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headspace-hotel · 3 months

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Problems like climate change, where solving them requires millions of people to collectively work at hundreds of different solutions at once, are black holes for internal peacefulness because they give you a type of frustration where you alternately become bitter towards yourself or everyone around you. "If only I could work harder to fix the problem!" makes you exhausted, so you must become angry at others: "If only they cared about the problem!"

People who are already working on fixing climate change need to convince more people to work on it. And a popular thing is to share writings that describe how doomed we all are if climate change is not fixed, how terrible everything will be because of climate change, and how quickly all the treasures of our world are being lost.

There is a particular understanding of human behavior that is being accepted here without thinking about it hard enough. Popular news media shows headlines with terrible prophecies, written that way in hopes of getting the attention of otherwise disinterested people, who will then be "motivated" to fix climate change.

The trouble is that fear is no good for motivating thoughtful, patient, steady commitment to solving a problem. Fear is made to cause an organism to avoid things that might harm it. It creates a brief and explosive pulse of action where the organism's energy pours out as it instinctively, thoughtlessly reacts to escape the danger as fast as possible.

It's silly to blame people for avoiding thinking about climate change. The point of an organism responding to stressors is to avoid them. Oftentimes, the only tool people are presented with is personal choices about what products to buy, which inevitably is horribly frustrating and stressful, since a person will frequently be coerced by their situation into buying a certain product, and even if they don't they see others doing it all the time.

Relentless exposure to imminent threats that cannot be escaped causes Trauma, which severely impacts a person's ability to be resilient to stressors.

I think there is definitely a type of trauma associated with being constantly aware of the destruction of the environment and feeling helpless to do anything about it, especially since we as humans have a deep need for contact with other living things and aspects of the natural world, such as trees, water, flowers, and animals—a need that is often totally denied and treated as merely a Want or a hobby meant only for certain people who enjoy particular activities, like Hiking or Gardening.

We need to expand our minds on how this disconnection can hurt a human being. Imagine if a child's need to be loved by their caregivers, a person's need to be loved by their friends and family, was treated as a desire for indulgence or luxury, or a certain use of free time!

Yes, yes, one person has a condition that makes it hard to walk up hills, another doesn't like the bright sunshine, another is allergic to the grass or fungal components of the outdoor world, but WE ARE PART OF THE FAMILY OF ALL LIFE ON EARTH and WE EXIST IN SYMBIOSIS WITH THE ENVIRONMENT WHICH TAKES CARE OF US. Who showed you what beauty was, who taught you to feel peace and relief inside you in the form of a caressing breeze and rustle of leaves, who gave you awe and wonder at seeing the stars or the mountains? Where does every delicious food come from but the soil teeming with creatures? Isn't the most perfectly sweet berry grown from a plant, nurtured by the soil and pollinated by the bugs? Don't you feel delight at seeing a springy carpet of moss, a little mushroom, or a tiny bird? Think of all that the trees give us. Whose breath do you breathe? Whose body frames your home?

The writings of Indigenous writers such as the book by Mary Siisip Genuisz I am reading right now show me that the other life forms are our family. They take care of us and provide for us, and they would miss us if our species disappeared. Isn't that a powerful, healing fact? I think everybody is so enthusiastic about the book Braiding Sweetgrass because it is a worldview that those of us coming from the dominant colonizer culture are straight up ravenous, starving to death for.

Maybe, I think to myself, humans can experience a kind of trauma from being deprived a relationship with their Earth, just as they would experience trauma from being deprived relationships with other humans.

I really believe that it hurts us to be surrounded by concrete instead of soil, to see a majestic tree cut down on a whim without any justice possible, to see wild animals mostly in the form of mangled corpses on the roadside, to have poison sprayed everywhere to kill the insects that life depends on, to hear traffic and lawn mowers and weed whackers instead of birds and flowing water.

We KNOW that this is physically bad for our health, the stifling, polluted, and stressful environments of a civilization that doesn't know the ways of the plants, but I think it's a kind of moral injury too, right? To see a beautiful field turned into a housing development of ugly, big, expensive houses—no thought given to the butterflies and sparrows and quail of the field? To see a big old tree cut down, a pond full of frogs obliterated and turned into a drainage ditch beside a gas station? They aren't just things, they are lives, and while expansion and profit and progress are "necessary," a nice old field of wildflowers or a pond full of frogs are a different kind of necessary. I remember feeling this as a child without words for it—the sheer cruelty of a world that is totally without reverence for the other creatures.

"They own the property, they can cut down the tree" "They bought the land, they can do what they want with it" <but it can also be wrong, and many people know this on some level, even though our culture doesn't provide us with the framework.

Fear could never give people the motivation to fix climate change. Constant fear of what will happen in the future forces a person to protect themselves from the relentless stress by shutting it out entirely or developing apathy.

A fear based argument for fixing climate change either causes a worldview of nature with no bond of kinship at all, based on the physical and practical dependence on Nature as a "resource," or forces people to experience their kinship with Nature only through grief.

Fear tells us that we want to live—it does not tell us WHY to live. If a person tries to live on fear alone, they will eventually find the desire to live burdensome and painful in itself. I see this emerging on a society wide scale in the USA, feeding on influences from the Christian evangelicalism that sees the Earth as something already sullied and worthless, to be thrown away like a dirty tissue, and on the looming monolith of nuclear winter that gave our parents recurring nightmares as children.

If you go to r/collapse on Reddit (don't do that) you will see a whole community of people who cope with the threat of climate change by fantasizing about it, imagining it as a collective punishment for all humanity and a cathartic release from the present painful situation.

We cannot learn to live without seeing the reason for living. We cannot save the Earth without loving it. We cannot heal nature without caring for it. In order to collectively take action against climate change, we must be moved by something other than fear—and that something is love. Not just love of the outdoors as an activity, but love of the Earth as something that loves us.

The dominant Western culture cannot borrow Indigenous land stewardship techniques as though they are just one climate resilience strategy, without being also willing to change its dreadfully impoverished way of viewing human relationships with Nature.

What right have we to think, "Huh, maybe those guys were on to something with the multi-level polyculture systems and controlled burns" while still thinking humans are nothing but a disease on the Earth, and that Earth would be happy to be rid of us? The sustainable ways of using the land practiced traditionally by cultures who have lived in relationship with their ecosystems for many generations work because humans can exist in mutualistic symbiosis with the life forms around them. We care for them. They care for us.

I know for a fact that plants seek relationships with us, and I was taught by them to see how interconnected everything really is, and how I was made to be a caretaker of my ecosystem. I was, a few years ago, just as I describe above. Too scared and pessimistic about the future of nature to bother loving it, and because of this, I could not realize my niche in the ecosystem. It felt for many years like I could do nothing—i believed in climate change, but I felt hopeless, so I put it out of my mind. But when I began to cultivate a love and reverence for the sad, scraggly, beaten-down fragments of Nature around me, everything changed. So much became possible.

I am still learning and exploring, trying to open my mind to ideas totally different than the ones I knew growing up, paying close attention to every plant and learning its ways. And it stuns me to think—some people write about climate change without this process.

The author of the book "The Uninhabitable Earth" (a scary book about how doomed the Earth is because of climate change) says in the beginning of the book that he is not very much of a nature lover. You fool, love is our most powerful evolutionary adaptation!

#climate change #the ways of the plants #plants #nature #environment #symbiosis

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blueicequeen19 · 29 days

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The Nanny

Warnings: Rafe cheating on his wife with the nanny 🔥

I’d been a nanny for the Cameron’s since their oldest was a baby. They moved me into the guest house, paid for my college, and paid me more than I ever dreamed. I was extremely grateful for the opportunity even when I’d catch Mr Cameron staring at me for long periods of time.

I won’t lie by saying I didn’t enjoy the attention and living in OBX gave me the perfect opportunity to run around in bikini or crop tops or dresses. I’d feel his eyes on my skin like a warm caress, making me burn hotter and hotter until I had no choice but to leave the room.

I made sure to never catch myself in a room alone with him out of fear of what he’d do. What I’d let him do.

I wasn’t worried about his wife because more often than not, I’d spot a blonde, shaggy haired Pogue slipping out the back door on weekends that Mr Cameron was working despite her being pregnant with his fourth child. I wasn’t sure if Mr Cameron was entirely faithful either.

They fought so much that I was constantly trying to keep their children busy. Then when I’d check to make sure it was safe to come back inside, I’d find Mr Cameron taking his wife against the counter or on top of the kitchen table. On the stairs. In the middle of the floor.

She was always facing away from him and he’d always lock eyes with me while he pounded into her. Id ache between my thighs for days. No amount of touching myself would help. I’d seen his thick cock countless times in five years and I craved it. Something had to be wrong with me. I couldn’t risk losing everything.

I was deep in thought as I made my way back to the pool house where I lived that I didn’t even notice the door being unlocked as I stepped inside or the spicy scent of expensive cologne until it was too late.

“Mr Cameron.” I breathed, a lump forming in my throat as I watched him turn the side lamp on.

“It’s been five years, Y/N, I think we’re past the formalities.” His lips tip up into an arrogant smirk, “Plus you’ve seen my cock on more than one occasion so please, call me Rafe.” I couldn’t speak as his eyes raked over me, making me clench my thighs.

“W-what can I do for you?” I breathe. His wife and kids were asleep not far from here, just across the yard. He couldn’t be here. What if she came looking for him? Why was it suddenly so hot in here?

“I want you to fuck me. Whenever I want. However I want.” Mr Cameron said with confidence, lighting my blood on fire as my eyes widen.

“Your wife— your kids—what—.”

He suddenly stands, crossing the room quicker than I can back away.

“My wife is fucking a Pogue in my bed when I’m not here. I’m pretty sure one or two of my children aren’t even mine.” I gasp as my back hits the wall and his large hand finds the back of my neck. Our bodies are suddenly flush and I can’t breathe.

“Mr Cameron—.”

“It’s Rafe or sir, Y/N. Mr Cameron is my father and I won’t have you reminding me of him when I’m inside you.” Heat pools in my belly and I can’t stop from whimpering.

“I know you feel me watching you. I know you want me as much as I want you. It’s written all over your face.” His thumb swipes over my bottom lip, prying it free from my teeth.

“If your wife finds out I could lose everything.” I whisper, my hands fisted at my sides.

“You work for me. You belong to me.” My heart races in my chest, his possessiveness making my knees weak.

“You’ll take care of my kids during the day and you’ll take care of me at night. I’ll double your salary and fuck you so hard you’ll see stars. Do we understand each other?” I find myself nodding before I can fully grasp what he’s saying.

“Good. Show me to your room.” I blink a few times before realizing he’s stepped away from me, letting me pass. I can’t take in a full breath as I lead him up the stairs and to my bedroom. My knees are weak and when he locks the door behind him, they nearly give out.

“Face me.”

I do.

“Strip.”

I do that too.

I’m so wet between my thighs that they’re practically stuck together. I’d never been more turned on in my life. A stiff wind could make me cum right now. The ache only intensifies as he devours me with his eyes as he strips off his clothes, draping them over the chair before making his way towards me.

“This first time is going to be quick.” He pushes me down on the bed, the heat of his body making me gasp as he kneels between my legs.

“I’m so hard that it hurts.” He shoves my legs wider apart before taking the thick head of his cock and running it along my slit.

“Fuck, you’re so wet. Making a fucking mess for me, baby.” He groans. I whimper, unable to form words as we both watch his movements.

“Next time I’m going to take my time with you and savor this.” The head slips in and I gasp, my nails biting into his biceps.

“I just can’t control myself right now. I need you too badly.” When he pushes in further, a deep sexy groan escapes him and I clench around the head, making him hiss between his teeth as he comes down on top of me. We’re both shaking as he sinks deeper and deeper until I’m so full that it hurts.

“Fuck, you feel good. Fucking made for me.” I resist the urge to kiss him as we come chest to chest and he rolls his hips, stealing another moan from me.

“So hold on. Because this time I’m going to fuck you within an inch of your life.”

#smutwarning #outer banks smut #obx2 #rafe outer banks #dark rafe cameron #rafe cameron x smut #rafe cameron #rafe fanfiction #rafe x you #rafe x reader #rafe imagine #outerbanks rafe #rafe obx #rafe smut #outer banks fanfiction #blueicequeen19

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calisources · 5 months

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𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐋𝐋𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐁𝐈𝐑𝐃𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐒𝐍𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐐𝐔𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐒. all sentences have been taken from the hunger games: the ballad of songbirds and snakes book and some from the movie trailers. might include spoilers for the movie and book. change pronouns and locations and names as you see fit.

“Nothing you can take from me was ever worth keeping.”

“Being from the Capitol doesn’t give you that right. Nothing does.”

“Well, as they said, it's not over until the mockingjay sings.”

“People aren’t so bad, really, It’s what the world does to them.”

“That is the thing with giving your heart. You never wait for someone to ask. You hold it out and hope they want it.”

“Snow lands on top.”

“I think there’s a natural goodness built into human beings. You know when you’ve stepped across the line into evil, and it’s your life’s challenge to try and stay on the right side of that line.”

“Before need, before love, came trust.”

“And try not to look down on people who had to choose between death and disgrace.”

“What are lies but attempts to conceal some sort of weakness?”

“The strain of being a full-fledged adult every day had grown tiresome.”

“You can blame it on the circumstances, the environment, but you made the choices you made, no one else.”

“Wars are won by heads not hearts.”

“There is a point to everything or nothing at all, depending on your worldview.”

“You're mine and I'm yours. It's written in the stars.”

“But better off sad than dead.”

“What young brains lack in experience they sometimes make up for in idealism. Nothing seems impossible to them.”

“I think it’s more important than love. I mean, I love all kinds of things I don’t trust.”

“I’m planning to build a whole new beautiful life here. One where, in my own small way, I can make the world a better place.”

“If the war’s impossible to end, then we have to control it indefinitely. Just as we do now.”

“What was there to aspire to once wealth, fame, and power had been eliminated? Was the goal of survival further survival and nothing more?”

“They were both after all, still children whose lives were dictated by powers above them.”

“Star-crossed lovers meeting their fate.”

“I’m bad news, all right.”

“The ability to control things. Yes, that was what he’d loved best of all.”

“What happened in the arena? That’s humanity undressed. The tributes. And you, too.”

How quickly civilization disappears. All your fine manners, education, family background, everything you pride yourself on, stripped away in the blink of an eye, revealing everything you actually are.”

“A boy with a club who beats another boy to death. That’s mankind in its natural state”

“Please, Coriolanus, I would never forget the favor.”

“Who are human beings? Because who we are determines the type of governing we need.”

“What sort of agreement is necessary if we’re to live in peace? What sort of social contract is required for survival?”

“It’s just the kind of story that catches fire.”

“And last but least, District Twelve girl . . . she belongs to Coriolanus Snow.”

“Man is born free; and everywhere he is in chains.”

“If history teaches you anything, it’s how to make the unwilling comply.”

“You know what I won’t miss? People. Except for a handful. They’re mostly awful, if you think about it.”

“And to erase me, they must erase the Games.”

“Why did these people think that all they needed to start a rebellion was anger?”

“And if even the most innocent among us turn into killers in the Hunger Games, what does that say? That our essential nature is violent.”

“It's the things we love most, that destroy us.”

“We all did things we’re not proud of.”

“What are the Hunger Games for?”

"If you want to protect people, then it's essential to accept what human beings are and what it takes to control them."

“Hope is the only thing stronger than fear."

“If the cause wasn’t honorable, how could it be an honor to participate in it?”

“He’s a Capitol boy and clearly I got the cake with the cream, ’cause nobody else’s mentor even bothered to show up to welcome them.”

“To dine with her suggests that you consider her your equal. But she isn’t.”

“The endless dance with hunger had defined his life.”

"In nature, things that are prey, that are weak, are marked"

"The world is not kind to those who don't fit in"

"We all wear masquerades in this Capitol"

, "There's a price for everything, Lucy. Sometimes you pay it willingly, sometimes it's taken from you,"

"Freedom is not given, it is taken"

“I’m not convinced that we are all as inherently violent as you say, but it takes very little to bring the beast to the surface, at least under the cover of darkness.”

#rp meme #sentences memes #rp resources #meme call #roleplay memes #sentence meme #( cali meme. )#rp memes #rp prompt #rp musings #roleplay prompt

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messy-crisantemo · 1 year

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Since we’ve entered a Gentan renaissance, I figured I should make a

🍉 GenTan fic recommendation list 🎴

Note that this is a list of personal favorites based on my likes and the many (yet not all existent) fics I’ve read. They’re not put in any particular order and they’re all completed fics. I’m adding some of the tags, but not all of them since I don’t want to make this post extra long, so please read them again once you go to the Ao3 link. And finally, if anyone is anime-only, even if a fic is spoiler free, it’s likely that it’ll have some reference to Genya’s abilities or family relationships, so be careful.

That being said, we proceed!

Don’t Talk to Me by 125389, 9k

(Red Light District Arc, Canon-Typical Violence, Meet-Cute, Strangers to friends to enemies to ???, Humor, Crushes)

A second impression, a star-crossed meeting, a misunderstanding. Each was there to do his job, to keep matters strictly business, but when have things ever been that simple?

Beautifully written, fantastic humor, and just GenTan inevitably falling for each other (both romantically and literally).

To Be The Piece You Need by Gilberrts, 11k

(Alternate Universe - High School, Dialogue Heavy, Friends to Lovers)

Shinazugawa Genya's life is in a downward spiral. He has no friends, his grades are on thin ice, and he can't seem to stop outgrowing his clothes. Then, when his relationship with his brother finally hits rock bottom, Genya has a strange encounter with the sole member of the school's cooking club.

Hurt-Comfort scenario where, of course, Tanjirou is the comfort.

Rest + Recovery by aizetsus, 2k

(genya is stressed, post Swordsmith Village Arc)

Genya gets overwhelmed pretty easily. Especially when faced with a cute boy.

It wouldn’t be a GenTan rec list without our traditional, fluffy scenario of Genya pining for Tanjirou.

Cardinals by bluejelly245, 8k

(Modern AU, Wakes & Funerals, Hurt/Comfort, Conversations, Friendship/Love, Past Abuse)

Genya and his family attend the funeral wake for Tanjiro’s father, much to the younger Shinazugawa boy’s dismay. The last thing he wanted to do was spend his evening surrounded by tears and grief, but what he least expected, was to end up on Tanijro’s bedroom floor, comforting the strange boy after his loss.

Genya discovers he is a good person, so sweet despite the gloomy scenario.

loveholic by mimimimi (reiiiiii), 81k

(Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CEO Genya, Slow Burn, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Aged-Up Character(s), Strangers to Lovers, No Spoilers, Relationship Study)

Tanjirou lives a normal life as a university student on his last year, struggling financially to maintain a life that's not affordable anymore. On the other side, Genya is back to Japan after 17 years living overseas, ready to ruin his father's attempts to save face after several mistakes.

Both are on the edge, about to fall apart.

What will happen once their different worlds collide?

One of those fics that make you squirm under the blankets at 2am because you just can’t stop reading.

A tale of young love and starry nights by kenmagoesblep, 3k

(Canon Divergence, Post-Canon, Fix-it, Fluff and Humor, Getting together, Love Confessions, Festivals, Minor Spoilers)

The sun is already down by the time they arrive and the colorful paper lanterns bathe the streets with a faint whimsical warm glow, highlighting the easy smiles of the festival attendees and the natural glisten of the fresh food in the stalls. Their eyes immediately go to the makeshift gate made with bent bamboo, all adorned with people’s written wishes, to be sent to the heavens by the end of the night.

Genya’s handwriting is shaky but hopefully the crooked words will carry his wish just fine.

Sweet, sweet, sweet.

diet soda society by beecalm, 6k

(Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff and Humor, Genya makes bad life choices, Brunch, No Spoilers)

Genya knows he should just tell the truth. He got frustrated, and thought that strong words of persuasion would revive his bike from the dead. Non-judgemental as he is, Tanjiro would probably just laugh it off and walk home with a smile on his face.

“I got into a fight,” Genya lies, instead.

(or; Genya yells at his bike, lies about his ability to kick ass, and gets indoctrinated into Kamado Tanjiro’s Saturday morning brunch club.)

GenTan + friends in a super silly and funny scenario.

July by 125389, 45k

(Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Canon Compliant, Modern Setting, Reincarnation, Manga Finale Spoilers)

It could've been just another weekend, just another month, just another season passing by, but instead they made that summer theirs.

Two teens discovering love naturally and intensely. Tears were shed and hearts were healed. It might or might not be a Fix-it.

Tonight’s sky by Wild_Quetzal, 6k

(Canon Compliant, Missing Scene, Hashira Training Arc, Introspection, Pining, Arguing, Light Angst, Fluff, First Dates, First Kiss, Hopeful Ending)

Tanjirou didn’t recall having watched so many people gathered before, not even when his sister and him went to Asakusa. Everything was so appealing and, at the same time, disorienting for him.

He would’ve been feeling lost if it wasn’t because Genya was beside him.

(Or, sharing a night at a festival with Genya should’ve been easy, if it wasn’t for an unexpected event and Tanjirou himself getting in the way)

Yes, we got to the self-promotion part. I’m especially proud of this one <3

And last but not least!

Todo empezó con (un beso) una despedida by Dogchasingcars, 20k

(Manga Spoilers, Post-Canon, First Kiss, Love Letters, Long-Distance Relationship, Reunited and it feels so good, Family Bonding, Angst with a Happy Ending)

Lo que inicia como una breve despedida y la promesa de reunirse pronto (sellada con un beso), termina volviéndose una larga espera para volver a verse.

Because we’re not gonna leave the Spanish-speaking side of the fandom empty handed and it’s one of my favorite GenTan fics of all time. Melancólico y dulce, todo el dolor vale la pena.

#I highly recommend checking out more of these authors’ works!#they’re all amazing!#gentan #genya x tanjirou #genya shinazugawa #tanjirou kamado #kny genya #kimetsu no yaiba #demon slayer #kny #kny fanfic #kny fic #demon slayer fanfic #fanfic rec #ao3 link

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dreamypisces888 · 4 months

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ASTROLOGY AND FREE WILL

To begin, each zodiac sign carries either a lower or higher vibration depending on the choices we make. While we are born with certain energies, we cannot blame our flaws solely on astrology.

Saying "I'm an asshole because my placement is such and such " makes little sense. Neither does claiming poor luck due to aspects between planets . Or that relationship did not work because of this aspect of that aspect !

We are the rulers of our destiny and every choice we make has consequences ! DO NOT ALWAYS BLAME IT ON THE STARS!

Of course there are conditions that we did not choose please do not get me wrong but we need to be in a mental state where we try at least to improve or navigate those difficulties !

Astrology, like all esoteric subjects, allows for diverse interpretations. Though some basic rules exist, exceptions also occur due to personal growth and development. I've written articles where some criticized a perspective claiming squares and oppositions aren't always challenging simply because I said energy shifts affect us differently based on our degree of choice. I stand by this view as we mold our lives' course through willpower and room for progress.

Beauty lies in life's complexity with varying colors, layers and energies rather than rigid knowledge. You are your life's master, not defined by placements such as Neptune, Saturn or your sun sign. Those disliking my perspectives need not read them and are welcome to their views. I'm not seeking an astrological lesson from another, as understandings differ.

PS: Also there is nothing wrong with defending yourself when being attacked again if you do not like what you read just skip it .

Thank you !!!

#astro notes #astrology blog #astro placements #zodiac signs #astrology aspects #astro observations #astrology community #astrology observations #astrology #free will #forgiveness #choice #understanding #hope #sun aspects #moon aspects #jupiter aspects

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hellcatinnc · 10 months

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"Konnichiwa! Hajimemashite, watashi wa Danyale de desu yoroshiku"

Hi welcome to my Tumblr, my name is Danyale and this is a little about me and my blog. I have been into anime mostly shoujo for the last year as well as into otome games. I will share my reviews of love interests and games that are otome, shoujo, dating sim, and more. I also post some NSFW, Smut, Adult Fanfic, & Spoilers because I make fandom videos so be warned now but all things are tagged. Anyways hope you enjoy your stay and feel free to say hello I have many interests below if you see we have something in common say hi!

My social media:

Youtube

Tumblr

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MASTERLIST

Writings/Fan Fics/Reviews/Walkthroughs

#2 Writings/Fan Fics/Reviews/Walkthroughs

AMV/GMV Videos

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Current Obsessions:

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Current Anime's Watching:

Uta no Prince Sama (season 4)

My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom! S2

Free! Iwatobi Swim Club

The Ancient Magus' Bride S2

Vampire Dormitory

A Condition Called Love

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Now Playing:

Piofiore Fated Memories

Charade Mechanics

My Next Life As A Villainess: all Routes Lead To Doom! - Pirates Of The Disturbance -

Love And Deepspace

Tears Of Themis

Tengoku Struggle -Strayside-

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Otome Games:

Forever Favorites:

Sympathy Kiss

Code Realize - All Of Them

Amnesia (All Of Them)

Cupid Parasite

My Forged Wedding

Love Spell Written In The Stars

Glass Heart

EPHEMERAL -FANTASY ON DARK

Variable Barricade

Kamigami No Asobi

Piofiore Fated Memories/1926

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Anime

Forever Favorites:

Bungo Stray Dogs

Amnesia

Code Realize Guardians Of Rebirth

Wolf Girl & Black Prince

Libra of Nil Admirari

Phantom in the Twilight

Magic-Kyun! Renaissance

Dance With Devils

Mr Love Queens Choice

Brothers Conflict

Diabolik Lovers 1 & 2

Kamigami no Asobi

My Happy Marriage

Uta Prince Sama

Snow White with the Red Hair

The Reason Why Raeliana Ended up at the Duke's Mansion

Tomo-chan Is A Girl

Sugar Apple Fairy Tale

My Apothecary Diaries

7th Time Loop

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

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Favorite Fandom Love Interests

Bungo Stray Dogs

Chūya

Akutagawa

Atsushi

Sigma

Dazai

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Sympathy Kiss

Rokuro Yoshioka

Yoji Kobase

Nori

Esaka

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Code Realize

Saint Germain

Impey

Herlock Sholmes

Fran

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Amnesia

Ikki

Kent

Shin

Ukyo

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Love And Deepspace

Rafayel

Xavier

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Cupid Parasite

Allan

Ryuki

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EPHEMERAL -FANTASY ON DARK

Ray

Natsume

Shiba

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Lover Pretend

Asagi

Riku

Sena

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Radiant Tale

Liyan

Paschalia

Zafora

--------------------------------------------

Piofiore Fated Memories/1926

Dante Falzone

Nicola Francesca

Gilbert Redford

-------------------------------------------

Endo and Kobayashi Live! The Latest on Tsundere Villainess Lieselotte

Baldur

Endo

Sieg

Liese

-------------------------------------------

Misyr - Cafe Enchante

--------------------------------------------

Miraculous Ladybug & Cat Noir

Cat Noir

Luka

--------------------------------------------

My Forged Wedding

Haruka

Tamaki

Yomato

Saeki

--------------------------------------------

Irresistible Mistakes

Minoru Tsujimoto

Go Okuba

Toma Kiriya

Rei Kamiki

--------------------------------------------

Scandal In The Spotlight

Nagito

Iori

--------------------------------------------

Our Private Home Room

Shuya

Ryota

--------------------------------------------

Brothers Conflict

Tsubaki

Natsume

Fuuto

Kaname

Azusa

--------------------------------------------

Kamigami no Asobi

Loki

Hades

Balder

Apollon

--------------------------------------------

Variable Barricade

Ichiya Mitsumori

Shion Mayuzumi

Taiga Isurugi

--------------------------------------------

Dance With Devils

Rem

Urie

Lindo

--------------------------------------------

Diabolik Lovers

Azusa

Ruki

Yuma

Subaru

Laito

Ayato

Kou

--------------------------------------------

Libra of Nil Admirari

Hayato

Shizuru

Akira

--------------------------------------------

Snow White with the Red Hair

Obi

Zen

--------------------------------------------

Yukar From The Abyss

Imeru

Kiryl

Pewrep

--------------------------------------------

Star Crossed Myth

Partheno

Ichthys

Scorpio

-------------------------------------------

Collar X Malice

Kei

Aiji

Saike

Yoshinari

Mineo

-------------------------------------------

Tears Of Themis

Marius

Luke

Artem

-------------------------------------------

Luke - Phantom In The Twilight

Teika - Magic Kyun!

Victor - Mr. Love Queens Choice

Kyouya - Wolf Girl & Black Prince

Lord Kudo - My Happy Marriage

Keiya - A Girl & Her Guard Dog

Arnold Hein - 7th Time Loop

Noah Wynknight - Raeliana in Dukes Mansion

--------------------------------------------

Non Otome Games:

Detroit Become Human

Life Is Strange True Colors

Sims 4

Houseflipper

My Time At Sandrock

Tomb Raider

All Mario Games

Heavy Rain

Dreamfall Chapters

Greedfall

Lake

Last Stop

State Of Mind

Last Day Of June

Road 96

Second Life

--------------------------------------------

Favorite Blogs

@misschimotosuwa-blog

@dialovers-lover-xoxo

@afra-blueraz

@dialovers-translations

@most-datable-datable-bracket

@reverse-harem-protag

@protags-fic-blog

@xxsycamore

@kissmetwicekissmedeadly

44 notes · View notes

rockmiyabideusexmachina · 11 months

Text

2023 Megaman Summer Fanart Contest - Rules Thread *CLOSED*

Happy Rockman Day! Time for the 12th annual-ish Megaman Summer Fanart Contest. Am I out of original ideas yet? Feels like it. But give it your all with these theme choices!

Two categories, in which you are allowed to submit one entry for each category, if you would like. If you place in one category, you will be automatically disqualified from the other, for reasons of fairness, and to give other people a chance to win a prize.

CATEGORY 1: The Sand-ly Cup Playoffs (Talent)

The very first summer contest I held was a Megaman sports videogame box art theme, in an ode to the summer Olympics and our only real Mega Man sports game at the time, Mega Man Soccer.

Taking a cue from Capcom’s recent announcement of it’s sponsorship/tie-in support of the Japan Volleyball Association, this year, let’s focus on beach sports.

What qualifies as a beach sport? Beach volleyball, soccer, polo, frisbee, and more, just to name a few. For a decent list of options, check this page out. Want to do something else more creative not mentioned here? You are welcome to.

As always, you are free to draw whatever characters you would like. However, for this theme, I would like you to draw some sort of sand-themed Mega Man character or characters involved in either the competition or ruining the gameplay of this beach sport. Who counts as a sand-themed character? Any major or minor character whose stage or design involves sand/desert works for me. Some examples could be: Pharaoh Man, Ground Man, Commando Man, Desertman.EXE, Anubis Necromancess, Terra Condor, Sand Snake, Pantheon Zombies, Mummira, etc.

Content Requirements:

* Megaman character(s) of your choice

* Characters playing some type of beach sport on a sand surface

* At least one sand-themed character(s), either in competition or ruining gameplay

* As the talent category, entries will be judged on things like detail and overall composition, on top of meeting basic content requirements

CATEGORY 2: BAELIAWATCH (Humor)

🎵 Some people consume all the Dark Chips Afraid to side with Dr. Light Some people need to help somebody In a swimsuit team Cross Fusion fight Don't you worry, It's gonna be all right 'Cause I'm always ready I won't let you outta my sight (I'll be ready) I'll be ready (Whenever you fear) No, don't you fear (I'll be ready) Forever and always, I'm always here🎵

Looks like we could use a lifeguard at this beach.

Huh? This isn’t the beach, this is a fanart contest rules thread!

It’s time to draw the heroes of the beach, those watching over the waters for dangers and saving people’s lives. The theme for this category is lifeguards. And one show that definitely mixed lifeguards and campy humor at times was Baywatch. Let’s draw a spiritual successor starring (The) Rockman as the leader of a ragtag group of beach lifeguards. Your goal for this category is to draw your favorite Megaman characters in some sort of humorous scene involving lifeguards wearing those iconic red swimsuits/trunks.

Illustrate slow-motion running with oily tans, rescuing Navis from Sharkman.EXE attacks, poorly written, long-form story comics about battling criminal activity while wearing a gratuitous, fan-servicey swimsuits the entire time, etc. Parody one of your favorite episodes, like that one time they held a funeral for a lifeguard on the beach, except this time it’s all the unlockable swimsuit characters holding a funeral for the XDive character who won’t ever get a skin because the game is dead. (Too soon? Yeah...)

Content Requirements:

* Megaman character(s) of your choice

* At least one character as a lifeguard, in red swimsuits/trunks in a parody of the Baywatch series

* As the humor category, entries will be judged on things like visual gags and how much they make us laugh, on top of meeting basic content requirements.

PRIZES:

The usual cash prizes, for you to use as you please.

The winners for each category will receive the following:

1st Place: $150 USD 2nd Place: $75 USD 3rd Place: $50 USD

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

When you submit, I would prefer you to include the following information in this format, along with your entry:

• (Your name/preferred alias) – As much as I usually know who you are, there’s always someone new or somebody who has a different preference from what their email name says.

• (Category this entry is for) – You can either say 1 or 2, Talent or Humor.

Only submit your own artwork, as usual. Any character, major or minor, from any series is allowed. OCs are allowed, as long as your art contains at least one canon Megaman character.

AI artwork is definitely not allowed. Unless the AI stands for “Akane Imagery,” which, in that case, submit as much as you want.

As always, participants are allowed to submit from all over the world.

Paypal is still the preferred method for cash prize payouts. Please have a valid account to receive your winnings.

Youngin’s, get your parents permission before entering.

Entries do not need to be colored, but it is preferred. The more effort put into things as always, the better chance you have!

Entries can either be e-mailed to me at rock2125[at]hotmail[dot]com, or you can just PM/note me a link to your pic.

DO NOT post your pics in this journal, your dA galleries, Twitter, tumblr blogs, other sites, etc. until the contest is over. This is the fairest way for competitive reasons. I prefer to keep them all secret until the deadline has passed. I’ll edit a confirmed entry list in this thread when I receive them. So you won’t be in the dark about whether or not I’ve received your entry.

DEADLINE:

The deadline for this contest will be:

Monday, August 28th, 2023 by 11:59PM, global end of day. This gives you close to 3 months to finish your entry!

MISCELLANEOUS INFO:

- As usual, If you don’t plan to enter, but would like to help me judge, please let me know through DM or mention so here. Never hurts to have extra opinions on all the entries.

Bug me with questions if you have any. Please join in, and good luck to everyone who enters!

Confirmed Entries:

Cat. 1 - Dr. Fresh, @ingopotato, Tori, Kaitlin.EXE, @pstart, Mattasaurs, Daidaro,

Cat. 2 - AbilityField, @grammars-doodles, miralie,

#Rockman #Megaman #Mega Man #Rock Miyabi's 2023 Megaman Summer Fanart Contest #Fanart Contest

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solarisgod · 6 months

Note

hi! your writings are so stunning! i'd love to know some of your favourite lines that you've written with micah / the starwake system. ❤️

Hiya! Thank you most kindly for your appreciation! ;w; There's so many jdngjnlgs but we'll provide ten pieces that gets me going over the moon and stars! 💖✨💖✨💖✨

✧ [ FROM PHOEBUS' POINT OF VIEW ] : i hold them close and we are not alone. philos and phobos finds us as so does mike and mimi, and then aphistophele and cryael. more stars join us in the warm embrace before we make the brightest system that means love and love and love— the starwake system.

✧ it is terrifying how much love micah can give without flinching or hesitating. in this universe, cruelty is eternal while it have ugly teeth with sharp claws as many as the stars and galaxies, undyingly consuming. though, so is love, does micah think. in every universe, micah always believe, love is forever and more.

✧ silence lives long and heartfelt in micah who reflects on given solace with their focus on own shaky hands, held down by their eternal phantom pain and haunting past. one will say that everything have a reason to occur or there is a meaning behind it all. yet, they can not concur with such thoughts that are more self killing than assuring. ( GOD WILL SAY: THERE ARE ALWAYS GOOD INTENTIONS IN EVERY CHOICES. BUT WHERE ARE MY PURPOSES IN MY CHILDHOOD GORES AND UPHEAVALS? MEANINGS IN MY ACHES AND AGONIES? THERE IS NOTHING IN THE BURNING. I AM NOTHING BUT FAINT SHADOW AND BLOOD AND SHATTERED REFLECTION. HOW I WANT TO BE REAL ▬▬ I MOST WANT TO BE LOVED AND BE LOVING. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK? DOES MY ENDURANCE FRIGHTEN YOU, GOD? )

✧ WHEN GOD SAYS LET THERE BE LIGHT, the Universe could never figure what eventually brought forth was a constellation who have infinite light in them, each star born at certain points across their cluster's lifetime, bearing a different tale that ends with them being placed in the system. Some stars were made in love and passion, some in hatred and dread, and the rest simply came to be. There are stars that are dim, stars that are bright, and there is the burning brightest. Those who are all shining, most burning of them all, they are the ones who will often take control of their body. ( In greatest light, there was Mimi, there was Mike. There is Micah, love. ) ☇ [ BONUS ADDITION ] : None of this is real, says the World to the Starwake System. All of you are never real. / WE ARE HERE! SAYS THE ALL WAKING STARS. WE ARE ALWAYS REAL! / ( THERE IS LIGHT, THEN THERE IS THEM, GODLESS AND FREE. )

✧ Chaos consuming cosmos , the world looks away with the sun ⅋ moon . Though even as blood spilled ⅋ self breaking , acceptance is only given from Micah who lets Warlock love them in its own animalistic ways with claw slits ⅋ teeth marks . ( YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY I LOVE YOU WITHOUT WANTING TO TEAR ME APART ⅋ DEVOUR ME ALL ⅋ I AM TELLING YOU THAT IS MORE THAN OKAY / MEANING : I LOVE YOU BACK , FOREVER . )

✧ There are times across their life when people see them ─ call them ─ as foolish in believing they are a star , yet , it is not only a belief that they have carried since their beginning , but it is the most special part of themself that allow them to survive everything ─ ( MY SOUL SHATTERS FOR ITS PIECES TO TRY TO FIND ANY PLACE ON EARTH TO BELONG / OUR MIND SHATTERS SO WE CAN CALL EACH OTHER A PIECE OF OUR HOME . )

✧ a head is strongly shaken, over and over, before these eyes string deep with the body. each motion is a rejection to fate. mike would rather die than see such existence in it. each time he meets agony since a child, he prays to a new god. no one answers back. only the sky would weep for him with a deep cutting wish its tears could drown him — ( YET, I AM STILL HERE. I AM STILL ALIVE DESPITE IT ALL, IMPERFECTLY REAL. FATE DOES NOT CARE EITHER YOU ARE THE VICTIM OR THE WRONGDOER, AN ADULT OR A CHILD, BUT I CARE! I ALWAYS CARE! SO WHY SHOULD I PLACE MY FAITH IN WHAT HAVE ONLY EVER BEEN CLOSING ITS INFINITE EYES TO US ALL? IN THIS UNIVERSE, THERE ARE NO SAINTS AND GODS. NOTHING AND NOBODY. THERE IS JUST US WITH A BEGGING TO BE BELIEVED IN. )

✧ These rough hands of a burning child peel the tangerine skin away , a reaching to divine sweetness that she is willing to share to the dog in human flesh . It doesn't seem to care about the fruit , only giving the headbutts as seeking attention in her to play with it and its teeth and claws , although she is still content to get to share parts of her food to Mutt . She likes to visit it in its dreams . Even if Phoebus and Cryael are concerned that she would be entering in someone's consciousness , warning her not to leave the Awaken World to avoid harm , although Mimi never listens to them or anyone but Mike and Micah . She is her own choices , ruler of her fate . ( In this dream , she doesn't need to fight or defend . With Mutt , she gets to be a child in peace , even when she is forever burning . She lives . )

✧ Ever since Micah was born , they would think of themself as a star . Over time , they would invent many ways that could explain the possible reasons why they're on Earth instead of the cosmos , mythologizing themself to be understood . The primary thought was that they were one of the brightest that fallen to Earth after an accident occurred , but it happened for a good reason to have them in the world . Some kids would tease them for this and some adults would scoff at them for that . Adoniram and the Everlove family were the only people who accepted their beliefs , regardless of how inane they may be . Though , even when there were others who would belittle them , their faith in themself as a star had never once faltered . It only became brighter , instead . Burn with ferocity that can make the shadows quiver . The sky and space were all Micah ever had in their lonely childhood , other than the ones fragmented from their mind who they didn't know until they were in thirties . Darkness was their home as they loved the clouds and stars with the sun and moon .

✧ When the sky melts after a final memory of Phoebus' birthday gift , Micah cries along with the one who xe had loved so much more than everyone else . It was Phoebus all along . It was them this whole time . Phoebus was Micah's Light . Your love to me and the world made me glad I can be alive with you . They step over to where xe can see them face to face and gaze into their eyes , shaking with deep emotions that xe can not hold in any more longer . Everything is leaving xem bright and intense , embracing Lovelake entirely and beyond with more of xyr starlights . " I - I , " Where can Micah begin to tell Phoebus after all of this love from them ? " Phoebus , " xe holds both of their hands , then , xyr eye contact not once wavering , " We will have to work on everything between us if we both want more , but . . . "

Micah returns Phoebus the embrace , xyr face buried in the crock of their neck , finding xyr religion as xe makes xemself part of a binary star with Phoebus . " I love you too , Phoebus , " xe promises in the bottom of xyr heart , all of xem , " I'm glad we exist . I do want to do everything with you . We can exist together . " Micah leans back so xe can kiss Phoebus on the lips , most delicate and all loving . When xe pulls them back into the embrace , holding them more closer , neither of them don't notice their body's stab wound slowly healing while their time and space are filled with love . Though , in the corner of the pair's eyes , they see themselves in the lake reflection , their younger selves living with each other and loving each other against the world , surrounded by clouds and stars . ( Their light , it prevails all . )

#ANONYMOUS #///#//#/#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ SAVED . ›#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ OOC . ›#𓁹 ༑ ࿐ྂ ⩇⩇ : ⩇⩇ ⚠︎ [ 𝙴𝚇𝙸(𝚂)𝚃 : 𝙶𝙾𝙳 ] * ‹ ANSWERS . ›#[ I just... entirely and endlessly love the Starwake System. So Fucking Much. ]#[ my most pride and comfort and joy characters ever ]#[ it's always a grand delight writing with and thinking about them and I don't think I will ever stop despite it all ]#[ thank you again so much for this Nonny! have an incredible weekend <3 <3 <3 ]

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rphelperblog · 2 years

Text

An Ember in the Ashes Quote Rp Meme

feel free to change pronouns or wording for rp purposes. A book series written by Sabaa Tahir

“Fear is only your enemy if you allow it to be.”

“As long as there is life, there is hope.”

“Don’t you see? So long as you fight the darkness, you stand in the light.”

“Don't make vows when you don't know the cost.”

“You are an ember in the ashes. You will spark and burn, ravage and destroy. You cannot change it. You cannot stop it.”

“All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.”

“This is no band of thieves. It’s the Resistance.”

“Life isn't scary enough for you, girl?”

“We never had much, but whatever we did have was made with love, which I now know transforms simple fare into a feast.”

“Once, I'd have wanted that. I'd have wanted someone to tell me what to do, to fix everything. Once, I'd have wanted to be saved.”

“Your fear is good. It makes your story real.”

“Just because he's a good leader doesn't mean he's a good person.”

“I'd rather die than live with no mercy, no honor, no soul.”

“You are full. Full of life and dark and strength and spirit. You are in our dreams. You will burn, for you are an ember in the ashes.”

“I don't need to believe in the supernatural, not when there's worse that roams the night.”

“Life is hard enough without having to avoid entire rooms in my own head.”

“Duty first, unto death.”

"They took our souls a long time ago,”

“Also, he’s shorter than me. Considerably shorter. Half a foot, at least.”

“Slavers catch lies the way spiders catch flies.”

“I recognize the smell—his smell—spice and rain.”

“The thought appears in my head, but I hardly know what I means.”

“You will be chained to the darkness within yourself as surely as if chained to the walls of a prison cell.”

“So my choices are to stay and be evil or to run and be evil. Wonderful.”

“Seeing the enemy as human. A general's ultimate nightmare.”

“Safety is an illusion never to trust.”

“Come on, I want to add. But doing so would be like tattooing “I am up to no good” on my forehead.”

“I swear it to the skies, to the stars. You’ll pay.”

“But he never seemed to focus on what could turn out wrong. He only ever thought about how things could turn out right.”

“Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged, but it's there. Don't let them take it from you”

“The field of battle is my temple. The swordpoint is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.”

“Nan always said that as long as there is life, there is hope.”

“In the night, your loneliness crushes you, as if the sky itself has swooped down to smother you in its cold arms.”

“You’ll never forget them, not even after years. But one day, you’ll go a whole minute without feeling the pain. Then an hour. A day. That’s all you can ask for, really.”

“Your kind doesn’t need to read.”

“I realize in that moment that I cannot be afraid of something if there’s no chance it could ever occur.”

“But I’m not strong. I’m weak, and I’m sick of pretending I’m not.”

“All evil here. Monsters. Little monsters and then big ones.”

“So many bleeding, stupid questions. Do girls think like this all the time? No wonder they’re so confusing.”

“You really should run, You’re just going to die.”

“It will get better. You'll never forget them, not even after years. But one day, you'll go a whole minute without feeling the pain. Then an hour. A day. That's all you can ask for, really.”

“The best lies come from the truth.”

“I'm too hot to care.”

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after.”

“Life is made of so many moments that mean nothing. Then one day, a single moment comes along to define every second that comes after. Such moments are tests of courage, of strength.”

“You—you were like me. You were a child. A normal child. And that was taken from you.”

“Look at me, do not make me face this alone.”

“I don't need to believe in the supernatural. Not when there's worse that roams that night”

“Beauty's a curse when one lives among men”

“Rage colors her every movement. Rage that has nothing to do with her so-called bodyguards and everything to do with me and her and the confusion rolling around inside the both of us.

This should be interesting”

“Exhaustion is temporary. Pain is temporary. But her dying because I didn't find a way to get her back on time—that's permanent.”

“I do not doubt, I do not hesitate. I am the Lioness's daughter, and I have the Lioness's strength.”

“I realize that some naiive sliver of me hoped that he was better than this. Not good, necessarily. Just not evil.”

“She's still clinging to the side of her mountain, just like I'm still wandering lost in my battlefield.”

“My brother is still fighting, and his screams slice right through me. I know then that I will hear them over and over again, echoing in every hour of every day until I am dead or I make it right. I know it.”

“She has no idea how pretty she is—or what kind of problems her beauty will cause for her at a place like Blackcliff. The wind pulls at her hair again, and I catch her scent—like fruit and sugar.”

“Shadows will bloom in your heart, and you will become everything you hate.”

“I throw her over my shoulder”

“When the fear takes over, use the only thing more powerful, more indestructible, to fight it: your spirit. Your heart.”

The swordpoint is my priest. The dance of death is my prayer. The killing blow is my release.”

“She feels out the melody the way a blind man feels his way forward in an unfamiliar room.”

“You killed my mother, who had a lion’s heart, and my sister, who laughed like the rain, and my father, who captured truth with a few strokes of a pen.

“There will be so much more in between. So much uncertainty. I don't know if we'll survive the catacombs, let alone the rest of it. But it doesn't matter. For now, these steps are enough. These first few precious steps into darkness. Into the unknown. Into freedom.”

“I look up at the stars hanging low in a sky that makes me think I'm seeing the infinite. But beneath their cold gaze, I feel small. All the beauty of the stars means nothing when life here on earth is so ugly.”

“There are two kinds of guilt. The kind that's a burden and the kind that gives you purpose. Let your guilt be your fuel. Let it remind you of who you want to be. Draw a line in your mind. Never cross it again. You have a soul. It's damaged but it's there. Don't let them take it from you.”

Well, it certainly makes you harder to hate.”

57 notes · View notes

ladyxskywalker · 1 year

Text

OCT 2022 (part one)

fandoms featured on this list: star wars, rogue one/andor, moon knight

* coffee fund *

thank you to the amazing fic writers for sharing some wonderful stories with all of us ! & to the kind readers for their support. 💙

please assume that all works & the blogs they belong to are 18+ only

mature adult content will be marked with a double asterisk **

be sure to check all warnings & tags before reading, feel free to skip if something isn't for you

& of course, enjoy responsibly

all the love xo A ☕

hope you enjoy ! & happy reading ! 🤗

please send me things to read ! favorite fics or something you've written that you're proud of ! 💌

find more monthly fic recs over on my masterlist, Nov 2022 coming soon ! ✨

please let me know if you would like to be removed

✨ new authors & characters added for the first time !

✨ some authors are mentioned more than once throughout the list, check to see if your works are there !

STAR WARS

✨ Anakin Skywalker

Disassembly (series) by ohgodmyeyes on ao3 (anakin skywalker, luke skywalker, f!reader) **

Locks of Hair & Heartstrings by @laserbrains (gn!reader) *

✨ Boba Fett

Glove Kink by @flightlessangelwings

✨ Din Djarin

Breathless by @lightsinthedistancee

Cuyan (series) by @againstacecilia (f!reader) **

Finding You Asleep With Grogu @archieimagines

In the Dark by @startrekkingaroundasgard (bodyguard au)

Make a Choice by @a-reader-and-a-writer (whumptober)

Shatter Me (series) by @writeforfandoms (f!reader)

Set Alight by @ezrasbirdie (din djarin & cobb vanth, f!reader) **

Too Much and Not Enough by @lowlights (victorian au, forbidden relationship) (gardener!din) (f!reader) **

✨ Leia Organa

sand in the gears of time by Pontmercyingtilthecowscomehome on ao3 (cassian andor x princess leia)

the duty of Rebellion by storiesmadeofstars on ao3 (cassian andor & princess leia)

we are a woven thread, find the strand by averita on ao3 (han solo x princess leia)

✨ Obi Wan Kenobi

A Pearl by anonymous on ao3 (f!reader) **

Goodbye by @tropodyn (f!reader)

Helping Obi Wan Kenobi in a Space Battle by @where-dreamers-go

Inclinations by @obiknights (obi wan) (old ben kenobi) (cw: age gap) (f!reader) **

Lessons in Love (series) by @just-dreaming-marvel (modern au) (mutual pining) (teacher!obi) (teacher!arthritic!f!reader)

Like a Living Mirage by @hellotherekenobi

Nightswimming by @obiknights (obi wan’s pov) (cw: age gap) (f!reader) **

Our Lips Are Sealed by @obiknights (cw: age gap) (f!reader) **

Serve My Worries Away by @friskynotebook (prof!obi wan) (librarian!reader) (modern au) (asian, plus size, f!reader)

Solace by @pickleprickle (f!reader) *

Stranded (series) by @penfullofwordsaheadfullofstories (ofc) **

The More I See You by Redminibike1 on ao3 (codywan)

✨ Poe Dameron

Breath Play / Missionary by @againstacecilia (f!reader) **

Checking on Poe Before You Had to Leave For A Mission by @where-dreamers-go

Dead End by @a-reader-and-a-writer (cw: angst, implied death)

Rose by @dailyreverie

Poe Having a Team Go with Him to Rescue You, Regardless of Orders by @where-dreamers-go

Pumpkin Spice and Hazelnut by @huffle-pissed

✨ Qui Gon Jinn

The First Star to Fade by @wickedscribbles (ofc) *

ROGUE ONE / ANDOR

✨ Bodhi Rook

Bitter Rain by @waterpancakeao3, waterpancake on ao3 (f!reader) **

Tender Sex with Bodhi Rook by @samspenandsword (f!reader) **

✨ Cassian Andor

Cassian's Kisses Before Work by @archieimagines

Cassian Surviving to Hear About Your Pregnancy by @archieimagines (cw: pregnancy, grief)

Finally by @archieimagines

Having You Here Is Enough by @kyber-hearted (f!reader) (deactivated :( !)

Home by @uwingdispatch (cw: ptsd, chronic illness, alcohol mention, implied intimacy) (disabled reader) *

Pretty Words by @chosigue (gn!reader) *

MOON KNIGHT

Standing Up For Cassian’s Character on Aldhani by @archieimagines (andor series)

Through the Wall by @miraclesabound (andor series)

✨ Marc Spector

Kinktober, Dirty Talk by @flightlessangelwings (f!reader) **

✨ Steven Grant

Getting Lost in a Good Book by @dailyreverie (gn!reader)

Going to a Halloween Festival with Steven Grant by @where-dreamers-go

Museum Nights by @dailyreverie

Selling Steven His Goldfish by @archieimagines

** be sure to check out part two for more monthly fic recs including triple frontier, pedro pascal characters, multi fandom

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#star wars fanfiction #rogue one fanfiction #andor fanfiction #moon knight #pxk monthly reading list 💌

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misscammiedawn · 5 months

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About a year ago someone asked what things you wanted to do with hypnosis and hadn't had a chance to.

A year on, has this list changed? How?

Thank you so much, my dear. I would be happy to answer this question...

Thanks to my wonderful tagging system I was able to find the original post here. Feel free to reference what we had discussed as fantasies back then. I'll go through each listed fantasy and how it had been filled in the past 52 weeks.

I'll begin working on a new list of things to suggest in the meanwhile as I'm sure such a checklist begs to be met and matched with a new one.

So let us break down the suggestions listed in that post and how they have changed in the past year...

Fountain Scene - Wishing to recreate the intimacy of the Stardazer Comic (or Imaginatrix tweet that inspired it) by being publicly tranced in a moment of private connection with a wonderful partner, the sounds of the world fading away as the universe becomes entirely about the emotional entanglement between hypnotist and hypnotee.

(photo edited for privacy)

It was enjoyed deeply.

Written in our journal regarding the event:

Cammie was plucked up on her Miss’ lap and was given a choice between two headphones. One with more comfort and one with better sound quality. She wanted comfort. I suppose given she was longing for trance more than audio bliss this was a good decision. Though I tend to be an audiophile…

Daja had a splitter and must have done an adapter too as her phone was brand new [...] because the brand new phone with its beautiful lavender pop-socket was going to play not a spiral… no.

The Rhythm Method (1997) recorded live in Toronto.

We picked it out ourselves. Albeit as with the spiral galaxy shawl we did not realize what we were agreeing to. Daja is a sneaky tricky trickster.

We had experimented with a scene like this in the past and so it was that for every single time Neil Peart’s sticks hit a drum I’d go deeper and deeper. Every smack just drumming me into hypnotic furvor.

I remember when she did the Susan Snap to have me absorb the command (I got the memory back) I was starring empty and blank through glassy eyes at a set of kids, completely disconnected and absorbing Miss’ words.

Susan Snap time is so lovely… when I remember it later it’s like a complete mindlessly blank trance. I don’t quite remember what happens during those windows but like the fact that there were kids was like “oh wow, I was completely out of it” I guess?

But then headphones in and cheers start and I recognize the audio right away and it’s like !!!

I HAVE BEEN BAMBOOZLED AGAI–n…

And I just sunk against her. I felt her monitoring me. Keeping me safe. Making sure my arm was in the right place. Telling me to keep my neck comfortable. I starred blankly at the screen and the Stardazer comic was in my mind. I could hear the gushing of the fountain and the ambiance of the world and felt the lazy sun setting above a hill and all was soothing and…

Oh how deep I went.

How lovely it felt.

Melted into Miss. Drifted away. Absolutely and utterly nestled in trust and safety.

She took a photograph of it at the end and I’ll treasure it forever and ever and ever.

So lucky. So grateful. So happy.

So in summary, that was very much checked from the checklist. Thank you, beloved.

Flight Trance: Ah, another one checked from the hypno-bucket list...

From my Charmed 2023 journal:

As I type we are an hour in to flight.

On the runway, Dolly told me that she adored take off. The feeling of weightlessness that washes over her. She was happy to share this treasured moment with me and something in her tone invited mischief. I checked if such things were Green… Dolly emphatically insisted they were.

I took the opportunity to slide into my Toppy headspace, transforming into the indomnitable and dominant Miss Dawn. Flooded with my hypnotic presence and with her permission, I began to brainwash her while in taxi. Pulling her down and down but never given permission to *sleep*, oh no, not yet. No that would have to wait. She would not be denied the bliss of soaring, of falling in to the sky. No matter how much she wanted to she was forbidden from sinking until I gave her permission to do so.

The icing and the taxi must have taken an eternity as I ran my nails up and down her arm, tracing gentle spirals and whispering through my mask. No one else could hear us. There was no one sitting in *any* of the seats surrounding. She was in my private embrace, trapped within my words and the spell I cast upon her namesake, her Sleepy Head.

As the plane took off I tugged her arm and hissed a command for her to finally let go. I lapsed into a possessive speech. How weightlessness had claimed her, how her willpower in remaining awake is turned now to draw her deeper, that she need not fight any longer, that she was free to *obey*.

And obey she did, lovely Dolly. I lulled her and lay her against my shoulder. I asked her, while hypnotized, to tell me what she would want from the trolly when the attendants came by. I *enjoyed* ordering for her. Treating her as the pretty little prize that she felt to me in that moment.

I found a Spotify channel called Deep Focus and placed a headphone in. Let her drift until the cart service arrived. A good 40 odd minutes of brainwashing to kick off Charmed! A beautiful start to what promises to be a lovely weekend.

As I sipped my coffee and let Sleepyhead enjoy the refreshments I ordered, free from surrounding passengers to play anxiety upon our minds, I eased in and felt proud of my accomplishment. Then took the time to write this journal. As I finish this segment she has lazed back onto my shoulder, the music I selected for her lulling in her ears.

She is such a good Dolly.

I had not intended to keep her down the whole flight. My will was to have her awake after the cart. A fair divider for our trip, but she is *insatiable*. I am forced to reward her tenacity with hypnotic reverie. What else is a caring partner to do?

The announcement pinged that there were 13 minutes left and we were coming in to land. Sleepyhead awoke, surprised at how quickly the flight had “flown” by (it’s a pun!!) and quickly looked to me with serious eyes. “You’re not the only hypnotist on this flight.” she boldly proclaimed. The ambush predator was out for play.

She swiftly dropped me in such a manner that I cannot recall how it happened. The plane wobbled and bobbed with mild turbulence, rocking me in to sleep.

“I remember you said you had a fantasy of being hypnotized on a flight.” she teased, as I dropped. Deeper and deeper with every second. All Dawn energy faded as somft pretty Cammie submitted to her wonderful girlfriend.

She began to count the flight descent. 35 thousand… down and down… closer to the ground, down down…

It is a good thing I love heights and she knew it, that would have freaked a few peoples I know out. It did not freak me out. It lulled me. I was… so calm. So content.

So happy…

We landed and she brought me back. We hugged. I love her so so much!

I made a silly joke about the plane taxiing so fast that I could hear The Offspring.

Then I wrote this while waiting to disembark!

!!!!!

Amnesia shenanigans!

Miss Daja and Sleepyhead teamed up to make that scene happen! They knew it was my fantasy and that I wanted it oh so much! Sleepy did such a good job and Daja wiped me so clean that I had forgotten how excited I was for the idea jdbskgxjd

Wanna hug her so so much!

I am overjoyed! What a way to start Charmed.

Stage Show Assistant Fantasy: This one has been teased at, especially with amnesia shenanigans to ensure my darling lass was dressed the way I wished her to be dressed for my 2023 Presence class (the encore is currently scheduled for Charmed 2024 on Friday at 2pm EST) and this did touch upon some of the fantasy, but as far as I presently recall there have not been moments where Cammie has been plucked from an audience and turned into The Sensational Sunrise for an audience and performer to enjoy.

Given how elaborate the first two stories turned out to be, I suppose I had better draft out something for my lass to do when she assists me again.

Dinner Date with Goddess: COVID persists. This has yet to be accomplished. Though if you read the flight story above, I suppose I did serve that role for Dolly on the flight.

Vampire scene: The vampire ball at Charmed 2023 was such an involved and lengthy scene that I cannot share the journal entry as it would be the length of a full story. Suffice to say Cammie was enthralled (with Goddess' permission) for an entire evening, was used as an example for another vassal and got to mingle in right on the line between reality and fantasy without slipping into LARP space.

Plus it was all while wearing this:

Fae Contracts: Fae Play has been performed as part of my standard routine but never to my full satisfaction. I suppose that is a theme at play in these check-ins. When I am the one orchestrating the schemes I never feel satiated. I wish to tool and tweak and refine. I wish for it to become perfect...

The best example I can think of is the "3 times you must offer it to me" moment I had. That played into the Fae Contract fantasy quite well in my mind.

From my exhaustive journals:

Blue Fire. The gift of perfect obedience. A trigger I had worked with in our last meeting, based on a story from the Tammy Pierce books Daja and I each love. A finger to the firehead. A magical blue fire. Then the enchanted individual would awaken having completed a single command. Whether it be as simple as climb down a tower or something unthinkable.

We had placed the magical blue fire which could melt her mind away inside a blue bottle, a reference in itself to Ocarina of Time.

We had agreed to unbottle the fire and return it on the night of the Soiree and use it to get Daja all nice and dressed up for the event while I offered her “my heart”, knowing she would return it in time. Theoretically it could be used in mingle with another scene we had that weekend, though.

Daja wanted to break street date and get to enjoy the blue flame for the entire weekend. I told her I was willing to go ahead and do that for her, but only if she was certain she wanted it.

Now, Miss Dawn is a Fae. This has been true since the days she was simply an expression of gender euphoria in tabletop scenes and LARP. She was not going to accept a simple “I’m sure” as a method of consent.

“Please, Miss Dawn. Uncork the bottle.”

You must say it of your own volition three times. Uncoerced and unbound by a fractionated mind. Say it three times and I shall uncork the bottle and unleash the spell which effortlessly bewitches your mind and engulfs you in the flame of Pure Obedience. Knowing that once that spell takes hold and melts your mind away there will not be a single thing you will not do for me when I command you under its enchantment.

“Please, Miss Dawn. Uncork the bottle.”

I lowered myself and took her arm and kissed her fiercely. Looked her in the eyes and held her gaze. I reminded her that she would act without any memory of her actions, that she would be giving me complete control of her and doing so without a long thought was simply unwise.

“Please, Miss Dawn. Uncork the bottle.”

Utilizing a previously installed trigger I commanded her to kiss me and enjoyed the moment. My fingers laced around the bottle. If she were to ask me one more time then I would be bound by my Fae Contract to comply and control her.

Was this really? Truly? Deeply desired?

“Please, Miss Dawn…”

I gave her hair a tug and looked her in the eyes.

“Please uncork the bottle.”

As you wish, my love.

What else could a Fae say when bound by a contract? I followed the pre-negotiated scene, which had some lovely amnesia laden suggestions hidden within. Because I am a tricky Fae and if the airplane ride and the MMM scene had not already proven, Daja and I studied for this test and had written a dissertation on how to make these scenes work.

I am also editorializing a little bit because I have a broken brain that doesn’t remember things and imagines things between the gaps.

“Hand me the bottle, my dear.”

And that is it for the fantasies I listed on November 26th 2022.

Which means we need some new fantasies to treat like a checklist, I suppose?

But this post is running long. Anon, my sweet, be so kind as to send me another ask requesting my new list of unfulfilled fantasies. I shall work hard to fill the list with wonders and delights that shall become as fond as these memories are to us.

#dawn asks #hypno asks #hypnokink #scene stories #daja <3 #sleepyhead <3

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jgroffdaily · 1 year

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A long interview with Jonathan at Newsweek by H Alan Scott:

When you're an actor in an M. Night Shyamalan movie, it's easy to start obsessing over the eventual twists that are surely to come. But as Jonathan Groff experienced in Shyamalan's new film Knock at the Cabin (February 3), it's easy to get "lost" in the story. "We're really submitting to his vision and trying to help him achieve exactly what he wants." Groff plays Andrew [incorrect], a father held hostage along with his partner and young daughter by criminals who force them to make an impossible decision to avert the end of the apocalypse. Groff says he understood Andrew "in a primal way" and that this was "the first time I've ever done a horror movie. So it was a real education." For an actor so known for his voice, both in the Frozen franchise (as Kristoff), but also in Broadway musicals like Spring Awakening and Hamilton, the difference between stage and screen is huge. "I've really appreciated my time doing film and television, because it really keeps me on my toes" and that "there is something really freeing about the intimacy of film and TV that I really love."

What about Knock at the Cabin excited you?

Well, Night is one of those filmmakers, there's a handful of them, where I went to go see their films in the theater throughout my life. I distinctly remember the experiences where you really feel the director's eye throughout it and to me, his films, they feel special and they feel specific to him. So he's one of those people that even before reading the script or anything, I always wanted to work with because he's got that very specific point of view. So Night was the first draw. And then when I read the script I was pretty freaked out. It grabbed me in a very primal, visceral way. The choice that's posed in the trailer. The idea of sacrifice and family and home invasion and all of it felt really primal. I had a very visceral reaction to it. My heart was racing. And I had a feeling about the character of Eric, I understood him in a primal way. Then I read the book, Cabin at the End of the World, and that destroyed me. It's such a beautifully written novel. And then Night and I had a Zoom meeting, I made an audition tape, we did a meeting and we had an immediate connection. He lives just outside of Philly, and I'm from Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I've got this dream of converting my dad's horse farm into an artist's retreat. He's trained and raised horses his whole life for a living and I have this dream of taking over the farm. When I was Zooming with Night, he was in a converted horse stable in Pennsylvania four minutes from where my family lives and where I live as well in Pennsylvania. That was totally crazy and surreal and it felt like kismet.

You’ll be like Marina Abramović, with the artist's retreat in the countryside

It's funny, we made this documentary about Spring Awakening, which is a show I did on Broadway 15 years ago, and part of the documentary is the whole cast coming to my family's farm in Pennsylvania. It started in that moment. I grew up playing pretend on the farm and dress-up, I was Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz. A very creative energy there on the farm as a kid. And then bringing my friends there during Spring Awakening, they got really inspired and excited being there. There's a lot of Amish farms and they don't use electricity, there's something creative and something in the air in that area. I want to make it into an artists' retreat because I think it's just an inspiring place to be.

When you're working on an M. Night movie, do you know the twist? If you do, how do you get that out of your head while you're acting?

He's got the whole movie storyboarded, almost like a comic strip. From when we walked in, even from our very first rehearsals, he's got it all planned out. He knows exactly the shots that he's going to do and exactly how he wants to tell the story. So it's kind of easy to get lost inside of his process. Because as the actors, we're really submitting to his vision and trying to help him achieve exactly what he wants because he knows exactly what he wants, and he's incredibly specific. But, for the most part, it's one location, and we shot it pretty much completely in order, which also made it easy mentally to go through. Working with Night, he really seduces you into his world and into his methods, so playing the ending or not playing the ending, I didn't even think about that. I was just trying to play each specific moment. And one of the fun things about this movie in particular, there's seven of us through most of the movie, all together, and he really created an environment in rehearsal, which is also great. We had a couple of weeks of rehearsal before we did it and then on set where we were, all seven of us, passing the ball back and forth and in the movie. You really feel that when you watch it, everybody was fully committed and really playing with each other. So it was really easy to get lost in the story.

With the premise of this film, it feels like every scene would be very intense. How do you maintain that intensity without going crazy?

It's the first time I've ever done a horror movie. So it was a real education. You're at a certain fever pitch the entire time from an acting standpoint. All seven of the actors were there to show up and really commit, no one was phoning it in. No one was thinking of this as like an easy job or something. Everybody was really committed the whole time. And it was really intense and extreme emotions. We would do some of the scenes and just come off set and be like, "Wow, that was really something." We had a real camaraderie between the seven of us and we would laugh a lot on the breaks and just kind of chill and release from the intensity of the experience, and that really helped. We did fun stuff in Philadelphia—like Night's wife, she teaches an exercise like Zumba [but not]. One Saturday, Sunday morning, we all went and did that. So we had a lot of fun that offset the intensity of the scenes. But it was intense.

When you're in a film like this, how do you keep the twist a secret? I'd totally give it away in casual conversation.

In casual conversation I've totally given everything. I'm not great at hiding that stuff but—out of respect for the movie and out of respect for Night and how he really is such a passionate filmmaker and he takes what he does so seriously and it means so much to him—so out of respect of the movie, in interviews, I can be an adult and put on my filter. But in life I'm a little more loose-lipped.

I'm the same way. Don't tell me secrets.

I’m good at keeping secrets when it's important. There's some study I remember reading at some point that even if something is spoiled, if it's well made, it doesn't matter. I believe in this movie enough to think that even if you knew what was going to happen, it would still be an enjoyable experience.

If you could be in any M. Night film, which one would you be in?

Such a good question. I mean, Old and just be on the beach the whole time seems like it would have been really fun. Especially because I know they shot that during COVID. But that's more...

A vacation.

Yeah, yes. I'm glad. Let me think, who I would have wanted to be in one of his movies? I really have no idea.

I would want you to be Bryce Dallas Howard in The Village. I think that would be really fun.

Oh my god, I'm stealing that answer. Yes, I'll take it.

What's harder, Broadway or TV/film?

I’m a creature of habit, and I like to do things over and over again. So for me, artistically, I feel more comfortable and I feel more at ease on the acting meditation of theater, because it's making the same thing every day, fresh and finding something new in the repeated pattern. But the meditation of acting in film and TV, that is more challenging for me and it's less in line with who I am as a person. Every day it's something different. So I've really appreciated my time doing film and television, because it really keeps me on my toes and it really keeps my knife sharp. Because I am more out of my comfort zone doing something different every day and not getting to settle into that repeated thing. Some actors find it way more difficult to do the same thing every day and find it easier to do a different scene every day, but it's the reverse for me. It's sort of like long distance running as opposed to sprinting, I would say theater is like a long distance and film/TV is more like a sprint with scene work. Getting that opportunity to do that scene in one day and then you never get to do it again is daunting, it's exciting, but also daunting because you've got one shot. So it's that kind of adrenaline and that unique opportunity that keeps me coming back to film and TV. I love the intimacy of how if the camera sees it, you feel it, you don't have to project to the last row of the balcony. There is something really freeing about the intimacy of film and TV that I really love as well.

I find theater people often don't like to watch themselves on film. Do you?

I watch everything I do once. Maybe there's a couple things that I've watched more than once, but it doesn't bother me when I watch myself. I do have moments of regret when I watch myself. But I do think theater is more the actor's medium because we tell the story every night over the course of however long the play or musical is. But what I like about watching film and TV back the one time is to know what the story ended up being. Because we don't know when we're in it, the same as with Knock at the Cabin. I mean, most of it is the same but what are the editing choices? What did they cut out? What did they amplify? What is the score? All those elements are such huge parts of the storytelling and it's always really fascinating for me to see what the product is in the end. I really enjoy that part of it. That's unrelated to watching myself, which is always complicated, but ultimately fine. I can get over the mistakes I've made.

When are we going to get another Mindhunter? I need it very badly.

I have no idea. It's all up to David [Fincher]. If he wants to do it, I'm sure all of us would run in and go back and do it immediately. David is such a consummate artist and he packs so much into his work, so it makes sense that it would be something that would be played again and again. I'm excited for his next movie.

#jonathan groff #knock at the cabin #m night shyamalan #knock at the cabin promo #interview

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girl4music · 2 years

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First Kill - Narration/Presentation of Theme by Juliette and Calliope

I wanted to do a little write up on what I think are the main themes of ‘First Kill’. Every episode has a short piece of dialogue narrated by the main protagonists at the start and end of it that seems to present the main theme of each episode except for the first episode, ‘First Kiss’, as that is nearly all narration and it’s an introduction to the story, characters and world told from both point of views of the main protagonists. Which is why the first episode is structured like a novel and why the seven following episodes play more like extra chapters to that novel. Which makes a lot of sense because the creator of the TV show is a novelist and is the author of the short story the TV show is based on. But only the first episode is the short story,… the rest of the episodes are a continuation of an entire novel not written in book form which is why I say they are extra chapters to the short story that was. Using the narration by Juliette and Calliope as well as what happens in each episode, I will explain what I believe the main themes are for the seven following episodes after the first.

First Blood - Action and consequence

JULIETTE: “As explained by my physics teacher Mr. Myrick in excruciating detail... Newton's third law states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction. Once an action is taken... you must live with the consequences.”

CALLIOPE: “Actions always have an equal and opposite reaction. Newton's third law. Once an action is taken, you have to live with the consequences. I am a member of the Burns family, a Guild-trained house of monster hunters. Our hearts drive us. Duty and logic lead us. And we vowed to rid the world of all monsters.”

First Fight - Instinct

CALLIOPE: “My dad always says a hunter is only as good as her gut. Shouldn't this gut thing guide me? Give me confidence? Or is it supposed to weigh me down with guilt for doing what I know is right for me?”

JULIETTE: “Some decisions you have to mull over, consider, contemplate. But sometimes, you know in your gut the right thing to do.”

First Date - Choice

JULIETTE: “In Savannah, you know a bad storm's coming when the sky turns black. With every growl of thunder you ask yourself, ‘When will the heavens part and offer some relief?’”

CALLIOPE: “When you're in the middle of a storm, the kind where the sky turns black and there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel, you have two choices. You can wait for the heavens to part, offer even a tiny bit of relief. Or you can run. And keep running until the growl of thunder disappears behind you.”

First Love - Destiny

CALLIOPE: “Hysteria, devastation, crazy uninhibited highs, the crashing lows of withdrawal. It's not pretty. Not like in the sonnets or pop songs. It was no match for the gods of Olympus. So why would I be immune to the insanity of first love?”

JULIETTE: “It is impossible to be immune to the insanity of first love. A union predestined, written in the stars. That's the only way I can wrap my head around it. But every tear, every skipped heartbeat, the passion, the pain, it's all worth it in the end.”

First Severing - Connection

JULIETTE: “Humankind is connected by a series of intimate experiences that knit us together. Nurture these connections and they become the ties that bind us, make us whole. But is it possible to honor these ties that bind and also be free from them?”

CALLIOPE: “Life is all about connections. If you nurture them, they get stronger. But sometimes, severing connections is the only way for you to get stronger. The only way to freedom.”

First Goodbye - Understanding

CALLIOPE: “What is a monster? The man who threatens to kidnap you, forces you to fight for your life, and ends up losing his? The bigoted neighbor who's so sure she's on the side of right, she defaced your property to prove your beliefs are wrong? Or is a monster anyone or anything you fear will harm you, and therefore you must harm it first? Keeping the victory to yourself, of course, so that you can live to fight another day.”

JULIETTE: "’Whoever fights monsters should see to it that he doesn't become a monster.’ Friedrich Nietzsche said that. In other words, if you're a monster hunter... it's possible that your actions make you a monster too.”

First Betrayal - Regret

JULIETTE: “‘The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness, and in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore, love moderately.’ Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene 6. Love moderately? Did Shakespeare really believe you could control how deeply you fall? Like your heart is something you can pour into a measuring cup and simply stop at the two-thirds line?”

CALLIOPE: “Act II, Scene 6, Friar Laurence advises Romeo that violent delights have violent endings. ‘Therefore, love moderately.’ It makes sense to me now. I fell too deeply. Had I never met Juliette Fairmont, maybe I could have loved moderately…”

JULIETTE: “Had I never met Calliope Burns, maybe I could have loved moderately…”

CALLIOPE AND JULIETTE: “… And I never would have been in this much pain.”

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wedreamedlove · 2 years

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You mention before your type is "freedom boys". How are your biases like Gavin and Osborn similar/contrast each other?

i’ve written several essays that i think can be compared directly against each other:

Bai Qi In Love vs. Osborn In Love

(Price of) Freedom [Bai Qi] vs. Untamable [Osborn]

but i can give a tl;dr summary too, especially since neither of those essays were written to be directed at the other character anyway.

both men have freedom as one of their themes but this is expressed in very different ways. for Bai Qi, being free is a natural state and since high school he’s realized that his life doesn’t need to be defined by anything, he can simply exist. Osborn’s trajectory updated my understanding of him to show that he pursues the concept of freedom as an escape from the definitions of the world but, deep down inside, he is terrified of not having any attachments.

because Bai Qi is the personification of freedom, i feel that papergames decided to highlight this sharply by forcing Bai Qi to give up his freedom for his other principles (protecting the innocent, justice, and being with the heroine). at least, at the point where i quit, we saw him give into his father’s organization to have more room to maneuver. in my opinion, we’re supposed to feel Bai Qi’s freedom theme precisely because his freedom is constantly being squeezed by external forces.

so in a sense, Osborn has more freedom than Bai Qi, but he actually doesn’t want that because without any attachments he’s just wandering aimlessly through the world. he can go wherever he wants and do whatever he wants because he doesn’t have principles that give him responsibilities (ex. justice-bound soldier) but this just makes him more envious of others who have people that will remember them. in the end, he willingly trades some of his freedom for a place to belong because he has too much freedom (ex. taking care of Ye Chuan and returning to his heroine).

that being said, both men are very similar in how they’re mavericks. no matter how others view them or what the world says is normal, they live by their own rules and beliefs and nothing can change their mind. they rarely, if ever, bow their head to anything.

another big difference between them that comes to mind is their direction with respect to their heroine.

for Bai Qi, i described his love for his heroine to be absolutely unconditional and she’s his north star. he moves towards her at all times and she gives him direction. the two really suit each other because they share the same justice principles.

in contrast, Osborn moves outward from his heroine. he has admitted to having wanderlust and enjoys satisfying his curiosity on seeing how other people live their lives. however, he will always return to the heroine. you can picture the two of them like a kite and the string that tethers the kite. he explores a direction and then returns to lead the heroine there. Osborn and his heroine do not share similar principles but she accepts him and loves him unconditionally.

speaking of unconditional love, i mentioned in my first impressions of the light and night men that Bai Qi lacks the bad boy thrill that Osborn has in spades, haha. Bai Qi is an extremely devoted dog-type boyfriend and, while Osborn has also been described as a dog-type boyfriend, i still strongly believe that he’s a cat installed with dog software. there’s a mischievous willful side to Osborn that Bai Qi doesn’t have. if anything, the way Bai Qi never refuses his heroine’s requests makes him more like Charlie, who literally just had a date about this.

in the end, do i think people who like Bai Qi will automatically like Osborn? it’s too hard to say. i always get a chuckle out of how me and two other friends who all love Bai Qi ended up going for Mo Yi, Zuo Ran, and Xia Yan as our top biases in themis. clearly we were liking Bai Qi for different reasons. (my theory is that our second bias influenced our themis choice, because my second bias is Xu Mo while theirs is Li Zeyan and Zhou Qiluo).

#answered asks #light and night #mr love queen's choice #mlqc bai qi #mlqc gavin #ln osborn #ln xiao yi #love and producer #光与夜之恋

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biblioflyer · 1 year

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The Map is Not the Terrain: Institutional Power vs Individual Action in Star Trek Picard

In terms of its depiction of the Federation and the setting’s overall understanding of human nature and human rights, Star Trek Picard has continued the tradition of storytelling about the Federation as a place with an expansive state that is ready to free people from want and need, but is extremely cautious when it comes to violations of individual autonomy.

Yet while it is upholding this vision of the Federation, the series is also interrogating whether or not an expansive state is capable of the omniscience and omnipotence needed to guarantee a good life for every citizen and of empowering individual actors on the bridges of starships to know with absolute certainty what the morally righteous choice is.

This is part of a series of essays reevaluating Star Trek Picard and interrogating the widely held fandom criticism that Picard made the Federation into a Dystopia.

As discussed previously, I think the best interpretation of Raffi is that if we are to judge the circumstances we meet her in, the Federation has looked at the history of earlier states and their people and made a determination that it does not have the wisdom to know what’s best for Raffi. Trying to impose its view of what’s best on her is a moral hazard. As such the Federation is content to let Raffi figure this out on her own or until she affirmatively seeks assistance.

I’ve also written before about the challenges Picard likely faced in understanding the power of admiralship and using it correctly. Namely that the scope of the information available to you becomes more expansive but the finer grained resolution takes on limits. If you spend too much time on minutiae, you lose sight of the big picture.

As an Admiral, it's the big picture Picard was responsible for. And a big picture is ultimately numbers. Ship numbers, timetables, manpower: all numbers to be plugged into equations to try to make the “good things happening” numbers go up: Romulans resettled, industrial replicators brought online. This isn’t being divorced from reality, it's a different, more impersonal relationship with reality where an individual has tremendous power to move resources around for the better of billions of lives, but a more limited capacity to see what that power is actually doing beyond making good numbers go up and bad numbers go down.

The dark side of abstaining from all acts that may inadvertently cause harm

Ultimately Picard’s Federation is a place where a Raffi can sit and stew for 14 years in her anger while still being afforded basic necessities. Through this, the state is also providing her as much dignity and autonomy as I think we can reasonably expect from a Federation that didn’t see a prestigious use for her worldview and could not supply an alternate means for her to obtain the validation she craved.

Yet Picard’s Federation is a place that is extremely wary of bestowing its largess upon out groups. And let's be clear: it's always been this way. The Prime Directive is simultaneously an anti-imperialist mandate but also a means by which the Federation can duck responsibility for the galaxy outside its borders if it doesn’t feel like it. On a good day, it's more anti-imperialist than Social Darwinist, but sometimes when fear or suspicion are in the driver’s seat, it definitely has Social Darwinist outcomes, see also: Tasha Yar’s homeworld.

This is as good a time as any to talk about the philosophy of law. The central tension in the idealized version of the Federation hinted at by TNG and the more human “utopia is a process, not a destination” version that Picard is centering is that those of us who are more sensitive to disorder and untidiness in our systems crave utopia as a thing to be achieved. A final era of perfect law enacted by wise and fair administrators. A time in which the law itself would really and truly be just.

At varying times though, such as the “Drumhead” and gradually ratcheting up in DS9, what we start realizing is that even in the Federation the law is not justice. Federation law is usually just, but the law is not, has never been, and never will be justice itself. Justice is a condition, maybe it's even a Platonic form: a thing apart from reality that we are trying to reproduce out of the imperfect matter of a world forever distant from Source.

What justice is not, is law. Law is a tool to try to create conditions of justice. In its most perfected form, law is a thing that provides a blueprint for justice to be followed by those who lack the inner purity and unlimited wisdom to do it on their own. Which, unless you’re a Bodhisattva, is most of us. Also if you are a Bodhisattva, DM me with some tips on how to start and sustain a good meditation practice because boy howdy am I bad at that.

In one of the earliest TNG episodes, Picard saves Wesley from execution for trampling some flowers. I can’t really think of another time where we see how law is not justice in its rawest form. It’s almost a strawman in how extreme the situation is, but it is useful in illustrating the broader point. The Edo and their maximalist approach to capital punishment is almost as far from justice as the law can get, but let's keep in mind going forward that laws that more closely resemble our internal Platonic Ideals of justice are still not justice itself.

Laws may not be real but that doesn’t mean they aren’t useful

Minor spoilers, but Captain Shaw in season three is a perfect example of someone who is joined at the hip to laws because he himself does not feel confident in his own wisdom. He’s also an example of a type of personality that I think we would be wise to recognize more widely as existing as a default template for humanity.

Shaw is someone who is more sensitive to disruption of the status quo and the violation of rules. We owe the Shaws compassion not because they’re intrinsically right or more deserving of not being discomforted than anyone else, but because they are people too. Those of us who are a bit more inclined to look beyond the status quo and see unlimited potential owe it to ourselves to put a little effort into trying to talk the Shaws off the ledge when we suggest an update to the EULA for civilization. Assuming we can do so from a place of safety.

Admiral Clancy too makes extremely compelling arguments as well for why the Federation had to mind its own knitting after Mars. “The needs of the many” and all that.

When the Federation acts, sometimes it wagers entire ships and their crews, entire planets, entire civilizations. This was acutely felt every time Picard was in a standoff with a Romulan, especially Tomalak, who was in some sense also trapped in a standoff with Picard, having to calculate whether or not everything he had been told all his life about the Federation was true and when might he need to shoot first to save his crew but perhaps condemn his Star Empire to a war in which billions will suffer even if it wins.

This is where the Fenris Rangers and other independent actors (ahem, season three spoilers) come into play. Because they can operate outside the Federation’s rules and can react nimbly and more precisely to small problems.

Okay sure, but what does this have to do with episode four?

Herein I think is where I think we start seeing Picard get a taste of what true freedom of action might be like. The ability to represent only himself means he gets to follow his conscience and he alone owns the consequences. Was there a sort of giddiness in episode three where he tells Rios he’s not in the habit of consulting lawyers before he does something? On reflection, that’s obviously a half truth. As a Starfleet Officer, he was bound to a set of rules he dared not break lightly. Although generally he thought those rules were in the right, except when he broke them.

Picard is also being asked to confront the consequences of myopically focusing on Starfleet as the only valid mechanism through which positive change can be implemented in the universe. Something that he still seems to be grappling with in Season Three.

#star trek picard #picard s1e4 #star trek ethics #fictional politics #defining justice

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