(; °Д°) My worst nightmare, haha!

Apologies for not cutting this all down further, and for the quality of what’s below, but I hope this is satisfactory! ദ്ദി(˶‾᷄ᗜ‾᷅˵ ᵕ) I tried to rush this to force the word count down as much as I could, but my poor wordy habits die hard (and not at all)!

Onto the main romances . . .

Akil: Forbidden. Challenged. A false betrayal to old ideals, corrupted loyalties. Learning to accept. Declaring his own path, following his heart before his mind. A tenuous tomorrow . . . unless he makes a better one for you both.

Kamiko: Fearful. Guarded. Bridging the divide, a new kind of strength. A new meaning for sacrifice. Quiet, devoted, a love built by trust. The shadow to your light.

Sigmund: Deceptively Slow, Suffocatingly Quick. Loyal, Sacrificial. Safer apart, but you're his. He wants you to be. Fears—and knows—he doesn’t deserve it.

Imka: Nervous. Startled. Helpless. Falling too quick, caring too much. Learning to be bold, to be herself. Learning to love herself like you do.

Elouan: Scarred. Wanting. Pleasant, but cold. Burning up within. Real love for the first time. Forgiving, or Forgetting.

Jae: Flighty. Teasing. Scared to Commit, Scared to be Yours. Looking past the present, washing down the past. She’ll be with you, sticking through hell and tomorrow. Bird without a cage.

Niccolò: Clumsy. Genuine. Flawed, imperfect, real. Peeling back the layers of the self, loving every bit. Facing eternity, immortality. And then, facing chaos before the end. What it means to be a human who loves.

Mutya: Grounding. Pinning. Unwinding, unraveling. Letting loose, standing firm. A pillar to lean on, one to support. Opening up to the vulnerability of love and hurt.

Fyodor: Star-Crossed. Soulmates, artificially made. Broken pieces forced together, ripped apart. Unstable. Glorified. Putting all his hopes in a dream, and learning to love the reality.

And for the others . . .

Dearil: Unwanted. Tearing up stitches, reclaiming what was lost and never his. Desperate to keep, bound to ruin.

Curadora: Wrong place, wrong time. Covert. Watched. Reunited, yet slipping from her grasp, pulled apart by the need for a new age and new people. Wait for her, please.

Retriever: Fast, messy, reigned back, and broken free. Hesitant on the outside, drowning within. Now or never, before the final piece of him meets the fall.

Lempo: Saccharine. Selfish. Unbound. Escaping the world, and oneself, together.

Bones: Regret. Recovery. Letting go. Pushing and pulling, the madness of love.

Mishka: Humanizing. Bitter. Eternal. First Love, Only Love. Doomed.

Thank you for this interesting ask! (´∀`)

#ro #minor ro #c: akil #c: kamiko #c: sigmund #c: imka #c: elouan #c: jae #c: niccolo #c: mutya #c: fyodor #c: dearil #c: curadora #c: retriever #c: lempo #c: bones #c: mishka

[seraphiism]

𓆩 ღ 𓆪 𝐓𝐎𝐏 𝐎𝐑 𝐂𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐅

( you're more of a lone wolf : easier to put down, no one in the pack to miss you. )

chara : ada wong fandom : resident evil quote cr : dexter a/n : ada wong the woman that you are. sure wish you were easier to write

THIS BRAVE NEW WORLD IS MEANT TO BLOOM AND FLOURISH FROM VIRTUE , GENESIS A FAILURE IN AWAKENING OF VIRUS AND VICE. THERE IS ONLY ONE RULE IN THIS TRAGIC HORROR : SURVIVE.

BUT TO SURVIVE IS TO BETRAY, AND TO BETRAY IS TO LEAVE THE REMNANTS OF ALL THE GOOD IN YOU BEHIND UNTIL YOU ARE VOID / UNTIL YOU ARE HOLLOW AND HAUNTED AND HOLY / UNTIL YOU ARE EMPTY. ( AND THEN THEY WILL ASK : WAS IT WORTH IT ? THE LOSS OF SELF ? DID YOU SURVIVE, BENEATH IT ALL ? )

── or so it goes, anyway, this glorified self-sacrifice in a world that's always been damned from the start. the savior complex is a sickeningly sweet one, dangerous in its path to false fairy tale endings.

there is only one rule in this tragic horror : survive. to survive is to betray, and to betray is to thrive in the wrath of deceit and deception.

ada knows this first and foremost, this siren. in the depths of her existence, there are too many versions of the self, and you cannot understand a single one of them. you want to, deeply, desperately, and in the aches of being, you wonder if she is human after all.

"you're not as lonely as i thought you'd be." the words are soft, reverent as they're spoken against her lips. how they pierce a frigid air, vicious in naivete, yet there's a warmth somewhere to be found in the closeness you share.

ada laughs, quiet, smiles into the kiss. you don't know if it's a genuine laugh or yet another facade, but you hardly question it, mind a haze at the affection. you feel your breath hitch, but she's quick to break contact, a delicate smile on the curve of her lips.

"not what you were looking for?" she hums, amused. you drown in ignorance ; your lack of cynicism has led you into the spider's web, and what a dangerous one she weaves. "a shame. all your effort this entire time to get me alone, only to find out i'm not the person you thought i could have always been."

it's endearing, this game she's been playing. your little heart of gold believes there's someone else behind the mask, someone more, someone good. you'd pry into her heart and dig until your hands were red and bloodied just to find any semblance of something human.

because there's a reason, right? a reason for her betrayals, for the mystery in her words and actions. call it justification, she'll call it an excuse.

this is who she is. there's nothing more than that, but you keep searching and searching and searching, and she finds it all too entertaining. what a waste of time. you're going to dig yourself into the ground, desperate to see yourself as the person who manage to save the unsaved, the person who found the key to the cage that locks her in an endless cycle of destruction.

a heavy silence, and it almost looks as if the weight of the world was pressing down against your chest, slowly and sweetly. you stare at her, unable to avert your gaze despite her taunting words.

"you'll learn to be someone else soon, anyway." you answer, and for some reason, there's a serene smile on your face, and maybe beneath the serenity, there's something else she recognizes. "i may not have found what i was looking for, but i won't call this a wasted effort." another kiss, but this one fails to hold the warmth you both felt earlier. your fingers weave into her hair, touch so terribly tender and gentle.

a clench of the fist, then a harsh tug. your smile turns into a cruelty she's never seen before.

you catch that second of shock in brown eyes -- one that twists into both irritation and mirth. she says nothing, not yet, but you can tell that there's venom on the tip of her tongue. she'll have to applaud you later. for now, it's your turn.

"a shame. i'll miss that sweet version of you, dearest ada." you tell her, fingers tracing her jaw. in your eyes, there's a flicker of brutality, subtle, but you hide it with the way you lean forward, lips ghosting against her neck -- barely touching, but enough to be known and remembered. "i don't know where the real you lies, but i hope to find it before you're six feet under."

#resident evil x reader #ada wong x reader #ada x reader #re x reader #shes my lover i desire her carnally #but she's also really difficult to write . had fun with this even though it went in a totally different direction than i anticipated #if it doesn't make sense ......... thats ok <3 it's almost 5am and also Ada Does Not Make Sense #.: writing

[atypicalacademic]

Thinking out loud here, one of my favorite elements of dwarven culture is the existence of sacrifice as a shared understanding without really prizing austerity as a way of life. I know Orzammar is deeply fucked up and the caste system is indefensible, but something that I strengthens the hope for change there, despite everything, is a kind of honest hunger for life that seems to be part of dwarven ethos. They live a nearly eternal blight, many of them stalwart warriors nurtured into the inescapable duty of preserving the city for just a few years more, a few years more, like their ancestors before them. The smiths, the armourers, the artisans, the sculptors, the Shapers, all of them, regardless of how much they personally think of it, are part of this social contract to keep Orzammar on its feet. There's sacrifice involved, to be sure. To die in battle is a glorious thing for them. War is a fact of life for them. The Legion of the Dead literally partake in their own funerals to give themselves to Orzammar entirely. The Silent Sisters forego speech itself. The Deep Roads are full of the proof of so many sacrifices, many remembered and many forgotten.

Still, the dwarves are far from austere. Pragmatic they may be, but they don't glorify self-abnegation. They live and announce their existence, in towering statues and high ceilings and technology that pushes the bounds of the possible. They drink and feast and joke with abandon. They make art. They plan circles around each other to their own detriment. They're ambitious without apologizing for it. (Remember Rica telling Brosca, deep in the smoke-pits of Dust Town, that she believes she's meant for great things? Remember how you could agree, say you'll become Great, despite how hopeless and empty such an endeavour may seem? Hell, Remember Rica herself, navigating the pit of vipers that is the nobility so whichever way the wind blows, she comes out standing). Everyone from my Warden from Dust Town (even her Ultimate Sacrifice was an aspiration to Paragonhood, not an honest desire to die) to the King himself is driven by the possibility of life, glorious life. The worst of them, the cowards and traitors and tyrants, are often a perversion of that very desire to live and live well. Everyone wants to live and live well, of course, but I find the dwarves have a straightforward honesty about that desire, as if the perpetual blight at their heels and the many social pressures only strengthens their resolve, even with the magnitude of sacrifice that it demands. For all the reputation of Orzammar dwarves being grim or stodgy, I find them delightful for this. A hunger for life isn't "selfish" there, but welcome. I also wonder if this honesty has something to do with the stereotyping of them all as "greedy," among topsiders, because time is running out and life is far too short to hide your hunger.

#dragon age #orzammar #dont mind me honestly #i think theyll be alright really #i conceptualize a lot meaningful social transformation in orzammar honestly #i also think of the difference and similarities between how grey wardens conceptualize the blight and how dwarves do so

[theheirofthesharingan]

"Moreover, the people "praising" Itachi are:

Naruto. Naruto has a naive and very simplistic view of the things in which the village is always the priority. He sees his village as the flawless entity and anyone who is pro Konoha is good according to him. That's what he's been taught and that's what he believes in too. He sees Itachi stopped the war by taking the blame of the crime? Good. However, even then Naruto doesn't do anything to clear Itachi's name, despite becoming the Hokage. More than a decade later, Itachi is still a renowned criminal in the Shinobi world, not very different from the other criminals. Naruto's praise is hollow."

None of this is true....? Naruto's priority especially at the point when he learns about the truth of Itachi's actions are to stop Sasuke from hurting himself. Naruto's ideals are the promotion of "peace" "self-sacrifice" and "the greater good", but they aren't based around Konoha literally. There is a reason he doesn't wear his hitai-ate for a significant part of time before and after hearing Itachi's truth. There is a reason he doesn't respond to any of Sasuke's threats to destroy the village and why he doesn't entertain the notion of killing Sasuke over it. When Edo Tensei Itachi and Naruto meet, Naruto recognizes Itachi's suffering and tells him that Sasuke can't get over that. He isn't glorifying Itachi's actions, he's just talking about Sasuke's response to them. Furthermore, he tries to tell people the truth multiple times. The first time Kakashi stops him, and then the second time Itachi himself stops him because he doesn't want the Uchiha to look bad. Even Sasuke on the bridge says he doesn't want the Uchiha name to be attached to the shinobi world anymore because that's how it got tarnished and they were forced to suffer because of it, and he never takes that back. So, why should Naruto go against the wishes of the two people directly involved? The only time Naruto says anything remotely praising Itachi is when he tells Itachi he can stop worrying because he's done enough for the village, but that's after Itachi explains he was going to brainwash Sasuke so it feels like Naruto telling him he doesn't need to interfere anymore because he will handle it. There are also multiple ninja he respects and appreciates, like Nagato, who are not "pro Konoha". They're simply ninja who helped him grow and learn about his philosophy.

You're right that the only people that overtly praise Itachi are people trying to manipulate Sasuke (and exploit will of fire/curse of hatred dynamics), Naruto isn't one of those people and it shows by the fact that he doesn't praise Itachi beyond thanking Itachi for helping him.

I would agree with you to some extent, but my comment constituted of the whole arc from the truth reveal to the time elapsed until the current generation in Boruto. That's why I said the praises are hollow. A lot has changed. The characters, their dynamics, maturity attained from fighting in the war, and new world order would have given everyone new insight into what went wrong previously.

Naruto, as a Hokage, who loved Sasuke, even if he didn't feel anything for Itachi, could have done something more than the lip service. It's not about Naruto immediately taking an action or declaring to the world Itachi was used by the government, rather doing something afterwards. Although that criticism is more directed towards Kishimoto than Naruto himself, because when you're creating a sequel with the dangers and threats similar to (or greater than) the main series, you choose to keep the system the same as it was in the beginning. And in the process you lose what you wanted to change in the first place.

I tackled this bit in my fic, and in it, while Itachi's name was never cleared, Kakashi and Naruto made sure the clan's honour was restored. No one forgot about them, they were respected, the Uchiha district was merged with the rest of the village etc. Hiruzen and Danzo's truth never came out, but the two elders were punished. Naruto and Sasuke (especially Sasuke) made sure a tragedy like that never happened ever again.

I would have loved to see something like this happen in Boruto as well. But since I don't watch it, I'm not sure what's going on.

#ask #naruto #sasuke #itachi #anti boruto #kind of

[loren91]

I’ve been talking a lot about Wilhelm lately, and that got me thinking about Simon as well. He’s a pretty complex character. The writers really made sure he’s a fully fleshed-out character and not just ‘the protagonist's love interest’. Arguably, it’s his story just as much as Wilhelm’s. So here’s a way too long analysis of him!

I talked a bit about character introduction in my post about Wilhelm, and it got me looking at how Simon is introduced to us. It’s a bit different with quite an interesting pattern that I actually didn’t think much about before. 

The first time we see Simon, it’s not from his own perspective, but from Wilhelm’s. And from that angle, Simon just radiates confidence. He’s owning that stage, responding to Vincent’s heckle by singing louder and prouder. He seems so happy and confident in his own skin, very much the opposite of how Wilhelm is feeling at that moment. No wonder he was drawn to Simon from the very start. Though from this, Wilhelm kinda glorifies Simon and sets up expectations of him that are far from realistic.

Next, it’s August’s pov. When he, Nils and Vincent are speculating on how to get drinks for the party. Simon walks by, and in that moment he doesn’t look as confident anymore, does he? He’s keeping his head down because he wants to get away from these bullies. Here, it’s made clear to us that he’s an outsider at school, due to being from a working-class family. So at first, August believes he can push Simon around however he likes because he’s of a higher status. 

THEN we finally get Simon's own perspective. His first spoken words being “Simon. My name is Simon”, a really nice touch btw. August approaches him about the party and we can see the expression of pure disgust on Simon’s face. He’s not remotely interested in helping August or going to any dumb party of his, because why would he? August and his henchmen are bullies and he has no reason yet to believe Wilhelm would be any different. So he just scoffs and walks away. Until he finds other reasons to take up the offer of course.

So we don’t get to know him properly within the first minute he’s on screen like we did with Wilhelm, but rather he’s presented to us bit by bit throughout the first episode, this establishes that he’s quite an elusive character. He’s reserved and guarded enough to not share all of himself with anyone. Not even to his loved ones. That way, every character has their own perception of him, and a lot of the drama is created when he breaks those perceptions.

While he may come off as nonchalant and self-assured sometimes, I believe this confidence is mainly situational and often used as a defence mechanism when he’s annoyed, hurt or angry. He has some trust issues, which is understandable considering the trauma he must be carrying from his father. 

He wants to be a dependable, loyal and trustworthy person, even if his circumstances can make that difficult to achieve sometimes. He wants to be better than his father. He’s very protective and caring for the people he loves, even to the point where he will sacrifice his own wants and needs to take care of them. He doesn’t prioritise himself. That’s why the end when he breaks up with Wilhelm is so rewarding. Because he finally lays down some boundaries and voices his own needs. 

Simon can be assertive in arguments but rarely resort to aggressive hostility, unless he’s pushed to his limit. He has so much patience with August and his excuses for not paying him back, but after asking for the money in a reasonable manner several times over, he’s so sick of being pushed around that he snaps and physically attacks August. (Again with August and bringing out the worst in people) Judging by Rosh and Ayub’s reaction, this is not the kind of behaviour they would expect from Simon and they make sure to tell him as much, leaving him feeling ashamed of his actions. 

Then there’s also Micke and how he keeps going back there, despite knowing full well he’s betraying Sara’s trust. Sara has a tendency to see everything in black and white. Micke did something bad, therefore he’s a bad person. But Simon just can’t think like that. He still loves his father, despite their history. Seeing someone you love hurt themselves like that is really tough, and while Simon knows he should stay away to avoid getting hurt, he’s still very much controlled by his emotions and can’t help but hope Micke will change. This is a direct parallel to his relationship with Wilhelm, whom he knows can hurt him badly, yet he can’t stay away.

Simon must have known from the very beginning that getting involved with Wilhelm would be a very bad idea. Before he starts singing in ep 1, he sneaks a little glance in Wilhelm's direction. Probably he already was attracted to Wilhelm at that point but didn’t want to admit it, considering how he talks about him with his friends later in the episode. Also, how he went to the party but then walks away when Wilhelm first approaches him. It seems to me like he’s fighting the attraction, but gives into it gradually, and then the movie night was his breaking point. After that, he’s particularly sweet around Wilhelm. He’s so happy when they are together, with bright smiles and giggles. He’s easily flustered and gets all nervous when Wilhelm is being forward. And cares deeply for Wilhelm, offering comfort when he’s hurting. Even though he will let Wilhelm know when he’s unhappy with his actions, Simon is rather quick to forgive when Wilhelm expresses remorse because, just like with his father, he wants to believe Wilhelm can be better. 

The argument in ep 5 says a lot about them both, but generally, it’s another display of Simon’s defence mechanisms. While Wilhelm wants to talk things through for reassurance, Simon wants nothing more than to just leave. Wilhelm raises his voice and slams his hand against the piano, Simon just gives him some sass and then walks away. His reluctance to speak to Wilhelm after he’s been hurt is his way to protect himself from further harm. He will not approach others to ask for help or comfort when he’s feeling vulnerable. Luckily, he has some wonderful, attentive people in his life to support him.

I would love to see Simon be more open and ask for the comfort and affection he needs in the next season. Him setting the pace for his and Wilhelm’s relationship in the future would be a really sweet way to display their growth as characters.

#young royals #simon eriksson #Prince Wilhelm #character analysis #not the best formulated text but oh well #this one was difficult for some reason #my analysis

[queen-paladin]

#13 specifically about Loki

Hi my dear!

Ok, I have two unpopular opinions on my Asgardian babygirl.

First is briefly related to...well, Sylvie. First, off, don't be scared, I'm not justifying her at all.

Rethinking it, I still stand that she's not a well-written character and I don't believe their romance and that it is way too one-sided and there are ways to do the Brash Girlboss and Loving Himbo pairing well (I think Court of Silver Flames does this well with Nesta and Cassian. We look at WHY Nesta is mean and when she does something bad, it isn't glorified.., it's framed as something bad. But we see her self-loathing, her regret, her insecurities, her guilt, her grief, and how Cassian helps her with that! And we see her grow and change and make amends and forgive and sacrifice herself for the people she loves. If it was written as that, then I'd be okay with it. But Salmonella on the other hand and the romance in season one...doesn't really...do that) ...but at the same time, he is not entitled to her.

Yes, the betrayal is a shitty thing to do and something that a Loki would exactly do- but it doesn't mean Loki should get a sexy lamp as a prize for everything he went through. She doesn't owe him romantic love, especially not on her own terms and not in her own time.

Also, on that note, I am personally not convinced about the interpretation in the fandom about Loki being tortured and mind-controlled by Thanos when he tries to take over the world. I think it's a fan theory that could be up to interpretation, but I think it gives him less agency and doesn't make him proactive in his own storyline. I mean, granted, it's been a long long looooooooong time since I watched the Avengers, so take it with a grain of salt, as I don't remember anything that implied that this was the case...but I want to believe my little pookie villain is actually capable of being a villain. I'm an adult. I can take it. And I will still love him and lust after him anyway.

babygirl, you're so cute

#loki my beloved

[flamesofrebirths]

Headcanons — Joshua & The Undying

I saw a post talking about it in Joshua's tag, so I wanted to bring my take to my blog because these thoughts have always been on my mind while writing him. The Undying is a Cult that worships him, and he was raised by them, so it influenced him.

First, the way they glorify self-sacrifice, like their entire purpose revolves around the Phoenix. It seems normal for them to give their life for their cause; they're fully devoted to him. And it influences Joshua, too, because he's very reckless when he helps Clive, without caring at all about his own life. He's ready to die for his brother's cause just like the Undying are willing to die for him.

Because he was considered as some kind of messiah by the Undying, Joshua feels like he should do a lot by himself, because he's supposed to be able to do it. As the Phoenix, he's supposed to be strong. That's why he doesn't join Clive earlier because he thought he was protecting him. That's what the Undying made him believe. He trapped Ultima inside his chest because he thought he could do it and survive. Like the Phoenix, until that moment, he thought he could always survive and come back in some ways, because every time he almost died, he didn't.

And because the Undying worships him this way, he has pushed Joshua, himself, aside, to mostly be the Phoenix. Of course, his humanity is still there somewhere, but it is very well hidden because all these years with the Undying shaped him. That's why he's awkward with everyone. He has spent years and years only with people who worshipped him, and these people also raised him.

That's why my Joshua has conflicted feelings toward the Undying. He's grateful toward them, especially to Jote who has helped him a lot and has remained at his side. He's also glad they find all these informations about Ultima. But he knows he's messed up. He realized it after his first meeting with Ultima. He doesn't only blame them for that, he mostly blames himself, but he also feels like they forced him, as a child, to push his humanity aside, and now that he's older, he's realizing it, but it's too late.

#my boy's life is very very sad #headcanons #ffxvi spoilers

[quietpeaceablelife]

23 August 2022

My response to a beautiful Filipina woman who was riddled with self hatred and insecurity:

Hi my dear. It hurts me that you hate our race but I understand how you feel as a fellow Filipina.

Think about it like this… the more time we spend caring about what others think, they will become idols that bring us far from God and then there is less time we have to honour God, spread His gospel, serve others.

Our bodies can perish at any given moment! But what we do in our lives will be remembered and judged!

Inner beauty, the beauty of kindness, helping and serving others cannot be traded by outer appearance. God looks at our hearts. God is all that matters.

Being loved by someone so perfect is already so flattering that the approval of men don’t stand a chance to God’s divine validation because He is the Almighty Creator, (He literally made this world and you) who loves you no matter what grades or degree you got, no matter how you look, no matter how much money you have, He doesn’t care about those mundane things!!!

People will abandon you and forsake you but by God’s promise if you believe in Jesus, if you love Him and you trust in Him only, He will never leave you nor forsake you and That’s every reason to put Him first. Why put people who will measure and value your worth based on your looks, grades and what you can bring to the world when you can have God who loves you no matter what???

Nothing else compares!! Nothing else matters!!!

This why the First commandment for a reason.

People will see how beautiful you are through your true works and fruits; how kind you are, how strong you are, how brave you are, how wise you are, how generous you are, and man, how it feels so nice to be around someone who is like that!

When I encounter a nice person, my heart feels so at peace and I can’t forget them.

Too much worrying about ‘self’, will lead you to destruction. I love you. ❤️God loves you and He never did a bad job with you. Filipinos and all races are equally beautiful, it’s the enemy that has brainwashed us to believe we are ugly or uglier than others and he has alot of fun watching us compare ourselves with others, wasting our time. The devil is a scammer!

God made you so that you may glorify Him.

Once you realise this and embrace your beauty, you will shine bright and you will thank Him one day. 💖✨

If I have one advice to give you, it would be watch Desiring God - How to stop obsession over appearance, and avoid all mirrors. Don’t waste your precious time on worrying about ‘self’ and become self ‘less’. God will shine through you. Pleasing God will become your new strength and life source. You won’t want to stop! And when you please God, it’ll feel like your on top of the world.

Imagine being worthy of praise from the Almighty and ever living God. We are already so so so blessed to be worthy of life, sacrifice and attention given by Him. Can you imagine that???❤️❤️❤️✝️

Lastly, try to see others through the Spirit.

We are all spirits, bound by flesh.

This one’s a bit hard but, try not to view others by the flesh/outer appearance but by their spirit! ☺️

#filipina #beautiful #filipino #christianity #christian faith #christian living #christ #jesus christ #faith in jesus #jesus is coming #jesus #jesusisgod #jesus loves you #jesusislord #love

[tate-lin]

hi hi Tate, happy STS!! how much have the themes you write about changed throughout your writing journey? what kind of things did you like to write in the past compared to now? did some of them stay the same?

Hiii Cee!! Wow that's such an interesting question: I def have to uno reverse it some day 👀

For JOA, the main question asked is what does it mean to be alive? My characters will approach this in different ways with their different life experiences, but the main themes that deal with it are choice, agency & acceptance.

I think this is quite different from stuff I used to write in the past. You know how some books (especially around a decade ago) tend to glorify self-sacrifice and love? Yeahh I used to think that way too, especially since I'm asian so we're a very collectivistic society that places importance on your community above yourself. While I don't think that's necessarily wrong, I do think that people take it too far sometimes. Now I think that your responsibility to others and your responsibility to yourself are both equally important.

If other people are important, then you can't diminish your own importance. Because you are people too.

TAGLIST

Let me know if you want to be added or taken off!

@justahalfling @ihaventpickedausername @andromeda-grace @kaiyo @iriswords @yors-truly @words-after-midnight @islanded-in-a-stream-of-stars @sabels-small-sphere @leebrontide @pure-solomon @mattresses-and-macaroni @thepixiediaries @sternenmeerkind @arowanaprincess @hd-literature @freedominique

#joker of ashes #tate lin writes #storyteller saturday #no matter what anyone says i'll fiercely deny those who reject other people's humanity #humans can be ugly & evil but calling those kind of ppl monsters and placing them in a mental category far away from yourself is just askin #for yourself to fall into the same pit trap. at the end of the day all humans look the same as each other #dunno if i'm making much sense but i feel strongly about ppl accepting both the good and bad parts of humanity #sometimes ppl can be too focused on one side imo #i feel like if we can accept ourselves and others as a whole while still encouraging change & growth we can be happy with ourselves while #still looking at life around us with clear unfiltered eyes

[rangikuxmatsumoto]

Meta; Headcanon: Rangiku’s Bankai | Suisane no Tanebi: Haineko | Waning Essence of Embers, Ash Cat

“I am ash… from your fire.”

I was convinced for the longest time that Rangiku would never achieve bankai and while I am still of mind that it is not her main objective; her notion of wanting to achieve it has changed. Back in EBTR, when Isshin insinuates that Toushiro will be the next captain of the Tenth, Rangiku protests; she knows that to be a captain (outside of the 11th), one must have the ability to achieve bankai. This shows that she is of the mindset that eventually she’ll achieve bankai because there is a slight notion that she’d ultimately be a captain one day. However, the idea of wanting to be a captain is quickly thrown out the window after Isshin’s disappearance.

As the vice-captain, she would have been the acting captain until Toushiro would have assumed the rank – I believe the two of them work more so in tandem than sole responsibilities falling upon Rangiku, but this gives her a glimpse at what being a captain could be like she decides that it isn’t for her. This puts her bankai training much more on the back burner of things until the events of the main storyline of Bleach. It is after the events of TYBW and Toushiro’s sacrifice/loss of his bankai that she decides that she needs to become more diligent about trying to achieve Haineko’s bankai.

However, Haineko isn’t exactly onboard with the notion. As her zanpakuto is more acutely aware of damage to her soul than she is; without the knowledge of what was done but much of Haineko’s laziness, moodiness and self-centered attitude is a way to deflect her from pushing her too hard. Not knowing what might happen to her, should she bear too much burden from achieving her bankai upon her fractured soul. However, for the notion of discussing what I headcanon as Rangiku’s bankai, I’m going to speculate that eventually, Rangiku is able to convince Haineko to work with her on achieving her bankai.  

The concept that I constructed back in March of 2021 is similar in concept to the fourth idea in this linked video – with some differences. First, upon the release of her bankai, a small circle of fire rapidly extends outwards in all directions, quickly reducing everything in its path to ashes – for without fire there are no ashes. The new finer ashes of Haineko are quickly dispersed into the air and are controllable just as they are within her shikai. While Haineko’s ashes can be easily blasted/blown away in the shikai state, this is still possible but due to the volume of ashes it can reassemble or build back much faster than in her shikai. Most enemies at this point will assume that her bankai is just a glorified display of her shikai and won’t take her actions seriously. After all, she’s fighting without a sword.

But this is where the truly sinister part of the bankai comes into play, for the whole-time that she has had her bankai released, her enemy has been breathing in the ashes. The longer her enemy is enveloped within Haineko’s ashes the more deadly her bankai becomes in the long run; for all she needs to do is snap her fingers and her ashes will violently rip out from her enemy’s body. This essentially could be a one-hit kill depending on the individual’s strength, durability, and depending on the length of times they have been breathing her ashes. Additionally, this action can be compounded upon, the stronger the individual, the snap could simply begin to rip apart their lungs, making it so the longer they continue they’ll eventually choke upon their own blood, if she doesn’t snap her fingers again and end their suffering. This is also a slight callback and play on Gin’s bankai, that a piece of Shinso can poison an unsuspecting enemy due to its ability to turn into ashes/particles for a split second.  

Now, there are some limitations and some hinderances to her bankai – until she has gained full mastery over it the space in which she can burn is limited to around 50 yards. However, the ashes are not limited to that space, they can and do travel with her. However, the biggest issue with her bankai is that it is not limited to affecting just enemies, it also affects friends and herself. Once she has mastery, she could be able to differentiate between who is affected but until then friend or foe would be at risk. As for her, the effects of her bankai are minor even prior to mastery, unless she is enveloped within the ashes for an extremely long period of time.

The reason I love this concept for Rangiku is that it is a literal smokescreen. Rangiku is so often dismissed due to her outward nature of laziness, but not when it comes to her fights. She is serious, she is a tactician, she’s strong, capable and shouldn’t be counted out. Her bankai would be dismissed as nothing of importance, not strong, not dangerous, but where as her serious, capable, destructive, powerful nature is hidden behind a lazy bombshell – so too is her bankai’s ability!

#yes that's a taylor swift lyric - we can fight about it #headcanon; #headcanon #meta #Rangiku's Bankai

[spicyicymeloncat]

Crystalised ep26 spoilers

Confession: I’m gonna be real I thought Compatible was gonna be so much more tragic than it was. I had a stupidly sad prediction but hear me out.

I thought that when Zane didn’t wake up, it would be because his power source was damaged. And Pixal would realise this, and just like when Pixal was dying in s3, she would do what Zane had done for her and give him back his heart, sacrificing herself in the process.

I’m happy they’re both fine but like imagine.

Critically thinking, if I were to re do that ep, I’d probably do something like that, but somehow make it work out in the end because as gut wrenching as that would be, I don’t wanna kill Pixal bc it kinda glorifies self sacrifice which is cringe and whilst the show uses self sacrifice a lot, it always presents it some sort of negative consequence with each character regretting it and coming back because self sacrifice isn’t actually a good thing.

Idk maybe Pixal takes Zane’s broken heart, and whilst it doesn’t generate any power on its own, she’s able to hide it because she’s on temporary energy reserves (and she could die any moment but she doesn’t tell Zane and the audience is really stressed for the next few episodes). However when it’s about to run out, Zane realises and just like how he was able to rebuild himself, his heart in Pixal’s body fixes itself too. Bc yeah. I don’t have a better excuse for it lol

Anyways for pixane angst hardmode y’all should listen to Jubyphonic’s cover of Error bc it’s literally them.

#imagine #and cry #ninjago #lego ninjago #Ninjago crystalized #Ninjago crystalized spoilers #ninjago zane #ninjago Pixal #Ninjago pixane