#I mean I've definitely had extreme connections to others before and I am in no way diminishing that. but this is

[frukmerunning]

How do you reconcile the Nazi-apologia aspects of Hetalia as a Jewish fan (I presume you are Jewish because you made a Passover headcanon, if you are not, apologies). I don't mean this as a callout or accusation or anything, I'm asking for advice. I'm also Jewish, and I want to enjoy Hetalia, like, I stumbled on this fandom and this anime and I want to enjoy it! But I can't get the guilt and shame out of the back of my head.

I don't think Himaru intentionally meant Hetalia to be anti-Semetic. I'm not accusing anyone of being a Holocaust denier for engaging in this fandom. But it doesn't change the fact that this anime is about the Axis Powers during WWII and they're portrayed as good guys. Like, you can't even argue they're villain protagonists or anything they're just straight up lil cinnamon rolls. And it is fucking adorable, but it makes me feel so dirty! Like, its not intentional but when I'm watching any WWII episode or reading one of the WWII strips I'm watching it feels like Nazi apologia. And when these characters' fascist uniforms are their standard designs, when the imagery of fascism is used without context, it unintentionally erases the real, extremely fucked up, and personally traumatizing, history.

So how do you personally find a balance? Like how do you engage in a way you feel like doesn't cause further harm? How do you reconcile canon, history, and your own thoughts on these characters? And do you have any advice on how I can?

I've thought a lot about this question since I got it, and I have a lot of thoughts but I don't know if I can organize them very well. （also yes I am Jewish you assumed right)

So I guess the first thing I'll tackle is that my own thoughts on the characters trump everything in canon, especially with Germany. For an American, I have a pretty strong connection with Germany. I've had a German penpal since I was 13, I've visited Germany, one of my favorite professors was German, and right before I started typing this I spent almost 3 hours talking with the German students that come to the music camp I work at. I've met a LOT of Germans in my relatively short life, so I have that personal connection to influence my thoughts on the Hetalia character. And I've completely separated my view on the German people from my view on that time in their history. I think then it was easy for me to separate the character Germany from that time in history.

Bouncing off from that, Hetalia isn't REALLY about WW2. Yes, the catalyst for Germany, Italy, and Japan being friends is WW2, but there's nothing in the anime that is explicitly WW2. The "battle" scenes take place on a deserted island, their "war meetings" amount to nothing, and no specific dates or events are really mentioned when WW2 is involved. Now in the manga, however, I kinda just steer clear of the specific WW2 stuff?? But even then the only example of Hima explicitly mentioning something that happened in WW2 I can actually recall is an old strip about the Anschluss. That strip is from very early Hetalia though and Hima has definitely shifted his focus to other aspects of world history and culture.

Another thing about Hetalia is that pretty much everyone is a "good guy". There are no real antagonists or villains. There are literally only protagonists, with the main protagonists being the axis powers.

From your ask I kinda gather that you're very new to Hetalia and maybe you have the wrong impression of the anime and fandom from people who hate it. But honestly, Hetalia is not inherently antisemetic or even about WW2 when you really get down to the meat of it. Hetalia is a comedy anime and it doesn't take itself or the things it's presenting seriously (with some exceptions). Hima doesn't really doesn't delve too deeply into ANY of the history he potrays, so it would be a little out of place to see him addressing the very serious war crimes committed by those countries.

Also idk where to fit this in, but the countries in Hetalia are not representative of their government, but their people. Which I think is how Hima avoids talking about serious war crimes committed by governments. He's more interested in talking about culture, rather than history. Or he uses historical settings to talk about fun facts or culture.

I understand feeling guilty though. Personally, I avoid the historical hetalia side of the fandom, just so I never run the risk of seeing something weird (not saying that people regularly write that kind of stuff). In my own art and thoughts about the show, I'm more interested in portraying the characters as real, modern people, based on my own experiences with people from those countries. I also do a lot with my favorite character Austria, who is jewish coded. My favorite characters in the series are the axis affiliated ones, countries I've visited and met people from and built a connection with. But I've also been in the fandom for 10+ years at this point, so it's much easier for me to entirely change Hima's characters and morph them into something that fits what I want.

I'm really tired because I've been working a music camp all week, so I hope this makes sense. I definitely have more thoughts and I'd love to talk to you more about this, please feel free to dm me here and we can exchange discords or something. I always like talking to other jewish hetalia fans, and I think it's nice to have these kinds of conversations so we can help each other.

But to answer your question in a short way - I just don't think about it. Maybe that makes me a bad person but it's what I have to do at this point, because I can't not like hetalia

#hetalia #rayanne rambles

[jaskiercommabard]

📖 Fic rec time! When you get this, reply with three fics that you've read and loved to pieces, then pass on to at least five other people who read fics. Let’s appreciate fic writers and their amazing stories 💖

OOO!! Thank you for sending this!

I've been reading fic for like...more years than I'm ready to admit to so I'll rec some of my very favorite witcher fics + my favorite themes to narrow it down. These are all geraskier oops

Angst/hurt no comfort

goes without saying by Verbyna This is a brief two-part series that I must think about like twice a day at least. The author does something so magical and makes these characters so human, it completely takes my breath away. Thinking about this fic makes my stomach ache. Scrolling past the title in my bookmarks can make my heart drop into my gut. I have to really think about what kind of day I want to have if I'm going to read it, and I mean that in the best way. It's so visceral and wrenching and completely beautiful. If I had to pick a favorite witcher AU, I couldn't, but this one is in the seat of honor.

Hurt/comfort

Lessons in Mortality (orphaned)

This is one of the first fics I read in the fandom, and I hope the author is out there somewhere with warm socks and good pens. The character development in this is unmatched - the original character and her beautiful story in this fic are so compelling and enchanting, and yet she plays a perfect accompaniment to Geralt and Jask. This fic is so sweet, so in character, so carefully and purposefully written. I wish I had a chance to talk to the author before it was orphaned but they obviously put so much care into this piece that you really feel connected to the storyteller.

Slow Burn

and yet so far from death by @yoursummerfrost

I am sweating trying to pick a single summerfrost fic to recommend but this one sticks in my mind as one of those extremely special stories that I wouldn't be able to explain if I tried. Whatever is going on in author's head should be bottled and sold or maybe kept under lock and key in some kind of secret lab where only the military and like...very sexy bank robbers can find it. It's sticky-sweet and sad and has, hands down, the best ending (except for maybe the end of my other favorite summerfrost fic, out in the pouring rain (down on your knees) or possibly the end of my other other favorite summerfrost fic, don't tell me we've grown (for having loved) ).

Porn with plot

First Annual Belleteyn Fuckfest by @sheepishwolfy

Half what it says on the tin, half oh fuck oh fuck they have feelings there are so many feelings who let the feelings into this porn someone call the guards. The worldbuilding in this fic (and all of the author's works) is unparalleled. You are sweating in the spring heat, you're smelling the ale, you're eating sweets and hearing music and strolling between vendor stalls with a flower crown on your head and you are (devastatingly) not getting an exceedingly skilled blowjob from Julian Alfred Pankratz, Viscount de Lettenhove. This fic is definitely the closest you could get, though.

There are so so many more amazing fics that I have read and loved and cried over, I could go on forever. This fandom absolutely drew in some of the most talented creators I've ever had the pleasure to come across.

If you're one of the authors first of all wow hi I'm twirling my hair kicking my feet second, pleeeease let me know if you would like a tag or a rec removed and I will nix it!

#the witcher fic rec #the witcher #fic rec #ask #darklyhandsome #geraskier #geraskier fic #geraskier fic rec

[fortpeat]

Hi! I hope you are doing ok. I know this might be coming out of the blue, but I feel the need to spread the word so other fans can see this and not go through the same that I have been. I recently joined a FortPeat server on Discord. I saw the invite on a tumblr tag and I thought it could be a good idea since most fandom spaces I've been in were usually wholesome and nice to meet new people and talk about the things we all have in common and love. I will be honest with you that I had actually thought the server had something to do with your account since I always see you in the fortpeat tags (I don't really use my tumblr account, I'm more of a lurker, I just recently got into the fortpeat fandom) and you always seemed to be like a lovely person. I was actually told by this server owner that you were also one of the server owners at some point, and I remember seeing one of your posts talking about "the discord incident"… I have no idea if both of these things are related to each other, but I understood immediately after talking to this server owner why you'd leave that place. This server is extremely toxic. I and another member were kicked out simply because we harboured a different opinion than the one from the server owner. She is a grown-ass woman and treats people in a really childish manner. She's condescending and passive-aggressive. She deleted our messages for no good reason and then said we were free to leave if we were not happy with her rules. The other member called her out on it and this is what got us kicked out. That was it. Nothing else. I thought for a second that I could've been somewhat rude, but another member of the server reached out to me in private to tell me this had happened many times before and that neither I nor the person who was kicked out were rude. So, my point with this ask is I hope whoever's still stuck in that graveyard filled with toxicity, please leave as soon as possible. I had other people reaching out to me since then to tell me that they also experienced really bad things there. I'm really sorry if you went through some shit because of it, but yeah. I hope the owner reflects on her attitude if she intends on keeping up with a server she clearly has, currently, zero capabilities of running if this is how she treats her members. Thank you so much, and I am sorry for the huge ask. I think it's important to let people know when fandom spaces are nasty. Love your blog! 🤍

Hi Nonnie ✨🥰

First of all sorry for the late response I needed some time to think through a proper response since it's a sensitive topic and I am typing this out while in the middle of a program and my Wifi is wacky so I don't know when you might get this 🫣

Now I am not gonna lie, when I first received this ask I was sceptical about even posting this. I tend to avoid all kinds of drama as I quite don't have the time for that but then I realized won't that mean I too am ignoring you the same way the server owner did and essentially cutting you off and I am not that kind of person. I believe that everyone deserves to have their opinion heard and from what you told me I think you deserve it especially when you are definitely not in the wrong.

But first things first. I am so sorry you went through something like that. Nobody deserves it least of someone who joined a server believing that it might be something good. I will tell you it used to be good but then everything kind of fell apart. I left that server back in Nov due to personal reasons and a disagreement with the server owner.

Now the discord incident.. it was more or less connected to this but it was also me and my best friend joking around coz the both of us have had bad experiences with it. I never thought anyone would pay attention to it 🫣🫣😂. Now I don't want to dish out my personal experiences publicly like this so if you ever want to talk privately my DMS are always open 🥰 I promise it to be safe space for you and anyone who wants to talk.

I would also like to thank you for opening up like this I am sure it must not have been easy to trust me especially after your experience. I hope in the future this doesn't cloud your judgement towards future servers you might want to join. There are lots of lovely people in the fandom and there are some in that very server as well.

Also thank you for raising this awareness. I never would have thought things would get this bad there. That too in a server that represents our beautiful Fortpeat and Paisky who has taught us nothing but the importance of proper communication 🥺🥺

I hope you have a good day nonnie 🥰✨

Here's some Fortpeat hugs to feel better 🥹🥰

#prapaisky #fortpeat #asks are always appreciated

[unbidden-yidden]

Honestly going to Israel kinda fucked me up in ways I'm still just beginning to unpack, because now I'm questioning the very meaning of "home."

I want to preface this by saying this is not about politics. I am not trying to make a particular political statement, nor is this commentary on or a reaction to any particular event or whatever. This is springing from a deep, primordial mental and emotional place that I can barely name or explain, let alone change or control. I honestly don't even feel like it's coming from a particularly religious place, although Judaism is the only language I have to even begin to attempt to explain it. You know how various animals just know certain migration stopping points that they've never been to or how to navigate back to the place they were born to have their own young? This feels far more like that.

I've definitely never felt anything like this before. Growing up, I felt a generalized connection to and love of nature writ large. It was very much a "the earth is a wide, wild, diverse, incredible place that must be loved and respected and cared for" rather than some deep tie to the particular land I grew up on.

In fact, the natural space I felt the most spiritual connection to and in was not where I grew up at all, but rather the Great Lakes area that my family traveled to on vacation. I grew up longing for the shoreline and woods of a place I'd only been a few times for a comparatively short period of time in my life, because I'd fallen in love with it. When I finally got to touch that water again as an adult, I greeted it like an old friend, and it lapped over my hands as if to return the favor. But I'm not actually from this area, and the way that it calls to me is one of possibility - this could be home, someday. Maybe.

It was only as I've gotten older that I've started to realize how deep the prairie lives in my subconsciousness. This was the local natural environment I grew up in and time has taught me appreciation for it. It shaped me. It left an indelible mark on me. Some part of me will always carry it with me, no matter where I go. Some part of me will always be the prairie, the flat farmlands and endless sky above, the deciduous woods, the ever-changing seasons and unpredictable weather. Some part of me will always taste the specific scent of rain on sun-ripened garden tomatoes, of sweet corn in July, will always feel the specific sun of the heartland on my face.

And yet, it does not own me. I carry it with me wherever I go and it will always be a part of me, but it does not lay claim to the very fabric of my being.

Israel, on the other hand.

I did not expect this. In fact, I was very wary going there, of it being a bit of a letdown. I fully expected that I would feel moved by seeing the sites, of going to these historical places, of finally seeing the place that so many of our prayers are about. I hoped I would enjoy the experience and find myself reconnecting with Am Yisrael and repairing some of the damage to my Jewish connections that Covid had brought on. I hoped I'd have fun, that I'd learn some things, and feel a spiritual connection. At worst, I was worried it would be extremely foreign and off-putting; that I would not be particularly moved religiously while there and/or that the kind of Judaism and Jewish community there would be so alien and unfamiliar that it would actually make me feel even more cut off from Jewish community.

Those were the possibilities I anticipated and was prepared for. All rational assumptions, based on the facts I had in front of me and my knowledge of myself.

What I was totally unprepared for was feeling like the land owned me the moment my feet touched the ground and that I would come back to the US - to the only home country I've ever known, where I was born and raised and have lived my whole life, where my family and friends live, to my house with my beloved partner and the beautiful life we've built together - incomplete, having left some essential part of my being there.

And it's not like this trip was all warm fuzzies. It was still a foreign country where I did not speak the language and where I was not acculturated. It was awkward in all of those ways. I'm not sure I would want to live there in a permanent sort of way; it would definitely make the way I prefer to practice Judaism difficult. I am quite sure that if I moved there even temporarily, I would quickly get quite homesick for being in a place where I'm not a foreigner, where I speak the language fluently and where I know lots of people. I'm certain that the culture shock would hit me like a ton of bricks and it would be very difficult to push through.

But.

Ever since returning, home has not felt the same. These places that I've lived my life in - that until this year I felt mostly comfortable in and like I was part of this culture - it's like I peeled the layers of reality back to reveal how much of a fish out of water I am here. It's still unclear to me if this is because I changed, or because I never truly belonged. I could definitely make solid arguments for both, but I'm not sure it matters much. Heartbreaking either way, to be honest.

What's frustrating is that it's not like I just felt totally at ease there. It wasn't like I entered this magical, perfect space where I suddenly made sense as a person and felt immediately comfortable and at home. It's still a foreign country, on a different continent, in the middle east. I was, and am, a ger. In every sense of the word.

But it's not about medinat Yisrael; it's very much an eretz Yisrael thing. Regardless of how I feel about it, something about eretz Yisrael has a claim on me that I didn't understand until I went there. The land doesn't in any sense "belong" to me, and it wouldn't even if I made aliyah and purchased a house there. I belong to it in some way that is as real and concrete as it is ephemeral and impossible to explain, no matter where I live or go.

This longing to return home, to end the diaspora, to bring about Olam HaBa - so much of our liturgy - it now makes sense. I didn't get it before, but now I do, and I really don't know how to process this information.

How do I explain this to myself, never mind anyone else? How do I explain that a Protestant-raised white-bread kid from the US who has no known Jewish ancestry and who converted as an adult on nothing but a shot-in-the-dark spiritual longing and numinous experience of the Divine, could go to a country where I am very much an outsider and a foreigner, and have it grab me by the kishkes and say hey - this, too, is part of your covenant. You will be held to your word. You belong to this place now.

Tisha b'Av hit so much harder this year for that reason, and I predict a lot sobbing in shul during the chagim.

Galus, indeed.

#you can reblog but don't be a jerk please #ארץ ישראל #this post was definitely prompted by visiting my home state and it feeling like home... but also not #and this isn't the only reason why #but it's definitely a large part of it

[no-where-new-hero]

curious to know about your changing attitude towards lm montgomery! i was always someone who focused on her writing over her, but i've definitely had authors I really connected with personally that are like uh oh when I took a deeper look into their life lol (idk if that's what you meant, but it reminded me of that given the kilmeny context)

This is a good and obvious question and I suspected I’d need to explain it as soon as I made that comment lol 😅

So. As everyone here probably knows, I grew up on Emily. I grew up Emily, in a way. I read those books at 11 and never really stopped reading them. I wanted to be Emily and Ilse, I wanted a friend group like theirs with Perry and Teddy, I wanted a mentor like Dean Priest (yes, like Dean), I wanted Emily’s confidence and hard working attitude toward her dream of being a successful writer, I wanted her young success. I thought everything in those books were true and beautiful. Of course, I loved Anne too—I read the Aogg series at around 9-10 and continued rereading my faves as I aged into them but they didn’t speak to me the same way. They didn’t speak through me. They didn’t make me who I am. And I had a strange sense of belonging with the Emily books that was incredibly intimate. They were mine. Someone I knew in college was curious about them because of course I couldn’t help talking about these formative books, but I refused to tell them the title lol. I felt like anyone would immediately know too much about me if they read the series too, and that felt like a violation.

But here I am. I’ve found an incredible community of other LMM fans. You all have read my metas and know my opinions, and I’ve seen some incredible analyses and headcanons that have broken my brain open in the best way about interpreting some stuff. I love it here. But that also means Montgomery isn’t mine in the same ways. The way those books impacted me as a kid won’t ever change, and neither really will the way that the words still twine themselves around my life (having a quote from the books to fall back on to express a hard day still makes the day marginally better). But it’s a bit like a coming out. Your relationship to an inimical thing automatically changes when you share it with other likeminded people, if only because now you have a community to make it greater.

And of course my feelings for Maud herself have changed. I see her racism much more clearly than before. I see how much of her own pain and trauma went into the stories that I wanted to pattern my life on. I see how problematic Dean is lol. And all this doesn’t make me like her any less. But she’s no longer the Holy Grail author she was to me for years and years.

I think part of this is me getting older, of course. I joked to @blackcatwalking when I turned 24 that I passed Emily’s debut age and would soon out-age her altogether. (@blackcatwalking’s extremely soothing reply was that this was why we have Valancy Stirling! To prove life doesn’t end at the end of our 20s!) But all jokes aside, and as much as I identify with Emily, I have made those books what they are to me because of myself, if that makes sense. The whole “there are a thousand Hamlets for a thousand readers” thing. Maud’s Emily isn’t my Emily, and my Emily and my own self and the stories I write and carry around because of her have to grow out of Maud’s shadow and take their own identity.

#this got VERY PERSONAL WOW #that being said it’s really the first time i’ve been able to articulate any of this so i’m kind of happy #thank you for swinging by my inbox batrachised! #blake’s last braincell #lmm lockdown

[ofhope-a]

THE LONG-AWAITED KANJI TATSUMI POST, aka --

Let's start, firstly, with Kanji's own words:

IMPORTANT: this will touch on real world homophobia, particularly the sort that ran rampant in the early 2000's / 2010's, which translates into the game, as well. Please tread carefully.

The main theme throughout Kanji Tatsumi's Palace is his struggles regarding sexuality, or more accurately, how he must be one "side" or the "other." Kanji's Shadow self, while partially reflecting the tone-deaf nature of how sexuality was interpreted back in the early 2000's, is showcasing a Kanji that is more comfortable, more out with his sexuality... a part of him in which he doesn't identify.

"Accept me for who I am!"

"Can't believe something like this was inside me."

A major part of Kanji's punkish persona stems from this battle. "Feminine hobbies," while thankfully not categorized as such much now-a-days, were regarded as just that: feminine, something men shouldn't enjoy. Kanji, as I've discussed previously, partakes in many such hobbies, an enjoyment which makes students gossip and file him into a category in which he doesn't, he feels, belong. One of Shadow Kanji's main arguments is that girls belittle him, whereas men are less judgmental -- however, I feel that his Shadow took this mentality to an extreme.

"They cry if you get angry, they gossip behind your back, they spread nasty lies... they look at me like I'm some disgusting thing and look at me like I'm a weirdo!"

"But you're a guy! You don't act like a guy! Why aren't you manly?!"

"What does it mean to be a guy? What does it mean to be manly?"

Kanji, I feel, has the experience of most male-identifying individuals in the early 2000's: to cry is to be weak, and to share your emotions is to equate yourself with a "girl," a sentiment which then had negative connotations. Kanji's father died whenever he was very young, and his mother is what influenced him most... something that, unfortunately, would be picked apart in school. With this in mind, Kanji compensated by being every definition of manly he could find: being tough, starting fights, never showing his emotions.

But there were times he would slip. Where he would bring up the fact that he could sew or knit, and his peers would tear him apart for it, because they were "right"; this is to say, Kanji has been torn between multiple sides for many, many years, and this extends toward his sexuality as well.

We first meet Kanji whenever he is meeting with Naoto. To avoid delving in too deep, it is hinted - and shown - that Kanji has a visible crush on Naoto, who at the time is known as the Detective Prince. Later, whenever this is shown to be the opposite, Kanji... has little of a reaction. He doesn't sigh in relief because he "actually is straight all along!" - he's beginning to connect the dots, that he liked Naoto before, and that he likes Naoto now. That is to say, he liked it whenever Naoto represented as a male, and likes Naoto now that she represents as a girl, too. We can see this struggle plainly before the beauty contest:

"If you do, my doubts will finally be cleared" -- this, to me, comes across as desperation: he wants to be straight. He wants his Shadow self to be wrong, because being gay just doesn't ring a bell with him. Neither does being straight. It doesn't fit him, and he only knows two options: either to be straight... or not be straight.

He is shown to be relieved during the beauty contest, by quietly proclaiming how pretty each contestant is, and whenever Naoto doesn't show up for the final part, he is... quiet. That doubt is creeping in again, and he doesn't know how to grow comfortable with it.

The hard, and unfortunate truth, of Kanji's whole story is that he was born at a time where the term bisexual was treated as a naughty word. It wasn't acknowledged, and many people refused to accept that it existed. Kanji's Social Link ties directly into this struggle, with him making a child a doll, and instead of being chastised for it... the boy thanks him. He doesn't bully him, or ask why a boy is knitting a doll. And Kanji, in turn, doesn't question why a boy would want a plush.

Throughout these exchanges, Kanji grows more and more comfortable with himself:

Because... Kanji knows that his Shadow Self is a part of him. Maybe not to the extremes it portrays, but it is a part of him... and a part of him likes men, as well as women. He likes someone no matter their gender. He realizes, slowly, that he appreciates them all the same, as shown most literally shown with Naoto. Slowly, rank by rank, Kanji opens up: that his strength was used as a cover-up for his knitting, that he thought by being tough nobody would care about his other hobbies. That, while he identified with being tough, he didn't like how it was used: to indicate someone that couldn't possibly like the things that he liked. He didn't identify with that, and he didn't identify with liking everything the "other half" of him had to give, either.

So, at the end... Kanji learns that he doesn't have to pick a "side"; that he just has to be himself, and this self... is who he is, and who he wants to be, and who he is proud to be, at a time where bisexuality wasn't spoken of.

#homophobia mention #tbd. #Maybe? #specific ooc tag. #I tried to cover this as sensitively and as precisely as I could; so hopefully it's okay. #While I do believe Atlus... were probably being homophobic tbh; I do think Kanji's struggles with his sexuality are compelling #and I think it showed well how... awful people were then [and still are to this day]; and how such things can tear you between wanting this #and wanting that. The saddest truth there is that there's LOTS of people - actual people - with a struggle similar to Kanji's #They were raised during a time where men couldn't be emotional. And women couldn't like 'boy' things. #And you were either straight or gay; either a man or a woman; there was nothing outside of that or in-between. #Thankfully we're doing away with that year by year. But I felt like with his story it was important to emphasize how it was #during the early 2010's / earlier than that. #Yada yada. I'll write now.

[incarnadinedreams]

So I finally finished reading TGCF! (The main novel, I haven't gotten to the extras yet). I watched the first season of the donghua ages ago (right after I watched what was available of the MDZS donghua at the time and before I read the MDZS novel), then started reading TGCF as the first volumes of the official English versions were releasing and fell off.

My original plan was to "catch up" through book 5 and just keep up with the official releases. As soon as I finished book 5 I immediately abandoned that plan and went straight to the fan translations (whatever, I'll still be buying the officials as they release so I don't feel too guilty about it).

Anyway, I am feeling..... surprisingly normal about this book? I enjoyed it and had fun reading it and so far have not felt any inklings of obsessive derangement over it.

(Extremely long and rambling first impressions/thoughts after a single quick read below the cut, probably not that interesting. May contain major spoilers, and sorta comparing it to MDZS and specifically JC a bit just because the comparisons get pushed a lot because of the overlap in the fandoms)

Anyway, as a Jiang Cheng Enjoyer I've fairly often seen people say things like 'you should just read TGCF, Mu Qing is actually what JC stans wish Jiang Cheng was' or 'Mu Qing is Jiang Cheng but done right' and I just....... kinda don't see it?

Anyway... Is it just me? Am I stupid and missing something?

I mean, there are some obvious parallels and MXTX very clearly has a pattern/dynamic/formula she likes with the 'best friend side characters' slot, re-used some similar surface-level descriptions for Mu Qing that had been applied to Jiang Cheng (bad-tempered, sarcastic, unlikable, good looking, etc). So I'm definitely not saying people are totally wrong for seeing a connection there.

But they didn't actually feel all that similar to me beyond a handful of traits? And not only because of the tragic lack of jilfy purple electro-whip.

I think part of the problem is that Mu Qing suffered from a serious case of "tell, don't show" in his portrayal... in the text we're being told by other characters that he's so unlikable or has such a nasty personality or is so untrustworthy... but then rarely or never actually says or does anything "on camera" to show that?

Like, this isn't "he has done nothing wrong!" in the "I shall protect this precious blorbo of my heart" way, it's in the "ummmmmm... he has actually... not done anything wrong in this situation...? And I am confused as to why these characters are reacting to him in a way that is so wildly out of proportion to what has actually happened?"

As much as I love Jiang Cheng, he does at least actually say some mean things "on screen" in the novel to earn that bad-tempered sharp-tongued characterization. I might personally think he was perfectly justified in saying about 98% of them and being pissed as hell, but at least he actually does the being angry and bitter and verbal lashing out that he's characterized with. (Though I think he actually does a lot less of it than people seem to think, as most of the time he's just being pretty normal actually. But there are some scenes at least.) Of course, conversely, Wei Wuxian does also do many more actually bad things to balance it out too and make JC's on-screen anger/reactions make a lot more sense.

But Mu Qing on the other hand... a few snippy comments and some eye rolling? Everything else always ends up being someone else baselessly accusing him based on some accidental circumstances that got cleared up with reasonable explanations. His involvement in the whole turf war over the meditation place was mostly him showing up after the rest of them had already made up their minds and he was trying to de-escalate the situation without losing the job he was using to support his mother with or creating more problems.

The only kinda bad things I think he does (be okay with the idea of using the Human Face Disease against the Yong'an people to stop it from spreading in the Xianle capital city) is one of the few things that nobody actually has any issue with him for! You could argue that it was bad to get Hua Cheng kicked out of the army... but also he was 14 and there are no actual details given and tbh that kid was kinda creepy from an outside perspective (even if I liked him)...

To be honest I'd seen a few people making vague comments about his "betrayal" in the past so I knew it was coming, but "I'm gonna go take care of my mom instead of doing these former rich fuck's laundry" was so deeply underwhelming on the betrayal scale I was like "wait, that's it?"

I mean there was not even a siege involved...? Not a single declaration of hatred? Not even a little bit of threatened torture?

Anyway, I was already still feeling some kind of way about that royal laundry situation when I got to the scene in Mt Tonglu where Mu Qing is all "I was in awe of you, you're a better person than me and I wanted to be your friend" while Xie Lian is like "um well you'd spit in someone's cup but you wouldn't poison it so I don't want you to die I guess."

I just felt sort of vaguely put off by the whole exchange and the sense of a total lack of reciprocity from Xie Lian. His whole vibe is "well I don't dislike you enough to let you die, and saving people is my thing in general so, y'know, here I am saving you."

Because what made the whole dynamic work in MDZS was how (even if the characters didn't necessarily know it about the other) they just cared about each other so much, to an absolutely unhinged degree, and that felt missing here. So even though WWX has some of the same vibe of negative or resentful opinions of JC at points, it hits different because they're laid on the backdrop of an utterly unhinged sacrifice specifically and uniquely for Jiang Cheng (which, unknown to WWX, was needed because of a more standard in type but but still unhinged sacrifice of his own that was specifically and uniquely for WWX)

I don't necessarily mind that specific relationship being different or less intense in TGCF (in fact I prefer that it's not just a copy-paste of the same characters going by different names with a bit more polish, the way some people made it sound like it would be), but the way that specific scene played out given the backdrop of how MQ keeps getting treated throughout the rest of the story just felt icky to me. Idk.

A lot of the way the characters interacted with each other just felt like the action and reactions were a little mismatched or something? Something about the behaviors involved didn't ring as painfully, horribly, clearly true to me as they did in so many MDZS scenes.

Anyway I did enjoy both Mu Qing and Feng Xin as characters, I'll definitely be indulging in some FengQing content (recs/links welcome if anyone actually read this far lol), just specifically their relationship with Xie Lian did not inspire in me even a teensy fraction of the depths of absolute feral obsession that the Yunmeng Shuangjie relationship does. It... just did not resonate that way with me. If I had to speculate (in a wild and baseless fashion, source: my ass), I think that toning down the intensity might have even been intentional on the author's part this go around.

Anyway a lot of that was mostly because the expectation of a strong parallel and deep reaction to the Xianle trio's relationship was pre-planted in my mind, and such expectations are generally always doomed to fall short anyway.

As far as the rest of the novel, like I said - it was generally quite enjoyable, I had fun reading it, I'm certainly not trying to trash it! I'd say I actually overall enjoyed the HuaLian relationship developing in the novel itself more than WangXian, in terms of how the flirting was executed. Like "what if you had an extremely dangerous and fervently obsessed stalker, but also make it cute". I don't dislike WangXian, but for me their relationship was just a fun side-plot and not what I really cared about or kept reading for. I did find the Hong-er and lantern ghost flashback scenes quite touching and sweet.

The first ~200 chapters (by the web novel serialization chapter numbers) I'd say were generally constructed better than MDZS, so I see where people say there was a bit of a level up there. The last ~40ish chapters the pacing felt kind of off to me, like there was just too much crammed in and MXTX just wanted it to be over and done with.

The 'uncovering secrets of an ancient lost empire/kingdom' type of plot is my absolute jam, my favoritest trope of all time, I actually loved the concepts there. It was like a two-for-one, since we got the learn about the fall of Xianle which scratched that itch a little bit, and then the full-on mystery aspect with Wuyong. I wish there had been more time spent on the mystery/uncovering information about Wuyong aspect of the plot rather than the answers coming relatively quickly.

Unsurprisingly in addition to Feng Xin and Mu Qing, I was a huge fan of Yushi Huang, Ling Wen, Shi Qingxuan, He Xuan, Lang Qianqiu (his adorable golden retriever energy is irresistible when combined with a Tragic Backstory), Guzi, Yin Yu, Quan Yizhen

Surprise favs were Pei Ming (I'd only seen through the donghua S1 so I kinda had him categorized in my mind as the offscreen God of Fuckboys, but ended up liking him an unreasonable amount) and Qi Rong

Anyway I had all of these thoughts while I was reading then felt a bit guilty about them when I read the postscript because I am the person she was afraid of coming over to read TGCF after MDZS :x

#rambling about tgcf #and specifically some thoughts I had about the comparisons I've seen floating around between jiang cheng and mu qing #not particularly well thought out or anything

[knightofhylia]

Life Overview

It's been a while since I've used this deck and the spirit is rather shy so I did the Life Overview spread for myself for those who like to see before they try tarot!

Me

What potential exits in me now? To be honest, all the potential. Through a mix of good and bad life events (moving, changing jobs) I have a LOT of free time. I definitely am not sitting in the lap of luxury so that is about the only hindrance to the growth. But that being said there is a lot I can do without financial support, my main issue is just choosing a focus (it'sa AuDHD). I'm my own limit and my own roadblock (as usual). Trying to figure out what I want to focus on leads to a lot of reprioritizing and stuff gets thrown out. Currently, I'm still sorting through, creating and aborting projects as they come along.

Family

What have I learned from my visit to the underworld? Well, I have been in recovery of Borderline Personality Disorder for a few months and I'm only getting better. My therapist is extremely proud of the progress I am making. In her 15 years od doing therapy she has only cleared 3 people of being fully recovered from BPD and I intend to be the 4th! Being in the process of recovery has taught me so much. I know when a lot of people see stuff about people overcoming depression or any number of mental illnesses they think 'that can't be me, I'm unfixable' and for 20+ fucking awful miserable years my husband made me get my act together. Recovery feels BAD people. There is nothing glorious about being in your 20s having to fill out emotion charts and hygiene routines and food menus like a preschooler BUT IT WORKED. Now, I can't even remember the last major mood swing I had? it's been years since I last self harmed? I'm comfortable in my body and my friendships? I get along with my family?

And the part about the ancestors is right in light with ancestor month coming in November. I've been pretty hesitant to do ancestor work because of how little information I have, and my history with my relatives. I have been noticing my abusive dad's spirit's influence around and I am nervous about interacting with him spiritually (to be clear, not as a threat, I've asked my guides many times if he is a threat and no, they are filtering his interactions, but that obviously means that they want us to interact).

Friends

lord knows I have had some pretty tumultuous friendships in the past few years. I've been getting dreams about friends from ELEMENTARY school I used to roleplay sonic with and had messy fall outs with, like cmon that was 2 decades ago!! But they are all pointing to the same thing. I've had to cut so many people out, distance myself, it's taken a lot to be able to finally have a comfortable give and take with my friends :) No one is constantly begging me for money anymore, or getting jealous or competitive, we all build each other up and have vast interests and hobbies! during this quarantine after being trapped with my so-called-bestie and having that messy fallout, then being isolated in a new town, the wound has been slow to heal. But I'm at the point where I just don't give a fuck about any of the shit that happened anymore because it's not relevant now. I am definitely seeing my relationships in difference angles from this view.

Love

I think I'm more of the guide in this one lol as a poly marriaged person who has been dating for like 3 years with fucking zero zilch nada to show for it :'). Mostly people who get scared off when we set a single boundary or too immature in too many ways. Not that I haven't dated or had fun relationships but I haven't felt anything NEAR a connection like I have had with my husband even back when we were roomies. As an poly autistic person my platonic and romantic boundary is pretty blurry. Usually like first week of talking to a new friend I'm like damn do I have a romantic crush? Then I'm like nope just new person friend energy. Well it's been a few months and now I'm laying on the floor listening to mitski, hillary duff,and fob so you know they've been haunting my dreams and psyche🙄cringe right? my goofy ass downloaded pokemon go to catch some hearts, and now my husband is playing it with me so it's kinda of a win win either way LOL (hashtag poly life). and to think 7 years ago I was playing Pokemon Go with my roomie so we didn't have to go back to the apartment and deal with my cheating boyfriend and bedbugs.... now we are married 3 years with 4 cats and a mortgage <3 I could not be able to love like I do now without being shown what unconditional love truly with from my spouse <3

Career

Are theyre bonds I still have strong? Oh yes. This card directly correlates to what all my cards across many decks say when I ask them about career. They all talk about community, networks, friends, building things together. At first I interpreted this as 'rely on commissions to live' but now I see it is 'going to events and talking to irl people and bonding with them makes you a good customer to them and therefore they can be a good customer to you when you put yourself out there'. which is why I've been working on more tarot stuff! Another interesting thing about this, with the second question asking if someone can help, I have been considering summoning an ancestor that owes me a LOT and having them to help clear a way for our business. A lot of this is also, a lot of life events happened so the other people who are part of the business are farther away but now we can actually visit each other so working together more is the key.

Although these cards did not appear next to each other I included the duality interpretation because I believe it is still relevant that they both showed up. I think a lot about my legacy since I am doing my part and ending my bloodline :). for me that means preparing for my future reincarnations. I have some ideas for spells I want to do before my death to ensure that my next incarnations have a best astral foot forward! I'm interested in this 'desire for the taboo'. For the two cards to be in the 'career' and 'friends' spot I assume maybe this has to do with the taboo of starting businesses with your friends (which we are doing). Also 'taboo' forms of career could also mean vending and tarot commissions since they are pretty frankly looked down upon as a legit business.

Interpretation:

Life is good! Lots of themes of coming out of darkness, seeing things from different views, and renewal, but not without points to focus on. Friends and Career seem to be my weakest links right now, which both revolve around me interacting socially which like you know how that goes. Lot of things are confirmed here (my crush, my ancestors reaching out, my career path). Looking forward to doing more readings with him!

->Like this spread and deck? Get a free reading from me! <-

#jan ken post #readingskh #tarot #tarot cards #tarot deck #tarot reading #divination #cartomancy #card divination #oracle deck #oracle reading #oracle cards #life overview tarot spread #life reading #life tarot reading

[magnetarbeam]

So based on people's reactions, the most interesting part of all the shit I've thrown at the wall in terms of Voices of the Force is relativistically-time-travelled almost 17 year old Ahsoka sharing a room with Ben and Vestara, so here's some more about that little dynamic. And some headcanons about the Jedi at this point.

When Ahsoka first shows up, she asks about the fact that the word "padawan" doesn't really seem to be in common use anymore, and it's revealed that while the rank is technically called Apprentice, everyone is taught what "padawan" means and some choose to be called by that for various reasons. Vestara, for example, prefers "Padawan Khai" because "Apprentice Khai" is what she was called by the Sith, and this helps her distance herself from that.

For equal and opposite reasons, Ahsoka is fine with being referred to as "Apprentice Tano." I am very much trying to establish that the Jedi of this era have changed, and I think finding out from history about what was happening behind the scenes with Sidious and stufff would make it easier for her to let some things go, it's still, like. If nothing else, "padawan" is associated with "commander" in her traumatized flashbacks.

They're the first people she tells about the Daughter's essence after she finds out. The only other people who knew before that are whatever Council members were at the meeting where Ahsoka herself finds out about it.

Ahsoka drags them both down with her into the depths of reverse grip lightsabers.

Since Vestara knows the lightsaber styles of the Lost Tribe, Ahsoka trains against her a lot.

Ves and Ben pick up some Mando'a profanity pretty quickly. I'm trying not to emphasize that too much, because I don't like a lot of how Mandalorians are portrayed by the books in this period, but Ahsoka was at least one-third raised by... at least half-Mandalorians. I have to acknowledge it in some capacity.

My headcanon about Ahsoka in this period is that instead of having a standard-length lightsaber and a shoto, she has two dual-phase sabers, which can switch between a standard-length and shoto blade. (Instead of stereotypical dual-phase blades like, for instance, Corran's, which have a standard length blade and an extremely extended one.) Ves and Ben helped her figure out how to design it so that the dual-crystal ignition process or whatever it is that means the extended-blade activates faster in a regular dual-phase, also works in reverse here, so it changes from standard to shoto length faster than a common saber would take to deactivate that length of blade.

Finding out about O66 sends Ahsoka into an existential crisis about the relationship she had to the clones, and Ben shows her how to flow-walk so she can find out about the inhibitor chips and take comfort in the fact that they didn't do it on purpose and that it was just as genuine as she thought.

You can't get a holonet connection in the Transitory Mists, which is kind of a problem in terms of receiving requests for Jedi assistance. I guess they have to rely on courier ships or probe droids that just pop out and collect data or something.

None of these three have anywhere near the experience they need to qualify for StealthX combat missions (although Ben technically has the rank) but they definitely try to get a head start on understanding the mechanics of the things.

A random but vaguely relevant headcanon I have is that Ahsoka already knows how to do a Dathomiri blood trail, which she learned from Ventress when they ran into each other and had some time to kill at some point before or during Ahsoka's time with Spar's Protectors leading up to the Legends version of the Siege of Mandalore.

Ahsoka still has the TCW-style wrist comlink, and Vestara and Ben decide they like that idea and come up with similar setups for themselves.

One of my favorite TCW fic tropes/popular headcanons: Togruta purr when given physical affection.

#star wars legends #voices of the force au #ahsoka tano #vestara khai #ben skywalker

[hello-nichya-here]

Imo Light can't be called a hero, in fact in the end he was getting so fixated with the idea of becoming the god of the new perfect world that he wanted every human on Earth to agree with, to the point where he started killing innocent people and was almost ready to kill his family. Manga Light could definitely be counted as a villain, anime Light at least reflected on his actions, maybe even regretted picking up the death note before his death. Seriously Light with his memories erased and the Kira!Light are like two different people...

But at the same time I'm so sick of people deifying L, saying that he's a "hero" with always good intentions. Like, L's goal was to catch Kira, to beat him in a game because he was bored. I'm not even sure that L really cared about Kira's true intentions. And to win the game, he also did selfish things that affected other people. If L was heroic, he would have solved more crime cases to benefit humanity, not just those that he was solely interested in. This quote describes the truth the best:

"Kira is childish and hates losing. I'm also childish and hate losing." - L Lawlight

And yet these two have the audacity to call themselves justice. What do you think about this?

I mean, that IS the point. Light and L are two sides of the same coin. Both characters:

1 - Show a disconnect from the rest of the world (Light has really shallow, basically performatic relationships with others, L has isolated him almost completely).

2 - Show little to no real care, respect, or affection to other people, with some exceptions (his sister and father for Light, Watari and Naomi for L).

3 - Are absolutely brilliant, and that contributes to their isolation (both because they can't relate to others AND because they see themselves as superior).

4 - Are VERY obsessive.

5 - Found something that allows them to get away with basically anything (L had money and influence, Light had his reputation and the death note, both had the fact that their crimes couldn't be connected to them).

6 - Did a few good things for completely wrong reasons (Light killed some truly awful people who would have hurted others if he had not killed them, L tried to capture a literal serial killer with a God complex).

7 - Did HORRIBLE things to try assuring their own victory.

These two are pretty much one in the same, that's why they got so fixated on each other. All the times they made the same monologue at the same time in different places were deliberate attempts at showing that the only thing that makes them different is circumstance.

Now, regarding regret and Light being a "completely" different person without his memories, we need to keep in mind that:

1 - The death note did NOT create Light's bad traits, it only intensified them AND gave him the means to get away with almost anything.

2 - Light was possessed by a "demon" (Shinigami) and that messed with his sanity. Like I said, it didn't change him COMPLETELY, but it did make him worse, and we don't know how things would have played out if he had the death note, but wasn't possessed.

3 - Both in the manga and in the anime, Light demonstrated some kind of regret/guilt. In the manga it is shown that he struggled to come to terms with what he had done once he started killing people, while in the anime he had that moment when he was moments away from being killed.

4 - L "joined" humanity when he accepted the fact that he was going to die. Light (in the manga) kept trying to separate himself from it by convincing himself that death would not be the end for him/that he was beyond being killed like a mere human, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He was STILL forced to join the rest of humanity, and to truly become one in the same with his rival because, in Ryuk's own words, DEATH IS EQUAL.

Fans might love to misinterpret the "I am justice" speech as making it about either Light or L being correct, or even about them being the "two extremes of justice" as I've seen people claim once or twice, but the real point of the story is in the name DEATH Note. Death makes everyone the same. It just so happened that Light and L were the same while they were alive too.

If you want to read me ramble about Light and why death was the ultimate fuck you to him, click the post bellow:

https://hello-nichya-here.tumblr.com/post/664420189770743808/why-was-light-yagami-wrong

#asks #death note #death note meta #light yagami #l lawliet

[willel]

As positive as I am that we'll get some really good Willel scenes in s5 because of the season heavily focusing on them both, the writers truly fumbled their connection BIG TIME during s3 and s4. Imo, s1 and s2 were nearly perfect for them because they were clearly acting as foils of each other but they should've shown their first meeting at the snowball dance and kicked off their dynamic from there.

It's a little disappointing because I know we'll be fed but I feel like we won't be able to get everything we wanted out of their relationship in s5 because there's so little time left. Not even just the twin dynamic but their deep connection to the upside down and each other.

Oh yeah I agree. I was extremely frustrated with season 3, but less so with season 4. Season 3 I think was the biggest let down.

Even they admitted season 3 was the "Haha, fun times!" season for them and that just.... wasted SO much time. The character writing was straight up gone. Gone gone. All character moments were small, fleeting, and left behind as soon as the "blockbuster fun" came in.

Season 3 just... wasted so much time and effort.

I've seen the writers post images of Will and El giving each other knowing looks in season 3 multiple times so clearly that is their way of saying "See? They're connected" but that is not enough.

I wish season 3 had been about El finally becoming bffs with Max (cause that was sorely needed), but I also wish they had done more to indicate Will and El were connected as well. Not just knowing glances. But conversations. Realizations. El asking questions that Will doesn't even want to think about. Will putting forth more information about the Mind Flayer. etc etc.

It was just a waste spent on teenage drama, the mall, and the scooby doo ice cream gang adventures in a boring russian storyline. (yes, the season 3 russian storyline was ass, they definitely improved it in season 4)

I was so sad that we didn't get to see the Byers + El living together at the end of season 3 or any kind of interaction between El and the Byers (except Joyce) before they moved away. Like.......... you'd think Will or Jonathan would say something right? I mean, they haven't know any place other than Hawkins either, but that rings especially true for El???

I dunno man. Tsk tsk.

But hey, that's what fanfiction is for.

I can only hope when series ends they'll FINALLY write a freakin' book about the Byers and El. Like goodness grief we get NOTHING about them basically.

We got a few unserious obviously not canon comics and that's it. It's like "Ok, if you're not gonna write about them in the show can we at least get a semi-canon book about their past and in-between moments???"

#ask

[unloneliest]

For the tmg album asks: The Life of the World To Come?

thank you so, so much for this ask - the life of the world to come was my first mountain goats album and remains the most important to me to this day <3

the best song on the album: matthew 25:21 speaks to grief in a way that is genuinely incomparable in my experience. i think it'd be a crime to suggest any other song off this album for best song.

my favorite song on the album: extremely difficult to answer. genesis 3:23 like. changed my life. i'd heard a few tmg songs before my best friend played me genesis 3:23 but wasn't Into The Goats. and since then i've been like. guy who almost exclusively listens to the mountain goats. it also had an insane impact on my original story. but if we're permitting bonus tracks too, the itunes bonus track, enoch 18:14, is like. one of the best songs in tmg's discography to me and i love it in a place beyond words.

my least favorite song on the album: my least favorite song on this album is ezekiel 7 and the permanent efficacy of grace, but like. it's still a song with complex layers of meaning and personal emotional connection for me, i very much so love and have cried to this song, the others just all outrank it.

the most overrated song on the album: psalms 40:2. people aren't wrong to love it as much as they do, but it's the song i see recognized the most off of this album and it's far from the best song on the album as a whole! no hate to psalms 40:2, just a wish that the rest of the album got More recognition.

most underrated: 1 samuel 15:23? i don't actually know the definitive lowest rated song on this album, but i also don't think i've ever seen any love for this track. it's not My Favorite of all the songs on this album? it's not top 3 for me? but it is like really important to me. it stands at the threshold to this album and stands by your side as you enter the emotional space the album occupies. it's a guardian of sorts to me, and i treasure it, and it brings me to some crystal clear memories of a beloved friend's home. the only other transitional guardian like it i can name in the discography is going to chino, which i love just as earnestly.

the banger of all bangers: i'd be lying if i didn't say psalms 40:2, straight up. to avoid repeat answers though i'm gonna shout out romans 10:9 which was my alarm clock when i worked at an airport starbucks for the 3:30 am shift and was getting at most 3 hours of sleep at a time but frequently less.

rate from 0-10: ten. i love you the life of the world to come.

#jam replies #waterloggedsoliloquy #art looking over my shoulder: 'truly fuck the song titles on this album'. me voice 'these are all off the dome' #<- tag added b4 i completed my answer. but the only numbers i actually had to check were for 1 samuel 15:23 #ANYWAYS it feels like a crime to not mention hebrews 11:40 re: this ask. it feels like the most Me goats song in the discography which is #different from what's my favorite. #tmg posting #the life of the world to come

[good-beans]

Ok, without any personal spoilers, Ochako and All Might for the character breakdown!

Lmao it turns out I had a lot to say on them so I put it under the cut :) Thank you for the ask!!

How I feel about this character: I love her so much!! I wish I posted more about her, but she has such a special place in my heart. Her very first scene gave me a wonderful first impression because she started out helping Midoriya, but she was still pretty awkward. Give me a character who's incredibly sweet and helpful but not the most charismatic and I'm in lol! Even though I knew they were setting up for love interest-ing, she was always her own person first -- yeah people talk shit about feminine characters needing to be “tough” to make them cool, but even before she showed her kickass side, she was beloved by being the sweet, pink, girly friend. Little by little I’ve seen my high school self in her, and so her moments of strength and optimism always hit a bit different. On a silly note, I'm also sappy that we look similar: I had like 6 family members see the art of her on my phone case and go "aw is that you?" 

-All the people I ship romantically with this character: My favorite ship for her is definitely with Iida! It's already clear what good friends they are, they'd make a really sweet pair ;-; They'd compliment each other in many ways, which I'm always a sucker for. I am not immune to the art with her and Asui -- I can see that being such a cute relationship. And I'm honestly not against her ending up with Midoriya (which is likely what will happen lol)! I mean, he definitely has a Lot going on between him and several of the boys asdfgbh but I think the two of them are real good for each other.

-My non-romantic OTP for this character: Todoroki :D I've seen so much content of them as the best of friends and it never fails to hit me right in the heart.

-My unpopular opinion about this character: I'll be honest, I don't know the typical fandom takes on her, so idk where this would fall? I think her parallels with Toga are amazing and I genuinely hope they can be on good terms in the end. The parallel gets a weird vibe because their similarities started with "had a crush on a boy," but I believe they're similar in a lot more ways, and it would be really beautiful to see them connecting and growing because of those...

-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I haven't seen the really new stuff so maybe they do bring it up, but I always wanted more about her reason for becoming a hero! I think her original reason – making money for her family – was extremely noble, but I wonder if she ever questions it as the situations get more dire (aka, "why am I doing something this dangerous if I'm doing all this for my family? I can't help them if I'm dead...) Or have her motivations changed after being with 1A this long? When exactly did she notice they changed? 

---

-How I feel about this character: adfghh I fucking love this dude! I was so suspicious of him season one, but he's such a cool and unique character -- and just a funny guy 😂 He starts off larger than life (both in canon and to the audience) and little by little becomes such a real and normal man who’s trying his best in that world. He’s so aware of this character he’s playing, but not crushed by the burden because he’s the one that did it on purpose (unlike most hero stories where they’re forced into the savior role), and yet he is sorta crushed by it as time goes on! He loves the Symbol and can’t escape but doesn’t want to escape and that’s so cool.

-All the people I ship romantically with this character: I could never get into any of the ships with him, unfortunately. I don't know exactly what it is, but I can never see him dating, much less settling down with the way he is.

-My non-romantic OTP for this character: I really like him and Aizawa! They have a fun contrast of introvert/extrovert, public symbol/hates the spotlight, doing this for years/never taught a class before now – but they have so many similarities that bring them together in the end. They both live such crazy lives, it’s so nice to see them as reliable teacher friends ;-; I don't think you've gotten to it yet, but they have a beautiful moment talking about motivation to live that solidified their relationship for me.

-My unpopular opinion about this character: I don’t see him as Midoriya's dad 😅 I see so many things ranging from making him a dad figure to literally shipping him with Inko to make him part of the family. It's sweet, but I just feel like he fulfills a different relationship/role model to Midoriya than a parent. Midoriya is such a crazy fan, it’d be weird and unhelpful for his all-time inspiration in that way to become a father figure, idk

-One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I just would have liked to see more of young Toshinori, or him with his mentor more. I'm so curious about the quirkless child that thought up the very idea of becoming The Symbol!

#bnha #ochako uraraka #all might #thank you :D these are always so fun #i needed a reason to procrastinate on work today so it was fun to think about these ;-; #thank you @ging-ler for the phone case -- it was a significant amount of people who asked me about it and I got to show it off 😂 #ask #rose posts

[taeyamayang]

Hello hello! Since you still have a few slots open, I'd love to join your 365 days event! I'd like to get a JJK matchup please (and TR, if you're accepting multiple fandoms) :D

Alrighty, so starting off, I'm definitely an introvert. I'd love nothing more than to stay at home all day & avoid people (gosh, I'm making myself sound like a complete hermit, lol). When I do go out & socialize, I like to present myself as a friendly person to others - despite the fact that I'm quite cynical & wary of most people. I'm very selective about whom I choose to trust & get close to, but towards those that I do trust, I'm extremely caring, loyal, accepting & protective. I also become super chatty + physically affectionate lol. Loyalty is definitely my strongest suit & once I've given it to someone, there's pretty much nothing that'd make me turn my back on them.

I pride myself in being able to accurately pick up a person's mood through their tone of voice (not so much through their expressions or body language), though if I sense someone's in a foul mood, I'll do my best to avoid them (loved ones included). I am an emotional person & cry easily, especially when stressed or being yelled at. Definitely don't like confrontations & try to avoid them when I can. As I take care of a family member w/ epilepsy, I've developed a very gentle side (not that it comes out much) + a tendency to worry too much. Also, super random, but I am not a morning person. Don't talk to me unless necessary within 2 hours of me waking up, or I'll become extremely grouchy.

As for hobbies, I love reading, playing the piano, writing letters, researching or hearing about crime cases (a bit morbid, but to each their own!), listening to classical or jazz, eating sweets & drinking tea. I also absolutely adore cats. I highly dislike dogs & bad hygiene or anything dirty. Unfortunately, I can't tell you whom I kin as I've never really felt that kind of connection towards any character & I've yet to be told by my friends that I resemble a certain character.

Annnnd, that should be it! Thank you so much in advance! <3

(P.S. Love your blog! Always look forward to seeing you on my dashboard. Keep up the wonderful work & make sure to keep yourself happy & hydrated! <33)

hello there bubs! before i start, we have things in common (which i thought is interesting) as morbid as it may sound i love love crimes documentaries and reading about them, and also cats!

the two characters i pair you with are the first characters that popped in my head and thought, yeah, you guys may work out. so for jjk i pair you with:

Gojo Satoru: you mentioned about being random and talkative and i thought that's quite similar to gojo our boy. i bet he can handle your randmoness and overall amiable personality. gojo doesn't mind gory and morbid stuff, which it turns you are interested in. so, i do think if there's anyone is willing to listen to him rant about headless corpses and bloody curses, it's got to be you. another thing, gojo isn't the type to express himself through facial expressions. he changes the tone of his voice depending on who and what he is dealing with. since you have a skill to determine someone's mood through tone shifts, you and gojo will understand each other.

and for tokyo revengers i pair you with:

Seishu Inui: this man has a clear grasp of reality, had a fair share of downs, and clearly knows how the underground life works. contrary to gojo, i paired you with an introverted fellow with a handful of experiences. these experiences are what made inui one of the most loyal characters i know. based from how you described yourself, i have an impression that you are kind, soft-hearted, and loving individual. hence, you deserve someone as like inui.

thanks for joining and thank for the kind words you said at the latter part of your entry, it means a lot! hope you enjoyed this ♡

m.list | jjk.list | tr.list | event | event list

#jujutsu kaisen #jjk gojo #gojo satoru #jjk matchups #tokyo revengers #tokyo rev inui #inui seishu #tokyo rev matchups #pea.events

[nighttimeoracle]

🔮 feedback for nighttimeoracle’s soulmate reading:

well first off, before even getting the reading i know i had made such a good choice of reader because asteria is an absolute darling. she’s so kind and polite and is willing to answer any questions you have before booking as well as have a pleasant conversation. even if you’re not trying to book a reading, just go talk to asteria and you’ll instantly feel good.

the reading itself was EXTREMELY informative and it was sent so fast but also beautifully written. you can tell she has a passion for not only helping others but writing itself. it was a good mix of fun but also enlightening on the whole REASONING for your soulmate connection. it resonated a little too much to the point i freaked out. my situation is a bit complicated so the fact that she had hit the nail on the head i was like… wait a minute, are you my soulmate cause how do you know that? also her way of writing out the reading is sooooo enchanting like she definitely has a way with words, like the ones of bestselling novelists type shit. you won’t be able to stop looking at it or reading it. i had to reread shit cause i was so captivated by the way she would word stuff but also add her own flair in there. ALSO, the way she words the 18+ stuff is hot af but also elegant? how she does that idk but she does it and she does it wellllllll.

one thing i wasn’t expecting was seeing how much it was gonna impact me. i was struggling for a while on my own blockages/resistance when it came to love. i felt like something was missing. i certainly didn’t expect for this reading to “trigger” me (in a good way) into self-reflection for days. i couldn’t stop thinking about it and it was for a reason. i ended up having a breakthrough with this reading itself. i’m telling you right now, a reading (let alone a love reading) has never had me go through this. asteria is a true lightworker and healer, her words had me in a chokehold for days until i faced my trauma LMAO. but it was all good, i felt like ive gotten out of a funk and am ready to tackle the issues i have within love and relationships.

overall, getting a reading from asteria is soooo worth it and tbh was gonna tell her to up her prices because i think she undercuts herself a bit (yeah asteria girl, im looking at you 🧐) BUT i do feel like she means nothing but the best, her energy is wholesome, her readings are fulfilling and it’s soooo clear that the amount of effort she puts into her work is due to her passion for helping others.

YALL BETTER BOOK WITH ASTERIA RIGHT NEEOOOWWWW!

thank you so much asteria for your time and your energy, as well as clarifying certain things for me. you’re amazing! x

You have no idea how much this message means to me 🥺 I've been reading it over and over again! Speechless! While I pour my heart and guts on any reading, I could not know how anyone might be affected if I'm not informed, so I can only hope my efforts for providing guidance and healing are successful. Thank you for letting me know of your experience after the reading, the nice conversation we had prior, and specially for reminding me that I'm on the right path 💛

#tarot review #feedback #tarot readers #tarot readings #intuitive readings #psychic readings #love readings

[tim-mcnamara]

My Rust Nation 2024

I've finally had a chance to pause after getting back from London. An immeasurable thank you to Ernest Kissiedu for the invitation to present.

Because I suck at selfies, but selfies are extremely popular, here is a selfie of me not looking at the camera:

A real business

Seeing my logo next to many others definitely made me take a breath and realise that I have created something meaningful. So many people have supported Tim Clicks, via financial contributions and positive messages during difficult times.

For people who have been following me for a while will know that my Rust consultancy, Accelerant, is less than a year old.

I decided to use the flagship Tim Clicks brand as the logo and it looks amazing. The branding work for Tim Clicks is all done by John at Underscorefunk Design and I recommend them wherever I can.

The conference began for me before the conference

If you're interested in podcasts, you should consider listening to the recording of the Twitter Space that I recorded with Ernest in the lead up to the event. It was wonderful to have the opportunity to chat about Rust and the opportunity that Rust offers the world:

Four talks in a week (including a full day workshop)

Rust London

Giving an impromptu lightning talk at Rust London was a fun highlight. I was able to rehearse a few lines from my talk, which was a nice bonus.

Rust in Enterprise workshop

I wasn't too sure what to expect when Ernest pitched the idea of hosting a workshop for the conference. I was already quite busy and overworked. In the end, it was a really incredible day.

Photo: Rust Nation via LinkedIn.

Talk: Unwrapping Unsafe

I spent weeks on this. Possibly more than 100 hours of research. After all of that time though, I decided to change the focus of talk radically to focus on explaining unsafe for the audience. It's strange to see that condensed down to 30 minutes or so. But there's bound to be another talk or two on this topic in the future.

Talk: 4 levels of error handling in Rust

Unfortunately, a speaker had to pull out. I offered to step in and am quite happy with the result.

The conversations are the best part

The talks are amazing, but the best part of a tech conference is the ability to shake hands. It was also really wonderful to connect with many people who I have only met online.

Possibly one of the most exciting points was to agree to start a partnership with Ben Wishovich, co-maintainer of Leptos, to provide full stack web development to clients.

Reflecting on a year

[Content warning: mental illness]

Flying home, I spent lots of time writing in my diary. Lots of that time spent coming back to my guilt at missing many deadlines for projects, such as my in-progress courses, which are very late. Suicidal thoughts have been a near-constant part of my background noise as an adult, and that background noise is much louder when I only have my own head to listen to.

Travel also imposes a large cost on my kids. I am almost constantly worried about my impact that my trips have on my girls. But I also know that we have lots of wonderful time together. I tend to work from home most the the time as well, which means that I get to spend more time with them than most Dads.

Connecting with me

I want to keep the discussions going, whether that means helping you with Rust or something else. Here are a few links:

Join my Discord server, CLICKS LOUNGE. This is the best way to keep a conversation going.

Find me on LinkedIn. If you would like to add me as a connection though, please send me a note rather than sending an anonymous request.

Support me on Patreon.

At some point, I would like to expand this into a fuller post but I've promised myself to time-box this one and make progress on some other tasks.

Wishing you all the best!

#rust nation #rustlang #rust programming