#...topic would even be conducive

[uncanny-tranny]

I think there's this idea of privilege that people have where if you are privileged, you become a bad person, and the more privilege you possess, the worse of a person you are, like privlege is a nuclear bomb warehouse that you can add stock into.

This is an incomplete outlook on privilege because it places blame on individuals with privilege rather than the systems which give certain people privilege, while at the same time ignoring others to their detriment.

A cis person isn't bad because they have the privilege of not being trans. The system in place which prioritize cis voices, opinions, bodies, and, ultimately, cis lives over trans ones is bad. These are important distinctions because something like trans liberation will not be a reality if we don't dismantle the system which places trans people as lesser.

#privilege #trans #transgender #lgbt #lgbtq #ftm #mtf #nonbinary #this applies to much more than just trans vs cis #and perhaps my outlook is coming from a privileged point of view. but i can't help but wonder if the way *some* people approach this... #...topic would even be conducive #this post isn't directed at a person or group by the way and i'm not wanting to start heated arguments #this is just Some Guy's opinion about the ways in which i have seen these discussions happen #i don't think anybody is a Bad Person simply for how they express being an individual who isn't thought about in society #it's HARD knowing your government and society doesn't care about you and i totally understand where these feelings come from. i just... #...i just think maybe there is a better way to approach this where everybody can be seen and listened to #just a quick post where i shoot a thought out at break-neck speed roght as i think of words

[teyamskxawng]

Rite of Passage

Lo'ak Sully x Fem!Omatikaya!Reader

The rundown: You and Lo'ak mutually agree to paint each other for your coming of age ceremony. Although you're both growing older, some things never change.

Warnings: language, Reader and Lo'ak being painfully oblivious, Reader swearing up and down that she hates Lo’ak’s hands but she really loves them, just lots of fluff and stupidity, characters are aged up

WC: 5.5k

A/N: This was my attempt at writing a light-hearted lil fic that I don’t feel obligated to stretch out into a series. It's basically word vomit idrk how I feel about it, but anyways!! Another one for the Lo’ak lovers (me) lol <333

The highly anticipated season had finally come around once again—the annual, collective moment in which the entire Omaticaya clan came together to celebrate the time-honored induction of their youth into the world of adulthood. Over the course of several grueling months, the young Na'vi had been put through their paces, overcoming demanding rites of passage and thus earning their coveted standing within the tribe.

The lively and uproarious ceremony was more than just a celebration. It signified a crucial stepping stone in the journey toward becoming accomplished members of the Na'vi society. And this year, Lo’ak found himself among those transitioning from childhood into adulthood, moving one step closer to joining the ranks of his higher-ups.

He’d finally be treated like an adult, he’d finally get to exercise free will outside of his parents' strict and demanding orders. He’d get to celebrate with all of his warrior friends and probably consume way more drinks than he should, but that was all part of the adventure. He’d be a free man, and he couldn’t fucking wait. 

But as thrilling as the entire experience was panning out to be, there was this nagging sensation at the back of his mind—something that clouded his thoughts like a veil of unease.

It was customary for each young Na’vi to be adorned with intricate body paint before attending the celebration—a powerful symbol that represented their transformation from childhood into adulthood. It was akin to casting off one’s previous life and stepping into a new, mature version of themselves.

Each unique design would act as a shroud, allowing the individual to leave behind their former innocence and emerge reborn, strong and prepared for all of life’s challenges.

While most of his peers had already secured mentors, close friends, or even lovers to skillfully adorn their bodies with intricately painted designs for the ceremony weeks before its commencement, Lo’ak had nothing. Despite all his accomplishments thus far, he’d yet to find someone to help him present himself in a manner conducive to the age-old tradition. Which was a big problem.

Lo’ak had been struggling with the idea of asking you to paint him for the upcoming ceremony for weeks on end. It was something that weighed heavily on his mind, but he just couldn’t figure out how to approach such a delicate yet meaningful conversation with you. Embarrassingly, he found himself losing sleep over it all, tossing and turning in his hammock, replaying scenarios in his head, trying to find the right words that didn't seem to exist.

You and Lo’ak shared practically every experience and milestone throughout your lives together. You went through the same rites of passage as Lo’ak to be welcomed into the tribe as warriors. Given your close bond, it was natural that Lo’ak would want to be the one to paint you for the ceremony as well. Unfortunately, just as with asking you, he stumbled when it came to bringing up the actual topic. It was going beyond the casual interaction of friends—this was a formal event, steeped in tradition and significance. The whole situation left him feeling overwhelmed with stress and anxiety. 

But still, Lo’ak understood the weight of the tradition: it was all about deep connections and honoring those who had played an essential role in your life. Last year, he recalled watching Kiri as she painted Neteyam for his coming-of-age ceremony. As per tradition, this year Neteyam painted Kiri, a symbol of their familial bond and reciprocal support. It made sense, but at the same time, there went two of his potential options. Tuk was way too young to know what she was doing, and it’d just be straight-up embarrassing to have to ask either of his parents to do it for him. That would defeat the purpose of the entire ceremony; he was supposed to be an adult now, no longer reliant on his parents.

There was no doubt in Lo’ak’s mind that you’d be the perfect partner for the adornment process. You weren’t just a passing acquaintance; you were one of Lo’ak’s closest friends. Your friendship was strong enough to withstand the toughest storms. But still, Lo'ak couldn't shake the feeling that asking to paint each other would somehow cross a line between friendship and something much more intimate. It’d be embarrassing. And what if you had chosen someone else already? What if it was some other guy? Lo’ak’s stomach dropped at the thought.

And now, as the day of the ceremony had arrived, Lo’ak found that he still hadn’t mustered up the courage to ask you about the painting ritual. His anxiety mounted as time slipped through his fingers like sand. He was so screwed.

As you approached the Sully family’s tent, the faint sound of metal slicing through the air caught your attention. A knot of unease tightened in your chest as you hesitantly pulled back the tent’s entrance, revealing Lo’ak sitting alone in the dimly lit space. He was cross-legged on the ground, wholly engrossed in spinning his dagger in circles on the floor, his quick fingers directing its every move. As used to his stupidly reckless behavior as you were from years of friendship, your eyes still narrowed at the sight. You swore he was two seconds away from slicing his finger off and bleeding out right there in front of you before the ceremony even began.

So much for his adulthood.

Lo’ak’s ears twitched, and his trance-like concentration suddenly broke as he sensed your presence, his focused expression softening as he turned his gaze to meet yours. Momentarily distracted from his dagger, he rose to greet you, meeting your eyes with a look of genuine confusion.

Lo’ak eyed you up and down before stating matter-of-factly, “You’re not painted for the ceremony yet?” He didn’t phrase it like a question—more like an observation. And that was a little unfair, because it wasn’t like he was dressed in his body paint either.

Feeling a tad defensive, you retorted, “Neither are you,” as you made your way deeper into the heart of the tent. As much as his words had sparked annoyance in you, a secret wave of relief washed over you as you realized that Lo’ak wasn’t ready for the ceremony either. That could mean good news: maybe he hadn’t found a partner for the painting ritual yet.

There was still hope.

For days, you’d been meaning to ask Lo’ak about the whole rite of passage painting thing, but every time an opportunity presented itself, you’d back out like a little bitch. You honestly didn’t even know why you hesitated. It shouldn’t have been difficult to approach him about it. Lo’ak had always been your closest friend—you’d trained together, learned to tame your ikran together, and even completed your Uniltaron one after the other. There was no doubt in your mind that he’d agree to be your partner for the significant culmination of everything you’d accomplished together. It was just that the entire ordeal of getting someone—a good friend or otherwise—to meticulously rub paint all over your body felt so… affectionate. You and Lo’ak weren’t affectionate. Just thinking about it made you feel like there was a cascade of woodsprites flurrying around in your stomach.

You shook your head, trying to get rid of those persistent thoughts, when Lo’ak’s voice invaded your musings.

“Yeah, I don’t know who’s gonna paint me. Haven’t had time to ask anyone yet,” he said nonchalantly while reaching down to retrieve and re-stow his dagger.

He was avoiding eye contact, his yellow eyes aimlessly darting around the tent. You found it hard not to roll your eyes at him because it was so obvious he was lying about being too busy. You’d literally just caught him goofing around with an entire weapon moments ago. However, it didn’t really come as a shock that Lo’ak hadn’t approached anyone about it yet. Social graces weren’t his strong suit, and mustering up the courage to ask anyone to play such a role in his rite of passage couldn’t have been easy for him.

But still. Either way, you made up your mind; it was clear that things needed to move forward somehow. Regardless of the situation and awkward challenges it presented, you couldn’t sit idly by anymore; both of you were running out of time, and it’d be stupid to continue dancing around the matter at hand.

Resolutely, you decided it was best just to be upfront about it and get the whole thing settled once and for all—for both of your sakes and for the sake of friendship. Maybe it wouldn’t be as awkward as it seemed.

“Okay. I’ll do you, and then you can do me,” you blurted out, the words tumbling from your lips without any real finesse. It was as if the sooner you could get those words out, the sooner you could escape the oncoming wave of embarrassment threatening to wash over you.

However, Lo’ak’s reaction caught you off guard.

His eyes widened in surprise and his eyebrows shot upward as he averted his gaze from yours. He couldn’t seem to look at you, his attention inexplicably drawn to an unremarkable spot on the ground near your feet. You scrunched your face up in confusion as you tried to make sense of his bizarre reaction. It wasn’t until you gave yourself a moment to process and then reprocess the words that had spilled from your lips, that you realized how they might have sounded to Lo’ak’s stupid teenage boy brain.

Trying to push away your own mortification and distract the both of you from the burning color that you were sure was spreading across your face, you acted on instinct, reaching over and smacking Lo’ak upside the back of his head. It was a necessary move to kill the dreadful silence that engulfed the tent.

“Ow! The fuck?” Lo’ak screeched, nursing the spot where you struck him as if he had genuinely been injured. He had always been overly dramatic.

“Just sit down,” you told him, trying your best to maintain a casual demeanor.

Despite the twinge of awkwardness still lingering in the air between both of you, you firmly gripped Lo’ak’s arm and pulled him back down into a sitting position on the floor. With Lo’ak seated and somewhat calmer now—even if he was still rubbing at the supposed wound on his head—you made your way deeper into the tent to rummage for the supplies needed for the body paint.

Jake and Neytiri were always well-prepared, making sure they had an ample supply of materials for when the time came to don their traditional war paint. Thanks to the countless hours you spent with the Sully children, navigating their tent was like second nature to you, and locating the necessary items was a breeze.

With a mortar and pestle full of bright white pigment in one hand and a bowl of water in the other, you re-approached Lo’ak, who was sitting patiently, waiting for your return. As you stood there, you studied Lo’ak’s face and allowed your gaze to wander down his frame, trying to visualize the patterns and symbols that’d complement his warrior spirit. Eventually, feeling inspired, you took your place in front of him.

Making yourself comfortable, you positioned yourself on your knees, making use of the extra bit of height, before you reached for the mortar and pestle and meticulously ground the white pigment into a fine powder. You drizzled in a small amount of water to create a smooth paste that would soon adorn Lo’ak’s face and body.

As you mixed the paste, your thoughts began to wander. Despite your focus on the task at hand, you couldn’t ignore Lo’ak’s piercing gaze. It seemed to bore right through you.

It still baffled you just how much Lo’ak had grown in such a short amount of time—it seemed almost sudden. For as long as you could remember, you and Lo’ak had been virtually the same height. There was even a brief period during your early childhood when you stood a bit taller than him, and you never let him forget it, teasing him about it every chance you got. But now? Things were so different.

It was like Lo’ak had shot up overnight. Not only was he growing taller by the day, but he was growing stronger as well. There was no denying the obvious changes in his physique. And it wasn’t like you were trying to notice the changes. It was impossible not to see the way his arms had filled out, the way his shoulders had broadened, the way in which even the slightest movement would cause the muscles in his stomach to ripple.

Just like they were at that very moment, as Lo’ak nervously shifted under your intense scrutiny, self-consciously crossing his arms over his chest.

Right, because you were definitely staring at him. You mentally chided yourself for letting your focus wander so far off course.

Swallowing hard, you turned your focus back to the task at hand. As you stirred the paint, pouring all your effort into getting the consistency just right, you tried to ignore the fact that the once-casual atmosphere between you and Lo’ak was now laced with an undeniable undercurrent of tension.

Out of nowhere, Lo’ak abruptly asked, “Is it gonna be cold?” His question caught your attention, and in a way, you were grateful for the sudden interruption. Your mind had been racing with thoughts of how you’d manage to paint any area below Lo’ak’s shoulders. But you decided to cross that bridge when you reached it.

“You tell me,” you quipped in response, placing the mortar filled with paint on the ground beside you. You dipped each of the fingers on your left hand into the paint, discovering that it was indeed really cold. You did the same with your right hand before lifting both sets of paint-covered fingers toward Lo’ak’s waiting face, wondering how the hell you were supposed to begin.

Truthfully, you hadn’t come up with any elaborate painting patterns or designs in preparation for the moment, which was somewhat concerning. The entire ceremony was meant to be personal and special, something that required contemplation and reflection for at least a few days before actually starting the painting process. Yet there you were, just 30 minutes away from the start of the ceremony, and not a single thought in your brain.

Despite your lack of planning, Lo’ak was calmly sitting right in front of you with his full trust placed squarely in your hands. So, without any further hesitation or delay, you decided to just dive in and let inspiration (and the trust of Eywa) guide your hands.

Taking a deep breath, you gently pressed your fingers to the edges of Lo’ak’s eyebrows before slowly trailing them across his forehead and then swooping them down along the bridge of his nose. You tried very hard not to laugh at the way Lo’ak flinched from the sensation of the cold paint touching his skin.

Momentarily, you took a step back to assess your progress and decided that it didn’t look half bad. The realization fueled your enthusiasm enough to continue painting. Coating your fingers in the paint once more, you continued to glide them confidently over the smooth contours of Lo’ak’s cheeks in swift strokes.

As you neared completion, you observed that all that remained unpainted on his face were his lips. They looked strangely bare. You weren’t really sure whether they were supposed to be painted or not. But the idea of touching Lo’ak’s lips, even just with your fingers, caused your heart to pound erratically within your chest. It was so bad that you were contemplating just backing out and moving on to the next part.

But just when you were about to give up and move on, unintentionally, your eyes met Lo’ak’s. It seemed as though he was reading your mind; he knew exactly what you were thinking as he studied you intently. There was no turning back; he had already noticed your hesitation.

Trying to maintain focus on the art and not let yourself become overwhelmed by how close you were seated across from Lo’ak proved challenging. You could practically feel the soft warmth of his exhaled breaths as they caressed your face. It made your spine tingle and caused goosebumps to rise across your arms.

“Close your mouth,” you ordered firmly, hoping to alleviate some of the tension in the air. He obeyed, immediately pressing his lips together with exaggerated swiftness. With a soft smile, you slowly raised both of your hands to his mouth. You gently placed two painted fingers on his mouth and traced them down his lips. From there, your fingers continued their journey along the curve of his jawline.

Taking another dip in the paint, you allowed your gaze to wander across the entirety of Lo’ak’s unpainted body. With your internal pep talk in place, you decided to just dive in. Maybe if you did it casually enough, everything would be fine. You softly nudged Lo’ak’s crossed arms apart with the backs of your hands. Your fingertips began their descent from the sides of his neck and moved deliberately across the broad expanse of his shoulders.

Silently reassuring yourself that it was nothing more than your overactive imagination when Lo’ak ever-so-slightly shivered under your touch, you diligently tried to make things move along as quickly as possible. Dipping your fingers into the paint once more, you adorned his shoulders with bold, white swirls that seemed to dance and move on their own.

Gradually moving further along his muscular form, you traced delicate lines that wrapped around each sculpted bulge of his biceps and along the contours of his forearms.

As your focus moved even lower, you took note of your favorite part of his body: Lo’ak’s uniquely impressive four-fingered hands. Upon reaching each digit one at a time, you spread long white lines down their length with seemingly natural precision. You let your instincts take over as you continued to create patterns and shapes on his skin, fully immersed in the fluidity of your motions.

You decided to save his chest for the very end, knowing just how awkward that part of the process was going to be—and truth be told, you really wanted to delay the moment for as long as possible. The silence within the tent was almost deafening, and you couldn’t help but send a silent prayer to Eywa, hoping with all your might that your hands would remain steady and not betray your mounting anxiety.

Dipping your fingers into the paint once more, you hesitantly approached Lo’ak’s chest. You were doing everything in your power to avoid making eye contact and ignore how tense his entire body was. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to steady your nerves, you quickly drew a series of intricate loops across each of his pectorals and then traced symmetrical lines down the center of his chest. Those lines continued, gracefully curving around the sides of his ribcage.

With every passing moment, it felt like the two of you were collectively holding your breath, neither wanting to break the fragile bubble of silence that had formed around you. 

Concerned for both your well-being and your sanity, you decided it’d be best to wrap up that part of the painting process as quickly as possible. It wasn’t until then that you finally allowed yourself to exhale. You exchanged an awkward glance with Lo’ak, silently affirming the palpable tension surrounding you.

“Okay. I’m done,” you announced, gently sliding the container of paint toward Lo’ak. You dipped your fingers into the nearby bowl of water, absentmindedly scrubbing away traces of the drying paint, which turned the water a cloudy shade of white. Your words acted like an instant wake-up call, abruptly jolting Lo’ak back to reality from his trance.

His focus had been so intense while you painted patterns across his chest that he inadvertently stopped breathing altogether. The sudden, sharp inhale that followed the sound of your voice served as evidence of that fact. That realization was enough to make you lose your own composure—just a tad.

You made a half-assed attempt at suppressing the grin that threatened to break past your lips, so you weren’t really surprised when Lo’ak extended his arm and slowly began to tug the bowl of paint toward him with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

The seemingly innocent yet still very suspicious act instantly put you on high alert. All you could do was watch in horror as Lo’ak suddenly immersed his entire hand into the paint. Your eyes widened in fear as he slowly lifted his paint-covered hand and began to edge closer to you, moving the dripping monstrosity in the direction of your face.

“Wait. Lo’ak, wait!” you warned, frantically shaking your head in an attempt to dissuade him from what you already knew would be an outrageously idiotic plan.

A glob of paint dripped from his saturated hand onto the floor between the two of you. You warily watched its continued pooling descent, leaving a bright splatter of paint on the ground that Neytiri would definitely kill you both for making.

“Just trust me, y/n,” Lo’ak insisted, the stupid grin on his face somehow both charming and alarming at the same time. It was more of the latter. You absolutely didn’t trust him.

“Lo’ak. Don’t you dare...” you began, your voice wavering and your ears flattening against your skull in weary anticipation.

But Lo’ak was undeterred by your protests. They only motivated him further. Barely giving you enough time to shut your eyes and mouth, he guided his entire paint-coated hand onto your face. The combination of the cold paint and the warmth from his hand sent shivers down your spine. Instinctively, you pressed your hands on the ground beside you, every fiber of your being screaming for you to get up and run. Far, far away from him.

However, Lo’ak wasn’t about to let that happen so easily. Somehow anticipating your attempt to recoil away from him, he brought up his other hand to secure the back of your head, making sure that you weren’t going anywhere. You sputtered loudly at the sensation of being literally smothered, and of course, nothing on Pandora could’ve stopped Lo’ak from laughing uproariously at your suffering.

“Stop moving! You’re gonna ruin it,” Lo’ak tried to sternly warn you while unsuccessfully stifling his laughter. He clearly found it all very amusing.

You couldn’t fucking breathe. You tried to communicate as much to Lo’ak, but you were sure your words sounded like nothing more than a strangled garble of sounds.

Eventually, Lo’ak seemed to take pity on you and lifted his paint-covered hand away from your face. You instantly gasped for air, finally unencumbered by his prolonged attempt at suffocating you to death. However, your relief was short-lived as you tasted the bitter, acrid flavor of paint on your tongue.

“You got it in my mouth, dumbass!” You complained with a groan, making sure not to swallow anything. Your disdainful tone only seemed to delight Lo’ak further.

“No one told you to eat it,” Lo’ak retorted with a dismissive snort. He was walking that thin line between playful banter and genuine ire. You could seriously kill him.

You narrowed your eyes at the little shit in front of you and desperately tried to rid yourself of the unpleasant taste by frantically licking at your arm. You probably looked completely unhinged, but you couldn't find it in yourself to care. Lo’ak made a face at your display, crinkling his nose in disgust.

Left with no other option, you did what any sane person who was minutes away from being welcomed into adulthood would do—stick your now paint-covered and saliva-slicked arm out toward Lo’ak’s incredulous face. His shock and horror at the development were priceless.

Lo’ak barely had time to react as you swiftly thrust your arm toward him, but his lightning-fast reflexes won out in the end. Always one step ahead, Lo’ak knew you and all of your little tricks too well. It was like he could read your mind. In the blink of an eye, he was already crossing half of the tent in a mad dash. He backed away from you with his hands raised defensively in front of him, like someone facing an untamed beast.

“Chill…we don’t have to do this,” Lo’ak cautiously pleaded with a slow shake of his head, his tone dripping in a mix of seriousness and amusement.

But you were undeterred. “Yes we do,” you deadpanned determinedly and slowly continued advancing on Lo’ak, coercing him to move toward the back of the tent. Your eyes never left his, maintaining a fierce stare as the situation continued to escalate.

Without warning, you lunged at him like a predator going for its prey, stretching your arm out in eager anticipation. It was so close—just inches away from Lo’ak’s face—but he was quick to react once more. He grabbed hold of your biceps with an iron grip, effectively stopping you in your tracks. You couldn’t help but hiss at him in frustration, feeling utterly defeated by the massive strength disparity between the two of you.

Lo’ak’s eyes locked onto yours for a split second before focusing on another target: your mouth. His expression changed from one of caution to sheer amusement as he caught sight of something peculiar—and apparently hilarious—about the sight.

His grin stretched ear to ear, nearly swallowing his entire face, as he blurted out, “Oh shit. Your entire tongue is white!”

His words hit you like a ton of bricks, and your eyes immediately widened with alarm. Because it definitely couldn’t be safe to consume paint. There could’ve been poison coursing through your veins at that very moment, making every passing second one closer to your tragic demise, all thanks to Lo’ak and his stupid hand. 

But despite your mounting panic, Lo'ak remained utterly unfazed. He obviously found the situation amusing, as evidenced by the way he wasn’t even trying to suppress his unbridled laughter.

“One night,” you vowed through gritted teeth, “I swear I’m going to sneak into your tent and cut every single braid off of your head in your sleep.” The more you thought about it, the more serious the idea became in your mind.

Lo’ak merely tilted his head, and an annoyingly attractive grin stretched across his face. “Oh, yeah?” He taunted, vehemently nodding his head along with what he knew was just another one of your faux threats. “And then what are you gonna do?”

As he spoke, Lo’ak tightened his grip on your arms—a bittersweet reminder that he was well aware you weren’t going to do shit to him in his sleep.

You eyed the unpainted underside of Lo’ak’s forearm, which rested directly in front of your face, and a childishly impulsive urge overwhelmed you. Without giving it much thought, you leaned in and licked a long, wet, white stripe along the length of his arm. The unexpected action elicited a shrieked “Bro!” from Lo’ak, who could only blink at the sight of your tongue, still pressed to his now-slobbery arm, in disbelief. You reveled in his reaction to your sudden move, despite how immature it might’ve been. He deserved it, and you had no regrets.

However, as fate would have it, the impromptu moment coincided precisely with the return of the entire Sully family to their home as they prepared for the upcoming ceremony. Jake and Neytiri led the way in, followed closely by Neteyam, Kiri, and Tuk. All of them. The five family members entered the tent one by one, each grinding to a halt as they caught sight of you and Lo’ak’s odd exchange in the far corner.

A few beats passed as everyone’s eyes darted back and forth between you two. The silence was palpable, and the tension continued to rise like an invisible fog that filled every corner of the tent. It finally dawned on you that it'd probably be a good idea to remove your tongue from Lo’ak’s arm.

Taking matters into your own hands—or, more accurately, your tongue—you gingerly began to distance yourself from Lo’ak. You took a cautious step sideways, followed by another one, making sure there was a healthy amount of space between you both. You hoped that would somewhat defuse the situation while also giving off the impression that nothing out of the ordinary had transpired—though it was clear you weren’t fooling anyone present.

The awkwardness still hung heavily in the air as each second felt like an eternity passing by. You could only imagine what thoughts and judgments must be running through everyone’s minds.

The silence in the tent was so profound that you could probably make out the gentle sound of a leaf falling from a tree outside if you really tried. The quiet was unsettling. It made your fingers itch. You found yourself tucking your hair behind your ears, trying to find some purpose for your idle hands instead of having them dangle awkwardly at your sides.

Opposite you, Kiri tried to conceal her knowing grin behind one of her hands. As to what she knew that you didn’t, you were utterly clueless. Regardless, you couldn’t help but feel unnerved by her expression. Similarly, Neteyam chewing on the inside of his cheek in an uncharacteristic effort to maintain his composure did little to alleviate your discomfort.

It wasn’t long before Tuk broke the silence with a question, curiosity twinkling in her eyes. “Is that a handprint on your face?” she innocently asked, pointing a tiny finger at what was definitely a handprint on your face.

Five sets of curious yellow eyes darted back and forth between your face, Lo’ak’s conspicuously stained white hand, and the matching white handprint wrapped entirely around your arm. Feeling their collective gaze upon you, you decided that you weren’t even going to try to talk your way out of the situation. “Yeah. It is.”

Without missing a beat, Neytiri swiftly turned her attention towards her youngest son as she hissed out his name: “Lo’ak.”

And thank Eywa for that. At least somebody had your back.

Lo’ak’s voice tended to reach an almost comical high-pitched tone whenever he was aware that he had done something wrong, and this occasion proved to be no exception. He glanced over at you with equal parts guilt and defensiveness in his wide eyes.

“It looks cool, though!” He insisted, trying to justify his actions. He waved his hand close to your face, as if the gesture held the power to magnify his point and erase any doubt you might have had. You squinted at the offending white hand hovering in front of your face before hastily swatting it away as if it were an annoying little bug.

Lo’ak grinned in delight at your visibly pissed-off demeanor, which only seemed to fuel his determination to get under your skin. He appeared to forget all about the looming presence of his entire family as he defiantly stuck his hand back in front of your face. And you were not about to let that happen again. You were probably going to have nightmares about his hand. Pivoting toward Lo’ak, you shoved him away from you, probably a little harder than necessary, judging by the way he stumbled a few steps to the side from the force of it all. But he was laughing as he re-straightened, not at all deterred by your outward hostility.

It was mostly feigned, anyway.

Neytiri watched the exchange between you two with amused exasperation, her eyes twinkling despite her best efforts to remain stern. She let out a soft ‘tsk’ as she shook her head, unable to fully suppress the tiny smile that crept onto her face. She reached down to gently grasp Tuk’s hand before leading the child further into the tent.

“Jesus,” Jake muttered as he pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly struggling to maintain what little patience he had left. Jake would always throw that foreign word around whenever you and Lo’ak were together, but you still had no idea what it actually meant. “Just—finish up, alright?” He threw an exasperated look toward you and Lo’ak. “No more shenanigans. We’re leaving in ten.”

“Yes sir,” Lo’ak mumbled, his expression a mixture of mischief and feigned seriousness. He waited until Jake and the rest of his family were out of earshot before turning back to you.

“It looks cool,” he said again, his face breaking into a genuine, broad smile as he stepped back to take in the masterpiece he had just created. He couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the intricate design of his handprint that adorned your face. Giving himself a little nod of satisfaction, he crouched down to pick up the paint once more, eager to continue where he had left off.

You couldn’t see your own face, of course. But secretly, you had to agree that it probably did look kind of cool. You’d never openly admit that to him, though. There was no need to inflate his ego any further. Still, deep down, you knew you'd be proudly sporting your best friend's four-fingered handprint at the coming-of-age ceremony that evening. To you, it symbolized the unbreakable bond you both shared.

From his seated position on the floor, Lo’ak’s eyes rose to your face, a single brow raising in amused confusion at your idle form. Dismissing his reaction with a shake of your head, you couldn't prevent the warm smile from stretching across your lips as you settled back down in front of Lo'ak.

end

#teyamskxawng #teyamskxawng’s fics #lo'ak x reader #lo’ak x reader #lo’ak fluff #lo'ak fluff #avatar the way of water #avatar #avatar 2022 #atwow #lo'ak x y/n #lo’ak x y/n #lo'ak sully #lo’ak #lo'ak fanfiction #avatar fanfiction #james cameron avatar

[catadromously]

please tell me more about the alterhuman thing in your recent post (whether your experience or things in general) if you are comfortable! i would love to know more. i know very little about it other than some brief descriptions from impersonal online sources, but the way your blog mentions tiny things here and there like blurring human/animal divisions, or conscious/nonliving or even tangible/conceptual things makes me feel seen, so i imagine the alterhuman topic would not be so foreign a concept to me or other tumblr users in this sort of niche :)

no indeed! alterhumanity is a term encompassing nonhuman identities of all sorts; most well-known are probably the -kin people with specific creature identities, but the umbrella is wide. my experience is not otherkin and I have no specific nonhuman being to point to. I'm simply nonhuman in general. I just am. I'm an Entity, Creature, Visitor, Other, and have been my whole life.

alterhumanity can also involve partial (or, uh, altered) human identity, and thus, like a fair few other alterhumans out there, I see myself as partially - or at least functionally - human as well! I understand myself alongside "disguised as human" or "chosen human" or "caught between worlds" narratives; as long as I can remember I've felt this ... almost painful seen-ness and protectiveness over those sorts of characters when I encounter them in fiction. I think the best label description of my alterhumanity is generally nonhuman and Chimera or Chosen Human archetrope. archetropy my beloved...

now I do know exactly why I'm like this, and yes, it is the autism. big shocker. I'm sure I'll see some fellow autistics nodding along when I say that for many and multifarious reasons my experience of the world, through most of life, was not conducive to the formation of a human self-identity. simple as that. that's psychological alterhumanity for you, babey! sometimes it's felt practical, sometimes deeply painful and othering, but now, after a whole damn lot of Stuff and Happenings, I find it freeing. I've made the choice to embrace and embody my alterhumanity and my position as a Visitor and Chimera to the human sphere. I like it here. I'm here to stay, in my Other self, in my beloved improbable human life. I am cringe, yes, and I am free.

sometimes I run across people complaining about alterhumans (and especially -kin) as some kind of deeply embroiled online-exclusive microphenomenon, and I have to laugh a little. you know, all of these people probably already know someone like me, just out here chugging along in our normal-ass lives, being creatures. we're elders and children, we have families and friends and careers, we can be super obvious about our identities, or nonchalant, or secretive. we're everywhere!

if you've got an alterhuman in your life, say hi to them for me today, ok? tell them an internet stranger wants them to know they're never alone in this.

<3

#call and response

[optiwashere]

Is there any part of baldur's gate 3 that you dislike? I know you enjoy the game, but most fans of the old games I see are very critical and you're one of the few that I've seen that seems to love it.

First of all, this is a very fun question, anon! Thanks 💜

Secondly, you're experiencing illusory correlation when you connect "previous BG fans" to "those that dislike BG3." It's further compounded by the fact that most people only get really loud when they're disappointed/upset, and the people that are happy tend not to post as virulently or constantly about said topic. Millions of people have played BG1/2 and then a good chunk of those folks went on to play BG3, so think about all the people you aren't seeing when you see a post like that.

Anyways, there are things I'm either bleh on, annoyed with, or dislike about BG3. I'm too old to expect perfection.

Some of the things I don't like:

Callbacks to BG1/2 like Sarevok and Viconia, though that is more WotC's fault than Larian's, and this goes double for Abdel Adrian being referenced at all in the game. Those books should have been memory holed.

The uneven nature of all the companions' stories. Some have tons of dialogue, reactivity, and the ability to let the player choose to give the companion the choice of how they handle things, with the player's own choices affecting the companion's decision. Others are in a semi-broken state (Minthara) or feel lacking despite being great characters (Wyll) that deserve those choices.

5E D&D is a bad system down to its bones. Its flaws are openly on display in the game; the only reason that the tactical gameplay feels any good is because Larian is very skilled at crafting memorable, enjoyable encounters and they hacked in a dozen different homebrews and house rules to make the damn thing feel any good. BTW, 2E AD&D was a mess for wildly different reasons and the old real-time w/ pause system is conducive to spamming filler encounters, so it's not as easy as saying "old game better" for me.

The lack of companion banter in Act 3 when compared to the previous acts. Hell, even Act 2 has a fair bit less than Act 1.

The way that some companions feel kinda hollow when you're not actively engaged in their romance. More platonic connection! One of my favorite scenes in the game is the platonic stargazing with Gale. Let me dance with Wyll without it being romantic, let me go on a friendly night on the town with Karlach, let me experience some of these scenes through the lens of friendship. I know that this is probably one of the more time-consuming tasks for the team at large, but it's one that I would love to see some day.

The character creator is lacking in body types, facial structure for various ethnicities, and a truly broad scope of what trans/non-binary bodies can look like. However, I'm incredibly grateful for what we did get and I will take one small step if that means it becomes more and more common in RPGs. I'll fight for more, but I will be happy with what we have in this game.

Is BG3 the bestest, most greatest CRPG of all time? No. Do I love BG3? Yes. Is it my favorite BG game? Ask me that question in ten years.

#hey you can ask me things! #believe it or not I don't think it's the Perfect Game #and tbh most of that platonic stuff is ripe for fanfiction #so even if it doesn't happen we can just... y'know... write it

[anoteofcalcium]

Someone get this poor frog boy transferred to Naranja / Uva and away from the overly competitive nature of Blueberry Academy please-

>HC "'"Elaboration'"" and minor spoilers (for Kieran's Indigo Disk Team, mostly, but some plot points) below;

*And for Christ's sake give him his furret back GameFreak!!

*Unrelated, but does anyone else find Kieran's team going from Poliwrath -> Politoed to be adorable? Like, First big team has Poliwrath - a not quite full frog - and Second definitive team has full froggy Politoad?? Love that Kieran is not only designed frog-like, but gets emphasized with them, A+ character design choices, very *chef's kiss* 🤌🤌

*Anyway so...

• "<player> has everything I've ever wanted!...She’s/He’s got strong Pokémon! She/He can go anywhere she/he wants, and she/he can be friends with anyone!...I loved Ogerpon since forever ago! But even Ogerpon chose her/him over me!...Even YOU, Sis! You were being all nasty toward her/him at first, but then boom! You were like best friends in no time

...The kid obviously has insecurity issues strengthened by an abrasive relationship with his sister, minimal positive outlets to let himself flourish in a healthier way, and an inferiority complex he falsely believes strength will compensate for,, like, a school (Blueberry) whose main (whole? tbh) shtick is to make their trainers good at battling and centers the majority of its social AND curricular (that the player as an exchange student can observe, anyway) interactions around competitive Pokémon battles is NOT helping to do anything but strengthen any unhealthy thoughts and feelings about such concepts he has

•Note: when confronted with the reality that he's not as strong as he *perceives* he should be / earned the right to be (i.e. player beats him despite him being the "top" trainer at Blueberry), the cognitive dissonance it creates sends him into a panic attack....and the Blueberry kids just. scoff?? Immediately throw out their favor?? Very healthy mindsets and social hierarchy at Blueberry Academy, perfectly conducive to friendly and healthy competition, clearly (/sarcasm)

•Compare it to the variety of tracks of Naranja / Uva (2 of which - STEM and Humanities - have nothing to do with battling) and the Treasure Hunt, which encourages *independent* study into a variety of topics: i.e., allowing one to explore and experience a variety of things of personal interest in order to learn about one's self at one's own pace, bound by nothing but their own personalized limits...can you imagine how much that atmosphere would improve and expand Kieran's mental framework and ideas?? He can get everything he his desire "to be like [player] so, so badly" emphasized in his quote above - Strong Pokemon, going anywhere [he] wants, being friends with anyone (Carmine included)...and probably whatever attracted Ogerpon, for that matter - by being like the player and going to the Academy that the game emphasizes as being what gave the player opportunity and experience to have BECOME what Kieran admires / envies.

•Also, him transfering would give him some freedom / independence from Carmine - and nothing against her (...much), but I genuinely think Kieran would benefit a lot in an environment where he didn't have (to be forced) to rely on and compare himself to his sister's ideals and prowess...which Kieran very much mimics and absorbs when "stronger"...not a coincidence - they're seem pretty co-dependent in the Teal Mask at times, if not have a very neglect / enable type feedback aspect to their relationship. BUT that's a story for another post never

*Sprigatito would be Kieran's starter choice (or more like it would choose him, tbh) - and not just because it makes sense in my cannon (i.e. Florian w/ Quaxly, Juliana w/ Fuecoco) lol; sprigatitio is legitimately perfect for him:

•It desires attention and companionship, to the point it's first description was how it's, "capricious and attention-seeking, and it tends to sulk if ignored by people" and the trait continues all the way throughout it's evolution (/i.e. growth "phases"), with Meowscarada being described as, "sensitive and prone to jealousy. It can often be very attached to its Trainer, and it will become upset if its Trainer gives attention to other Pokémon". Sounds like Kieran towards both the player and Ogerpon, lol (Kieran: . Somewhat unrelated, but Florgato's being the edgy teenager (as Carmine referred to Kieran's "mood swings") phase of Sprigatito's line involved it's *mood* effecting its "edge" / "hardness" ...of it's fur, but still - Kierans a "moody teen", right? Anyway, imagine Kieran with a Pokémon that would be as obsessed with him as he was with Ogerpon, lol (/jk)

•It's a grass type, which tend to suit Kieran, and he seems to have an affinity for (Ogerpon, Dipplin line, Shiftry, etc.). It developing a dark type as it evolves reflects Kieran's arc - it's final evolution is also both MASKED (reflecting Ogerpan hyperfixation and Kieran's family's history), and Jester / Mardi Gras themed, which goes along with the festival theme Kieran exhibited during the Teal Mask DLC ( like with his Dipplin). Both Kieran and Meowscarada have those cute droopy eyes too, which is a fun design element to connect the too, if nothing else, lol

•Getting further out with the idea, though: It's lines shiny is, fubckin' oURPLE!! Purple cat for the ourple boy, thank you,, (and how shiny!Meowscarada has a purple cuff and an invisible "leash" [its flower bud] around its neck is vaguely similar to the purple chain of the Loyal three...okay I'm really reaching now but still. teehee... ). Hey, anyone notice how purple is a complementary color for yellow, which happens to be Kieran's eye and main acccesory (headband / bag) color and -- I'm going anywhere with this, I just think its neat 👍

•Honestly just replace his current cat (Incineroar) with Meowscarada - Incineroar suits Carmine a lot better imo...which is why it's my theory it's on his final team, but that's. Also a different post I'll probably never make :^)

•Like, I get why they wouldn't have given Kieran a Paldaen starter for his team (for a variety of reasons, honestly), but,, Think about it •Sprigatito using its kneading on Kieran's (fluffy, sowwy ponytail!Kieran fans) hair for impromptu aromatherapy would probably be good for this kids anxiety tbh

*IMAGINE Kieran picking up mask-making in Hassel's art class - IMAGINE the positive energy and outlet art (not battling) and a professor like Hassel would provide this kid!!

TL;DR: DLC where Kieran transfers to Naranja / Uva Academy when GameFreak.

Thanks for coming to my TED Talk. The more you know 🌈

#Pokemon #Pokemon Kieran #Trainer Kieran #Kieran #what is his tag rrr #Sprigatito #Furret #Politoed #Elite Four Hassel #Hassel my beloved (grandpa) and yet I scribbled you rip #Pokémon #Art (Mine) #trying to get back to finger doodles in Samsung Notes #but I can only manage during work apparently teehee #tryin to find a balance between Poké design and my art style for Kieran was a pain and I'm still not satisfied but w/e its a doodle wah #Indigo Disk Spoilers #All #links lead...to Bulbapedia #Long Post #I ramble ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[sindirimba]

a bit ago @nevermindirah and i had a very serious scholarly discussion about who among kiki and matthias' film roles should kiss. it's kind of difficult because both of them have played a lot of people who truly Went Through It in a way not conducive to frivolous nonsense, but we gave it our best try. i made a chart:

now it's true that kiki has not yet played storm and matthias escaped playing batman, but if you believe you can do anything, imagination is the key etc.

we don't know dandelion (dandelion) yet but the music connection makes kissing paul (a bigger splash) obvious. he seems loyal(ish, author is dead etc) and he cries, what more could she ask for

nile & booker is obvious and inarguable. i can't remember why there's a (2) there. comics booker? dirah help.

we went with margaret (don't worry darling) and peter (brothers by blood) because he's large and there'd be some interesting class stuff to explore. probably.

ellie (chip n dale) and gene (our souls at night) are some of the more normal of this group (even accepting the chipmunks), we envisioned them watching tv together and presumably making out on the couch. jane fonda probably approves.

meeka (coming 2 america) and vincent (disorder) is obvious. lots of sexually tense brawling and pinning down and such. the physicality is compelling. highly erotic.

bessie (native son) and gabriel (far from the madding crowd) is wholly a 'who can we give to bessie to give her a nice pleasant time. gabriel as the soft sheep boy seemed like the clear option. now there is some culture/chronology clash but they can work it out i think. note the sheep which is a highly important aspect. also less sensical but we decided to have bessie and roman (the mustang) be besties because i'm not sure i remember why. but i think it's cute. bessie needs hugs and in this fanciful little universe roman is capable of giving slightly horse-scented hugs.

tish (if beale street could talk) and olivia (veracity) are out of the equation here due to being happily partnered and into women respectively but they are on this chart anyway because. just because. gigi (le fidèle) is here for similar reasons, being an Xtreme Wife Guy.

matthias has a more extensive filmography than kiki sadly so we kind of went a little off the deep end at this point. django (django) and andré (a little chaos) are NOT from the same time period but are nevertheless paired because they fit into generically historical wig time, and they'd both benefit from some sweaty weird clone sex. probably. don't question it. it's true that andre is also happily partnered but something something libertine free love french hedonism something something. idk.

roman and ali (rust and bone) form a fight club due to being remarkable examples of meat and who (would) benefit from throwing their bodies at other men. it doesn't need to be sexual but can be if desired. jacky (bullhead) needs an incredible amount of care so why not let him hang out with a literal saint, st peter (the way of the wind). neither dirah or i know much about this topic but we went on the assumption that a literal heavenly being might be able to help the tragically in need of help jacky. the second peter is there for humorous name reasons but also he's had a lot of family related trauma so he and jacky could maybe bond somehow. not really romantic but if they want to i'm not going to judge.

#tog #kind of #we shan't speak of bathsheba at this time

[destinyc1020]

What saddens me the most on this topic, is why are we putting everything constantly on Tom's shoulders?? So what he didn't repost. That young man is being pulled constantly in a thousand directions. His dog just died, he's trying to support Zendaya's movie, he's working, he's expected to help his family and friends with there dreams, he's not been allowed to grieve properly. He's even helping his moms charity by using his name solely to get donations. This is nuts.

Why are we expecting celebrities to say something regardless on there platform?. I just told someone earlier this is a test against not only him, but his relationship, a little bit. He and Zendaya may be deeply in love, but people will turn this around and come after her for being with him if this continues. People don't believe me, but it is true. Because it can affect her career and zendaya overthinks, and possible choices may need to be made. I can tell you right now, that young man would rather break off the relationship than to see her career suffer damage because he knows how hard she has worked for this that he would let it go. I see absolutely nothing wrong with being apolitical. I don't want celebrities speaking for me. I couldn't care less about what they have to say if we are dealing with real world issues. People have been hating on him since he was in school. Enough is enough. And Francesca is not a kid, speak the hell up and tell people that she is being supported as well. If she is. I mean what is he personally supposed to do. Get her a mental health counselor. People aren't going to listen to him. They hate him for being with Zendaya and just being alive, basically.

If I were him, leave the damn play, put a black Romeo in there and let them do it without him. Support everyone from the audience. Give the money back, and just finish off Spiderman with a huge contract. Yes, people want to see him but, no. Get the attention completely off him and put in Daniel Kaaluya and keep.it moving. People have been consistently cruel to this young man for zero good reasons for YEARS NOW since 2016 and before. NOT MONTHS, YEARS. Who cares if he supports zendaya by likes. He liked Francescas stuff as well.

People are going to cause him to remove himself sooner than later from public life. Anything that is positive in the world doesn't have a chance. Look how they jumped on Zendaya over a damn seat at a fashion show regarding Law and were just cruel as ever. She gets it in doses, he gets in every time. From his looks, height, hair, etc.

Fuck racist. But, people should be calling on Elon Musk more so than anything to make this shit stop.

I think I'm going the same way as the other anon. It's not fun anymore. Tooo much negativity towards one person. ALL THE TIME IS INSANE. No racists can remove me,but I will support Tom and Zendaya by going to the movies and watching my TV.

I realized recently...I can imagine Tom and Zendaya hate that their relationship is public. The constant beat downs take there toll. People will lift her on a pedestal and slam him daily or vice versa depending on the topic. They don't care about him. Only if he's a good boyfriend or not.

I always wonder where are his publicist, and why don't they get ahead of shit before it gets to this??? What is he paying for? They sure don't do much to keep him in a positive light I know that much, EVER.

Thanks for letting me rant.

Okay Girl.... I need you to take some deeeeep breaths in and out for me....

Maybe you're just ranting and letting off some steam, but nothing you mentioned is going to happen. This isn't going to affect Tom and Zendaya's relationship, they're not going to quit the play, and I don't think TZ regret anything about their relationship....not even being public. (If you ask me, hiding profusely was stifling and not conducive for a long-term relationship of two massive celebrities in the public eye imo)

I personally don't need for celebrities to speak out on political issues on social media either (especially if they haven't done their research and don't know what they're talking about), but to try and pretend that people aren't going to have ANY reactions/thoughts/feelings about what's going on in the world when they live in the same country, or earth that we live on is just naive imo.

Also, not ALL celebrities were born rich. In fact, MANY were just regular degular working-class citizens like you and me. So to say that some are "out of touch".... Like, how do you know that? How do you know what types of lives some people have had before they became famous? Just saying.... Some have had worse lives than I have even had before they got famous lol. Just saying lol.

Anyway.... I think it's good for you all to take a long break from Twitter (or maybe even all of social media) for a while. Either that, or just limit what you choose to look at. If you see that there's something negative on there, immediately click OUT of tweet, quickly scroll away, or go search something else.

[kerrikins]

It's hard for me to tell at the moment whether I can't see anything in the Build tag because of the massive amounts of spam or if it's just that people aren't saying anything, but I guess that is neither here nor there, other than that if nobody is saying anything after the last week it leaves me a bit ??

I last posted about this whole topic back in July - if I remember it was right at the start of the July 17th leaks, though at this point I'll admit that it's all become a bit of a blur. We've had what, now, five leaks since May? Yeah.

I've thought a lot about whether or not to post again since then. I had a friend visiting from out of the country at the time, and between that and the insanity that is my workplace at the moment, I quite frankly did not have the time or the brain space to actually work through my thoughts and put them down on paper, so to speak. When I did have some more time things had quieted down again, and I thought - well, no use dredging it up again, since I'd already laid out a lot of my thoughts here and then on twitter, too. There was also the unspoken fact that I didn't know whether or not there would be another leak, of course.

So here we are a month later coming off of another round, and after the last week I feel the need to finally get some things off my chest.

First of all, I've done some poking around and I'm disappointed but unsurprised to see that as usual, there is very little discussion outside of pro-Build spaces about how disturbing and obsessive all this is. The campaign of hate, bullying, harassment, coercion and blackmail continues and by and large people are happy to participate in it because apparently those things become okay when they are dealing with someone they view as a bad person as long as they pay lip service to 'well they're both bad people', which does not even come close to being an actual criticism of what she's doing. As always, there's also little discussion of the clear fact that she obviously doesn't care who she hurts during this process, even if it's the faves of the same fans participating in the hate campaign.

None of this aligns with my moral code. It never will. I think it's disgusting and I think that the people participating in it should be ashamed of themselves, though I know that they never will be.

I've gone into detail on all of this before, however, so I don't see the point in going into it again. I will simply state that yes, I do still believe in second chances and opportunities for redemption for anyone, regardless of what they have done. So I will always say that people should give Build the chance to try and be a better person, and that they shouldn't try to dictate to others whether or not they support him.

However (you knew that was coming, right?) - what's in those messages doesn't align with my moral code either. And yeah, I do feel like I need to say it, partly because I feel like the bubble/byl fandom at large is being a bit too dismissive of it.

I get it. I laid out up above why I think what is being done to Build is wrong. I haven't changed my mind on that. People feel so strongly that what is being done to him is wrong that it makes them extremely defensive of him.

But this situation isn't black and white and never has been, and multiple things can be true.

Example A: Some people who hate Build are guilty of behaving extremely badly and contributing to the harassment and bullying and blackmail.

On the flip side: some people who support him are guilty of hating on the other cast members in spite of the fact that there's no evidence of them doing anything. Some are also guilty of willfully turning a blind eye to the fact that he has admitted the messages are his and has apologized for them - which means that as of today the current evidence we have says that they are his, they're not fake, and he is taking responsibility for them.

Example B: His ex is clearly mentally unwell, a narcissist who is obsessed with revenge and is conducting a hate campaign to turpedo his life and career while benefiting her own.

On the flip side: it seems clear that Build is guilty of awful behaviour, of saying horrible things about people who were seemingly nothing but kind to him, of being homophobic, racist and sexist. (I'm not going to touch on the abuse allegations here because I've discussed those previously.)

Again: yes, I do think he should be given the chance to start over and redeem himself and I like to think he's capable of it, but fans really should be acknowledging what he's redeeming himself FROM.

From what I've witnessed in a lot of spaces - that's not happening. I've seen a lot of denial, I've seen a lot of handwaving and glossing over the situation. I've seen some insane claims, too. Some fans are going so far as to say that they think that his show was never going to happen, that the messages are all doctored and this is all a plot between the company, his ex and his former co-stars. (Which is just - ??? I don't even know where to start.)

Some are simply refusing to read the messages (how can a person defend him if they don't know what they're defending? I don't quite understand) while others simultaneously claim that the translations out there are misleading - but refuse to share 'acceptable' translations because that's privacy invasion. Again - ???

It's insane and downright exhausting and I am just... done. I speak up for what I think is right and call out what I think is wrong, and I while I think the handling of this is horrendous and has been from the start, I also think it's wrong to minimize and downplay what he's done. In his apology he's holding himself accountable for what he did, why won't some of his fandom? How can people argue for him to get a second chance if they won't even admit what he did that he needs a second chance for? Technically this is a third chance, I might add, because some of those messages are from after his scandal last summer.

I want to reiterate here that I don't hate Build. It seems like so often any criticism of his behaviour at all means that suddenly you're an anti or that you hate him or you're against him. I'm not going to suddenly go on diatribes about how he's a horrible person. I think it's likely that there's a lot more going on here than what meets the eye, particularly since there are people who are still well liked by most of the fandom who have stood by him until July (a certain picture that was posted with a filter comes to mind, as does someone who liked every single one of his posts since his return until they were mentioned in one of the leaked messages).

What I mean here is simply this: I don't think Build is a cartoon villain, I think he's a whole person capable of a variety of things, both good and bad.

I also want to make it clear here that I'm not here to hate on people in the fandom. I mean - glass house, stones, all that. But also I think we've had enough of that. This fandom is one of the most polarized I've ever been in and the vitriol is off the charts, I'm not going to contribute to it.

I guess my hope is just that people will think about why and how they're choosing to come to his defense, if for no other reason than the fact that in my opinon and experience, the more extreme fan claims are making it worse for him, not better. I've said this on twitter and I'll say it here - when people are confronted with attempts to downplay things, it makes them more intent on proving the opposite. If you acknowledge them then you change the footing and the conversation can move on to other things.

As I said, this is a complex situation. It's okay to acknowledge that. Things don't have to be black and white. A lot of fans are in echo chambers right now on both sides of the aisle.

Anyway. I truly hope that this will be the last post that I ever have to make on this subject. For now, at least, I've said my piece and addressed what I need to in order to feel comfortable and not just like I'm avoiding talking about the topic.

In the meantime I've turned my attention to Bible and the rest of the cast because I always have and continue to adore them and I feel like I've neglected them over the last six months (as much as a fan can neglect celebrities, of course). For all my issues with the company, I've always loved the cast.

I'm more active on Twitter than here, but I do go back and forth between the two sites.

Take care. 💗

#build jakapan

[isfjmel-phleg]

I've been seeing some discussion of homeschoolers and socializing and would like to contribute my own experience.

Whether one has good social skills entirely depends on the individual and their circumstances, not necessarily how they were educated. I've known people of both public-schooled and homeschooled backgrounds who were excellent conversationalists--and some of both who aren't. My best friend went to public school and she is one of the friendliest and easiest-to-talk-to people I know, but I've met public-schoolers whose idea of a conversation starter with me was "So...you're quiet." I've known homeschoolers from church when I was a kid who were outgoing but cliquish and snide, but I've also known homeschoolers who will happily talk to anyone anytime about any topic under the sun.

But me? I'm the socially awkward homeschooler stereotype. I used to be defensive about this, used to cling to the insistence that homeschoolers are in fact better adjusted socially, but I've had to come to accept that in my particular case this isn't universally true. My siblings and I had a very isolated experience of being homeschooled. No co-op, no outside activities, etc. We had no social circle beyond our very small, very insular church, and after moving away from that area, we had no one but each other (and occasionally some cousins). By the time I was a teenager, we didn't even get to leave our house very often, and certainly never unaccompanied by an adult. We did a lot of listening to adults talk and keeping our heads down, but we didn't have a lot of practice being heard on our own account, especially among people our own age. So when I got to community college, I struggled to relate to my classmates--we had such wildly different interests and life experiences, and I felt both as if no one could possibly want to talk to me yet also as if I were morally and intellectually superior to them. Not a good attitude, and no wonder I made exactly zero friends there. No one wants to be around someone like that. I'd like to think I've gotten a bit better, but I still find it a struggle to relate to the conversations of people I don't know well beyond small talk. And it's not there's anything wrong or inferior in what these people talk about, or what I like to talk about. It's just that my specific upbringing, which included a specific handling of homeschooling that (from what I can gather) isn't universally typical, did not equip me well for most social situations. And this is a challenge that I am going to have to learn to overcome.

So yeah, the "socially awkward homeschooler" really is a thing sometimes, and maybe they don't exactly help make homeschooling look the way we want it to in front of people who are critical of that method--but it's still the truth that there can be particular experiences of homeschooling that aren't conducive to developing social skills. There can be particular experiences of public school that aren't conducive to it either. It's not about the type of schooling and which is the superior system. It is a matter of individual experience, and there are a lot of factors that go into that. We're all just trying to figure out how to live in this world, and one of the most helpful things I've had to learn is that shared humanity is more important to take into consideration when I interact with someone than how either of us were educated.

#random personal stuff #back on my soapbox feel free to ignore #my apologies if this isn't worded perfectly #but I hope you can understand where I'm coming from

[mandana-the-service-pup]

Take it from someone who is chronically ill…

I will try to hear you out when you are offering me health advice. I know it’s probably coming from a place of concern and you think this advice would help. But take it from someone who’s been through this for years. There are some things that just don’t fly well with many chronically ill people. Here is my short list but I’d like to hear from others in the community.

Please don’t recommend:

Exceptions made if the disabled person is asking you for a particular type of recommendation.

Anything ingestible. Supplements & diet changes are really difficult to talk about for a lot of people with chronic illness. Most of us have trialed handfuls of supplements a day and extreme diet changes. It’s often a phase we go through when undiagnosed or newly diagnosed because we don’t feel like we are getting enough support from doctors but we need to try something (ANYTHING) that might help us. Most of us also have GI issues and/or eating disorders. We have learned the hard way what works for our broken bodies. It’s a really sensitive topic for a variety of reasons and chances are the person has done the research and already knows more about them than you do.

Exercise. Disabilities are not all equal and this is especially true when it comes to exercise. Someone who is an amputee or paralyzed might not have the same issues as someone who has migraines or chronic fatigue. Exercise intolerance is real and many disorders are exacerbated by physical exertion. Even things like stretching and physical therapy can be too much or easily done in the wrong way. It’s a sensitive topic with heavy implications that the disabled person is lazy and/or wants to remain sick. Unless someone is specifically asking you for recommendations, this really should be off limits in conversation.

Mind over matter. The mind is capable of amazing things. We are aware of this. Our disabilities are not cured by positive thinking. Some of us may have already adopted our own strategies for being happy while dealing with chronic illness. It is a very individual experience and having an abelist tell us we are “choosing to be sick” is not as helpful as you think it is. Just don’t.

So what CAN you recommend?

Mobility aids and assistive devices. Not only is it actually helpful advice but it’s validating our experiences and shows us that you are comfortable with us showing our disabilities around you. Bonus points for really obscure, new or cool looking mobility aids especially if they are affordable!

Pain relief. Topical creams, ice packs, heating pads, braces, wraps, TENS, etc. Chances are we have already tried it but it shows us that you’re thinking about our pain and on the off chance it’s actually a good recommendation it could be a lifesaver and we will be forever grateful!

Small businesses run by people who belong to our communities (disabled, POC, LGBTQIA+, etc) Don’t try to compare our abilities to disabled business owners but it shows us you recognize we are a part of a community and that you might not be but that you are conscious of it and supportive. Buy from these shops for yourself to show your support or shop gifts for your chronically ill besties. Just be cautious about things that might be triggering to some. Some disabled people appreciate affirmations, “warrior” mentality, etc but others really don’t so choose wisely.

Accessible hobbies. Chronic illness makes it hard to commit to things. Period. We don’t know if we will have the physical ability to do an activity, the resources to do it or if our body will support scheduled activities when the time comes. It’s a huge challenge but that unpredictability can also be super conducive to picking up hobbies. Things that don’t require a ton of energy or scheduled classes. Things that can be picked up for a little bit when we are having a good day and put down when we aren’t feeling well. Most of us love to hear about your hobbies. It’s great to feel included in things when we are often cut off from people because we’ve been deemed “unreliable”. We are itching to talk about something fun with someone we care about. Something that isn’t related to our health or unmet expectations of us. So share your hobby. Share your second cousins neighbors hobby. Google some hobbies that could be fun for disabled people. It’s sure to be a fun conversation.

#chronic illness community #disabled community #disability awareness #PSA #service dogblr #chronic illness problems #advice #advice welcome #feedback welcome

[whitelilynh]

Hello hope everything is well! So your last post had me thinking a lot. About the Konaha village being a super power and yet executing its own members never truly caring about its villagers or anyone else for that matter. I do agree Konaha has turned into some strange “I know best clan”

The sudden execution of a clan was something I didn’t question but the treatment of an orphan who did nothing but become a new vessel for the 9 tails.

My question ( two questions I guess) is

1. Do you think it had to do with which Hokage was in charge to want to execute the Uchiha clan

(Ex. Naruto “pardoning” Orochimaru despite his war crimes against Konaha - let’s face it he should have died, but instead he goes good and Naruto does nothing about it despite what this psycho did. Which is weird because they were going to execute Naruto for something idk if it was in a movie or episode but it was a dumb messed up reason.)

2. Does this change your mind of how Sasuke stories should have ended as you had once answered my question about what should have happened to Sasuke at the end of Naruto

- running away and working with Naruto to help Konaho

- Naruto killing Sasuke

- Sasuke becoming the last Uchiha

Again hope everything is well glad to see you are so passionate about these topics.

Hi! I'm quite well, thanks.

Ah, this is a long topic, isn't it?

I'd say who the Hokage was did play an important part, but as often happens, it's more about the interests of the elites. I mean, Hiruzen was weak AF as a Hokage that was supposed to protect ALL his people. He let the Hyuga affair go, he allowed (even if not ordered) the Uchiha massacre, all because he was weak of character, and because deep down he didn't care about the implicated ppl, i.e. Hyuga and Uchiha clan. One can say he has to think about the rest of the village as well, and it's partially true, but when did he think about *that* part of the village?

Let's put it simple, both Hyuga and Uchiha were the strongest clans of the village, we could say, specially in Hyuga case, they were the majority of the village's defense lines, since it was recognised at least during OG that way. Now, if you have this people that is fundamental for the well being of the people, why won't you protect them? What would the people of the village think if they had a say in so? Probably "hey, let's not punish the Hyuga for having DEFENDED themselves from an enemy" or "maybe we should not instate an apartheid on the Uchiha? Like, they've been loyal to the village for generations, maybe we should just conduce a fair investigation instead". But Hiruzen went the easy road, he didn't have what's needed to face his supposed equals. He couldn't face the Raikage, he couldn't face Danzo. He preferred to let them do as they pleased. So yes, Hiruzen as the Hokage is partially responsible. He was either weak or plainly evil, there's no other way he would've allowed those happenings if not.

A curious case is, what would happen if Minato was still alive? Let's suppose the Kyubi incident happened but he managed to survive. Did he have what was needed? Or would it have been the same?

To begin with, I guess Kumo might not dare to try to attack the Hyuga during the peace negotiations have those be done with Minato, they feared him. I also believe Konoha would've went to war with them if they did, with Minato. Not only because of him per se, but because his death weakened the village and that was used as an excuse not to.

About the Uchihas, I believe Minato would've try to conduct a proper investigation, but sadly, I think the pressure would've overcome him. Because tbh, Danzo and the elders seemed to want to get rid of the Uchiha and they just searched for an excuse. I think Danzo would've done the same, in spite of Minato's efforts, and the outcome would've been the same. Probably the only difference is, I want to believe, Minato would've protected Itachi. I want to believe he would've rather proceed himself than to force a 13 yo to kill his entire family.

So, it's in part because of the Hokage, but is mostly because of the interests of the powerful people on the village's politics.

Now, to the second question. It does change some aspects, while others remain the same.

I still think Sasuke had no interest on Sakura, or women or romance whatsoever, and I wouldn't want to force him into a relationship just for the sake of the continuity of the clan. But I want the Clan to be reinstated, so I have a different solution for that (which was gonna happen on my AE anyway, is just that now I want it more).

In an ideal world though, Naruto didn't surrender to the propaganda on Konoha and instead kept loyal to his convictions. So, Naruto would've stayed by what's right, and what's right is to let the truth about the Uchiha be told, and let Konoha face the consequences of it's past acts. How can a true change happen otherwise? If you truly want to reform the Ninja system, if you want the village to be a fair and safe place for everyone, and to conduce the Ninja world towards peace, you can't rise over lies. You need to come clean and start anew.

So, even if Sasuke decided to protect the village because it was Itachi's wish, I think Itachi would've also wanted to clean the name of his clan. At least Sasuke wants so, and he is worthy of repair as well. So if Naruto was a true friend to Sasuke, that's the least he could have done. This implies, though, that Naruto had a lot of learning to do. Because Naruto doesn't know what Sasuke knows. He thinks Konoha is the good guy, and he can't see what Konoha did was a genocide, unless of course someone explains that to him. It would've been interesting if Naruto also heard the talk Sasuke had with Itachi, and with the deceased Hokages.

So, I don't think Sasuke must be punished, nor that he has to attone his sins anymore. Not the way I did before at least. I think he has to evaluate himself and come clean with his decisions, know that he did wrong things like joining Akatsuki, but also be able to forgive himself because he knew no better and people tend to forget he was just a child no one was honest with.

I think Konoha and Naruto need to change.

And I think Sasuke deserves a second chance, not as the village's dog, but as a person, to find healing and to follow his own path.

I have a lot more thoughts about this now, but I don't find the way to express them properly yet, so for now I'll leave it here (this is already a very long answer isn't it? 😅) Maybe I'll write more about Sasuke in the future.

Thank you for asking 😊.

#Answer #Sasuke Uchiha #Hiruzen #Konoha #Minato #Naruto #Anti Konoha #Anti Naruto ending

[elialys]

When do you think Olivia fell for Peter and when do you think Peter fell for Olivia. Wondering who fell first lol and when did they realize?

Sorry it took me so long to answer! I was waiting to be a bit further in my rewatch to see if my thoughts on the topic would change, but haha so far, nope 🤣

Personally I always thought Peter was the first to catch feelings. Like, I wouldn’t go as far as saying he was smitten from the get go, but he kinda was. He literally stayed in Boston because he felt bad for her and wanted to help her, which was NOT his MO at that time of his life. And I mean, really, who wouldn’t fall in love with Olivia Dunham? I think his feelings developed over the course of their first year together, and that he probably became aware of them the first time Oliva fake!died.

Maybe not in a “I am totally in love with that woman” way, but you know, being aware that he liked her liked her. But to me, Peter probably never even allowed himself to daydream about them dating or anything until maybe the end of Jacksonville (and I’m sure she’s the one who asked him out), because Olivia’s life was just…such a hellish mess??? Like, I can’t imagine spending that much time around her and thinking ‘yes, our lives are absolutely conducive to dating’.

I think Peter cared for her deeply and basically did his best to help her in any way he could. Like, the poor guy looks genuinely SHOOK when she comes to find him in the other universe and basically tells him “You’re mine, come home.” Like, he did not expect to be that HIGH on Olivia’s priority list.

Olivia’s feelings are more up to interpretation. My interpretation is that she caught feelings the way people do, spending a lot of time working closely with him, the two of them always getting through some intense shit together, and Peter being Peter. I couldn’t pinpoint THE moment/time when she was in love versus not in love, but from the way she reacts in What Lies Below when Peter gets infected, it’s pretty clear she’s in trouble.

Now, Olivia is not good at all with feelings, and even less with acknowledging them. I’m not even sure she’d told herself “I might actually love that man” by the end of Jacksonville (see ‘her life is a hellish mess’ reasoning xD). But then? Discovering Walter’s secret? Agreeing to keep it? Then purposely keeping it a secret even when Walter said he wanted to tell Peter? I think that forced her to acknowledge her feelings for him big time. And then there is the whole “I’m gonna cross universes and tell him he belongs with me” thing, which is better than any “I love you” tbh

#thank you for coming to my tedtalk #anonymous #hug!box #peter x olivia

[switchcase]

hi! do u know anything about the term “childhood torture” vs general childhood abuse manipulation and gaslighting… and mind control vs manipulation and gaslighting? some people also say though who go through childhood torture are also automatic ramcoa victims but I’m unsure abt that? if it’s done by a family and not an organization would it still be ramcoa? or what exactly is sadistic or severe abuse vs regular abuse.. bc I see a lot of people specifying ramcoa as the most severe abuse or talking about “severe abuse/trauma” vs regular abuse ..

To be honest I do not think RA/OA is the "most severe abuse" nor do I think it is particularly conducive to rank abuse on that kind of scale. Yes some stuff is objectively pretty bad but I think framing RAMCOA as "the most severe" is the exact reason that so many people are suspecting they have RA or polyfragmentation: because they think that it would HAVE to be really bad if they are experiencing the things they are, when in reality whatever it is they experienced was clearly already really bad. (And since we're on this topic, being triggered by RAMCOA or other forms of extreme abuse does not mean you are a survivor. Even nonsurvivors get triggered by this)

Also again RAMCOA is not all equivalent. A trafficking survivor will not have the same experiences as a child soldier nor are their experiences now somehow equivalent. If we insist on using a scale like this then I would say if you are alive you have not experienced the worst thing, because most "worst things" to experience will kill you.

"Childhood torture" is not really a specific term, it is just a type of experience, similar to 'sexual abuse' or 'physical abuse'. It is torture you experienced in childhood, with no other requirements.

Torture can sometimes be conducted by a single individual, though it is difficult and will not be effective for any sort of psychological control. Torture conducted this way is not for any end goal but for the perpetrator's emotional release. So not every torture survivor is a RAMCOA survivor. Most of the time, torture does have an organized abuse component, for various reasons but the most glaring one being the amount of resources required to torture a person without anyone else finding out, which is why many torture survivors are RAMCOA survivors. Torture typically has both a physical and psychological component. Gaslighting is not torture. Manipulation is not torture. Gaslighting and manipulation can be a part of torture but there is kind of a big difference between something like waterboarding versus gaslighting. Legally, torture is very loosely defined but this is more due to the wide variety of methods people come up with in torture that courts want to be able to define as torture, not that torture is itself vague or difficult to differentiate. For example, forcing people to drink until they get water poisoning and slowly die is a documented form of torture. Which is a really weird thing to do and probably not something a court could come up with listing if they wanted to do a list of actions that qualify as torture. An example of psychological torture would be being forced to watch or participate in someone you love being tortured or killed.

The term severe sadistic abuse is really hard because it IS vague but there is not really a good way to term it without getting into details that can be triggering. Severe sadistic abuse in academic writings includes torture and terrorism survivors, and frequently cites the Holocaust as an example. If that gives you a good baseline idea of what the line is. I think when discussing academic terms it is important to remember that terms are created because they serve a function. If severe sadistic abuse was equivalent to gaslighting, manipulation, they would not have created the term because both emotional and psychological abuse already exist as terms. For example, gaslighting is only a term because it is not just lying but an explicit and intentional attempt to manipulate someone's perception of themselves and their reality and make them reliant on an abuser to tell what is true or not. If "lying" or "manipulation" fit then there would be no need for the term.

#ask #anonymous #ramcoa #sorry if this is graphic I tried to not include details 🧍 #torture m . #death . #uhhh #ask to tag

[elenajohansenreads]

Books I Read in 2024

#15 - Better Sex Through Mindfulness: How Women Can Cultivate Desire, by Lori A. Brotto

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

As with one of my previous reviews about a book on menopause, I'd like to point out up front that the structure and content of the book assumes the reader is a cis woman and refers to the reader's body throughout under that assumption, which might be alienating to any reader whose physiology doesn't match, be they cis men or any trans or intersex person. "Woman" in this book exclusively refers to cis women; only in one section does it allude to the distinction between cis and trans women by using the term "natal women" in reference to the specifics of one study. Which isn't to say that the core subject matter isn't potentially useful for or applicable to trans women or trans people in general, or that the book is setting out to be trans-exclusionary; only that what little research is being done on this topic is focused on cis women as the group who needs it and would benefit most greatly from it. (Which, given that most clinical medical science is done on cis men as the default, is still a good thing in my mind, that any research on sexuality is being done with cis women as the focus.)

Since the take-home message of this book is "Mindfulness practice could probably improve your sex life, and also the rest of your life while you're at it," in my mind that's equally useful advice for everyone, but the mindfulness exercises in this book range from generic at the start (anyone who can eat solid food can do the raisin meditation) to guided exploration of the body in both nonsexual and sexual contexts, which are specific to cis women.

If that message seems obvious, why does it need a whole book written about the science that "proves" it, well, I'm still a crunchy science nerd at heart and was interested to see the design structure of the studies done to research the topic and the results of those studies. That sort of narrative would likely seem dry and boring to someone more interested in the self-help, instructional aspects of the book; likewise, the mindfulness exercises themselves might not interest someone who was reading this for the crunchy science, though the book is definitely marketing itself to cis women experiencing some level of sexual distress or dysfunction who are hoping for a solution, to whom the book offers mindfulness.

Without getting too personal on the subject, I was interested in this book on both fronts; as with my previous reading about menopause, I'm trying to be proactive about engaging with the changes in my body as it ages, and I have noticed a pattern of changes in my sex life that I'm not pleased with. I don't have access to the sort of highly regimented clinical mindfulness study that the book refers to, but the barrier to entry for self-guided mindfulness practice is basically nonexistent--I already have one app on my phone I could be utilizing but mostly don't, and if it turns out I don't vibe with their library of guided exercises I know there's a wealth of other options. And even those aren't necessary, they're just helpful tools.

I know that I, personally, will face challenges attempting mindfulness practice despite all its potential benefits--mindfulness is widely considered to be especially beneficial for people with ADHD, but also difficult for them, as the differences in the ADHD brain from a neurotypical one aren't conducive to learning to achieve a state of mindfulness. But another, narrower take-home message from this book was inspiring to me: that self-belief about your own state of sexuality and sexual satisfaction is more impactful to actual sexual satisfaction that any combination of other studied factors (relationship status, age and hormonal changes, etc.) The book repeatedly assures the reader mindfulness is learning to treat negative thoughts as "mental events" to be noticed, acknowledged, and then moved on from, which in a broader, non-sexually-specific context, means that even my belief that "mindfulness will be difficult for me because I have ADHD" isn't an obstacle that can't be overcome. Forming a habit of mindfulness practice might also be difficult for me, but again, that can be overcome to at least some degree with motivation, and all those scientific studies did show that women engaged with mindfulness showed strong desire and follow-through in making time for daily practice (even accounting for the self-selection of feeling the need to participate in the study in the first place.) The benefits of mindfulness appear to be their own reward, in terms of successful habit-forming, so I'm hopeful.

#booklr #book review #nonfiction

[voxofthevoid]

JJK manga spoilers below!

It's kinda funny how I went from "I hope the host switching is temporary" at the end of JJK 212 to "Okay, I hope Sukuna doesn't return to Yuuji again" after JJK 213.

One reason is that I've been having many a thought about Yuuji, his mindset, and his potential character arc. I genuinely do believe it would be fascinating to see what he will become, what he will have to become, now that he doesn't have "eat as much as he can of Sukuna and die" as his driving motivation. Earlier in canon, it might not have made much of a difference, but now—after Shibuya—Yuuji's mentality has shifted to something that isn't conducive to him having a life not centred around eventual martyrdom. It's meaning and atonement to him, I think. But he's also not the sort to commit suicide because that's equally at odds with his fixation on dying a proper, useful death. At the beginning of 212, he could've died happily enough, telling himself it's to save Gojou and erase (most of) Sukuna. Now, if he survives, he'll have to grapple with Sukuna being inside Megumi, who I'm sure Yuuji will believe is still in there (I hope so too), and also with his own drastically changed existence. And I think that will be extremely interesting. I also want to see if Gege will show us Yuuji reflecting on how his self-sacrifical tendencies actually got all of them into greater trouble.

The other is that 213 has shown that Sukuna-in-Megumi is clearly insanely powerful (still not over that batshit ugly Nue), whereas after the previous chapter, I wasn't sure how much of Sukuna was in Megumi. He might have fed Megumi only one finger, but I think it's reasonable to assume he switched over the entirety of his current power level. And if he can just freely hop between Yuuji and Megumi...well, that would doom them both for no good reason. Sukuna says, when the protagonists are fighting the Finger Bearer at the detention center, that he will continue to exist even if a two-finger Yuuji dies and later we have Kenjaku stating Sukuna can freely choose his host, but I'm not sure whether what the implications of this are regarding the current Yuuji/Megumi situation. Do the fingers Yuuji ingested even matter anymore, or did the transfer to Megumi negate all that? I have more questions than answers on this topic, and I'm looking forward to how this plays out.

#JJK #jujutsu kaisen #jjk spoilers #jujutsu kaisen spoilers #jjk 213 #watch me casually assume Yuuji will survive #tbf I still haven't hopped off the 'nobara is only in a coma' train #I want to see bodies Gege #or rather I DO NOT want to see bodies

[someoneintheshadow456]

I was thinking about why I joined Tumblr in the first place (7 years I can't believe it has been that long), and looking back at my posts from 2015-2017, I was a lot more quick to argue and engage with posts, and came across as angrier than I actually was. I was also more prone to being defeatist and having fatalistic ideas on myself, which reflected in the way I wrote.

The point when I began engaging less and less with this site, both in a positive and negative fashion, was when I was sure I had a defined support network that was not my family. While of course, since 2017 was when I got therapy, the eagerness to get angry on political topics had decreased, and starting a job meant I had less mental energy to focus on it, it was in the last two years when the change was most drastic.

I guess, in retrospect, me engaging with topics that would make me upset, and crafting an argument for those posts, was a way of getting a bit of myself out into the air in the hopes that someone would listen. Which I needed to do as I was in a dark period and thought I was disgraced from the life I had before this.

That lead to me looking up the behaviours of lone wolves and it basically sums up my situation and mindset at the time:

While I didn't abandon my family (my initial "pack") in the physical sense, I did cease relying on them emotionally, even out of necessity.

Tumblr was the only place where I could "howl", so to speak, to find another "pack" as the rest of the environment (home, college, certification course, extended family) was not conducive to doing so. I always knew, even before the traumatic incident that caused me to go here, that if I wanted to find my "pack", I needed to look outside blood ties and my immediate physical environment.

Wolves don't generally howl unless they're separated from their pack or are trying to find a new one - similar to how I began engaging in Tumblr less when I was sure I had found a "pack."

I've seen similar tendencies in others the more I am on here, the people who scream the loudest about a particular issue, more often than not, are screaming because they want someone to listen. Like the cries of wolves, the reason why they do so is misunderstood. The issue they've latched onto is a means to an end, and not the end itself.

People like this also often style themselves as loners not because they take pride in it, but because they're resigned to the fact. They also don't want to be loners. They want a pack, but feel like they can't get one in their situation unless they attract attention for it.

Maybe people who are Terminally Online(TM), or people who are perpetually angry about politics and the state of the world are just lone wolves who are howling because they're looking for a new pack, or overall just need help.