#they're unconditional with their care and respect for each other

[the5n00k]

Character analysis essay: (kind of, it's mostly me just rambling)

The Ghost and Molly McGee and the concept of unconditional love and acceptance

‼️Spoilers ahead for both seasons 1 and 2!‼️

The Ghost and Molly McGee is one of the most special animated tv shows I've ever seen for several reasons but none quite as special to me as this. A ton of shows, especially on Disney channel, boast of their friendships between the main characters and their hijinks they get into but none have quite impacted me like the friendship between the two titular characters Molly and Scratch. I mean when I first watched this series in July after the season 1 finale, I expected to have a brief period of obsession, a few drawings, and then I'd move on. As you can tell by my blog, that did not happen. (For better and for worse)

People dismiss this show because of the more grounded slice of life episodic approach it takes but honestly I feel like that's it's strongest aspect. It allows the characters to have more moments where they can just slow down and connect. There's no urgent threat (save for a few episodes) that needs to be addressed or the world will end. The characters get to talk, react, and grow because of its slower pace. I say slower loosely because this show will also throw jokes at you harder and faster than an automatic tennis ball server but it knows when to take a moment seriously when it needs to. (This is also why season 1 Amphibia is my favorite and y'all can fight me for it.)

Now onto my main point; Molly and Scratch's relationship.

They start out rough. REALLY rough. They're not good for each other in the slightest. Scratch is mean and constantly trying to sabotage Molly and Molly is controlling, dragging Scratch along on her daily tasks even if he expresses how much he does not want to come along. But no matter how terrible they treat each other, there's still a level of care.

Take First Day Frights or The Unnatural for example. Scratch is more than willing to watch Molly fail until he sees her getting picked on, something he's experienced almost every day of his afterlife, possibly his living one too. He has this connection to her early on, he has this empathy. He'd never expressly admit it and he still tries his hardest to make her give up MANY times throughout season 1 either for his own amusement, thinking the effort isn't worth both of their time, or simply because he has to keep Brighton miserable. But seeing her upset always sets something off in him. And while he doesn't verbally admit he cares about her until the season finale, he does eventually acknowledge her as his best friend (although in that instance it was more to spite Libby) and acknowledge himself as part of her family. The most notable episodes that highlight their more stable relationship are season 1, 18-20 (for those unaware, that would be Out of House and Home/Home is Where the Haunt is, Scaring is Caring/All Night Plight, and The Jig is Up/Molly Vs the Ghost World)

Moving onto season 1 Molly now, she was controlling and seemed to enjoy annoying Scratch in almost a sibling-like behavior, poking him, teasing him, playing with his "hair" but the further you get into the series, the less annoying these feel and the more endearing they become. She also begins to respect his boundaries more, summoning him less and kind of letting him do his own thing in the general area while she has her own plot going on. (Goat Your Own Way and gags ... The Internship) And even after the curse is broken, she seems willing to let him move on away from her if that's what he really wants. She's more interested in his happiness now than her own. Letting go of that control is HUGE for her considering how much emphasis she put on him being her first forever friend. She didn't even expose him to Libby until she got his permission. I brought it up once and I'm bringing it up again dammit.

These two broken, mistreated, flawed people who found each other by complete coincidence would do anything and go to the ends of the earth for each other. And they did.

Moving onto season 2 I was terrified they would regress in some way from this. It was such a high note and a perfect end to their arc all throughout season 1, but now there was this new status quo. They were used to each other now. They could feel like completely different characters at this point. But they weren't, in fact they're even better.

They fight, they argue, they disagree on A LOT of things, but at the end of the day they're even more supportive and loving of each other than ever before.

They're not tearing each other down anymore, they're actively building each other up. Making the other a better person. Cheering them on. This even extends to the B characters like Libby and Darryl, they feel like a close-knit family. Even when they argue, the first thing they see when they say each other again is "I'm sorry" which is HUGE for Scratch, acknowledging fault was (and still is to some degree) really hard for him. They love each other no matter what. They've still got their issues, Molly still feels like she needs to burn herself out to make others happy and Scratch is still calloused and mean towards new additions to his social circle but that just makes them feel more authentic. I don't want them to be perfect. Watching them improve yet still struggle with the same issues they had at the start of the series makes them feel so real. For being a show that's mostly episodic with loose continuity, the development its characters go through is so slow burn sometimes you don't even notice it just binging the series. But if you jump back and forth between an early season 1 episode to a late/season 2 episode, it is STAGGERING.

Molly doesn't love Scratch because he stopped being mean. Scratch doesn't love Molly because she stopped being an overbearing ball of energy. They've loved each other in spite of that. They see past these flaws to their source and relate to the feelings they stem from. At their core, Molly and Scratch are exactly the same; social outcasts seemingly doomed to never having lasting connections. They just responded differently to what they had to go through, their two extremes are even similar in some ways with over possessiveness and insecurity. When Scratch was defending himself to Libby, he couldn't even name any of his redeeming qualities. And Molly still thought Scratch wanted to leave her in spite of everything. They're so torn from their experiences and that drives them closer together. I'm tearing up writing this.

They're broken but they're healing. They're best friends forever. One without the other would not be the same person. Although they aren't codependent, they've gotten along fine on solo adventures without the other needing to step in and solve their problem. They're healthy in their toxic behaviors because they call each other out. I don't consider a relationship toxic if there's noticeable improvement and growth. They're mature in their immaturity, their friendship is so simple and sincere. They enjoy each other's company and don't care who knows it. They're weirdos and so is everyone else they're friends with. Save for maybe Geoff. I don't think a single soul hates Geoff. I'm getting off topic but their friendship is something I always wanted.

They know they're broken, they know they're flawed and selfish at times. But they're trying. And that effort is sometimes all that one can ask for. The dream team for all eternity.

#the ghost and molly mcgee #tgamm #tgamm spoilers #character analysis #i cried writing this #legitimately i almost started violently sobbing over these cartoon characters #that's what thinking about their relationship does to me #they're such besties #i hope they never change but also change for the better #if that makes any sense #my poor broken meow meows #i want to hug them so hard all their trauma goes away

[justanothercloudinthesky]

Demon Slayer: Ideal Types

Fluff/HC

Characters: Tanjiro, Zenitsu, Inosuke

These turned into more character analysis than necessarily ideal types, cause I genuinely think that none of these three would be very picky. They're littered with faults, like everyone else. But I hope it's an enjoyable read and an accurate headcanon!

Tanjiro Kamado:

Tanjiro needs someone with a resilient level of integrity. Tanjiro is incredibly intelligent, especially emotionally, and clearly cares about his family and his future, despite how it might turn out for him.I believe that he'd really require someone with an equal level of integrity, who wouldn't be upset with his passion but would indulge him in their own as well. One thing that sticks out to me is that Tanjiro isn't exclusively positive emotions all the time, he's furious at Muzan, He gets annoyed at Zenitsu, He gets mad at Inosuke. Even so, he manages his emotions well, journaling while on the mountain, speaking out when things aren't right, and using his understanding to help those around him. I actually think that he'd do well with someone who's very sensitive or struggles emotionally. Also... side note, I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, Tanjiro is literally... a hill-billy. He'd do well to find someone street smart or the boy gonna get robbed-

Zenitsu Agatsuma:

Oh boy, here we go: I think that he really needs someone who will give him unconditional love, and who's maybe more reserved than reactive. I think he'd value loyalty to a great deal, first out of insecurity then as he grew as a person, it would root more in respect for his partner. I don't think he'd be picky about interests, but he's a sucker for their attention, so I think he's up for most things, (maybe with a bit of complaining) I personally believe that Zenitsu gets more hate than he deserves, please hear me out. Zenitsu is in a constant state of anxiety for approval. Given his upbringing and the tough love he was shown, I think that he really doesn't know how to properly express that he needs support. He doesn't want to die, and he does NOT want to die single, alone. I'll be honest, I believe that we all have parts of ourselves which we wish were different, and Zenitsu's get displayed for comic relief (and it is very funny).

Inosuke Hashibira:

I'll be honest, Inosuke has been the hardest one to write for thus far, but I'll try my very best! I genuinely think that romance might not bloom the way it does for many other characters I write for. I think it would be respect, and simply sticking with each other. Inosuke would crave praise, especially if his partner was brutally honest when giving it. He'd want someone he can respect, and who can genuinely respect him, despite his arrogance. I do think that it could work well, but it would be challenging to get through walls, and pushing will only hurt the relationship. Give him a solid rock, and soon enough walls begin to break down .Surprisingly similar to Zenitsu, Inosuke is shown to crave attention and praise from those around him, but their techniques are polar opposites. I genuinely think that the people they'd fall for would be at least to some degree similar. Inosuke would need someone who's consistently there. The boy was raised by boars (according to the wiki), and is often shown to be extremely protective of his friends.

#cloudpassingby #kimetsu no yaiba #kny x reader #tanjiro x reader #demon slayer ideal types #demon slayer x reader #demon slayer #kny #tanjiro kimetsu no yaiba #tanjiro headcanons #tanjirou #x reader #zenitsu #demon slayer zenitsu #zenitsu x reader #zenitsu headcanons #zenitsu kny #tanjiro kamado #inosuke hashibira #kimetsu inosuke #inosuke x reader #inosuke hashiriba #kny headcanons #kny fluff

[rinbowaman]

My Girlfriends Roommate - Chapter 12 FINALE! (18+) Minors DNI

WARNINGS: Pain and breeding kink is strong with this one. Rough sex, rough, rough, and rough! There's internal monologue, mentioning of God, talking to God, talking to each other through internal monologue, emotional connection, and lots of graphic scenes that is descriptive. Again this was an original fic I drafted with the main characters names changed, they're ones i created entirely on my own and their personalities do not reflect any of the real person(s) that are Enhypen. Just wanna throw that out there.

There will be a sequel, that's another original piece I did that I'll have to re-edit, but I'll wait and see how this series does and how receptive it is. Sequel is My Roommate's Ex, its alot, ALOT shorter than this series, but is alot jucier (really juicy actually, alot of you will probably be shocked)

MGR pretty much did all the work as far as the build up and relationship development, which is why there are so many chapters.

With that said, if you enjoy it, please either message or comment so I know it will be worth my time to re-edit the sequel and other works that I have drafted years ago. :) Take care loves and remember to love yourself and MGR Heesueng loves you.

“God,

It’s been a while huh. Or maybe you never heard me to begin with. Its not my fault, I couldn’t reach out. I couldn’t get through to you. But I guess that doesn’t matter anymore because I no longer need an answer from you.

I used to think you were testing me. Wondered if you had other plans for me. Thinking you were telling me to broaden my horizons.

Remember all those “potential” candidates you put my way? You know. The ones that made promises that, no matter the time or distance apart, they would be loyal… humble…display unconditional love, yet they never followed through even when times were peaceful. Yeah, those ones.

I used to wonder “why?” Why was it so hard to find what others found so easy to throw away? My friends, my brother, my father…

Even for someone like Gabe, to earn Vicky’s trust and devotion and used it against her, when I was the one who yearned and respected it. To the point where, for so long, I repeatedly dismissed the acts of her betrayal when I secretly found out just how grounded their relationship really was, physically and emotionally.

Why was it so easy for everyone to find it, yet impossible for me when I was the one searching? As if I was doing all the work for them.

Maybe I shouldn’t had been so eager to crave companionship, but you made me that way, didn’t you? Hehehe. I could never understand why you gave me demons when I asked for angels. Whenever I saw the happiness of any man, God…only you know…I hated the world. The beasts inside me wanted to burn this whole place down and end it. I was tired of everyone getting the one thing I couldn’t.

Was it wrong?

Considering the number of times, I’ve been let down, was it wrong for me to secretly wish for the demise of other people’s happiness?

Was it wrong for me to get jealous when Jay’s smile grew wider, Sunghoon’s meaning in life grew deeper, or when Jakes voice got higher…was it wrong for me to feign happiness when I hoped for chaos and turbulence?

There wasn’t a day I wanted to wake up from sleep. At least then, I wouldn’t have to think about it. Just dream of it. It was less lonely that way. But now…I don’t have to look forward to sleep. I don’t have to be happy only in my dreams, do I?

I have her. The one you sculpted to be more beautiful than the sun and moon. Yes…her. Her in front of me.

She is the one and only thing that I had been searching for since I became a man. She is the shelter I was asking for when I am so far from home. She is the most beautiful inside and out, and nothing makes sense without her.

She is the sole comfort in my life, and for once, I don’t have to worry about a single thing. You gave her wings, yet she chooses to walk beside me.”

Heeseung’s momentum was the exact opposite of Samuels. You couldn’t help but compare the two, after all, Samuel was the only other experience you had, and within the eight months of your union, you shared that experience with him countless times. Every single moment where you gave him access to your womanhood, while it was pleasant, it wasn’t as invigorating as it was now. Even on nights when Samuel was a hard lover and less soothing in his performance, you had no idea that the vigor of any man could surpass the levels he displayed.

You didn’t know any better until Heeseung entered. He was rough, he was hard, and he was fast. He wasn’t making love; he was fucking you. But somehow, perhaps due to the level of sentimental connection that you both seem to share with each other, you just knew that while he was fucking you, he did so lovingly.

Everything you needed and wanted in life; he was fucking it into you.

He fucked the tears you cried that night. He fucked the smiles that were deceived out of you by Samuels lies. He fucked the pain of reading his words of betrayal. He fucked the joy you felt at having someone to come home to. He fucked the screams coming out of your mouth right now as he pounds into you, creating a soreness each time his groin slaps against you. He fucked the laughter you shared with friends and family during the peaceful moments in life.

But most importantly, he fucked all his love inside you; as well as the pain, jealousy, anger, and disappointment he experienced. He fucked every single ounce of it into your core and watched the true beauty of metamorphosis to occur as all his burdens turned into the gasping moans coming out of you, soothing and healing him.

With pleasure and pain, you took it all in helplessly as he fucked all his thoughts and desires. You not only loved every single bit of it, you wanted more.

He fucked roses. Roses you grew for Samuel, that you nurtured and watered with the tears you shed that night, all blooming because of Heeseung.

He fucked blue. The color of the sky, that you loved so much, is now the color of your energy.

He fucked the moon and sun. The eclipse of his heart embracing yours. He fucked you into Heaven and Earth.

Heeseung was doing more than just healing, he was showing the amount of love and devotion a man could ever develop for any woman. He was taking care of you in ways that no other man would ever be smart enough to do on his own. He fucks into you relentlessly, all things good and bad, and it was the most terrible and beautiful thing you’ve ever felt. The echoing voice translates the beauty of Heeseung’s love into to the deepest trenches of your soul, hoping that his heart would hear.

“He fucks me…he loves me. He shelters me by coating the skin on my body with his tongue.

God, he is fucking me and he’s doing it so good.

Oh God, I love it when he fucks me.

Could anyone with a human heart ever understand?

Could you? With your almighty heart and values in creation of mankind? Could you understand that what he is doing to me is the very thing I never knew I needed?

I don’t ever want him to stop. I want him to fuck me every day. I want him to fuck me every night. I want him to do everything to me. Just…want him to….fuck…”

His pace increases, his thrusts go deeper, and your head suspends your features to flush with the ceiling, moaning, and screaming. The vibrations of the echoes in your voice dances in the room, bouncing off the walls, the buzzing swims into both your ears as he holds you, steady as possible, while giving you everything he’s got. The ferocity of Greek Gods couldn’t even compare to Heeseung’s own.

The back of your head presses away from the headboard, you lean your face forward and introduce your cries into his mouth, engaged in the most passionate exchanging of wet kisses. The flicking of your tongues migrating from left to right, up and down, and in and out.

Your hands around his broad shoulders, your body lost all contact with the headboard as you have now completely relied on his body to fully support you. Not that it was a surprise, it was still impressive that Heeseung’s strength carried the weight of two bodies effortlessly.

You fall dense on his form; it was hard and warm. You were inching closer to a heightened state of euphoria as you bounced when you received each raging thrust.

The view of your hair flowing all around, dancing against your skin was a sight to behold. The sight of your breasts in bouncing motion from the thrusting impact enabled him to feel the desire to continue. But not just for the pleasure he was feeling from fucking you, it was so he could keep watching the evolution of your beauty taking place before him, all because of the awfully pleasant things he was doing to you. Things that are every father’s worst nightmare.

Your beauty just continuously amazes him, from the moment he met you he did everything in his power to not overindulge the mesmerizing image of you since he was trying to remain committed to Vicky, even if it was all mental. But he couldn’t, he wasn’t strong enough. You were intoxicating and no matter how he tried to distract himself from you, he was always brought back to your image.

Now that he got to see you in such a vulnerable state, he learned that you weren’t just beautiful when smiling, laughing, and looking at him intently with those dangerous eyes, he now discovered that you were just as beautiful, if not more so, when your face was stained with the pain of his penetration or the pleasure of him hitting your spot.

You were the most beautiful thing he’s ever seen, an ancient glory of the world’s creation. Enabled by wanting to see more sides of you, he takes sinful act of performance to a speed that is unsearchable. And God, you lost it. Grabbing on to his chest, your strength drains out of you as your fingers drag down. You found yourself re-gripping your hold on his chest or his biceps, alternating as the high momentum of your bouncing form caused you to lose your handling. Your chest felt sore as you hyperventilate, and a combination of gasps and moans shot out of you violently.

“He fucks me.” “I fuck her.”

The slapping of on and off skin contact from his penetration accompanies your screams of pleasure. The feeling was so intense, and while you were pretty sure everyone could hear it, you knew that no one was going to do anything about it and, upon discovering his Heaven and Earth, you hope it stayed that way. The traffic of air escaping you causes your mouth to dry up, the flesh of your womb bruising from his explicit and merciless act; the moist flesh that binds around his cock continues to leak, allowing him to fuck you more easily, regardless of how tightly you were wrapped around him.

“He loves me.” “I love her.”

The sweat glistening your bodies, took part in transforming the movements from steady and neat to sloppy and shaky. Along with the explosion of pleasure and sexual power, you both were losing all sense of humanism, becoming animalistic and primitive instead. The mashing of his balls into your taint furthered the pleasure you were experiencing as you kept taking him in, permitting him to forge his sexual satisfaction inside your delicate and fragile body.

You never want to lose this. The thought of having him motivated you to raise and cross your arms around his neck; he knew the meaning behind this notion and just like you, he felt the same. Putting any remaining gaps in between your bodies to rest in peace, as he tightened his wrap around you.

His arms are parallel to each other as they remain firmly wrapped around your back, both hands reaching and touching your breasts from each side as he used the bulk of strength from his core to lift, pull, and push you up and down his cock, coating it with the slick gush of your pleasure. His knees were starting to grow weary from the strain of supporting you both, yet the pleasure of fucking you so beautifully gave him the strength to keep going.

“Please God, let him stay.” “I won’t leave you baby. I’m staying.”

Still exchanging the kisses, that have too now become sloppy, you began to feel like you were dying inside, the pleasure was too overwhelming, and you lost feeling in your fingers, finding it difficult to tell if you were touching his skin every time you dug the tips in. You have grown completely numb as your legs begin to slack off, their wrap around his waist loosens and the alternation of your bouncing of your body and the impact of his thrusts promotes them to slide and fall off.

Sensing you were growing weaker and faltering, he takes his arm and catches one of your legs from falling completely down, remaining hold of it. He places a reach around from the inside, placing his hand on your waist as his arm snakes your thigh, looping it from falling, maintaining some bit of integrity with the position as you continue getting fucked.

“I want him.” “I want her.”

You feel yourself growing too weak, your vision begins to tunnel as a thick ring of darkness slowly narrows your limited vision. Your arms wrapped around his neck begins to loosen and you found it more comfortable to place your hands back on his biceps, allowing them to rest on them since you lacked the strength to hold them in place. You can barely hold on. Your moans, while still maintaining volume, have decreased, the tone of your vocal cords no longer had the strength to push out solid sound, just a slight dying tone accompanying a whispering gasp as you took on ever other breath trying to find a way to re- stabilize your stamina so that it would match his.

A sudden swarm of defeat informs ceases you from doing anything. It was finally here.

You begin to feel the sharpness of your orgasm to penetrate deep into your stomach and chest each time his cock thrusted into you. Your legs shake violently, and your body is reaching a mode of panic as it jolts as you feel your hips gyrate against his groin. Though you’ve never experienced this, you knew of the feeling from the talk of friends, you were getting close. Really close.

Your body’s message to your brain is contradicting, it wants you to tell him to stop, to not proceed any further due to the overstimulation being unbearable. Yet, confusingly, it wanted him to continue, not just that, but it compelled you to move along with his rhythm and aid his quest for a release.

“God…please let him be the one and only one.”

“It’s me and you forever baby, I’ll always be the one to give it to you. Just me…and you….me fucking you… always.”

No words were exchanged, just the sound of your gasps and his groans and heavy breathing fills the hollowness of the room. Regardless, you both felt and heard each other’s tone of endearment as you communicate through the moans of pleasure. Your hips roll vigorously as you felt his cock begin to pulsate. He was also close, and his breathing began to shorten. His gasping breaths grew louder and more frequent, in sync with his thrusts. You loved the sound of his voice reflecting his actions towards you. It was capturing your independence and the sole entity of your being as you embraced the concept of being completely owned by him.

“I never want to be away from him.”

“Come with me.”

“I want to build a home with him.

"Marry me.”

“I want to carry his legacy.”

“Be the mother of my children.”

You both have reached the same altitude of the orgasmic high as his sloppy thrusts, receiving a boost of stamina from the turmoil of ecstasy in his core, become harder and faster. He was going into you deeper, to the point that your body reacted by jolting upwards. Your hands pushed against his biceps as you desperately try to remain suspended in hopes to inhibit him from breaking into you further, trying your best to prevent him going in too deep.

But Heeseung’s arm around your waist, which up until this very moment had been supporting you, works against you as he reaches up to the back of your shoulder, grabbing hold to push you down steadily and firmly, holding you in place as he continues his desire to extend his reach inside of you. He feels himself tearing your open parts that would be unreachable for any other man. He pushes, tears, rips, and separates you.

You found your voice as you let out a murderous scream, letting out everything ranging from yelling out his name and your desperate pleas begging for mercy, which he did not honor. To your painful horror he kept going while attaching his open mouth against your ear, placing soft kisses on your helix. Your remained facing off to the side, giving him full access to your ear as you try to find some sort of comfort from his kisses, in hopes that it would distract you from the pain. It didn’t, fact is, there was nothing that could ease, let alone save you.

You lose your mind. You lose sight, hearing, and the ability to think as your body is forced to take in all his power. The moisture inside you grows, it was your body’s response to the trauma, as if making it easier for him to slide in and out was going to help take the shock of pain away from him ripping into you, reaching a spot inside. A spot in every woman’s body that should never be breached.

The union of your fluids was formulating inside you, starts to seep out from whenever he thrusted, dripping down his cock and eventually creating a pool on the bed spread. Your mind has become blank with darkness, the pain starts to become tolerable as your orgasm trinkles in, starting off light and increases to the triggering point where the explosive punch from deep within your core takes place.

At that moment, the worst pain you felt at the hands of this man became worth dealing with as a nuclear effect causes your mind, body, and soul to be covered by a blanket of overwhelming pleasure.

Your scream was high in desperation from succumbing to that pleasure and pain. He loved hearing it, but he had, though barely, enough sense to stay mindful that you both were still in a dorm room. He loosens his grip and shoots his hand to extend passed the back of your shoulder, reaching from behind the base of your neck and around to the side of your face, covering your mouth. He loved the feeling of collecting your pants with his palm, the heat and condensation from it all being a mark of his victory.

Prior to muffling it, the sound of your scream brought him the most happiness he’s felt in a long time. He hated that he had to cover it, but he felt grateful that he was at least able to hear and memorize it before forcing it back into your mouth through the barricade of his hand.

Your body goes limp yet continues to shake in thunderous waves all over as the high from your intense orgasm pelted you with kisses of pleasure. It gave you wings. Heeseung’s orgasm follows suit after feeling the palpations of your walls clenching and pulsating against him at a rapid rate. There was an indescribable feeling of pleasure and joy within him as he felt the filtering release of his cum seeping deep inside you, painting your walls as white as the clouds in the sky.

All his children swim inside you, dancing joyfully upon finally meeting the warmth, comfort, and protection of their mother. Sealing your lips with another tender kiss, you both remain in position at a standstill. His cock resting inside you, you’re almost certain he was still releasing his fluid, which you willingly accept and take in. You receive his kiss as you enjoy the first and unfertilized stages from the act of procreation, and you embrace the concept of motherhood even if his offspring were in their microscopic form.

“My beautiful girl…I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to worry about a thing. From now on, tell me what he’s done to you, and I’ll fix it.

Tell me you want a castle, I’ll build it.

Tell me you want the world, I’ll give it.

I’ll give everything, whether it’s my life or the sounds of the ocean, I’ll give you everything you want. It’s the least I can do, I’m so grateful.

I’m grateful to you.

I’m grateful to the love and creativity of your parents when they made you.

I’m grateful to him for giving you up.

I’m grateful to God for choosing you as his favorite. I’m grateful I get to keep you.

I’m grateful to the world, for once. I’m eternally grateful for finding you and even more so as I get to look forward an eternity with you.”

[grasshopperdoingdogpaddle]

Hello! I like your blog a lot and I am being anon because I am a coward and I don't want to sound rude or judgmental in any way. I wanted to ask why do you like Omi so much? Like, yes, he's the protagonist, but I myself don't like him that much. I would like to understand your point of view!

There are so many elements I love about his character, I really can't fit it all in one post, a lot of it is spread out through my musings throughout the blog.

But I'll just list off 10 random reasons why Omi is my favorite character. Essay under the cut.

1. His relationship with Chase

Everything about Chase and Omi is so fascinating. It's singlehandedly what pulled me back to this series.

Most aspects of this series are things I've since seen done better in other series that followed in years to come. Some much better.

But Chase and Omi's relationship is something that still feels unique. I haven't seen anything else quite like it in anything else I've read or watched.

They spend time together, they fight together, bring out new things in each other, make old things resurface in each other, like each other even when they know it's dangerous to. They see each other as a mirror, they want to be together, they'll tear apart space and time for each other. They grow close in secret, that have things they can only share with each other. They trust each other despite both of them having deep-seeded trust issues. They respect and acknowledge each other. They show each other affection, they have fun fighting each other. They're worthy allies and best friends.

The fact that they navigate all these complicate mind games against each other is a testament to how well they know each other.

It's Omi who comes to save Chase when no one on the Heylin side ever would. It's Chase who's able to make Omi learn things he needed to learn but just wasn't understanding. It's Chase who comes for Omi to get him to return to the temple in Omi town. It's Omi who tears apart time and space to try to be with Chase.

80 years in the future, Chase still brightens up instantly when he sees Omi. 1500 years in the past, Chase feels deep in his soul that Omi is already someone he knows and loves.

All the secrets between the two of them, all the private conversations, all the underlying things they know they can't say, all the things they'll say to each other that they wouldn't dare speak to anyone else.

They provide each other with something they can't get anywhere else. There are so many reasons why they're fixated on each other.

It's something I can and have gone on about for ages, so I'll cut it there before it takes up my entire list.

2. His defiant, subversive self-love

I've come to really admire self-aggrandizing humor. I admire characters who can love themselves, even with everything else they have going on.

Self-hatred isn't a virtue, and I'm tired of relating to its self-perpetuating, myopic poison.

I want to love myself so strong that it can be my foundation, too. It's a good thing to know your own worth and never let others shake that, while still being a loving, caring, curious person who wants to connect with others, and that's what Omi is.

I love it even more in Omi because you can clearly intuit where it comes from.

No one at the temple really praised him growing up, they didn't really acknowledge him on a personal level, and despite what were probably their best efforts, they were distant and cold.

Omi didn't feel outwardly loved from the outside-- in fact, he grew accustomed to the idea that unconditional love isn't something he'll ever get, that all he can ever hope for is to earn acknowledgement, because he's not a person the same way the others are.

And in response to that, instead of growing bitter or jaded, he decided he'd love himself unconditionally. He'd acknowledge himself and praise his own efforts and choose himself where he grew up expecting that no one would.

3. His very nuanced, personal belief in redemption and willingness to reach out to others

Omi has an unshakeable belief that Chase still has good in him, despite everything. But Omi's also very aware of where Chase stands, and he takes that into consideration in their interactions.

Omi is not only willing to believe in Jack and invite him to their side several times with open arms and praise for his skills, he's also willing to give Jack second chances and a type of trust that he doesn't really exercise with anyone else. Omi goes against the other monks always telling him not to, he'll give up his bedroom and share his clothes, he happily compliments Jack for stopping Katnappe.

Omi knows that Katnappe stands more firmly where she is, but he still argues that they should take her in and help her heal up her injury that she got from trying to rob their temple.

Omi is the only one who was against the idea of letting Wuya and Jack die in cold blood.

Omi is the first to argue that Master Fung should Raimundo another chance, but Omi is also firm in drawing boundaries because of how traumatized he was that Raimundo deliberately manipulated the trust they used to have in him in order to hurt them all.

Omi repeatedly argues that Clay and Jessie should try to reconnect, and that Jessie could come to the side of goodness. He deeply believes in her and in the bond she and her brother have.

Omi doesn't extend the expectation of redemption to everyone, and he's very measured where he does, even if he's willing to show them all sympathy. He's very deliberate in who he reaches out to and thinks has it in them to change, and that's a fascinating take on this type of character.

It's not quite a simple naivety. Omi can read certain situations better than he's given credit for. It's something more nuanced and complicated and case-by-case, and I love that.

4. His adoration for his friends, to the point where he's willing to go so far to protect them

Omi is so scared of squirrels that he'll freeze up at the sight of them. The only time he's ever overcome that was when he had to jump into the fray and fight one to save Kimiko.

That's the moment that stands out most to me as an example of how much Omi loves his friends. There are so many times he shows it, but this is my favorite.

When Omi loves, he loves with his whole chest.

And Omi's loyalty is directly tied to his love. Omi's willingness to sacrifice himself and push himself is tied to his love.

In Judging Omi, they've just had an argument that makes Omi feel that they don't respect his culture and beliefs and the honor that he stakes his everything on, but when he comes back and sees them in danger, he neither does the petty thing of turning against them, nor the reckless thing of thinking he can just run in alone guns blazing and handle it himself.

He takes a risky deal, because the thing he's risking is himself. And he'd happily risk himself to save his friends and his Master Fung. He always does, and he always will.

5. The mentors he adopts throughout the series

Omi learns from Dashi, Chase, Klofange, ect. The lessons themselves are very cool, and Omi is able to being out a mentoring side of characters who otherwise don't show it.

It's adorable, and it leads to some deeply heart-warming and heart-wrenching moments.

Dashi playing the first Xiaolin Showdown with Omi, until Omi finally learned to go at it from a different angle.

Klofange smiling for the first time since we've seen them, and bending over to pet Omi and thank him.

Everything about the side of Chase that Omi brings out.

6. His complex exploration of the concept of trust as a personal boundary

Omi initially trusted Raimundo more than anyone else did. Omi trusted Raimundo unconditionally in a way no one else at the temple did.

He watched Raimundo clearly turn against them, and he still believed that it must be a misunderstanding, because trust and love were so intrinsically tied in Omi's mind, and he couldn't imagine someone he thought cared about them being genuinely willing to hurt them all like that on purpose.

And then he did. And Raimundo took it very far before he eventually changed his mind.

Omi still argued that Raimundo still had a right to be there and keep being a Xiaolin dragon. Omi stood up against Master Fung to tell him to let Raimundo come back to the temple and have another chance.

But Omi also maintains his right to redraw his boundaries, because he was deeply traumatized by that whole affair.

Omi gets screamed at for even thinking in the back of his mind that he's scared to trust Raimundo as much as he did before, but Omi doubles down and stands his ground.

He's the embodiment of "Apology accepted, trust denied." The embodiment of "Forgiveness doesn't require that same reconnection." The embodiment of "a stab in the back isn't rectified until it's been pulled out completely and healed by the one who put it there, and sometimes, the person who stabbed you refuses to even acknowledge the knife is there."

And I truly respect Omi for having enough self-respect for that. It's so easy to just buckle when people try to force past the boundaries you try to set. But you have to forfeit your self-respect to let someone walk over you like that, and Omi would never.

It's especially admirable since Xiaolin Showdown's narrative clearly takes the odd stance that "if you firmly reset the boundaries of trust you're willing to have with someone who deliberately chose to hurt you and your loved ones, that makes you a bad person".

Omi is so strong-willed that he won't just go against time and space, he'll go against the narrative itself.

7. He's adorable and he's a water type

That's my exact strike zone.

He's tiny with a youthful exuberance. He's sheltered and naive with bright eyes. He's stubbornly innocent with precocious hope. He's clumsy with words and has a built-in water gun. He's adorable, and he knows he is.

I love cute things, the little kid characters tend to garner my sympathy, and I always chose the water starters in pokemon.

8. He's suicidally self-sacrificial, not out of any self-deprecation (again, he loves himself), but out of seeing himself as a tool

Omi jumps to sacrifice himself surprisingly easily.

And glory has nothing to do with it.

When he thought he might grow up into someone who would become evil and hurt his friends, Omi walked off to freeze to death alone.

When the temple was taken over by Jack's evil army, Omi didn't run into a situation he clearly couldn't handle alone. He went to Chase Young for help, fully prepared to sacrifice whatever Chase was going to ask for in exchange for his help.

When Dojo was about to eat Master Fung, Omi jumped in the way as bait and begged Master Fung to run away.

The whole reason Omi jumped into the Yin-Yang world despite the danger was because nothing it could do to him was bad enough for him not to risk it for Master Fung's sake.

But he's very against his friends sacrificing themselves for him, and he tries to leave them out of it when he offers up himself as a sacrifice. He values himself, but he's willing to die, because he thinks his purpose is, ultimately, to be a useful weapon for others.

He argued against the soccer game for his freedom, because he didn't think it was worth it to wager their lives for his. Omi's willing to gamble his own life like a poker chip, but never theirs.

It's this fascinating contradiction. Omi highly values himself, but he doesn't seem to value his own life.

It's this self-dehumanization that doesn't come from self-hatred, but instead from this very peculiar way of thinking.

9. His lonely upbringing and the way it shapes his wants and desires

Master Fung doesn't really reach out to him. The most he did was back in episode one, calling Omi in from the rain.

Omi has watched his mentor and the person he loves more than life itself grow more and more distant towards him, while Master Fung is fine showing affection to the other dragons-in-training.

Literally all he wants is Master Fung's love, and since Omi doesn't think he can ever get it unconditionally, he tries so hard to prove himself and earn Master Fung's respect and acknowledge instead.

It's heartbreaking but also fascinating, and it informs Omi's character arc, especially the way he clearly feels less and less at home there at the temple.

He already never felt like it was an unconditional home he could stay in.

Omi loves Master Fung more than anything. Omi would die for him, and more impressively, Omi would kill for him. There's this one-sided adoration and affection and devotion that's so painfully, delightfully tragic.

10. His watching his former hero Guan fall from a pedestal

Guan was one of Omi's biggest heroes. The journey that watching the pedestal break was very interesting.

I loved that Omi personally browbeat Guan into being embarrassed enough to come help them get back Dojo and fight Chase after Guan was going to be perfectly content to just leave now that he had what he wanted.

And it was heartbreaking how Guan later came back with a plan to gaslight and set Omi up to be beaten black and blue, but seeing Guan fall so far from grace in Omi's eyes with those questionable things he kept doing to them is a nice contrast to how Omi gradually comes to love and admire Chase more and more all the while.

#xiaolin showdown #omi #chase young #chase and omi #kimiko tohomiko #clay bailey #jessie bailey #master fung #jack spicer

[system-of-a-feather]

Continuing some from this post, but for our functional multiplicity / resolution, we do have some amnesia for things in the past and our present day memory isn't perfect and between parts we still do loose bits - but that is not experienced in any distressing, intrusive, or distressing manner as it is an inherent part of our state and form of functional multiplicity and I've seen that confuse some people as a lot of talk around functional multiplicity operates on the "complete remission of DID related symptoms" which it CAN be - but it really isn't that nor needed to be to that extent for our system.

Our system is stable and we have very limited to no notable conflict - our system morphs and operates very fluently with one another and switches relatively easy - usually there is at least 3 parts co-con at once - often going upwards to 6-8 at a time depending on if they're so much as interested in doing so. Internal communication is pretty solid and easy beyond actually "summoning" the part to be near and actually tune in so that we can talk. Parts being near the front and "tuned in" is more so a choice to either involve that part or not by both the unseen collective and the individuals as a parts of a collective.

In our functional multiplicity, the individuality of parts - specifically key parts - is a large comfort and aid to the current stage of our trauma healing and the parts in our system serve exclusively a healing function in dynamic with one another and we all work for the betterment of one another and the whole. We haven't had a real issue beyond occasional (and much less frequent) PTSD flashback and triggers and even when those get tense, it isn't a conflict of parts but a stress and worry about one another than against one another.

Additionally, the only roles we use that are formally used are "host" "gatekeeper" and "trauma holder" as they explain key dynamics that are relevant to supporting and recovering forward as all the other roles are either the resting state of all parts (caretaker and soothers and what not are just all of us by nature of peer support) or not needed (we don't need protectors as most of us can handle ourselves individually and we are no longer needing to "just survive").

We've cultured a strong sense of radical acceptance and unconditional care and love among the parts and those that can help do help and those that need help are given it - and while holding that radical acceptance - we also hold respect to the brain's decision to keep us in different parts and the inherent level of denial and dissociation between events that each part has as it gives a unique and strong perspective that gives us a bigger and better insight when we discuss the topics.

We simultaneously fully accept and respect the reality of the other part while fully accepting and respecting the reality of our own and living in our own space and we largely acknowledge that our life - and life in general - is full of subjectivity and our individual realities of the events we've been through are all simultaneously true even when they conflict. Those subjective differences form the foundation of our individual extreme strengths that we can then use to build one another up.

At some point we do likely intend to fuse down in numbers - a number of parts are working on it as their key traumas and burdens get resolved and they themselves feel as if their separated conscious no longer holds anything new to bring up or add to our situation - but as it is, we handle trauma and caring for one another better as separated parts of a whole.

Divide, specialize, and conquer of sorts - and Ray does a great job in managing us. It's honestly a really peaceful and enjoyable existence operating as such a smooth and oiled system. We all have our place that is not so heavily and formally defined but a sense of belonging and purpose in the system. We all do what we do and live where we live. No one is responsible for anything or anyone but also everyone is still there. It's not a job, or a role, or a duty, but simply just how things are. We're a family and a community and we care for one another solely on the principle of putting out our strengths as an offering to the whole team, knowing that the others would pay it back. If one of us is unhappy, we all are. If all of us are happy, each of us are.

We have a lot of trauma to work through still, like A LOT of it, and these days a lot of the system changes and dynamics are in preparation to best refine our team work and individual strengths as parts to better ready us to accommodate the higher needs parts.

I work on not only maintaining but polishing and increasing my self regulation, patience and mindfulness as well as my general coping and insight to what I care for and what helps me and those around me.

XIV takes on a lot of responsibility for understanding what we need and as he keeps expanding his understanding of the collective needs of the system, what matters to us and what can be improved - he is our best advocate and he then focuses on building his ability to understand and assist parts in getting what they need, but also to regulate his own anger that comes with being the part most aware of what we deserve.

Ray, Lucille, and Aderis - the core elders - have worked and slaved hard for the system during the crisis era and they inherently have great skill to be able to help and care for one another, their work then comes in learning to live for themselves and to let us and the other parts that they used to care heavily over make our own mistakes and develop independently into self sustaining parts of our own while still maintaining their presence and expertise for when things get dicey.

Lin is working on a fusion with another part that would better equipt him to travel and manage the heavier trauma holding parts between our side system and eventually fall into a role as the "gentle ambassador" between known long-dormant trauma holding parts that we have long since - both by the parts themselves and our talking active ones - decided to let sleep until we have a life that we know is better for them, worthy for them, and completely the secure life that they deserve.

There are a a lot more parts I could further explain into their individual projects to improving our system dynamic into that of a perfect healing environment for the trauma holders that we know sleep in the back - but that would take more time than I'm willing to put into this point.

As it is though, our system is functionally set less to survive and cope (the main fronting parts all have that individually on their own, having a system for that purpose does little than encourage a sense of learned helplessness at this point), but more so to build a home and a beautiful safe space so that when the time comes that our deeper more hurt trauma holders come up, that there is a beautiful world for them to join us in.

Compared to a few years ago when it was trying to learn the system, understand it, parse conflicts, butting heads over ways to survive and live with one another without killing one another, etc.... its honestly really fun. Like genuinely, its fun to be trying to improve and set a perfect home for the hurt kids that will eventually join us up here. It's a fun group project and we are all deeply engaged, invested, and dedicated to.

It's a very whole experience and healing experience and I really do love that I am able to live my life operating in my individual self with a number of really skilled, amazing, and insightful different versions of me to build this beautiful thing of life.

I dunno, I think the rhetoric around complete remission of symptoms, while totally valid and understandable, is a very black and white situation stemmed from the pain that early stages of healing comes from. Yes amnesia, not always being in the front, and what not, that isn't "normal" functioning, but my brain has never been normal functioning between autism, very early childhood trauma, OCD and C-PTSD and what not. Just cause its not "normal" doesn't mean its not distressing.

I'm not even saying this in a "we are allowed to be not miserable about our disorder", I genuinely mean that not only do I not find the DID aspect of my disorder distressing, but in reference to the PTSD - I find the DID aspect of my disorder incredibly healing and comforting.

I enjoy my life with DID at this stage in healing. It gives me a different perspective and deep insight into myself. There is no "but secretly I hate this aspect" because really, no, I don't think there is anything about the parts in my life and brain that I secretly hate. Yeah some of them do stupid shit, some of them are annoying, some of them are headaches, but I love that about them regardless and its those differences that make them amazing and interesting to engage with.

Anyhow, thats just a bit of a ramble on the topic that I wanted to go on.

#alter: riku #functional multiplicity #resolution #healing #recovery #actuallydid #dissociative identity disorder #riku rambles

[br1ghtestlight]

quick analysis of tina and louise's relationship to help w/ something im writing

louise and tina clearly ADORE each other and are very close to each other but in a different way than gene and louise (which could almost be compared to a relationship between twins bcuz their age difference rarely if ever is relevant) tina is louise's big sister and rhats very clear in their dynamic.... she protects and takes care of louise and tries to help her make the right moral decisions and become a better version of herself. she wants louise to be a good and kind person and she views it as her job (as louise's older sister) to be with her in life and help her figure stuff out. this is also related to tina's personality bcuz she is quieter and more likely to follow the rules/less likely to question societal conventions than louise. tina is louise's protector and caretaker

louise very strongly values tina's opinion of her (more than anybody else in her family's opinion) and even when they're having a disagreement or arguing louise has this desire to have tina respect her decisions and think positively about her. tina is very often the reason louise decides not to do something bad or if she DOES mess up tina is always the person there to help her so louise isn't afraid of hiding her mistakes from tina (for rhe most part) and does seem to trust that tina's love for her is unconditional

louise definitely views tina as a nerd and thinks that she's too quick to follow rules without questioning them or fighting back and she thinks that tina is more likely to tell on her or get her into trouble than gene would be BUT she also trusts tina unconditionally despite this and leaves her in situations where its expected that tina would tell on her leaving me to believe that with the exception of extreme situations tina is VERY unlikely to get louise in trouble even if she did something wrong or broke the rules and she isn't afraid of helping her sister

#this is unfinished analysis lol but interesting enough to post #their relationship is fascinating #txt #bob's burgers

[beevean]

I honestly think Hector and Isaac's set up is ripe material to write a story about abuse, and I'm disappointed I haven't found anything about it. It's why I like it so much.

Hector and Isaac aren't just servants of Dracula, like Shaft would be. They are so dependant on him, on an emotional level.

They haven't known human kindness. They were hurt and rejected and made to feel something else than human. They both ran to Dracula, who welcomed them and allowed them to exist. In fact, under him, they proved their worth and became Generals, which proves that Dracula respected them. We know that he may have simply found their powers useful and didn't really care about Hector and Isaac as people, but from their perspective, they were being finally being appreciated for the same innate curse that caused them grief when they lived with humankind.

They're not human anymore. Dracula's magic and teachings turned them into something to be feared. They're no longer victims, but they're the ones who hold the power.

They have nowhere else to go. They don't know anything else.

From the PtR manga:

"Were we known by humans, we would be chased away with stones… a place where we can exist… a place to cling to… Where was it?!"

"The ability to rebel and blaspheme against the Divine Providence is accepted without blame. A place where we are allowed to exist."

"We respectfully obeyed, to cling to."

In the MF manga, even after Hector ran away, he calls himself a demon and "something to be detested", clearly because of his nature alone.

And this quote too:

"Count Dracula... My powers were needed and recognized by you. There were times when such things gave me joy."

And in this version, they came to Dracula when they were teenagers!

your honor, this is a full ass baby. he's about to sell his soul to the devil while looking like the cutest emo kid ever. dracula you fucker maybe don't accept children in your care.

In short, they are so, so vulnerable.

Don't you think Dracula couldn't easily manipulate them to do his bidding?

Don't you think he couldn't dangle the love they so craved right in front of their faces, for a fair price?

Don't you think he couldn't guilt trip them, reminding them of everything he did for him? He's the one giving them a home, and powers, and appreciation. And they swore loyalty to him, of their own volition. Nevermind that they did it because it was the only viable way in their mind :)

Don't you think he wouldn't take advantage of how much Isaac yearned to be loved recognized, or the fact that Hector got used to being the favorite and it's so hard to disappoint the one who values you so much?

Don't you think he wouldn't deliberately pit them against each other, playing blatant favorites and comparing the two, to fuel resentment, further isolate them, and making sure they'd only run to him?

I personally also like to imagine that Dracula sees his Devil Forgemasters in the same way as they see their Innocent Devils: magnificient creations of their own power, but ultimately just tools to be used. Isaac is happy to dehumanize himself, Hector... needs to be broken more :)

Of course, all of this makes Hector's defection so much more admirable. He took a look at the only creature who treated him as something worth of respect, and thought "no, I deserve better than you", and left, even though he would have either died or met even more cruelty. Instead, he met Rosaly, who gave him actual unconditional love <3

love this story so much. i see it, it's so clear in my vision.

#castlevania #curse of darkness #hector castlevania #isaac laforeze #posted this in my sideblog but you know what #bad au aside this is all pretty much canon #that's why i'm obsessed

[firephoenix2305]

Okay, so I came across a post today in which somebody said they had lost the enjoyment of creating Good Omens content because they were harassed over it. And I am PISSED

The fuck is wrong with some people?!

I'm sorry, but I just will never understand the point of taking something that somebody you probably don't even know has made with love and care; with the sole purpose of sharing what they love and make others smile or shed a tear, something that they're proud of - as they should be - and tear it to shreds.

Why?!?!

Fandom is supposed to be about expressing yourself. Be it through art, or stories, or poetry, or animations, or memes, or smut, or crafts. Whatever it is you like to do. It's supposed to be about sharing things inspired by what you love with others who love the same thing. It's supposed to be about a community of people who support each other, NOT WHO TRY TO SHOOT EACH OTHER DOWN!!

It sickens me. SICKENS ME. To see people being robbed of the joy of creating and sharing and being themselves just for the sake of it because of a group of idiots who don't have anything better to do with their fucking lives than to go around telling everyone how incompetent they are, and how shit everything they do is.

And in the particular case of Good Omens; has the very thing that brought us all together not taught us anything about unconditional acceptance, respect and even love no matter who you are?! Come on!

If an angel can love and respect a demon, then it shouldn't be so complicated for a human being to respect another. Should it?!

Creating is beautiful. Sharing is supposed to be beautiful. Fandom is supposed to be a safe space. A space to share, and express yourself without being afraid of judgment. BECAUSE THERE SHOULDN'T BE ANY, FFS! ISN'T THAT THE WHOLE BLOODY POINT OF FANDOM?!

If you don't like the fanfic, then don't read it! If you don't like the fanart, then don't look at it! You don't even have to acknowledge it, okay? And if the mere existence of that person or their art bothers you, tough shit! Because they exist, and their art does too, and that IS NOT going to change for your convenience! You have NO FUCKING RIGHT to tell them they should stop doing and sharing things that make them happy. Are they hurting you? NO! Are they doing anything against you? NO!

SO FUCK OFF AND LET THEM BE WHO THEY ARE IN PEACE!

You don't like it, and that's fine, but it's no reason to harass the creator! Go read something else, or check out a different fanart style or, I don't know, take up fishing!

My point is that, for many people, fandom is the one place where they can be themselves, because there is something stopping them from that IRL. Is it really that hard to just give them that??

I know it isn't for me, and I will never for the life of me understand why it is for some people.

I'm very sorry for the language. I might have got a little carried away, but as a person who has gone through the typical shit a short, under-developed, nerdy girl usually goes through in highschool, bullies just trigger me and I can't sit and watch, I need to say something. Nobody should have to go through things like this, and it makes me sad that they do.

For anyone going through Hell because of this (in fandom or IRL), you need to remember that although there will always be bullies, wherever you go; there'll also always be people who are willing to help and to listen and to be there for you. It gets better, I promise. ❤️

#good omens #I am sick and tired of people who believe they can just stomp over everybody else #please have a minimum of empathy and think of how much you would hurt the other person before hating on something for no reason #fandom #good omens fandom #zero tolerance for bullies #no bullying #please #everyone has the right to create and share what they want #we can't let bullies win #writers on tumblr #Everyone deserves respect

[l-e-morgan-author]

Love in Hands Made For Gentleness

One of the themes in this book are the different forms of love, and - like many others - I think about the Greek words to ensure I explore it the way I want to. It's an interesting thing to think about, how each form of love is manifested, and is something I hold very close to my heart, because after all 'these three abide, but the greatest of these is love'. Given that both faith and hope are also crucial elements (hope gets more of a talking-about, but that's inextricably tied into faith as it is for me), it's important that I don't forget about their greater counterpart, love. I wanted to break it down and discuss a bit about how the different forms of love are displayed.

This necessarily involves spoilers, so if you want to scroll right past and remain unspoiled, feel free to! (And yes, I do indeed overanalyse my own works, what of it?) Also note: trigger warnings consistent with the book itself, since some of the topics discussed may be distressing (if you find discussion of topics like suicide distressing, a) please take care of yourself, and b) this probably won't be the book for you).

So in no particular order:

Philia

Philia is the love of friends, platonic love. This is really where Vaniah and Anneka start out, in a way - very good friends, very affectionate, and entirely platonic. Before we get into the more complicated feelings as they grow closer after their marriage, one of my aims with this book is to emphasise the importance of platonic love, as well as its depth, and that it absolutely doesn't need to romantic to be very close and extremely important to the people in it. For Vaniah, Anneka is the most important person in his life, even before their marriage.

Eros

Eros is the interesting one here to me - the passionate romantic or sexual love. It's definitely important to this story and these characters; Vaniah has some trauma around all of this to work through, but ultimately, they're married, they're going to be doing married people shenanigans. (Not on page, don't worry. There'll be discussions around that topic, as necessary, but since it's not a topic I really want to touch for personal reasons I doubt it'll have a great deal of page time.) It's important, but most of the hints around it will probably be accidental; I know I've shared excerpts that are just them playing around and being silly, and certain people look at them and see sexual undertones I never intended. Ah well.

Agape

Agape is the most important love here, I think - the self-sacrificing, selfless love. It's unconditional, and very much represents the bond between Vaniah and Anneka as it heals. Both are willing to do whatever it takes for the other to grow better and closer to God, at least in theory, and over time that translates to wanting their own healing in order to stop grieving the other person (more relevant for Vaniah than Anneka). At a certain point with a lot of mental problems, I feel like one stops caring about healing, and it's a struggle sometimes to remember why you would try, because it's easier to just exist and not try to improve. Over time, though, Vaniah and Anneka help one another to heal from their respective problems. They won't go away completely, of course, but whatever they can do to help, they do, and I love them for it. Anneka, for instance, is very willing to hear about dark, graphic thoughts and see some very graphic things, if it will help Vaniah (like when she helps him to care for self-inflicted wounds, which understandably deeply upsets her). Despite how it may make her feel, she's determined to continue to love him no matter what, and that's something she emphasises, especially when he gets existential and at one point even suggests she should divorce him and let him die by his own hand. (She refuses, reminds him of her love and God's love, and pulls out verses to support her point.)

Storge

Storge is the familiar love, love of family. This is one most represented by Anneka's bond with her brother, Ben. While Vaniah has two siblings, one is already dead by the start of the story, and the other, Susan, doesn't get a great deal of page time. Because the story is told from Anneka's point of view, the two most important male characters are Vaniah and Ben. Her relationship with Ben mimics my own bond with my siblings. I wanted him to be her protector, to some extent, until that role is handed more to Vaniah. Though she can stand for herself, Anneka still needs the love and support of her family and friends, just like we all do. For Vaniah and Anneka, the support and protection goes both ways.

Mania

Mania is another interesting one, and not one I'd really considered specifically until writing this post. As part of his mental health journey, Vaniah sometimes veers close to obsession, or stumbles into it completely. He is at times violent, but never towards Anneka, only himself. There's a spice of codependency as well, as they both know he would have committed suicide years earlier if it hadn't been for her, and at times, at his lowest, he resents her for it. There are a lot of toxic emotions tied up into this relationship, but together (and with the help of others from their church) they work through it and out the other side.

Ludus

This is another form of love I hadn't considered until writing this post, but I'm glad I did. It's an integral part of Vaniah and Anneka's relationship, and serves to lighten the admittedly heavy tone of this book. They have a lot of fun together, even despite the terrible darkness that sometimes assails one or both of them, and it's important to remember. It's also tied into the banter between Anneka and Ben, which can sometimes be pretty similar to the way Vaniah and Anneka interact. But they absolutely can't be sad or depressed all the time, because that would be a terrible book to read. I need to work more on putting this in, and the balance between light and dark, so that it doesn't feel jarring or confusing, or different to the tone of the rest of the book.

Pragma

Pragma is an enduring love, and it's extremely important to their relationship. Both Vaniah and Anneka have to make compromises to make things work, and as they mature and heal from their traumas and disorders, they learn to work together better, and the codependency they previously experienced is transformed into a strong, healthy and abiding bond in Christ.

Philautia

Oh look, another one I hadn't expressly thought about before this post! Philautia is the love of self. This one is interesting because it ties into my opinion that both 'self love' and 'self hatred' are expressions of self obsession, which isn't really a very good thing, obviously. At the start of the story, Vaniah absolutely can't get past his feelings about himself, his guilt over what he was forced to do or chose to do, and the way he perceives himself at that point. However, as it progresses, he learns to forgive himself (there's one scene in which Anneka argues that God has forgiven him if he has repented, and he bitterly retorts that all he needs to do is forgive himself, for he has repented a thousand times), and finally to move on after years of feeling stuck in one place. This is only really possible after he hits the lowest point and attempts suicide, and finally makes the decision that he will never end his own life, no matter what. He eventually reaches a point at which he is less self-obsessed (tying it in to the development of agape love as well), and is able to look more outwards without obsessing over his own behaviour; he doesn't love himself, but he has learned to accept himself and to largely stop punishing himself for his own existence, which is what is tied into his significant habit of self-harm. (Which he does eventually manage to stop completely; I'm not sure that's entirely possible for some or even most people, at least given how established it is as a coping mechanism for him, but there might be a little bit of wishful thinking helping this one along, and that's okay.)

So those are the different forms of love as expressed in this story! I could probably talk a lot more about them if I sat down and thought about it for even longer, but I really shouldn't. I have an exam to study for. God be with you.

In a slightly edited form, this post will also be available on my website, lemorganauthor.wordpress.com, shortly. (Edit: the post is now available at this link which I hope works because I've never done a hyperlink on tumblr before.)

#hands made for gentleness #vaniah #anneka #love #writeblr #microdosing on marketing #my writing #analysis #please feel free to reblog and whatnot!

[lindira]

Questions for Your Tav - Envy

Part 4! They/them pronouns for this one because Envy's feeling more femme in the above pic. Questions taken from this list of Questions for Your Tav!

How does your Tav feel about love?

Envy wasn't sure they believed in "true" love for a long time. They became enamored of various beautiful men throughout their adult life, but kept up an emotional distance because of their abandonment issues. They would be affectionate, but avoided the kind of vulnerability that would offer real depth to the relationship.

That said, Envy is a hopeless romantic. They want very much to have the kind of passionate and unconditional love they hear about in stories. They want to find someone who they feel safe with and who will love them no matter what, faults and all. Before Astarion, they weren't sure they'd ever find someone with whom they'd want to be vulnerable enough to have that.

Has your Tav become particularly close to anyone romantically and/or platonically in their journey? If so, who, and what is the relationship like? If no, why not?

Romantically, Envy was immediately drawn to Astarion. They are both people who are deeply hurting and who hide that hurt behind a veneer of charm. I think it's easier for both of them to let their guards down around each other because they are kindred spirits in that respect. Envy is careful to make sure Astarion feels he has agency and can say no to them at any time. Astarion, for his part, often demonstrates his devotion to Envy - perhaps without realizing that's what he's doing. He risks torture from Cazador to be with Envy, and that level of devotion means SO MUCH to them. They make each other feel important, which is not something either of them had felt before.

Envy and Astarion also have a playful relationship that doesn't take offense to teasing, cursing, or good-natured insults. If Astarion complains about food Envy makes, for instance, Envy might respond with a "Oh, fuck you too" and a joke about slipping garlic into the meal. Astarion might also call Envy a "blithering idiot" when they're trying to pick a fight with a guy twice their size who was heckling them at a show. Or Astarion might say, y'know, "I'm going to fucking kill you" when Envy volunteers him for the clown show at the circus. XD

From the outside looking in, their relationship doesn't look the healthiest. But for people for whom open affection is sometimes too much, this is kind of their love language. They love each other deeply and have many moments of tenderness too, but those are mostly reserved for when they're alone and safe from the judgments of other people.

As for platonic relationships, Envy is friends with everybody in the party but is probably closest to Wyll and Karlach. Envy likes drinking and joking around with them, and likes that they're really down-to-earth people.

What are 2-3 songs that your Tav would relate to?

I've made an Astarion/Envy Inspiration playlist here!

But out of the songs I've chosen so far for that list, I think the most "Envy" ones are:

"Bravado" by Lorde - for the Bard-ness of wanting all the attention after being neglected for so long

"Blossoms" by The Amazing Devil - because Envy is very much the kind of person to try again at a worthwhile relationship after somehow getting it wrong the first time. Also this sounds like the sort of song they might sing, and I headcanon their singing voice sounds like Joey Batey.

"Beautiful Liar" by X Ambassadors - because Envy and Astarion are both such beautiful liars who want to believe their love will last (but maybe aren't convinced it will).

What first impression does your Tav give off to strangers?

Envy is very charming, and people tend to be drawn to them. They can give off an air of over-confidence bordering on arrogance. All the attention they draw isn't always a good thing because there are certain types of people who feel threatened by confidence and flirtatiousness. Envy's charm usually gets them smiles and favor, but they've also gotten into some fights with hecklers and bullies because of their antics.

How does your Tav feel about what others think of them?

Envy really wants to be liked by everyone, so they care a bit too much about others' opinions of them sometimes. They have a tendency to adapt their personality to whomever they talk to, agreeing to opinions they might otherwise disagree with or vice versa. However, if they feel strongly about something, they won't compromise those beliefs to appease someone else, no matter who it is.

Also, if someone hurts or threatens a loved one, or if someone is being in any way an asshole, Envy will tell them off or hurt them right back. They don't give a shit about the other's opinion of them at that point.

#envy o'vall #baldur's gate 3 #tav #character development #this game needs more dresses #envy wants more pretty things to wear #envy stole this one after figaro facemaker insulted their sense of style #like how very dare you #lindira plays baldur's gate

[hughjidiot]

Hi, What do you think Sasha and Marcy's problem was Pre-Amphibia? From Sashanne we know their problem was about control and respect, from Marcanne bad communication and understimate, from Sasharcy can it be a combination of everything? Or that they were very unconditional and did not set limits?

Sasha and Marcy's issue pre-Amphibia was, from what I can gather, that Marcy was Sasha's enabler. We saw a little of this in The Dinner when Anne and Sasha's ongoing issues resulted in a shouting match between them. While Marcy does try to meditate, she notably doesn't try to address what the root cause of the argument is: all she does is tell them to stop fighting and remind them they're supposed to be friends forever. Add to this Matt's comments in a post True Colors interview where he described Sasha and Marcy as "understanding each other" and how in True Colors herself Marcy put the entire plot into motion so she didn't lose her first friends, and we can infer that Marcy was also a mediator of sorts between Anne and Sasha on Earth.

We've already seen that pre-Amphibia Anne was a follower because she didn't know who she really was or what she wanted to be in life, and as such couldn't bring herself to stand up to Sasha even when doing things she was uncomfortable with liking skipping school. We saw in the Reunion flashback how easily Sasha was able to cow Anne into submission when Anne repeatedly said she just wanted to go home to her party. Combine this with what we've seen Marcy do in Amphibia and we can infer that if Anne did question Sasha too much, not only would Sasha bust out "End of discussion" but Marcy would step in and just encourage the girls to move on from whatever was bothering them without actually addressing it. Since we also saw how Anne was very protective of Marcy on Earth, the problem becomes clear: Sasha wouldn't accept any challenge to her rule, and Anne didn't want to rock the boat too much out of fear of upsetting Marcy.

It's interesting looking back on the trio's relationship pre-Amphibia: while the girls obviously cared about each other, they were blind to how they were each feeding into each other's worst traits. Marcy wanted to avoid conflict at all costs, which meant helping Sasha maintain control, which meant Anne could never voice her concerns which just fed into Sasha's domineering nature and Marcy's false sense of everything being fine when it clearly wasn't.

#hugh jidiot answers #amphibia #character study #anne boonchuy #sasha waybright #marcy wu

[thewatercolours]

Things I Like About KQ, Chapter 4

... I despise this chapter (the reboot one) as much as anyone. It's a hash from beginning to end. But it has some elements I appreciate nonetheless, so here goes. (Yes, I am about to take a very goofy game over-seriously just for fun! These are not things I feel strongly opinionated about - I just think fandom analysis is fun.)

Graham and Alexander having to struggle with letting go of the imaginary version of each other that they'd clung to over time, and learning to love the real person instead. This is actually a really good theme of itself. They messed it up by making it a generational divide thing more based on shallow cultural jokes and stereotypes, but imagine if they hadn't? It is so normal - and even good, for the situations they found themselves in - that Graham and Alexander imagined each other as the person they thought they most needed. Those images of each other kept them going through hard times - but times change, and coping mechanisms don't fit anymore.

Graham imagines his son as another member of the warm family he and Valanice have nurtured, who shares their sense of values and joy and ways their express love (including their family goofiness!) Of course he imagines this, because that's what he WANTS his child to have - a sense of belonging and security and connection with the rest of the family. That's what it represents. In spite of himself, he's also probably imagining a perfect twin of Rosella in all ways - of course he is! She is his only experience of having a child.

We don't get as much from Aexander about what he expected his dad to be like, but he does talk about how what he wanted was a father, not a king throwing commands right and left. Alexander didn't know his father was a king until shortly before he actually met him - or anything about him. But evidently the idea of family and fatherhood meant enough to him that he wanted to know his family warmly. What did little Gwydion imagine his real, unknown father would be like? Probably a perfect ideal of fatherhood, as different from Manannan as could be. Strong, protecting, affirming him in who he is, loving him unconditionally, respecting him while also standing up for him. Someone perfect. Graham is trying to be that person - but he's human, not the superhuman ideal of fatherhood that most likely would hover in the back of a little slave boy's mind.

And now - here they are. They see good in each other, but they are a major wrench from what each other expected. Alexander has come out of an abusive situation, and I kind of like that the game acknowledges that this usually doesn't have the effect of making someone the soft, sweet victim who feels nice to pity. More often it causes the abused person to struggle with trust, with putting up walls, with lashing out to prove to themselves that the love they're receiving can't be lasting or unconditional. It makes interacting with Alexander hard - and I like that. I don't care for the way TOG chose to SHOW that. They really messed that up. But I like the realism of healing not necessarily being all soft.

The rest of what I started to type out is repetitive. Suffice it to say I LIKE the arc of replacing the imaginary person with the real person and choosing to love them even though it's difficult, especially at first, and when you're both dealing with that process at the same time. The arc is bungled, and the solution is abrupt and a bit unexplained and undeserved. But the idea? It's good.

#There are more things I like but that's enough for now. I feel autumnal today. I want to go outside and write a letter and think and read. #king's quest #kings quest #chapter 4 #king graham #alexander

[lollytea]

Huntlow thought - Hunter and Willow going out of their way to make sure Gus never feels like a third wheel. I really love that all three of them are close, because Willow and Gus’ relationship is clearly very important to them and nothing sucks quite like having a romantic interest get in the way of a friendship. Willow especially, having gone through what she did with Amity and knowing how it feels to have your best friend push you away, would take special care to see that they still did one-on-one hangouts, and that Gus never feels like he’s intruding. (She doesn’t really have have time to worry when it’s the three of them, though, because when Hunter and Gus are in the same room she immediately becomes The Braincell.)

Just, like, the two of them being friends first and dating second.

YEAH YEAH MY GOD YEAH YOURE SO RIGHT

I cannot imagine the three of them ever having a problem like this, it just feels so out of character.

As you said, Willow has had her terrible experience with Amity, and she and Gus were each others' only friend for the longest time. Their bond is so special and completely unbreakable. It would be so unlike Willow to ever neglect that.

And likewise, Gus knows Willow loves him. He has complete faith and confidence in this. He knows how loving she is and he's been through so much with her. This is not the kind of relationship that easily sows insecurity.

Meanwhile, Hunter has never had friends before so now that he does, there is no way in hell he is ever going to take them for granted. I don't think he would ever consider either romance or friendship to be superior to one another. They're both just different forms of love to him and Hunter had been without love for so long, that he needs to cherish all that he currently has in his life.

It's so important how all of the trio have established dynamics with eachother that are all unique and special in their own way. Willow and Gus have this unconditional love and years of history and have been each others only support during their darkest times. Hunter and Willow have this sweet soft friendship that is built on respect and admiration. And Hunter and Gus seem to exist in their own boyish bubble. Hunter looks out for Gus and Gus makes Hunter laugh.

But the three of them TOGETHER is a dynamic in its own right and its just as special. I also love this idea of total comfort in their relationships with eachother that even if Hunter and Willow ARE off having alone time, Gus doesn't feel even remotely weird that they're off doing stuff without him. Like all of the trio are able to hang out as duos without the third person feeling left out because they all understand how deeply they care about each other.

Like sometimes Hunter and Willow WILL be hanging out alone at her place and after a few hours they'll be like "I miss Gus. We should ask Gus to come over."

And then he bursts in like "HELLO LOVEBIRDS YOUR FAVOURITE BOY IN THE WORLD IS HERE." And he's fucking RIGHT he IS their favourite boy in the world

#i dont even think it OCCURS to willow and hunter that he need to like. pay attention to gus #because hes such a constant in their lives that they dont even think about it. #theyre a trio and if theyre without gus for too they start feeling trio withdrawls #also its worth mentioning that luz and amity are also involved in this #usually theyre a squad of five #if luz and amity are having alone time the trio are left with each other #but in the same way willow and gus never felt like luz abandoned them when she started dating amity

[abundanceoflol]

Honestly the first thing i thought after looking at the (madeleine & red velvet) tag was

Are they gonna braid each other hair ?

They both have really long hair , and seem to enjoy taking care of it to some extent , ( that one comic where madeleine makes knight cookie hair all fancy ) and red velvet literally has a cake stylist costume

Also a fun fact about the hollyberry kingdom playthrought background is that you can see cookies taking cakehounds for a walk

So i can totally see madeleine somehow getting on the sweet tower of chaos , and petting all the goodboys and offering them treats , and red velvet just finds him there and goes ( finally someone who respects & adores cakes )

Also i think its totally genius for them to interact and bond cause that would lead madeleine to interact with cakehounds and since they are basically the dogs of earthbread , they would be full of unconditional love , and that is just what madeleine needs

Oh Madeleine is definitely going to find his way to the tower of sweet chaos! :] But yeah they're bros!!! - Q

[kerra-and-company]

how has being raised by kerra influenced aurene’s personality? her approach to conflict?

bonus round: what’s one good thing aurene learned from kerra (intentionally or not!) AND what’s one bad thing? 😈

Ooh, this is a Good question, thank you so much :D

Assorted thoughts, in no particular order:

- Kerra's love for Aurene is entirely unconditional on whether or not Aurene ever ascended or fulfilled Glint's legacy. Literally the second Aurene hatched, that was her daughter, and she defended and loved Aurene in exactly that way. Kerra also believes destiny is a mutable, changeable thing. Glint had very specific prophecies that she believed in. Aurene got both of those perspectives growing up and holds both of them on close-to-equal footing.

- Kerra's incredibly used to interpreting what goes unsaid based on how someone's feeling (thanks to her empathy ability), so lacking spoken language with hatchling!Aurene is not as much of an issue for her. It's not a perfect communication method by a long shot, but Kerra's pretty damn adept at it, and Aurene struggles a lot less with being misunderstood (or just NOT understood).

- Aurene got a front-row seat to the rough dynamic between Kerra and Caithe during LWS3--not that they argued a ton in front of her or yelled at each other or anything like that, but there was a lot of discomfort/sadness/anger, and Aurene was tied into Kerra's feelings like Kerra was tied into hers. Aurene did actually get to witness the first time they really sat down and talked through a little bit of stuff, though. Accidental lesson in conflict resolution!

- Kerra visited Aurene every chance she got during LWS3 via the portal stone (LWS3 is by far the period in which Kerra does the most zooming around to different places). Aurene just overall gets to see her often, which is good. (Also, I'm trying to find a place to mention that Kerra always considers how Aurene's feeling about things, because that one line in LWS4 is maybe the most out-of-character commander line for Kerra in the game.)

- Kerra shares with Aurene the unique experience of being "destined" to fight and kill your grandfather, who's also an Elder Dragon. They share the intense focus and pressure during the respective times they're dealing with that issue (HoT and LWS4), too. The difference there (outside of the fact that Aurene is expected to Ascend and does and Kerra was not and did not) is that Kerra does lean on her support system during HoT as best she can while Aurene starts off trying to do as much as she can mostly solo. Kerra tracks her down and convinces her to rest and take care of herself a bit better, which is an interesting flipped-on-its-head scenario since someone had to do that to Kerra post-PS.

- Aurene's patience is something she gets from both Glint and Kerra, but so is her willingness to jump in and get personally and viciously involved in conflict. Her first impression of Kerra upon hatching (though she did know Kerra a bit before then as well) was that instant, fierce love--and someone willing to stand between her and any incoming foes with bared teeth and without a moment of hesitation. She's both diplomatic and willing to abandon that instantly if she thinks it's the right thing to do (see: the devourer at the All-Legion Rally, for instance).

For the bonus round--a random good thing: Aurene learned a decent amount about diplomacy techniques, which means Jormag throws her off less than they might have otherwise. As for bad things...there are probably more than this, but the one that's foremost in my brain at the moment: Aurene's willingness to jump in front of bullets (so to speak) was something unintentionally reinforced by the fact that Kerra does it on a fairly regular basis.

This Aurene is still very much Aurene. She's just colored a tiny bit by Kerra.

#gw2 #kerralind #aurene #antariies #thanks a bunch for the ask! :D #i hope this makes sense i finally was able to write things for this but it was vaguely stream of consciousness alsj;dkf #i also hope it's interesting; kerra and aurene already are pretty similar but aurene does pick up a couple things #there's also something to be said about the fact that aurene is no longer afraid of death nowadays--her own death; at least #the idea of losing kerra still scares her #particularly because she knows exactly how it feels

[purgetrooperfox]

Hi hi leooo. Augh Remedy and Nocte. I know they’re both CMOs that are somehow co-existing akekrjcjejs. But I think Nocte has seniority and more experience. He really helped Rem with adjusting to the Guard transfer.

They can both be snarky/bitchy and get along well in that regard. Remedy really respects Nocte and tries his best to keep an eye out for him as much as Nocte does for Rem.

I also think Nocte wouldn’t shy away from calling Remedy out on his bullshit if he’s being a bastard. (That’s just me still rotating that Rem Nocte and Lyre recon thing where Nocte punched him for throwing out fox plushie waugh)

send headcanons of our OCs' relationships

hi hi terraaaaa 🧡

you didn't ask but I think the Guard is probably fucking huge since they have multiple commanders at any given point so their medical unit is probably also fucking huge SO there probably would be multiple CMO/equivalent ranked guys, or that's what I tell myself. one for each battalion? maybe with some vague hierarchy at the top based on who's been around longest or their ratemyCMO reviews? idk anyway

MMMM crying already bc yeah Nocte was deployed straight to the CG when the war started,,, to be there to try to help Rem get past his transfer from the 212th? after all that trauma? GOD he'd be so protective like yes he'll call Rem on his shit if need be but he'll also bite anyone's head off for being nasty to him

they're just. they're brothers your honor 😭 something about the unbreakable bonds formed under duress and after repeatedly proving to each other that they're safe and present and just want to help when you're at rock bottom. the unconditional care even though yes, they're incredibly bitchy sometimes djdjfj

thinking extremely much about their back and forth, give and take of like. Nocte needing all this support when he gets his face and insides all slashed up and struggling to fully trust anyone but Rem during the recovery phase. and vice versa for Rem when he gets hurt and OUGH

god christ fuck shit that au. I explode every time I think about it tbh,, everything got so broken,, I keep trying to get more of it written into a fic and it makes me so sad JDDBDJ

#they're so important to me #this snarky pseudo-combative relationship..... weh #asks answered