#he has become more attuned to how ~everyone~ can fall

[bullet-prooflove]

Fucked Up: Alexander 'Tig' Trager x Reader (NSFW)

Tagging: @callsignartemis @the-person-in-the-circle @@kmc1989 @mortal--soul @yourwinchesterbros @buddinglinguist @spookyboogyuniverse @nessamc @anime-weeb-4-life @redpoodlern @ravencrow83 @nu1freakshow @the-wandering-lunatic @oureternalbond  @lexondeck @keyweegirlie @theplacewhereallthedemonsgo @poppyrose33 @belovedbastardremus @trublu2u @thebaileybugle @spngingerbread21 @@jp1019

It’s in the middle of the night that Tig lays awake and has those thoughts, the ones where he thinks he’s going to fuck this whole thing up. It’s usually on the evenings that you aren’t taking up residence in his bed. When he’s with you he’s lost in the moment, he’s living life and he’s happy.

It’s when you’re not here that he starts to doubt himself. He thinks of all the things he’s done over the years, the blood, the violence, the really fucked up shit…

And then he thinks about you, this brilliant beacon of light that seems to warm the very depths of his soul.

“We’re made for one another.” You tell him as your thumb chases over the stubble that lines his cheeks.

In those moments he believes you. He’s never met another person so attuned to him, who can read his body language as if they were reading his thoughts. He knows you never judge him, that you understand him on a level that other people can’t. You are the only person he has told about his father, about what that animal did to him and how he put him down once he’d been discharged from the Marines. He wants you to understand he’s fucked up, that he’s always been fucked up and that he will always be fucked up.

“I’m a little fucked up too,” You remind him and yea, maybe you are, and he’s ok with that and because of you he’s trying to learn to be ok with that himself.

He knows where this all stems from, his sense of self worth is tied up in the services he provides to other men. He’s never stepped back to think about what he wants. He’s never considered his own needs, simply drowning them out with drink, drugs and pussy.  He’s been no one’s priority and everyone’s errand boy.

Until he met you.

And then everything changed, because you make him feel like he matters, that’s he’s the most important person in your life.  

When he hears your key in the lock, he feels relief because you’re coming home to him. He gets it in his own head sometimes that you’ll change your mind, that you won’t want to be around anymore and the thought of that kills him. He listens to the tell-tale signs of your presence. Your keys clattering on the kitchen table, the word ‘fuck’ as you kick the chair by accident, the same way you do every night. He smiles to himself as he listens to your attempts to not to wake him.

The truth is he can never fall asleep until he knows your home, safe and sound. Even if you’re not sleeping over, you make sure to text him when you get back to you place, which is becoming less and less frequent these days. You spent more time at his than in your apartment and he’s been wondering about making that more permanent.

You try to be stealthy as you open the bedroom door but it creaks. He hears each layer of your clothing being stripped from your body and it gives him a semi, thinking about you getting undressed. He’s always fucking hard for you. He just has to look at you and he can feel himself stirring. When you climb into bed alongside him, he opens his eyes and sees you, this messy little being that brightens up his life.

“Move in with me.” He says as he wraps his arm around your body and draws you close. You’re wearing nothing but one of his t-shirts and he can’t think of anything more perfect right now than just being here with you.

“Ask me in the morning.” You murmur as you press your forehead to his, your thumb chasing over the line of his jaw. “I want you to mean it, I don’t want it to be because of your night thoughts.”

“Darlin, it’s not, I promise.” He tells you as his lips brush over yours, he shifts his weight guiding you onto your back, his body covering yours.  “I want you to make this your home.”

Your head tips back into the pillow as his hips slot between your thighs. You can feel how hard he is through the fabric of his boxers, he draws your hands up above your head, pinning them in place with one hand. There’s an excitement in your eyes, it burns so fucking bright. He smiles because his baby, she makes him work for it.

“Is this how you’re planning to persuade me?” You ask him as his fingertips hook your panties and draw them down your thighs.

“It depends how much you need persuading.” He whispers into your ear.

Fuck, your soaked for him already. He bundles your panties up in his fist, feeling your arousal on his fingertips before tossing them off the bed.

“More than just the tip.” You tease as he notches his cock at your entrance. He flattens his hips against yours preventing you from taking him any deeper.

“Say yes and I’ll give you anything you want darlin.” He whispers with that feral smile of his. “Anything at all.”

You arch your hips, but he presses down pinning you to the mattress. Fuck you are making this difficult, he can practically feel you clenching around the tip of his cock, it’s taking every single ounce of his self-control not to give you what you want, what you both want.

“Tig…” You breathe, meeting his eyes.

He sees that wildness in you, that beautiful recklessness that comes with falling in love with a madman like him.

“Yes.” You tell him. “I want to move in together.”

Love Tig? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

#tig soa #tig trager fanfic #tiggy #tig trager x reader #tig trager #alexander trager #alexander trager soa #alexander trager x you #alexander trager x reader

[moonyandrice]

Midoriya Should've Stayed Quirkless.

So i haven't been active in the MHA fandom for quite some time, but nostalgia brought me back to it. And along my nostalgia-fueled binge I've noticed a lot more stuff narrative wise that i kinda wanted to talk about.

That being, of course, that Midoriya (i'll be calling him Deku since it's easier) should NEVER have gotten a quirk.

The narrative theme that MHA pushes (or wants to push i should say), is that "anyone can be a hero" which would be fine and dandy if Deku's entire existence didn't destroy that. What do I mean? I'll tell you.

Literally the very first thing we find out about the world is that quirks are given to 80% of the population, and that little 20% group of "quirkless" people are pretty much shat on in every way, as demonstrated by Bakugou and the entirety of Deku's flashbacks. He's seen as a failure and a wannabe, his mother breaks down sobbing after they get news of his lack of quirk, and he's in utter shambles as well. Despite being able to get into UA on grades alone, it's believed he'll never make it far, and that he simply doesn't have the means to do so. Sound familiar? It should if you're disabled.

Deku is disabled in an allegorical sense, and he honestly doesn't make a bad allegory. It can be interpreted as either physical disability, or neurodivergency due to the broadness of what "quirklessness" entails, along with his overall personality. Things seem to be looking up in this sense, and it would pretty intriguing to see how this kid with no powers makes it by in a school with superpowered kids. Or it would, I should say.

The entire allegory along with the theme completely falls in on itself because Deku, after receiving a speech about how "anyone can be a hero! Even quirkless kids like you!" Immediately becomes allegorically abled a couple scenes later. The entire message becomes completely void after this, as Deku loses pretty much what made his character interesting to begin with.

"But if he did stay quirkless, how would the story even progress?!" I hear you ask, and i can answer that.

See, I am of the opinion that the story would’ve been ten times more interesting had Deku never gotten a quirk. I mean- c’mon. We have Batman don’t we? Sure, we have plenty of characters with downright useless quirks that have made it into UA, so why wouldn’t Deku be the same?

Simple! Just have Deku be the first to join the hero class. A quirkless kid getting by on nothing but his brains and downright insane attunement with his surroundings? And maybe some gadgets from his buddies over at the gear classes? That sounds awesome as fuck! Not to mention nearly all of his relationships with the characters become way more interesting.

Bakugou instead of being threatened by his fantastic new power, instead is witnessing the kid who he bullied for years on end completely dominate any competition thrown his way, and grow his skills at an incredible rate. Not only does he feel threatened, but he’s being proven wrong. Quirkless kids can be heroes. And they can be better than him. Now who doesn’t love a good bully getting their just desserts? And in what is arguably far more satisfying and empowering than just, “Wow Deku has better powers than me”. It also makes his sports arc moment with Todoroki feel far more satisfying as well.

“It’s your power not his” feels strangely more impactful when you realize Deku had to get his “power” from the ground up. He used what he had to get by, despite everyone saying he was nothing. It’s not Bakugou’s, it’s not his parents, and it’s not Allmight’s, it’s his.

Speaking of Allmight, where would he even fit in all this nonsense? Well, who said he had to give Deku a quirk to be his mentor? It was already pre-established that Allmight was thinking of giving Mirio his quirk. If we could have Allmight have already given his quirk to Mirio, it would not only give us a foreshadow of his character, but also give Allmight a reason for Deku to not have his quirk. Allmight used to be quirkless himself, so seeing a little boy in a similar position to himself when he was younger, and wanting to give that kid the chance to prosper for who he is? Not only is that super sweet, but honestly makes Allmight look like a better person.

There were so many ways in which the story could continue as we see it with the omission of Deku’s quirk. And I’m my eyes, a far more satisfying and empowering story that keeps its narrative.

#“Anyone can be a hero. As long as you’re able bodied.” #Nah #we don’t do that here #my hero academia #mha #boku no hero academia #bnha #izuku midoriya #bakugou katsuki #all might #shouto todoroki #mha deku

[randomnameless]

Something stupid for the 1st april :

After reading some classical piece of litterature, Seteth catches Flayn asking Rhea what "breasting boobily" means.

He is sure this is a prank they came up to make him lose his temper, but he will not fall this time, he caught the prank.

Rhea doesn't know herself what "breasting boobily" means, but she remembers having read this sentence once, maybe it's a new way of walking down the stairs humans invented? She would have a better chance asking Professor Manuela.

Not wanting to appear out of the loop and actually wishing to keep up with modern slang - because even she doesn't know what this thing means - Manu nervously laughs, and tells Flayn this is a slang someone more familiar with Enbarr than she is, since she has been working here for the last few years, might help her with.

She can ask Doro!

Not deterred in the least (finally a chance to catch up with how modern young people talk!), Flayn rushes to Doro, who was attending Supreme Leader's opening speech for the Adrestian Empire's Founding Day.

Just when she was finishing the part of Adrestia's glorious history and Emperor Wilhelm's War of Heroes that ended on the unification of the Continent - Flayn bursted out and asked very excitedly "Dorothea, since you are more attuned to Modern Adrestian language and Enbarr's customs, what "breasting boobily" means?".

Dorothea wanted to explain how this most likely refered to a way of walking that emphasies the chest area used to seduce people, but Supreme Leader glared at them so hard that she wondered if they did anything wrong, it's not like Eddie was actually expecting them to listen to her speech, right?

Cue Caspar trying to "walk boobily or something" but finding the ordeal very tedious, how are people supposed to walk like that? How can they even hold an axe like that?

"It's not fit for battle, it's used for seduction!"

"Why would you seduce people on a battlefield?"

Linhardt was the only one with enough common sense to tell them to stop ignoring their class leader, because she seems really infuriated that they interrupted her speech on Adrestia was Great or something, for the Foundation Day.

"Oh, if you want, Rhea is both- I mean, the Archbishop is hosting a festival in the mess hall for the Foundation Day, telling everyone who wants to listen how Emperor Wilhelm is the only Great Emperor in Adrestia's History, and she is handing out sweets and drinks to people who want to participate or just hang out while some children from the Monastery are playing around."

Lured by baked cookies and refreshments, the Black Eagles ditch their classroom, to Hubert's disarray.

Munching on a bunch of sweets - Hubert assured her were not made by the Archbishop herself - Supreme Leader rants about how those beasts obviously planned to humiliate her in front of her friends, and manipulate once again unaware fools with sugar, as they teach them a fake history to control the world, and they will just have to wait 10 months, she will become Emperor and put her stupid ancestor's legacy to shame by becoming The Greatest Emperor of Adrestia.

"Of course, my lady."

"What does Breasting Boobily even mean Hubert? Search for an answer, and fast! I refuse to let those things know more about humanity than I do!"

#fodlan nonsense #we all know Hubert ultimately asked Cleo what the fuck that meant #he couldn't definitely give Supreme Leader the answer Cleo gave him #'horny people who never saw women were writing about women with their peepees' #they're talking about Adrestian litterature here ! It can't just be full of people thinking with their dicks right? #Poor Hubert #Adrestian Foundation Day falls on April Fool's day #i know it's a coincidence but lol #To Flayn of course Rhea would talk about Willy and remember how Great he was #but if she had to talk to other people? As the Archbishop she has to be there for the festivites for Adrestia's birth #but since she doesn't know how to people she thinks the best way to talk about this day to people who just tell her hello is #to bomb them with facts about Willy and how Great he was #She can't say Adrestia is great else the Faerghans or Leicesterans who participate will be miffed #so she falls on Willy and Seiros's whacky adventures and days together #at this point everyone in the Monastery who talked to her that day believe she's a fan of Great Emperor Wilhelm #to Seteth's disarray #Why can't she talk to people about Saint Cichol when it's his birthday?? #FE16 #Fodlan AU

[godsofhumanity]

I loved the latest hera hc you posted and you said you will write pure Zeus x hera hc if requested, please please write one, I am loving your hc series please please please🥺

hii thanks so much for the support!! i've gotten two asks for Zeus x Hera, and frankly i have a bit to write, so i'm going to split this into TWO PARTS-- this set will be Zeus x Hera: before marriage, and the next ask i answer will be during marriage.

here ya go, PART I (largely Zeus' perspective):

so i guess i should probably start off by explaining one of the previous hc's i've already written before which is that i don't think Zeus and Hera saw each other and it was love at first sight.

i think Hera emerged from Kronos' stomach, and like her other eaten siblings, was a bit reserved... a bit tense. it's hard to suddenly assimilate into a world that you literally just popped into.

i do like the idea that all of Zeus' siblings were quite awkward at first- i mean, they look grown up but they don't have "grown up" experiences. not immediately-- it takes time.

so i think they all just kinda stood with each other. Hera and Demeter, i think, are especially close. they bond with Metis, Hesione, and Asteria particularly- they have a sort of "girls club".

i do think Leto may have flitted in and out of this group, her main link being that Asteria was her elder sister... but i think she has a bit of a rougher, wilder side. ((i'm talking about Leto here because she's relevant to my Zeus x Hera hc's btw))

but throughout this whole period, i think Zeus and Hera are strictly siblings. friends. nothing more, nothing less. i think Hera would find Zeus quite cocky. Zeus i think would respect Hera's fierceness but that's it. also, during this time, i do believe that Zeus was fully devoted to Metis-- i mean, they were supposed to be the end goal, the king and queen of Olympus.

UNTIL. Metis dies. and that's a tragic accident that really breaks Zeus into a million tiny irreparable parts. or so he thinks.

i think after Metis, Zeus keeps his distance from EVERYONE. he can only see Kronos' terror when he sees his own reflection and that scares him. so he thinks it'd be best to isolate. never get attached.

and that works for a long time until Leto, who i think has always been close to Zeus, starts becoming more than a friend. she's sort of the only one who's been there with Zeus right from Metis' time. and so Zeus falls in love again. but i do think it's short lived, because there's a part of Zeus that just can't let go of the thing he did to Metis. and to his unborn daughter.

i think somewhere throughout all of this, Zeus and Hera and all their siblings actually start growing closer. a lot closer. they start functioning like a proper family and all of a sudden, it seems like they've all known each other right from the start. i think this is important because part of the reason why Kronos fails is because he starts thinking that everything depends on HIM... he stops trusting his family. so Zeus intends to avoid that mindset by knowing his family better so he'll be less inclined to "give up" on them.

truthfully, i think right from the start, Zeus and Hera have gotten along like a house on fire. even before their courtship... they were "attuned"... they knew each other's thoughts in one glance. they have similar fighting styles-- i think in their youth, Zeus and Hera would team up against Hades and Demeter against Hestia and Poseidon-- that's how they practiced.

no one recognises the blossoming romance between Zeus and Hera more than Rhea i think. and that worries her. in the myths, Zeus and Hera have a secret relationship because Rhea disapproved of it, and i think it's because she thought Zeus wasn't ready for it. because Zeus and Hera were so in sync it reminded her so much of herself and Kronos and she didn't want a repeat. so i think Rhea might've encouraged Zeus and Leto to be together; maybe she thought they'd end differently.

but i hc Leto to have prophetic abilities like her mother Phoebe (hence how Apollo has them too), and so i think Leto sees the future. not clearly. not all of it. but she does see very clearly that there is a woman by Zeus' side as his Queen and it isn't her. i don't believe that Hera and Leto have ever been especially close, and i do think it would have broken Leto's heart into a million pieces to learn that it wasn't her fate to be with Zeus because i do think she loved him completely; i think he was her end goal but she wasn't his... but i think even feeling all of this, she knew that that was Hera's destiny, so she tells Zeus.

i think while Zeus and Leto are together, he's already started seeing Hera in a different light, and he feels guilty about it until Leto tells him that she really is the one. and i think Leto's the one to call things off with Zeus.

and so Zeus finally lets go and pursues Hera. and that doesn't go smoothly at ALL-- compared to all the other goddesses Zeus has chased, Hera takes "playing hard to get" to a new level. but Zeus tries. he tries and he tries and he tries because he does love Hera.

from Hera's perspective, Hera never planned to like Zeus back. when he first start courting her i think she would have been incredibly bored of him... she'd have thought him to be superficial and that he'd leave her after a week, so she'd have just ignored him.

i don't think that Hera knows why Leto left Zeus. everyone thinks Zeus just bored or scared of commitment and ran away- no one knows the truth besides Zeus and Leto. so that wouldn't have helped Zeus' case.

y'know how in fiction (and actually in reality too lol i've seen it too many times), the guy the girl says "i'll never like him" ends up being the guy she gets with? that's Zeus x Hera in a nutshell.

now i have more, but this post has become lengthy i think, so i will stop there and post PART II later today.

edit: part ii here

#part ii will be more Hera-oriented #i should proof-read this one. i ramble a LOT. #anon #anonymous #asks #hc

[sitp-recs]

Nothing compares by @maesterchill

Harry/Draco (2022, Teen and Up, 3k)

Working in the International Auror division doesn't exactly lend itself to Harry finding love or having any sort of relationship, what with all the unsociable hours and catching bad guys and never being in one location for more than a few days. Not to mention the permanent fixture of his partner, Malfoy. So, how does a song about lost love end up being the thing that helps Harry find love, in the location he least expected it?

Malfoy straightens, and makes a triumphant noise. His lips twist into a smirk, and something about the way Malfoy’s eyes crinkle with joy sends an odd emotion shooting straight through Harry’s heart. It’s an indescribable mix of things, a bizarre configuration of affection and longing and… something else not unpleasant. “Well done,” Harry whispers, feeling strangely lost, itching with that feeling he has when he sees something beautiful that isn’t his.

The vibes baby, it’s about the vibes! I might have mentioned before how fascinated I am with fics sending off what I personally call the casual vibes ™. It’s not really about no strings attached or lack of character depth, but rather the opposite! It’s more about seeing characters being caught off guard but choose to embrace the wonderful and terrifying feeling of falling in love. Something about the adult feel of it, the no stress/low key drama atmosphere, if that makes sense? To be honest the uncomplicated take doesn’t fit all kinds of narrative and it’s not something easily done or replicated. Also not something I’m good at explaining either, but this feeling hits me on occasion and there are a few authors who can deliver it masterfully like @sorrybutblog (see Heartlines) and Maester, crafters of soft & organic romance!

There’s this… lightness to their writing, I guess? A mix of wisdom + low key excitement showing that even pining can be full of wonder and offer connection to little things - a place, a song, a memory - and that falling in love is not the end of the world and doesn’t have to be that scary or complicated. I think I finally understand why the friends to lovers trope compels me so, and that’s because I tend to embrace new feelings despite their potential for change or heartbreak. I find it somewhat Gryffindor comforting and it’s something I’ve been interested in exploring more in my adult years.

This is a fic that made me reflect on all that and so it naturally became an instant fave alongside Oxygen (another masterpiece by Em, big rec!). Harry’s POV is gentle and self-aware, charming in his bittersweet longing for Draco and inability to act upon it but embracing the feeling all the same! I love the way he connects with the song after stumbling upon it multiple times, it’s such a common phenomenon I think everyone will be able to relate to that. There’s something poetic about the song choice too, the break up lyrics evoking a new love instead of a failed one. I’m so here for Harry’s casual-not-so-casual (now you know what I mean!) slow realization and low key yearning. It’s endearing to watch him getting more attuned to Draco since the event we can only access through his memories (the scene I quote just about killed me with feels!), and we observe the change in their dynamics through flashbacks and all the unspoken little things that makes everything feel bigger and meaningful despite the fact they never talk about it.

The best thing about reading from Harry’s perspective is trying to grasp Draco’s intentions through his eyes, and up until the car sequence we have no clue but then!!! Then it all becomes so clear!!! The sing-along moment made my heart skip a beat, it’s such a special underrated little scene where both Harry and Draco finally seem to be on the same page, reminiscing and longing and opening up, and we’re left waiting in anticipation. The impressive build up for a short fic ends with a gentle get together, nice and easy, soft and intimate as if they’ve been doing that for years. Ah, the beauty of Auror partners to lovers!

Beyond Harry’s delicious pining and the slow, quiet romance, these short vignettes are also a love letter to the gorgeous and atmospheric Amsterdam, a perfect scenery for those slice-of-life memories. I love the gripping sense of space and emotion each sequence conveys, capturing wistful tenderness and that jittery feeling whenever our hearts are experiencing something new. @tackytigerfic said something in their comment that sums it up perfectly, how this fic captures “all those things so beautifully with a sort of quiet restraint that made the pining all the more poignant”. Once again Em delivers a short gem, quiet, organic, evocative and so very satisfying. Get ready to fall in love with Drarry and Amsterdam! 🚲

Read on AO3

#drarry fic rec

[ash-and-books]

Rating: 5/5

Book blurb: "Submission is a gift. The more powerful the person, the greater the gift."

Ramses Howell is a self-made man. A billionaire obsessed with performance, he measures himself by his wins and his achievements. He's proven he can get what he wants, and from the moment Blake Abbot, brilliant and alluring escort, catches his eye, she becomes his top priority. But he can tell something doesn't add up. He sees her skill at what she does, but he knows she's hiding something, and he intends to find out what.

Blake has gone to great extremes to guard her secrets. She's known who Ramses is for years, and knows exactly how dangerous he can be. But when Ramses offers her a game that he created just for her, she can't resist playing. After all, he has what she wants, too. She sets boundaries, adds rules to the game…but soon finds herself breaking her own in the process.

As fantasy invades reality, their new arrangement threatens to consume them. Blake and Ramses both cross lines they swore they never would, questioning everything they thought they wanted—and everything their future could be, if they don't destroy each other first.

Review:

Ramses Howell is a billionaire, a man who prides himself in his achievements and his ability to get what he wants... yet the moment he meets Blake Abbot, he knows he'll do anything to be with her. Blake Abbot is a brilliant and mischievous escort who has prided herself in being able to read men, in being able to win the game and reach her goals. The moment Blake and Ramses meets they both know that they can't stay away from one another. Ramses will have to play Blake's games and see if he can find a way to find out who she really is and if he can break down her guards. Blake has vowed never to fall for a client yet Ramses is different... something about him makes her want to show him parts of herself she's hidden away from everyone. They both can't resist a game or a challenge... but is this really just a game or is it possible that it's more than that and that for the first time they've finally met their match in each other. This was such a good read, I adored how much Ramses and Blake couldn't get enough of each other, how they were so attuned to the other's wants and needs, and how they perfectly fit the other. They are a perfect match, they have amazing chemistry and the care and love they have for each other is both sweet and so so hot. Ramses might be a bit controlling and unhinged but he's in it to win her heart and he'll do anything to prove to her that he's there for the long run and that nothing she does could ever make him not love her. Blake has been through a lot and has her guards up yet something about Ramses keeps drawing her back. I loved this book and had so much fun reading it!!

*Thanks Netgalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books, Bloom Books for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

#book review #bookish #book #minx #sophie lark

[ask-ozai]

You may have everyone else fooled, even Azula, but I know what you really are and what you are really up to. The plan to use Sozin’s Comet to attack the earth kingdom was merely the bait for a much larger trap. You don't plan to become the phoenix king, you plan to become the one true avatar. One even more powerful then the current avatar.

You are actually Vaatu. During every solstice, you eventually spoke to Sozin in his dreams, projecting dreams of ambition and Sozin ruling the world into his head until he gave in to his desires. You sought out and manipulated Iroh's spiritually attuned mother, Ilah. In her astral form, Ilah phased inside the tree and she fused with you. You both quickly returned to Ilah’s body but Your dark power depleted, you were weakened to reach the level of a human soul. But you used your limited energy and the energies of Ilah to construct a physical form for you to inhabit. In addition, Ilah was pregnant with Ilah’s second child, she died birthing this second son and was coincidently named; Ozai. Just as Sozin's comet returns by the end of summer, Harmonic Convergence will come by the end of fall. When the end of fall comes, your dark and chaotic powers will return, and you will become a new Avatar: A dark avatar.

To the outside world you were an ambitious heir of Sozin looking to live up to his legacy but secretly you followed the footsteps of Iroh and Ilah, in studying the spirits, lion turtles, and the other nations, learning all of their ways. When you left the fire nation, leaving the people under the assumption that you were going to search for the avatar like Sozin and Azulon did, What you actually did was visit the foggy bon yon grove swamp and encountered the tree. You were able to concentrate your energy on to the tree and connect your life and your bending on to it. Should you die or lose your bending, the tree will explode. From the inside out. Creating a third new spirit portal, the two OG portals would also automatically open.

When Aang first used energybending on you, you gained all memories, thoughts, knowledge, experiences, wisdom and level of bending from all avatars, even Aang's. Every last twisted detail. Just as you planned all along. But even before then, you've been stalking and studying the gaang for some time, that's how you're nation managed to present a half-accurate play starring the gaang. You will fight the lion turtle, not only do you slay it but you absorb its soul, accessing it's powers, potential and attributes.

When Raava fused with Wan, her life has been linked to the lives of the elemental spirits all benders draw power from. Once Raava dies, so will the elemental spirits, the elements will succumb to chaos and all benders will lose their bending except for you're own, in fact, it’ll increase exponentially to the point you are the source of the very concept of bending. Throughout ten thousand years, you will naturally shred the plane of spirits and material world down to their last atom, but when Raava regenerates inside you, you will bend your own energy along with Raava’s. You’ll make it where you’ll draw power from light and peace instead of being weakened, and Raava will be weakened by her own power as if it was your darkness, that way you can evolve into the spirit of balance itself.

Ergo, the one true avatar who's also the supreme ruler over everything, even the two concepts of balance and bending themselves. You will be able to create brand new worlds, teaming with life, that knows not what it has lost but only what it has been given. Once your physical form finally rests, You will have created an avatar cycle of my own and all your future incarnations will preserve your new era the way they see fit for all eternity.

Good luck, Ozaatu.

That monk is a sadistic mastermind

#Ask Ozai #Atla #Avatar the last airbender

[badedramay]

This has been bothering me for a while…….how do you stan Junaid Khan’s character in Ishq Tamasha? Dude was problematic af and while it’s been a minute since I’ve watched that drama, isn’t he the reason Rushna’s character died?

ASJDHAKJEHADKJAHAKSJDHAWEKJADHASDkjh@! !+

ngl, I am not surprised. in my heart i knew there'd come a day when my....fondness let's just say, for Ishq Tamasha will be questioned. valid, valid..totally valid.

khair, i think you are mistaking my enjoyment of the Mehrab x Mirha story for me stanning Mehrab. not toooo long ago I was rewatching their scenes (cuz i had nothing better to do) and i was tweeting alongside and I remember I was quite enthusiastically cursing Mehrab for being so problematic and downright stupid. there's hardly anything stan worthy about him. his one misunderstanding ruined Mirha's life, his limitless blind love for his brother took him on a revenge path that ultimately took Rushna's life, in fact argument can be made that it was his love for his brother that didn't allow him to have a more positive, healthy POV about himself.

BUT YAAR. THE ANGST!!!!!!!

i squarely blame Danish Nawaz for this. idk why but Junaid Khan is his muse. he gives Junaid some incredible scenes to act and directs them in a totally mesmerizing way. Mehrab falling for Mirha and literally stealing glances of her through mirrors..Mehrab's entire vision focusing on Mirha to the point he didn't even CONSIDER Rushna as something worth noticing..the apology in the rain, him defending Mirha..or bits of him getting restless for an entire night because his entire being was so attuned to Mirha's pain that he just KNEW when she was going through something rough. On a more toxic problematic front..Mehrab seeking revenge from Rushna by locking her out in the rain because he blamed Rushna's selfishness that played a part in Mirha's fall from grace in her Chachi's house..like I don't STAN this shit but i'd be lying if i say i don't enjoy it!

the drama is so aptly titled Ishq TAMASHA. yeh sab tamasha hi toh hai. some are blamed more than others but the blame was everyone's. with Mehrab..i guess i just enjoy well directed, well acted grey heroes with their larger than life passions. Mehrab was that. the one thing the narrative did well was not forgive him for his mistakes. Mirha was never forced become smaller to accommodate his magnanimous character. Mirha, till the end, retained her fire and self respect that had attracted Mehrab to her in the first place. and when all was said and done and these two ended up finding their way to each other with no more hurdles to cross, it was a happily ever after that I believe was earned. Mirha didn't need a man to save her but she had a right to be with someone who could devote his entire life into protecting her and giving her every possible comfort that she could have. even if he got it by getting his hands dirty. and Mehrab most definitely NEEDED someone mature and fearless like Mirha to be by his side to call off his bullshit and remind him of the limits he didn't bother keeping check on.

it's this story that i stan, if I stan anything. not the character.

#ishq tamasha #type: opinion #i aint gonna turn like rabid fans and defend the shit Mehrab pulled #however i have no qualms in confessing that it's an enjoyable story flaws and all

[godblooded]

stark regularly suffers from nightmares and as a result he has a lot of serious trouble falling asleep on anything light. she’ll try not to sleep in front of someone if she can help it. comfortable feelings are ones that invoke discomfort rather than the comfort they should, as when stark was being tortured sleep deprivation was a key element. the techniques used on him over the span of the year he was captured in antarctica (what’s colloquially called ‘the arc incident’, due to the acquisition of the reactor as a result) weren’t to elicit information-- they were to break him enough to do exactly what they wanted. 

the man of iron’s will is a better reason for her title. anyone else would split in half in seconds. the arc incident only brought out the truth of who stark is-- indomitable in spirit. 

stark will not discuss his time held prisoner. the person with the most cohesive narrative is pepper, and that’s come out in parts and pieces just the same as the man of iron has lost limbs. it was extremely traumatic and is horribly traumatic to recall.

the longer stark is with pepper, the less frequent the nightmares become. they still visit, but someone who understands why she’s gasping for breath off the side of the bed without her having to speak is a solace. 

having two kryptonian children who are hyper-sensitive and very attuned to heartbeat complicated stark’s issues decently. it means he had to explain early to a too-young kal and a too-young kara that there was ‘something’ he’d gone through that hurt him very badly. looking at both of them, it was not only impossible but suddenly crushing to admit to weakness. it felt like a betrayal of protection even if he hadn’t raised them. even if kara had known another father. even if kal knew how much more fragile she was than himself, than kara. it felt like she had a responsibility to be perfect, somehow. (pepper would tell him maybe that’s what being a dad feels like and she would be right.)

some nights are worse than others, but alana’s often reminded by his family it’s okay to not be okay. everyone knows when asking for space alana’s being sincere about a boundary and not evasive about a problem.

it’s difficult for stark to give voice to this particular period of trauma in her life. she’s gone through it in therapy and it still feels raw. the fear still feels familiar. 

it’s comforting to be surrounded by people who understand. 

#headcanon. alana stark. #headcanon. alana potts-el. #v: alana stark: immortalwords: when i was young my mother told me she feared i would die alone; how happy she would be. (potts-el) #torture / #ptsd / #violence /

[estelofthedunedain]

Frodo would spare Saruman’s life for no reason other than “he was good once” and that is very Christian of him

#voiceofpika #pika reads lotr #i admire frodo so much tbh #hes getting flak because he doesn't willingly pariticipate in epic battles but tbh? doing THIS? this is courage man #how many people do you know who could do this? #and it seems p clear that this too is a consequence of his quest #he has become more attuned to how ~everyone~ can fall #and knowing this goes with being more willing to forgive and offer second chances #even when he has personally been wronged by the person in question #even if said person shows no sign of remorse #that takes real strength man. real strength. #frodo baggins #lotr #saruman #JRRT

[melonsap]

We’ve heard about cultural differences between the Links, where’s the physiological differences?

Sly for example. It wouldn’t make sense for Skyloftians to have a higher blood saturation, and it’d make them even more sleepy on the surface

Maybe everyone in Wind’s time is shorter, to make it easier for body heat to dissipate across their bodies, their skins darker

One the one hand, Hyrule’s above average night vision is a blessing coupled with his ability to see further away is a blessing. On the other, his lower bone density leads to some fussing from the others

And don’t get me started on immunisation, they travel across time and space, how are they not dead from the flu already

I assume you mean in context of Linked Universe, and I am taking this more seriously than you probably meant.

Being up in the clouds means you'd need more oxygen, so Sky's got bigger lungs. He also has to devote more energy into using said lungs, as well as being capable of a veeeeery limited form of Hylian telepathy, hence the stamina gauge (I like the blood saturation theory, but I haven't researched that enough to go with it). His appendix still does what it's supposed to, which is why he starts with six hearts (thanks @amamillalatortilla). Also worth noting, the high altitude means his voice carries better, so he'd be naturally quieter than the others.

Four's is more of a personal difference; his body adapted to the Minish portals, so he never developed any growth spurts past the first time he jumped into one.

Time did the opposite; the repeated time travel kicked him into overdrive, and he hit all his growth spurts early and intensely. Combine that with the Fierce Deity mask, and...yeah. Tall boi.

Legend and Twilight, having swapped between dimensions and forms a LOT, are more highly attuned to sensing rifts between said worlds than others, and can sort of feel when spirits are around. Not nearly as intensely as Wild can with hidden Koroks, but they can tell pretty well when something's awry.

Legend has a resistance to magic, too, but that's more a result of using magic so often than something that happened to him naturally.

Twilight's naturally stronger than the others, on account of his farm work growing up. Time's equal now, thanks to Malon, but when he was a kid, he had jelly arms and couldn't even pick bomb flowers.

Hyrule and Wild have the strongest immune systems, and Wild's Hylians have the fastest reflexes, due to the sheer amount of wild territory and monsters the two have had to brave.

Speaking of Wild, the shrine of resurrection didn't fix him totally; because of the amount of injuries he sustained, he tires out much more easily than the others, and compensates with stamina vessels.

The toon styling of Wind Waker is more of a perspective change, otherwise we'd see a more on-model Master Sword. However, Wind's got a good eye for the weather; he and Sky can pretty accurately predict what the forecast is for the day! Wind himself doesn't dive, but the people of his era, human and Hylian alike, have larger spleens to allow them to dive further.

Ironically, Warriors is the most "normal" Hylian of the bunch, closer to Hyrule's civilian population in ability.

For my boys, because I want to gush about them:

Piper's Hylians are VERY magic sensitive; they live and utilize magic so often in the form of the Spirit Tracks that any area without it seems unnaturally quiet, like when you turn off white noise. They also burn off excess magic when particularly excited in the form of Force Gems, which feeds into the tracks to be grounded out in extensions of it. It makes kind of a feedback loop where the tracks are slowly spreading out as long as there's good in the world.

Taps' Hylians are still adapting from the Sky era conditions. Their appendixes still work. They do better in higher altitudes than lower ones, and they can go into shock if they switch altitudes too quickly without practice due to their lungs panicking and trying to expand like they were built to. That'll fade out more and more in subsequent generations as Hylians become more accustomed to the surface.

Soldier's got more stamina than Wild due to the Shrine of Ressurection shenanigans, but a lower immune system. He and Wild are otherwise physically identical, so there isn't much else to say there.

Fox is by far the fragile outlier; the only human of the bunch, he's got lower stamina and lower resilience against attacks, but intense training to be a hero has compensated a little bit. Get that boy some heart containers.

Cadenza lives with intense telepathic synthesia, so he's got REALLY good hearing compared to the others at the cost of clumsiness whenever he misses a "beat." Telepathic synthesia is a common condition to have in his time, in varying degrees, so you'd be hard pressed to find someone that isn't tapping their foot to some invisible beat. He's also exhausted his adrenaline response due to the deaths-and-Fate interaction.

Now for general Hylian stuffs:

Fairies cure illnesses, as evidenced with Wind's grandma, and all the Links have at some point touched a fairy. That's how they resist viruses they wouldn't have otherwise developed immunity against.

They're also highly resistant to poisons, burns, frostbite, and electric shock. Not only do they survive elemental magic attacks often, but they can get struck by lightning, fight off toxins inflicted by plants, fog, mud, and bad food in seconds, and walk into active volcanoes with no respiratory damage whatsoever.

They're designed to pull more nutrition out of food than humans are, and as such, they can go longer without eating, have smaller stomachs, and can restore their energy with a simple bottle of milk.

They have good night vision, able to see in varying degrees in complete darkness. The best night vision of the bunch goes to Sky, and the worst goes to Hyrule, but even Hyrule's level of night vision lets him see himself and various enemies, suggesting that there's an element of motion detection to Hylian vision (don't move and he can't see us)!

Hylians have stronger bones than we do. While they do take damage from high falls, they don't sustain any long term injuries from it, even when they're at the point of death (like Wild). This means the damage they get from a fall is a lot more likely to be to their muscle tissue, so sprains and deep bruises. That could also be why Stalfos stick around for so long!

#loz #zelda #biology #i know this was meant as more of a joke but i am: a nerd #linked universe #my sons #piper my beloved #taps my beloved #soldier my beloved #fox my beloved #cadenza my beloved #ask bee

[alycosworld]

guess who🤡 heyhey 💕 here. I’m pretty sure by this 2nd request u can tell that I’m a very emotional person🧍🏻‍♀️ and that I’m a person that seeks alot of comfort from fictional characters because i dont have a life and good friends.

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putting a divider here so u dont have to read everything and can look out for keywords!

purple—> person

pink—>genre

green—>subject

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I’m not sure if u r comfy writing kazuha so if yr not I’m sorry u can ignore this! i just want a fluff comfort for reader who got like REALLY scolded for getting bad grades for exams because u have no idea how angsty I’m feeling rn:( my parents just literally like scolded me like there was no tmr istg- so i just need really fluff comfort. so a kazuha x NB(non bibary)!reader

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Anyways again tysm u have no idea how grateful i am if you accept my request!!!<3 get lots of rest and drink water. only do this if you want to!

byebye<3

-💕

Kazuha's Wise and Whimsical Words

Kaedehara Kazuha X Reader

A/N: aaaa 💕anon ily!! being emotional is completely fine and I would be honoured to become of your good friends!! I will be a part of your life, private message me if you're ever feeling down! I just want my readers happy because they make me happy aaaaaa 🥺

with that being said, i love this request! My parents were so hard on me when it came to exams, but as soon as I broke away from their expectations, I started to appreciate my grades more. I'll leave the real comforting words for Kazuha to say but NO ONE SHOULD EVER be disappointed in yourself if you tried your best. Thank you for your support and the request, I hope the story makes you feel better. Enjoy!

ps: I took into account the fact that not everyone has a mother and a father and not everyone has two parents at all, so only one parent is mentioned here and they are left gender neutral so it's easier to picture yourself in the story.

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"(Y/N). This is not at all what I expected. What happened to you?" Your parent asked sternly.

"Well, I--"

"I don't want to hear any excuses. Your predicted grades were much higher than this!" They said, raising their voice.

"I'm sorry, I--"

"Sorry is not going to improve your results! Do you really think that now is a good time to be slacking off? You have one more exam period before university. I don't care if you pass those exams, I want you to excel. And if you don't, you are not attending Sumeru Academia, whether they accept you or not. I am not paying for you to study overseas, only for you to get mediocre grades." They said, making you even more anxious than before the exam.

"But I got above the average!"

"By two percent! And the average was low." Your parent said, narrowing their eyes slightly and upsetting you with their belittling gaze.

"Realistically--"

"Realistically? Realistically?! If you want to study realistically, you should find someone else to pay for your education. When you want to study successfully, you can come back." They slammed the stack of sheets that displayed your results on the table with a loud bang before folding their arms as you grabbed a jacket and stormed out of the house, tears running down your face.

You walked for a while in the night, before eventually finding yourself in an area you were less familiar with. After recognising it to be somewhere near your boyfriend's current residence off Beidou's ship, you made a beeline for his place, knocking on the door and hoping, praying he would be alone inside.

The door soon opened and Kazuha stood there, initially with a smile on his face but it soon dropped when he saw your expression.

"(Y/N)? What happened?" He asked.

"C-can I come inside?" You sniffled.

"Of course, Love. Come in." He said, ushering you into his quaint little place. You stood by the door that closed behind you before Kazuha pushed the coat you had lazily draped over your shoulder onto the floor and enveloped you in his arms.

You broke down in his embrace. You had done better than most of your fellow students, and frankly, you were kind of proud of your result. But it was foolish of you to think that your parent would accept anything but perfection. They said it was all for you, but you were doubting it. Did you even want to go to Sumeru Academia? You had had your heart set on it since you were a child, but maybe that was only because your folks always envisioned you going there.

"Why are you crying, my love?" Kazuha asked, sitting you down near the fire to warm you up and standing up to get you a blanket and a hot cup of tea.

"I'm not good enough." You mumbled. If it was anyone else, they wouldn't have heard you. But your boyfriend could listen to the wind "talk" - he was very attuned to quiet and subtle noises.

"Nonsense." He smiled, bringing you the blanket as you listened to the water boil in the background.

"You're more than good enough. Everyone who knows you adores you - no one more than me, of course." Kazuha chuckled, eventually setting down two cups of tea and sitting in front of you on the floor.

"Public opinion won't improve my grades." You said, now more stoic than upset. You had almost become numb and desensitised to degrading comments that after you cried a little and calmed down, you'd be straight-faced and almost emotionless. It didn't feel good, but it was certainly better than feeling bad.

"So this is about school." Kazuha nodded, gesturing for you to continue explaining why had happened.

"They keep talking about my grades. They said I shouldn't be slacking and that I'm not going to get to Sumeru Academia and that they want me to do better...maybe I'm interpreting it wrong. Maybe they're trying to encourage me?" You wondered aloud, thinking that somehow you were the problem. As soon as you said "they", Kazuha knew who you are referring to and sighed.

"Encouragement and doubt are two very different things. Unrealistic expectations, detrimental practices, emotionally, mentally or physically taxing improvement - none of that is going to help you. In fact, it'll make you feel worse. When you really think about what you have to do to achieve perfection, you'll only realise how unattainable it is. You'll fall into a perpetual spiral of intellectual destruction." Kazuha said.

"Then how the hell am I gonna get the best results?" You asked worriedly.

"You won't. No one will ever get the best results because more people and more previously unforeseen factors will come into play. What you can achieve is your best results. Your grades are a product of you, not the other way around. They are no measure of your worth, they cannot define you, and they do not have to be a part of you. If you don't ace one subject, you don't have to hang on to that or turn it into some strange part of you. You can't cling to it, it's impossible to cling to a piece of the past forever. That's not to say you don't learn from it, but it doesn't need to become some villainous trait - in the end, it is only a grade." Kazuha shield at you. His words warmed your heart more than the fire or tea, and they even seemed to dry your tears and allow you to mirror his expression.

"And at the very least, you can hold your head high knowing that you had the strength to participate in an exam when not everyone does. You went in, sat through it, attempted the questions and walked out. Not everyone has the courage to stay; some don't even have the courage to start. That goes for any endeavour you face." Kazuha said, before inching closer to you.

"Feeling any better?" He asked. You nodded instantly. Of course, Kazuha's wise and whimsical words had bettered your mood, it was Kazuha for Archon's sake.

"Good. Maybe we could go for an evening stroll? I'll treat you to dinner if you haven't eaten." He offered.

"Can...can we just stay like this for a little longer? I think being alone with you is nicer." You smiled.

"Of course, Angel. Anything you want."

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this was less physical fluff than I intended, but I think I do comfort with direct words and dialogue best, so I hope this is okay. honestly, everything kasha said is what I would've wished to hear when I was in this situation. I'll probably post a rant about my own exam experiences because this request got all my past feelings to resurface.

thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

#kazuha #genshin #kaedehara kazuha #kazuha kaedehara #genshin impact #genshin kazuha #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin x you #kasha fluff #fluff comfort #comfort #kazuha comfort #non-binary reader #kazuha x reader #kazuha x you #kazuha x y/n

[samwisethewitch]

Pagan Paths: Wicca

Wicca is the big granddaddy of neopagan religions. Most people who are familiar with modern paganism are specifically familiar with Wicca, and will probably assume that you are Wiccan if you tell them you identify as pagan. Thanks to pop culture and a handful of influential authors, Wicca has become the public face of modern paganism, for better or for worse.

Wicca is also one of the most accessible pagan religions, which is why I chose to begin our exploration of individual paths here. Known for its flexibility and openness, Wicca is about as beginner-friendly as it gets. While it definitely isn’t for everyone, it can be an excellent place to begin your pagan journey if you resonate with core Wiccan beliefs.

This post is not meant to be a complete introduction to Wicca. Instead, my goal here is to give you a taste of what Wiccans believe and do, so you can decide for yourself if further research would be worth your time. In that spirit, I provide book recommendations at the end of this post.

History and Background

Wicca was founded by Gerald Gardner, a British civil servant who developed an interest in the esoteric while living and working in Asia. Gardner claimed that, after returning to England, he was initiated into a coven of witches who taught him their craft. Eventually, he would leave this coven and start his own, at which point he began the work of bringing Wicca to the general public. In 1954, Garner published his book Witchcraft Today, which would have a great impact on the formation of Wicca, as would his 1959 book The Meaning of Witchcraft.

Gardner claimed that the rituals and teachings he received from his coven were incomplete — he attempted to fill in the gaps, which resulted in the creation of Wicca. Author Thea Sabin calls Wicca “a New Old Religion,” which is a good way to think about it. When Gardner wrote the first Wiccan Book of Shadows, he combined ancient and medieval folk practices from the British Isles with ceremonial magic dating back to the Renaissance and with Victorian occultism. These influences combined to create a thoroughly modern religion.

Wicca spread to the United States in the 1960s, at which time several new and completely American traditions were born. Some of these traditions are simply variations on Wicca, while others (like Feri and Reclaiming, which we’ll discuss in future posts) became unique, full-fledged spiritual systems in their own right. In America, Wicca collided with the counter-culture movement, and several activist groups began to combine the two. Wicca has continued to evolve through the decades, and is still changing and growing today.

There are two main “types” of Wicca which take very different approaches to the same deities and core concepts.

Traditional Wicca is Wicca that looks more or less like the practices of Gerald Gardner, Doreen Valiente, Alex Sanders, and other early Wiccan pioneers. Traditional Wiccans practice in ritual groups called covens. Rituals are typically highly formal and borrow heavily from ceremonial magic. Traditional Wicca is an initiatory tradition, which means that new members must be trained and formally inducted into the coven by existing members. This means that if you are interested in Traditional Wicca, you must find a coven or a mentor to train and initiate you. However, most covens do not place any limitations on who can join and be initiated, aside from being willing to learn.

Most Traditional Wiccan covens require initiates to swear an oath of secrecy, which keeps the coven’s central practices from being revealed to outsiders. However, there are traditional Wiccans who have gone public with their practice, such as the authors Janet and Stewart Farrar.

Eclectic Wicca is a solitary, non-initiatory form of Wicca, as made popular by author Scott Cunningham in his book Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner. Eclectic Wiccans are self-initiated and may practice alone or with a coven, though coven work will likely be less central in their practice. There are very few rules in Eclectic Wicca, and Wiccans who follow this path often incorporate elements from other spiritual traditions, such as historical pagan religions or modern energy healing. Because of this, there are a wide range of practices that fall under the “Eclectic Wicca” umbrella. Really, this label refers to anyone who considers themselves Wiccan, follows the Wiccan Rede (see below), and does not belong to a Traditional Wiccan coven. The majority of people who self-identify as Wiccan fall into this group.

Core Beliefs and Values

Thea Sabin says in her book Wicca For Beginners that Wicca is a religion with a lot of theology (study and discussion of the nature of the divine) and no dogma (rules imposed by religious structures). As a religion, it offers a lot of room for independence and exploration. This can be incredibly empowering to Wiccans, but it does mean that it’s kind of hard to make a list of things all Wiccans believe or do. However, we can look at some basic concepts that show up in some form in most Wiccan practices.

Virtually all Wiccans live by the Wiccan Rede. This moral statement, originally coined by Doreen Valiente, is often summarized with the phrase, “An’ it harm none, do what ye will.”

Different Wiccans interpret the Rede in slightly different ways. Most can agree on the “harm none” part. Wiccans strive not to cause unnecessary harm or discomfort to any living thing, including themselves. Some Wiccans also interpet the word “will” to be connected to our spiritual drive, the part of us that is constantly reaching for our higher purpose. When interpreted this way, the Rede not only encourages us not to cause harm, but also to live in alignment with our own divine Will.

Wiccans experience the divine as polarity. Wiccans believe that the all-encompassing divinity splits itself (or humans split it into) smaller aspects that we can relate to. The first division of deity is into complimentary opposites: positive and negative, light and dark, life and death, etc. These forces are not antagonistic, but are two halves of a harmonious whole. In Wicca, this polarity is usually embodied by the pairing of the God and Goddess (see below).

Wiccans experience the divine as immanent in daily life. In the words of author Deborah Lipp, “the sacredness of the human being is essential to Wicca.” Wiccans see the divine present in all people and all things. The idea that sacred energy infuses everything in existence is a fundamental part of the Wiccan worldview.

Wiccans believe nature is sacred. In the Wiccan worldview, the earth is a physical manifestation of the divine, particularly the Goddess. By attuning with nature and living in harmony with its cycles, Wiccans attune themselves with the divine. This means that taking care of nature is an important spiritual task for many Wiccans.

Wiccans accept that magic is real and can be used as a ritual tool. Not all Wiccans do magic, but all Wiccans accept that magic exists. For many covens and solitary practitioners, magic is an essential part of religious ritual. For others, magic is a practice that can be used not only to connect with the gods, but also to improve our lives and achieve our goals.

Many Wiccans believe in reincarnation, and some may incorporate past life recall into their spiritual practice. Some Wiccans believe that our souls are made of cosmic energy, which is recycled into a new soul after our deaths. Others believe that our soul survives intact from one lifetime to the next. Many famous Wiccan authors have written about their past lives and how reconnecting with those lives informed their practice.

Important Deities and Spirits

The central deities of Wicca are the Goddess and the God. They are two halves of a greater whole, and are only two of countless possible manifestations of the all-encompassing divine. The God and Goddess are lovers, and all things are born from their union.

Though some Wiccan traditions place a greater emphasis on the Goddess than on the God, the balance between these two expressions of the divine plays an important role in all Wiccan practices (remember, polarity is one of the core values of this religion).

The Goddess is the Divine Mother. She is the source of all life and fertility. She gives birth to all things, yet she is also the one who receives us when we die. Although she forms a duality in her relationship with the God, she also contains the duality of life and death within herself. While the God’s nature is ever-changing, the Goddess is constant and eternal.

The Goddess is strongly associated with both the moon and the earth. As the Earth Mother, she is especially associated with fertility, abundance, and nurturing. As the Moon Goddess, she is associated with wisdom, secret knowledge, and the cycle of life and death.

Some Wiccans see the goddess as having three main aspects: the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone. The Maiden is associated with youth, innocence, and new beginnings; she is the embodiment of both the springtime and the waxing moon. The Mother is associated with parenthood and birth (duh), abundance, and fertility; she is the embodiment of the summer (and sometimes fall) and of the full moon. The Crone is associated with death, endings, and wisdom; she is the embodiment of winter and of the waning moon. Some Wiccans believe this Triple Goddess model is an oversimplification, or complain that it is based on outdated views on womanhood, but for others it is the backbone of their practice.

Symbols that are traditionally used to represent the Goddess include a crescent moon or an image of the triple moon (a full moon situated between a waxing and a waning crescent), a cup or chalice, a cauldron, the color silver, and fresh flowers.

The God is the Goddess’s son, lover, and consort. He is equal parts wise and feral, gentle and fierce. He is associated with sex and by extension with potential (it could be said that while the Goddess rules birth, the God rules conception), as well as with the abundance of the harvest. He is the spark of life, which is shaped by the Goddess into all that is.

The God is strongly associated with animals, and he is often depicted with horns to show his association with all things wild. As the Horned God he is especially wild and fierce.

The God is also strongly associated with the sun. As a solar god he is associated with the agricultural year, from the planting and germination to the harvest. While the Goddess is constant, the God’s nature changes with the seasons.

In some Wiccan traditions, the God is associated with plant growth. He may be honored as the Green Man, a being which represents the growth of spring and summer. This vegetation deity walks the forests and fields, with vines and leaves sprouting from his body.

Symbols that are traditionally used to represent the God include phalluses and phallic objects, knives and swords, the color gold, horns and antlers, and ripened grain.

Many covens, both Traditional and Eclectic, have their own unique lore around the God and the Goddess. Usually, this lore is oathbound, meaning it cannot be shared with those outside the group.

Many Wiccans worship other deities besides the God and Goddess. These deities may come from historical pantheons, such as the Greek or Irish pantheon. A Wiccan may work with the God and Goddess with their coven or on special holy days (see below), but work with other deities that are more closely connected to their life and experiences on a daily basis. Wiccans view all deities from all religions and cultures as extensions of the same all-encompassing divine force.

Wiccan Practice

Most Wiccans use the circle as the basis for their rituals. This ritual structure forms a liminal space between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the Wiccan who created the circle can choose what beings or energies are allowed to enter it. The circle also serves the purpose of keeping the energy raised in ritual contained until the Wiccan is ready to release it. Casting a circle is fairly easy and can be done by anyone — simply walk in a clockwise circle around your ritual space, laying down an energetic barrier. Some Wiccans use the circle in every magical or spiritual working, while others only use it when honoring the gods or performing sacred rites.

While it is on one level a practical ritual tool, the circle is also a representation of the Wiccan worldview. Circles are typically cast by calling the four quarters (the four compass points of the cardinal directions), which are associated with the four classical elements: water, earth, fire, and air. Some (but not all) Wiccans also work with a fifth element, called spirit or aether. The combined presence of the elements makes the circle a microcosm of the universe.

Casting a circle requires the Wiccan to attune themselves to these elements and to honor them in a ritual setting. This is referred to as calling the quarters. When a Wiccan calls the quarters, they will move from one cardinal point to the next (usually starting with east or north), greet the spirits associated with that direction/element, and invite them to participate in the ritual. (If spirit/aether is being called, the direction it is associated with is directly up, towards the heavens.) This is done after casting the circle, but before beginning the ritual.

What happens within a Wiccan ritual varies a lot — it depends on the Wiccan, their preferences, and their goals for that ritual. However, nearly all Wiccan religious rites begin with the casting of the circle and calling of the quarters. (Some would argue that a ritual that doesn’t include these elements cannot be called Wiccan.)

When the ritual is completed, the quarters must be dismissed and the circle taken down. Wiccans typically dismiss the quarters by moving from one cardinal point to the next (often in the reverse of the order used to call the quarters), thanking the spirits of that quarter, and politely letting them know that the ritual is over. The circle is taken down (or “taken up,” as it is called in some traditions) in a similar way, with the person who cast the circle moving around it counterclockwise and removing the energetic barrier they created. This effectively ends the ritual.

There are eight main holy days in Wicca, called the sabbats. These celebrations, based on Germanic and Celtic pagan festivals, mark the turning points on the Wheel of the Year, i.e., the cycle of the seasons. By honoring the sabbats, Wiccans attune themselves with the natural rhythms of the earth and actively participate in the turning of the wheel.

The sabbats include:

Samhain (October 31): Considered by many to be the “witch’s new year,” this Celtic fire festival has historic ties to Halloween. Samhain is primarily dedicated to the dead. During this time of year, the otherworld is close at hand, and Wiccans can easily connect with their loved ones who have passed on. Wiccans might celebrate Samhain by building an ancestor altar or holding a feast with an extra plate for the dead. Samhain is the third of the three Wiccan harvest festivals, and it is a joyous occasion despite its association with death. (By the way, this sabbat’s name is pronounced “SOW-en,” not “Sam-HANE” as it appears in many movies and TV shows.)

Yule/Winter Solstice (December 21): Yule is a celebration of the return of light and life on the longest night of the year. Many Wiccans recognize Yule as the symbolic rebirth of the God, heralding the new plant and animal life soon to follow. Yule celebrations are based on Germanic traditions and have a lot in common with modern Christmas celebrations. Wiccans might celebrate Yule by decorating a Yule tree, lighting lots of candles or a Yule log, or exchanging gifts.

Imbolc (February 1): This sabbat, based on an Irish festival, is a celebration of the first stirrings of life beneath the blanket of winter. The spark of light that returned to the world at Yule is beginning to grow. Imcolc is a fire festival, and is often celebrated with the lighting of candles and lanterns. Wiccans may also perform ritual cleansings at this time of year, as purification is another theme of this festival.

Ostara/Spring Equinox (March 21): Ostara is a joyful celebration of the new life of spring, with ties to the Christian celebration of Easter. Plants are beginning to bloom, baby animals are being born, and the God is growing in power. Wiccans might celebrate Ostara by dying eggs or decorating their homes and altars with fresh flowers. In some covens, Ostara celebrations have a special focus on children, and so may be less solemn than other sabbats.

Beltane (May 1): Beltane is a fertility festival, pure and simple. Many Wiccans celebrate the sexual union of the God and Goddess, and the resulting abundance, at this sabbat. This is also one of the Celtic fire festivals, and is often celebrated with bonfires if the weather permits. The fae are said to be especially active at Beltane. Wiccans might celebrate Beltane by making and dancing around a Maypole, honoring the fae, or celebrating a night of R-rated fun with friends and lovers.

Litha/Midsummer/Summer Solstice (June 21): At the Summer Solstice, the God is at the height of his power and the Goddess is said to be pregnant with the harvest. Like Beltane, Midsummer is sometimes celebrated with bonfires and is said to be a time when the fae are especially active. Many Wiccans celebrate Litha as a solar festival, with a special focus on the God as the Sun.

Lughnasadh/Lammas (August 1): Lughnasadh (pronounced “loo-NAW-suh”) is an Irish harvest festival, named after the god Lugh. In Wicca, Lughnasadh/Lammas is a time to give thanks for the bounty of the earth. Lammas comes from “loaf mass,” and hints at this festival’s association with grain and bread. Wiccans might celebrate Lughnasadh by baking bread or by playing games or competitive sports (activities associated with Lugh).

Mabon/Fall Equinox (September 21): Mabon is the second Wiccan harvest festival, sometimes called “Wiccan Thanksgiving,” which should give you a good idea of what Mabon celebrations look like. This is a celebration of the abundance of the harvest, but tinged with the knowledge that winter is coming. Some Wiccans honor the symbolic death of the God at Mabon (others believe this takes place at Samhain or Lughnasadh). Wiccan Mabon celebrations often include a lot of food, and have a focus on giving thanks for the previous year.

Aside from the sabbats, some Wiccans also celebrate esbats, rituals honoring the full moons. Wiccan authors Janet and Stewart Farrar wrote that, while sabbats are public festivals to be celebrated with the coven, esbats are more private and personal. Because of this, esbat celebrations are typically solitary and vary a lot from one Wiccan to the next.

Further Reading

If you want to investigate Wicca further, there are a few books I recommend depending on which approach to Wicca you feel most drawn to. No matter which approach you are most attracted to, I recommend starting with Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin. This is an excellent introduction to Wiccan theology and practice, whether you want to practice alone or with a coven.

If you are interested in Traditional Wicca, I recommend checking out A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar after you finish Sabin’s book. Full disclosure: I have a lot of issues with this book. Parts of it were written as far back as the 1970s, and it really hasn’t aged well in terms of politics or social issues. However, it is the most detailed guide to Traditional Wicca I have found, so I recommend it for that reason. Afterwards, I recommend reading Casting a Queer Circle by Thista Minai, which presents a system similar to Traditional Wicca with less emphasis on binary gender. After you learn the basics from the Farrars, Minai’s book can help you figure out how to adjust the Traditional Wiccan system to work for you.

If you are interested in Eclectic Wicca, I recommend Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner and Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham. Cunningham is the author who popularized Eclectic Wicca, and his work remains some of the best on the subject. Wicca is an introduction to solitary Eclectic Wicca, while Living Wicca is a guide for creating your own personalized Wiccan practice.

Resources:

Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

Living Wicca by Scott Cunningham

A Witches’ Bible by Janet and Stewart Farrar

The Study of Witchcraft by Deborah Lipp

#paganism 101 #pagan #paganism #baby pagan #wicca #wiccan #traditional wicca #eclectic wicca #scott cunningham #thea sabin #janet and stewart farrar #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #baby witch #long post #mine #my writing #witches of tumblr

[shades-of-stony]

Royalty Stony AUs

A King for Christmas by iam93percentstardust

Summary: In 1867, Tony Stark flees New York after refusing to marry the alpha his parents chose for him. His money runs out in the small kingdom of Dacia, ruled over by King Steven of the Rogers line. Somehow, and he’s not entirely sure how, he ends up accepting the position of nanny to the king’s four children: Harley, Peter, Sarah, and Morgan.

Tony bonds with the children easily but their father is harder to get to know. Steve is still grieving his wife’s death four years earlier. His continued mourning has turned the once bright halls into dark and somber shadows of their former glory. Tony isn’t entirely certain what he can do but he knows that he has to do something or else the whole country, so attuned to their leader, will sink into despair. He begins by reconciling the king with his young children.

Meanwhile, the children have decided that it’s high time their father fall in love again—and Tony is the obvious choice. They concoct elaborate plans to force the two together, hardly realizing that Steve and Tony are falling in love, not through their shenanigans but through the quiet moments they share bonding over the love they have for the children.

A Higher Form of War by sabremc

Summary: Tony is a King with a surprising number of people out to kill him. Steve and the rest of the Avengers are fighting for Pierce's rebellion and end up with Tony as their prisoner. Oops.

Basically one of those bodice-ripping romance novels I don't read (ahem) but with far more gay.

rearrange my heart (to fit your smile) by starklystar

Summary: "You dare," Howard's chair makes an ugly noise as it scrapes against the stone floors, the chatter of the room shifting into hushed whispers and stolen glances. "I am your father and your King!"

"My King is my husband," Tony tips his chin up, defiant. "And I refuse to hear you suggest that my husband has been anything other than good to me."

Next to him, he feels Steve's shoulders stiffen in surprise.

Howard's fist slams loud on the table. "Your husband does not even love you!"

Tony jerks back, burned. He knows that. Knows that Steve did not marry him for love – does not need any reminder of the cold truth, of what he desperately yearns for and can't even hope to have – but the harshness of Howard's words was scalding, and Tony can't afford for this to go any further.

----------

Or, King Steven marries Prince Tony, Tony is pretty sure he shouldn't panic when he falls in love with his own husband, and Steve tries his very best not to cause diplomatic crises.

Keyword: try

Fealty by  Lasenby_Heathcote and Robin_tCJ

Summary: Steve Rogers is Lord of America, and was gifted his corner of the kingdom of Starkland after amazing acts of heroism in the war against Hydra. A long, brutal winter forces Steve to go to King Howard for aid, and Howard agrees – under the condition that Steve bond with his Omega son, Tony. Steve agrees, of course, for the good of his people. Prince Tony is a trained Omega Consort – an Omega of status sent to a prestigious academy to become the perfect Consort Mate to high-status Alphas throughout the kingdom. At this academy they learn diplomacy, negotiation, proper manners, and, of course, the various ways to pleasure their Alphas.

I will wait by Shellhead616

Summary: Prince Stark was to marry a Prince he never met, for money he never wanted, to reign over a realm his father didn’t care for. But the Prince did care for his people. So he ran away, accidentally joined a group of misfits calling themselves the “Avengers”, with their fierce leader “The Captain". Although, when he discovers the secret the Captain has been keeping, everything changes.

one day by mvrcredi

Summary: One day.

One day Prince Steven would be king. One day he would have all the qualities to be an even better king than his father.

And maybe, one day, Tony would be his husband.

(But maybe, before that one day, Steven should reveal his secret to the man.)

My Loyalty to You by Hazein, Shi_Toyu

Summary: The Israelite nation has gone to war, Howard is acting erratic, and it’s everything Tony can do to argue with the war council to find the most advantageous strategies for their men. Then Thanos strides out of the enemy ranks and issues a challenge unlike any Tony has ever heard. If an Israelite can defeat him in one-on-one combat, their entire army will surrender. Too bad Thanos is twice the size of any man they have. Enter Steve Rogers, local sheppard and the king’s newest harp player, who claims he can fell this giant with nothing but a sling and a stone.

Whether he can manage it or not, Tony is just trying to figure out how you get to looking like that by tending sheep...

Arranged by NotEvenCloseToStraight

Summary: Royalty AU-- Howard arranges a match between Tony and Steve, but when Tony tries to run away with Tiberius instead, Steve goes after his betrothed and brings him home. Things are difficult between the couple at first, but an impulsive kiss leads to softer moments, and finally the arranged pair find happiness together.

Knight of Wands by  Sineala

Summary: Steve has reigned as king for ten years, and in a few days peace will finally come to his kingdom. Representatives of the Kree Empire are soon to arrive for the negotiations that will end the war between them once and for all. Steve is looking forward to settling down, with his hand-picked Avengers at his side -- led, of course, by the masked knight Iron Man -- and also his trusted advisors, the most beloved of whom is Tony, his court magician, the most powerful mage in all the land.

But when Steve's life is endangered, Tony makes the greatest sacrifice of all to protect his king, a sacrifice far greater than his life. And when Tony disappears under mysterious circumstances, Steve learns that even his closest friends keep secrets that he could never have suspected.

Chasing Daydreams by comecatchmeifyoucan

Summary: “Promise you’ll be there?” He mumbled into Steve’s chest.

“Of course.”

“Good.” Tony separated from Steve but his hand was still gently gripping the blond’s wrist. “Because the party only starts when I arrive, and I’m obviously not going if you won’t be there.”

Steve felt the brunet’s hand slip down to graze his, and he let it linger there for a second before it was suddenly pulled away from him. He could only hope that he had hidden his disappointment well.

Fortunately, Tony didn’t seem to notice Steve’s abrupt drop in mood.

✧ ─────── ♡ ─────── ✧

After years of pining for the brunet, Steve was finally going to get his chance to confess his feelings for Tony. If only he could find him in the crowd of masked-people first...

Luckily, when his hopeless crush is nowhere to be found, Steve meets a beautiful stranger to keep him company throughout the night.

heavy is the crown by theappleppielifestyle

Summary: “Why did you pick me? As a match. Howard forced you to marry, but you had - there were other options. Many of them.”

“Maybe I wanted to help you,” Tony says. “To help - anyone, for once. Your people needed it.”

Oh, Steve thinks dully. So it wasn’t about him at all. It’s - a comfort, in some ways. In others, it’s… less so.

“And-” Tony hesitates. "Everyone said you were kind. I thought… if I had to marry, I’d prefer to marry someone kind.”

(Or, Arranged Marriage AU.)

WIP:

The Crown- the stony au nobody asked for by Jo_StClaire

Summary: Tony is the sole Omega prince of Angsold, who falls in love with the Alpha Army Captain of a neighboring nation. When his father, King Howard, suddenly falls ill and passes, Tony's life is thrown out of wack when he becomes a reigning monarch at 25. Follow Tony through the struggles of being a newly-wedded Omega as well as a leader of a nation. He must learn to balance his love for his people with his love for his husband Steve. (Loosely Based off of the Netflix series The Crown)

No More, No Less by ABrighterDarkness

Summary: His father had been discussing it again, amongst his advisers. He was barely eighteen , what did he need of a wife at eighteen? Frankly, he was already tired of hearing about it. Tired of meeting the daughters of the various men that were deemed important enough. None of them had caught his attention in the least and he suspected that they never would. Not when his daydreams already consisted of intelligent brown eyes, rich brown curls and a wickedly charming grin.

Protea by Anonymous

Summary: After witnessing the injustice done onto his parents, Steve Rogers sneaks into the Ferrite Royal Palace to try and find answers. Fate decides to saddle him with solving shady scandals while unknowingly becoming involved with the nation’s omegan king, Anthony.

And deal with all the baggage and drama that comes along with it.

Or…

A Concubine!Steve AU

they're both princes in this one by vapaad

Summary: Steve Rogers is the first son of the United States The entire nation sees him as America’s golden boy. Handsome, smart, charming, and overall perfection– Steve is an icon to the youths of America. But Steve, well he has one little issue. He thinks Prince Anthony, yes the british prince, is a big jerk. Arrogant and an overall asshole.

So when an encounter between the two results in chaos, Steve and Anthony “call me Tony” are thrusted into a PR stint of being best friends. But soon enough, they both come to the realization that they want more, and there, bloomed a secret relationship between the first son of the united states, and the prince of England.

tell me i'm your national anthem by oopshidaisy for chasingconstellations

Summary: Red, White & Royal Blue AU. Tony Stark is the unwilling First Son of the United States, whose rivalry with beloved Prince Steve threatens UK/US relations. After an international incident involving a wedding cake, Steve and Tony are forced to fake a friendship for the public eye - a fake friendship that evolves into something real, and dangerous.

#stony #stony au #superhusbands #stevetony #stony fic #stony fic rec #stevetony fic rec

[mgsdays]

Hey dear! Oh, good question. I don't think they're dating dating, but I think ZZX is trying to figure out what they mean to each other.

The way I see it, Zhan Zheng Xi is being patient with Jian Yi and is giving him room to figure himself out, while unaware of his own place in this story.

(Which must be funny to everyone around them lmao Everyone else in the room can see it, everyone else but you...)

My thoughts are:

Zhan Zheng Xi has no clue what he's feeling. I don't think he understands he has romantic feelings for Jian Yi. He's doing this for Jian Yi, rather because he sees his own feelings. He gets embarrassed by Jian Yi's romantic / sexual overtures, he's not self-aware like Jian Yi is and he's definitely not on the same page. That being said,

Zhan Zheng Xi is very attuned to Jian Yi, has been for years, and he understands how easily he could hurt JY right now. He has decided not to do it. He won't date anyone else while they navigate this, for example, out of respect for Jian Yi's feelings. This choice is deliberate.

(Which is complex because he doesn't owe Jian Yi this. If he had absolutely no feelings whatsoever, he would just tell Jian Yi no. Out of respect for Jian Yi, he would be letting Jian Yi down, encouraging Jian Yi to move on. That's not what he's doing, but I don't think he sees why.)

They have these meaningful non-verbal communications where I feel like you get a good idea of what he's feeling.

Love for ZZX isn't such an explosive affair, like it is for Mo and He Tian.

Zheng Xi falls gradually, maybe over the span of years, and he slowly becomes more aware of what that means. If he had more had time I think soon-ish he'd have a breakthrough and they'd be dating, dating. But they don't have time, so I don't think Zheng Xi will fully understand himself before Jian Yi leaves.

#i think they'll have a very soft romantic relationship in the future #but in the current timeline i think ZZX doesn't understand himself and he's being careful with JY /for Jian Yi/ rather than for himself #zhanyi #19 days #ask box #anonymous

[blindbeta]

Blind/Visually Impaired Person’s Review Of ‘The Blind Bandit’

It is here! At almost 6 thousand words (I have a problem lol). This is a review of season 2, episode 6 in Avatar: the Last Airbender. The episode is called The Blind Bandit.

Note that this is only a review of the portrayal of blindness rather than the episode or show itself. This show also has audio descriptions on Netflix so any blind followers of mine can watch the show if the want to. I would also like to make it clear that this is my opinion. It is my no means lacking in bias and I won’t pretend that it is. I love this character for some of the reasons I will explain here, and that will show even as I consider criticisms of her or things that simply could have been better.

This character, Toph, was my first exposure to a blind character in television.

CHARACTER INTRO:

“Your champion, The Blind Bandit!”

We first hear Toph introduced as The Blind Bandit. She is described as having pale eyes which is usually how eye conditions are conveyed visually. Some online sources describe them as light grey or sea form green, but glazed over. This could be due to cataracts or some other deterioration. Part of me wants to mention that not all blind people have eyes like this. Most don’t; I don’t. However, blind people can have many eye problems outside of just The Blindness, so it isn’t inaccurate either, especially for a time period where eye surgeries are not available, and Waterbenders are not as easy to reach for healings as they may have been before the war. I also suspect her family would not care about cataracts if Toph was not in pain— their main issue would be her blindness. I’m getting ahead of myself.

The point is, I don’t mind the way her eyes are portrayed here. I do think non-blind people are too obsessed with portraying eyes like this, however, and I feel like it is not necessary in non-visual media unless you have established why their eyes are cloudy/lighter/Like That other than Because Blind. I’m happy they didn’t fall into the trap of portraying her eyes as constantly closed.

I also read somewhere that the creators tried not to move her eyes much. I don’t know how true this goal was, but I feel it is not entirely necessary. Blind people can also have uncontrollable eye movements or rapid eye movements. This might be too hard to animate and too confusing for viewers. Therefore, I feel the creators chose a more practical portrayal of eye movements that is the easiest to animate and least confusing for people who may not know blind eyes can and do move, whether due a condition or other factors.

“She can’t really be blind, can she?”

I like that everyone says “blind” without stumbling over it or treating it as a bad word. Katara is surprised and Aang is accepting, feeling hopeful that this girl could at last be his teacher. I even like that she chose to capitalize on it for her persona. Already we can tell Toph has no issue with being blind, nor does she feel the need to hide it in such a setting as this. She is already the champion— it must be working for her. It is this openness and acceptance of blindness that I like, especially from the main character. Rather than make her hide her blindness or angst over something she has lived with all her life, the writers just introduced it as fact. She’s blind and she’s a champion. That is how we meet Toph.

“Sounds to me like you’re scared, Boulder!”

Trash talk. She’s trash talking him. If the champion thing was not an indication that this wasn’t your stereotypical innocent, blind flower, her first line should be! Already Toph is brash and fearless. A far cry from the angelic stereotype we often get in the media.

“Your winner, and still the champion, The Blind Bandit!”

Toph kicks Boulder Butt. Pretty easily. I loved every second of it.

Now let’s talk about the Super Crip trope here.

IS TOPH A SUPERCRIP?

The Supercrip trope is a bit hard to pin down. I found a few definitions floating around. This link has two: Trope: SuperCrip | #CriticalAxis: a community driven project from The Disabled List

The Supercrip is seen as having “overcome” their disability in order to do normal things or even extraordinary things— with a focus on their disability rather than their accomplishments.

The first part is avoided. The narrative doesn’t focus on how extra special it is that Toph is doing things like: walking, talking, eating soup, sitting with her family, yelling at Aang and his friends, etc. Toph is not seen as extra special for doing normal things that her disability does not make more difficult. Not only would this be patronizing and ignorant, this would reflect that attitudes many real life strangers have: disabled people are so strange and mystical to some people that they feel the need to ask blind people on the street how they walk or talk.

Personally, I find this portrayal of disabled people to be the most harmful. It caters to able-bodied onlookers alone and offers nothing for disabled people. To clarify: the problem is not portraying disabled people/characters doing normal things! The problem is expecting your audience to feel inspired because a disabled person did a thing that is completely ordinary for them.

This does not apply to Toph.

Another definition is that a disabled person is portrayed as “overcoming” their disability in order to do something cool/big, usually something able-bodied people don’t do everyday. This disabled person is only noteworthy because they did something extraordinary such as win several gold medals. This presents two problems: 1) it is hard for disabled people to meet these expectations, especially when this is shown as the only positive way to live with a disability. And 2) able-bodied people see this and believe all disabled people must be winning gold medals or doing super extraordinary things because their disability somehow gives them privilege, pity-points, or superhuman powers that make up for their disability. An example of these powers would be the myth that blind people have superhuman hearing rather than simply using their hearing more than sighted people and thus being more attuned to sound. An example of pity-points would be the time my family was watching Dancing With the Stars featuring a blind contestant. After the dance, someone remarked that the contestant would probably get sympathy points and go on to the next round. Her talent was not a factor the same way it was for the able-bodied contestants; pity-points could not be separated from her success. It was impossible that she would be supported and judged the same way as the others, with her blindness being only an extra factor that might make copying a dance to learn it more challenging for her. Keep in mind, these ideas are so ingrained in people that my own family believed it in even when they know me and several of my blind friends.

Let’s consider Tooh:

Pity-Points? - Not even a factor. This was not brought up by Aang, nor Katara, nor Sokka. It was certainly not thought of by the owner of the battle ring nor Toph’s opponents. In fact, she was only doubted when she lost. Her talent was never viewed as the result of someone else’s pity or reduced to inspiration for an able-bodied wrestling audience. The announcer says her name and nothing else. Her parents don’t bring up the idea that Toph only wins because she was pitied either. They witnessed her bending and only believed they needed to protect her more, not that she was not talented.

Privilege? - It is no question that Tooh’s family is rich. It is hard to say how much that affects her here. She has a tutor who undermines her growth and is pretty much useless. She has protection she doesn’t want and riches she doesn’t seem to use. She does have more free time to battle as a result of her riches, not having to work at a young age (although her parents probably would not have let her even if they needed the money). Toph’s family status could have been seen as playing a role in her winning— if her parents allowed the world to know about her. - It is no secret that Toph is rich, however, when privilege is brought up by able-bodied people, they don’t usually mean riches (although the stereotypical rich disabled person is something I could discuss at a later time). They usually mean some combination of government benefits that may or may not exist and pity points. Disability makes things HARDER, not easier. A person can have multiple privileges they did not earn, or lack of privileges they did not ask for. Toph does not gain special privileges due to her disability, nor does she ask for or expect them. My opinion is that no one asks for this, anyway.

Super-human? - This one is a little trickier. It is the one people are obviously hung up on when they consider Toph. It is difficult to consider this without considering Toph’s entire arc. However, I have chosen to focus on her bending and “sight” and how it is used in this episode. I may talk about this more if I do other reviews. - First, bending. Toph is not the only bender in the series. She is also not the only good bender, as Katara is also someone who grows into her bending and becomes particularly powerful. Aang is already a master of airbending in addition to being the Avatar. He is special and particularly powerful, mastering water quickly. Azula is also said to be a prodigy and has mastered lightning at 14. The point is, Toph is a powerful bender. She is not the only powerful bender in the world. The Avatar needs someone to teach him and that person would, reasonably, have mastered their bending in order to teach the Avatar. - Now for Toph’s bending in relation to her blindness. It is true that Toph is powerful AND blind— is she powerful in spite of being blind? Is she powerful because her blindness gives her superpowers? This is tricky. To me, the narrative doesn’t go out of its way to say “she overcame her blindness and was able to win”. It also doesn’t show blindness as a superpower, such as causing superior hearing. - How is it portrayed then? First, Toph never has to “overcome” her blindness, which is important. The obstacle is the limitations placed on her. The obstacle is society, not her disability. Toph does not need to accept her blindness before doing anything, because she has been blind since birth. She does not have to overcome her blindness before fighting or becoming a champion because when we are introduced to her, she already was. She is not expected to overcome her disability in order to teach Aang; he tries to recruit her without seeing her disability as an issue. She does not need overcome her disability because it is not what stops her, as is the case for most people. There are some things being blind makes difficult, different, or impossible to do, but this isn’t one of them. Blind people can learn to fight. They can win. And when people reduce such accomplishments as “overcoming disability”, it can feel like a misdirection, like a dismissal of hard work and talent.

This does not happen with Toph.

Second, does Toph’s blindness give her superpowers? Maybe. I feel like it might be necessary to cover Toph in other episodes. However, this review is focusing mostly on The Blind Bandit and so I will focus on Toph’s unique “sight”. Toph’s bending is unique from others because she can feel the vibrations in the ground, allowing her to sense objects and people. This ability allows her to fight and beat others. In my opinion, this is more of an adaptation perfected through sheer amount of practice. Katara and Zuko don’t always bend. Toph is using her bending constantly. Of course she would be good at it. Her bending is a tool for her use. Fighting? That’s just a bonus, a hobby.

Toph also has weaknesses and is in fact beaten by Aang, who wasn’t even trying. Losing to someone who had no intention of winning is a pretty big deal.

Personally, I don’t think Toph is a supercrip in this episode. She is a Blind Seer, a trope popular in literature. The Blind Seer can’t see physically, but they can see in other ways you can’t. I don’t have an issue with this trope and think it can be used in cool ways, especially if the blind character isn’t the only one with a superpower.

I do, however, want people to question why a blind character always needs to have a power that relates to or makes up for their lack of sight in some way. Unless you are making a deliberate allusion to something or a blind is not the only one with sight-related powers, I ask writers to question why they jump to sight-related powers in the first place. Or powers related to hearing, something to “make up for” their lack of sight.

Can this be done well? Absolutely. Toph, while she can fall into both The Blind Seer and the Supercrip tropes for some people, she is beloved and interesting for many fans, blind or sighted.

I ask people to trace their logic about why they choose to give their blind character powers related to sight. What kind of power is it? Does it make up for (aka erase) their blindness and make them less relatable to blind readers/watchers? Are they the only blind character and/or the only person with such a power? Can they have another power? What works and does not work for good characters like Toph? Why?

Getting rid of these particular tropes are not the answer. I simply invite people to consider other options, try new things, think critically about why and what woks or doesn’t work in other characters.

I absolutely invite blind writers to use whatever tropes they want, as they can probably write it in a more nuanced way.

My personal opinion about the Supercrip trope is that it is somehow focused on success or talent as the enemy without recognizing what it means. Wanting to succeed is not wrong. Being competitive is refreshing!

It isn’t really about doing super things or not— it is about disabled people being made to feel like they will not be successful, accepted, or taken seriously if they do not win everything or succeed at impossible feats. Able-bodied people are permitted to exist without needing to prove anything. Disabled people are not afforded that respect.

Either disabled people fight against the ingrained expectation that they simply cannot do anything, that will FAIL, because of their disability, or they fight against the realization that, for many people, even impossible feats will never be enough. Their accomplishments will never be seen as just that— accomplishments.

Blind characters should be talented or hard-working, prodigies or people who claw their way to the top. Their disability may be an obstacle and it may, in fact, barely even be necessary to mention aside from adaptive tools. The Supercrip is so alluring because people are under the impression blind people— and disabled people as a whole— cannot do anything. To the point that some condescendingly assume certain things are impossible because they did not think of adaptive techniques or technology. This is why research is important.

Remember why this trope/stereotype exists: for the inspiration of able-bodied people who are uninterested in making changes in society’s attitudes and the amount of accessibility it provides. Problematic tropes like this usually have a specific issue behind them and you cannot tackle or discuss r subvert the trope until you understand the harmful reason it exists.

Not everyone agrees with me. Here are some reading materials:

On the pervasive Supercrip trope in martial arts:

http://feministing.com/2010/02/19/media-portrayal-of-disability-and-martial-arts-a-personal-statement/

On the pressure this trope puts on blind people:

Challenging the ‘Supercrip’ Stereotype of People With Disabilities | The Mighty

[In the comments, I would prefer people not speculate about Toph being a Supercrip or not if they aren’t blind themselves. It would be more helpful to focus on other aspects of this review or share posts by other blind people instead.]

Keep in mind, this is only a review of one episode. And I personally will take a powerful disabled character over a powerless, sad one anytime.

This concludes our commercial break. Back to the show.

BEING BLIND IN EARTH KINGDOM SOCIETY

Earth Kingdom Boy 1: “Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong family. They’re the richest people in town. Probably whole world.” Earth Kingdom Boy 2: “Yeah, but they don’t have a daughter.”

Now this is interesting. It implies that Toph is: a) hiding herself well so as to keep up her double life and/or b) being hidden by her family. I suspect it is a little of both. A) is pretty obvious, especially with the wall surrounding their estate, while b) could be due to overprotectiveness or shame on the part of her parents. Shame may seem harsh. However, this is not exactly a modern time period and respect for disabled people can vary depending on culture, time, place, and individual attitudes.

When portraying poor social attitudes toward disabled characters, writers must work hard to show the attitudes as wrong and work to reduce them. I do feel that, like with gender discrimination, people tend to preemptively assume accepting disability is modern and Western concept- and that any ableism is fair game because it is realistic. That is far from the truth, especially if they get it wrong.

Too much and it could be mistaken for an excuse to be ableist. Too little and it may seem like erasure of societal barriers faced by blind people.

Let’s see how the ATLA writers handle this.

TOPH’S “SIGHT” AND MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

Anyway, the Gaang finds Toph again. Toph: “What are doing here, Twinkle Toes?” Aang: “How did you know it was me?”

Two things stick out here. I love that The Gaang interacts with her normally and this episode is not about the able-bodied characters learning how to treat a disabled person like a person, nor is it about them confronting their biases. Instead, they have a favor to ask, one that Toph cannot grant. The episode shifts focus onto Toph and her emotions and needs.

I also liked that Aang asks how she knew it was him. This is a common question and it seems to be asked in curiosity rather than implied judgment or suspicion on Aang’s part, as is often the case nowadays. Later in the episode, Toph explains how she knew, but she could also have recognized his footsteps (light as they are) with or without her bending. Blind people are also usually more reliant on hearing or smell and so may pick up on scents or sounds others do not. That is not to say their hearing or smell are superior (see the Supercrip discussion), but that they are used more often. This is how I conceptualize Toph’s bending— it is something she uses all day, every day. Like her hearing and smell and touch, she is more reliant on these senses and so uses them in ways others don’t.

I do wish we had a few more examples of this in the episode/show rather than Toph using her bending for every situation. As I said, I do not mind that she can “see” with bending as it is not true sight, but showing how she uses other senses would have been nice details.

TOPH’S PARENTS HAVE ENTERED THE RING

Toph: “I thought I heard something! I got scared.” Guard: “You know your father doesn’t want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph.”

With this, we can understand her father is overprotective, so much so that Toph is able to believably pull off this act of helplessness in front of the guards. Her father does not believe even walking around her own home is safe for her.

With that in mind, it is NOT a plot hole that she can walk around her home in front of her parents. Even overprotected blind kids don’t use canes or need a guide within their own homes as they often memorize the layout. Canes are not usually used inside ones own home or very familiar areas. Outside areas might be an exception as they are likely to change due to nature or redesign, but generally familiar, casual areas do not warrant canes or guides. It is completely believable that Toph can walk around in her own home without causing suspicion.

Toph’s father, indicating soup placed in front of her: “Blow on it. It’s too hot for her.”

Not only is her father overprotective, he is infantilizing. He thinks she can’t blow on her own soup and must be confined to basic stances of bending, something Toph is clearly unhappy with. Toph’s parents are the kind of people who wouldn’t let her watch TV lol!

Toph’s father: “And sadly, because of her blindness, I don’t think she will ever become a true master.”

There it is. There are many people in the world who have this mindset, believing disabled people succeeding is unrealistic, or only achieved by pity-driven intervention from others for inspirational purposes or a lie told by overly soft parenting. Toph’s father may seem radical, but his views are very common even for those close to a blind person. Even for those who might like the inspirational stories about blind people doing things.

HOW TOPH SEES THE WORLD

Toph: “It’s kind of like seeing with my feet.”

This is where I disagree with some interpretations of Toph. She can sense where things are and what they are. She has a wider range than someone with a cane would. However, I don’t know if this is quite erasing her blindness. Could they have done better? Yes. However, to claim the show made her sighted with magic is not quite fitting to me. Toph is not seeing with a magical potion, nor did Katara heal her blindness. She is using a power a lot of people in the ATLA universe have in bending, one she has used her entire life and perfected through sheer number of practice hours. I think it helps that she did not get this power, narratively, because she was blind. Rather she is a blind person who adapted a skill to her use.

A cane or an animal guide might have helped make the narrative more relatable for blind people, however. They could have also played up being unable to see people’s facial expressions. In other episodes, they show areas where she is unable to bend, such as on ice, sand, or floating objects like the warship or Appa.

In these instances, they could have shown sighted guide.

However, I think what they did worked. Would I suggest anyone else try it? Maybe not. It depends on their motivation for doing it. Toph’s powers basically act as a cane or Sunnu band would. They aren’t a magic spell letting her see all the time.

They could have done a little better— I still think it worked. It does not seem to have unfortunate implications of sight being better than blindness or blindness needing special cures.

For writing purposes, it is important to understand why this worked, how it was portrayed, factor in that bending is not unique to Toph, understand the nature of her ‘sight’, and understand what they could have done better. Just because it works here doesn’t mean it will work everywhere. It is important for writers to understand that and question their motivation for giving their character a different kind of vision.

THE DISABILITY EPISODE - AVOIDED

Toph’s father: “My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you.” Toph: “Yes. I can.”

Some may feel uncomfortable that Toph’s first episode is about her parents doubting her, dealing with ableism and being forced into stereotypes by her own family. It is important to remember that this is a show for children and any blind children watching it will have dealt with similar issues from adults in their lives. The show doesn’t seem to say this is the only narrative a blind character can have, but rather that it is a relatable occurrence for blind children who are watching it.

Toph also has many episodes left — this is only the beginning. This is hardly her only arc, and even her personality and abilities challenge so many stereotypes.

In most shows, the blind character gets one episode. Toph, however, is a main character.

Toph is also a well-rounded and interesting character with agency. She hardly seems like an inspirational puppet for adults.if this show had been written for adults or if Toph had been focusing on wanting to become a champion “despite her blindness”, I might have felt upset. It goes to show how important nuance is when writing disabled characters and how powerful it can be to make an effort to challenge stereotypes.

This is not how we first see Toph— helpless, unproductive. Instead, we FIRST see her out in the world kicking butt with her bending skill and I think that it is important.

NOT SO HELPLESS AFTER ALL

Toph’s father uses these words to describe her: Tiny, helpless, fragile. Unable to help others. Unexpected to become a true master or even advance beyond breathing techniques.

Toph challenges all of these at some point. She helps Aang defeat the bad guys. She faces many people in battle and wins, remaining an undefeated champion until Aang accidentally beats her. She advances far beyond basic bending techniques. Toph is good at very active things, with bending as a martial art and as a sport here. It is refreshing to see blind characters being so active and a stark contrast to the passive image her father has of his blind daughter. She does things for herself, including developing her bending style without the help of a master who limits her- and she hides her double life well. Toph’s ability and personality also challenge notions of fragility: she is boisterous and fearless, stubborn and even a bit rude. She mostly says what she wants to and fiercely hides what she doesn’t want to, even when pressured. She yielded only to her parents, which is tied up in love, respect, fear that they will no longer love her, possible aversion to change in some aspects of her life, and cultural expectations. For disabled children, it is often hard to go against your parents because the world teaches you that the world will never accept you or allow you to live in it. Your family is all you have.

Toph IS tiny, although that is due to genetics, environmental factors, and her age. However, her stature is used to prove the other qualities assigned to her when in reality her height has nothing to do with anything her family believes about her.

When the fighting starts, Toph creates a cloud of dust which effectively blinds her opponents. I thought it was a nice, ironic touch. The point is not just that her opponents now cannot see; Toph is already used to fighting under these conditions. She didn’t level the playing field. She is already better than them, already used to working without sight, and so the advantage is hers.

ABLEISM IN ACTION

Later, Toph confronts her parents:

Toph’s father: “You will be cared for and guarded 24/7.” Toph’s mother: “We are doing this for your own good, Toph.”

Unfortunately, this kind of infantilization is not uncommon. They saw her as she truly was and were still unable to let go of their ideas of their blind daughter. At this point, Toph is more trapped than ever despite opening up. The first time, it was surprising to see them not change their minds, given the happy endings we are used to in children’s shows. However, what happens is more relatable to blind kids with overprotective or controlling parents.

Of course, Toph makes the choice to leave them, showing more agency than most blind characters get, with or without controlling parents.

OVERALL

Overall: I loved this episode. It was a nice introduction to a character that both challenged expectations and dealt with obstacles relatable to blind fans. Toph’s struggles with her parents and the weight of stereotypes could have been cheap inspiration porn, but the way it was handled and the target audience of children rather than adults changes things immensely. This episode goes out of its way to challenge many stereotypes viewers may hold about blind people in ways that are fun and exciting. Toph’s personality is refreshing even over a decade later. While her bending as ‘sight’ may be disliked by some, it feels more like something with missed opportunities (the use of a cane or sighted guide), although I thought this episode did it well. Toph is not given special powers so that she can see—she adapts an ability for her own use.

Toph is a martial artist, encouraging children to try something similar if they are interested. She challenges her own parents, which may be very relatable to blind fans.

Unlike most children’s shows of the time (and even now), Toph does not feel like a vessel for able-bodied viewers to learn about blindness.

ACCESSIBILITY:

However, it is important to remember that at the time ATLA aired, there was no Netflix with audio descriptions. Descriptions were infrequent at the time and are still spotty on cable TV. The ATLA DVD did not have audio descriptions either, which is the case with all DVDs I have come across. Netflix also took an embarrassingly long time to add audio descriptions to a show with a blind character.

Consider that Toph was nearly inaccessible to blind children at the time — until 2020, well after other sighted children could enjoy it fully. Blind children could not watch a show about them with the same ease that a sighted child could. Think about that.

Is the show to blame for this? I don’t know. Usually the broadcasting service handles descriptions. I have yet to come across a DVD with descriptions. However, I wonder why it took this long. Did the staff consider a blind audience at all? Could they have pushed for descriptions to be added to the DVD?

And what about fans? Did fans consider that the character who challenged stereotypes for them might not be as accessible to blind people themselves? While they scrabbled about whether the characters were ableist, did they bother to consider Netflix’s lack of audio descriptions? Do they remember to add image descriptions to GIFs, pictures, or video clips in the years ATLA was popular online? Did any of this occur to anyone BUT the blind community?

Doesn’t seem like it.

TOPH AND THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE OF/LESS OF IN BLIND CHARACTERS

I made a post about things I would like to see more/less of in blind characters. You can read it here:

https://blindbeta.tumblr.com/post/637419979125489664/things-i-want-to-see-more-ofless-of-in-blind

Here’s how Toph compares to that!

More of: -Blind main character ✔️ -Blind character of color ✔️ -Active (sports/martial arts) and competitive ✔️ -Acknowledgment of difficulties faced in society ✔️

How They Avoided Things I Wanted Less Of: -Being portrayed as sad or broken because of blindness - Avoided - Toph owns her blindness by giving herself the same The Blind Bandit. The only time she is sad is when facing ableism from her parents.

-Being innocent, helpless, and unrealistically kind or selfless - Toph proves she is not helpless, even directly challenging it in the narrative. - Toph is also not unrealistically kind or selfless, not only insulting other characters- but refusing to help Aang when he needs it because it would change things between her and her parents. She also challenges her parents in the end, putting her desires before their feelings toward their perceptions of her. When she follows Aang, she doesn’t do so only to help him. She has her own want to travel and gain independence. - As for innocence, Toph IS 12, although she is far from naive. She is able to fool her own parents into thinking she is who they want her to be.

-Being portrayed as ungrateful or rude in general - Toph’s rudeness comes from a non-ableist place—herself. She is not rude due to anger about being blind nor rude due to entitlement. She doesn’t accept she doesn’t need and is not demonized for this, even when going against her own parents. Toph’s rudeness is in her personality, making it subversive in avoiding the idea blind people must accept all help and be grateful for it. The narrative does NOT expect Toph to go along with the ‘help’ of her parents or even Aang. She refuses this help until she is ready and willing to receive it.

-Going blind due to accidents or trauma - Toph was born blind

I WOULD HAVE WANTED TO SEE: -more adaptive technology/skills in addition to her bending -how she utilizes her other senses -another blind, minor character somewhere in the show (doesn’t apply to this episode, but still)

Toph is, in the end, a token blind character. It works better because she is a MAIN character, which is still not a common occurrence in modern media at all. Toph works because she does not have any stereotypical traits about her personality, which means the sighted audience does not have to rely on another character to broaden their perspective. However, it is still important to include more than one blind character in your stories. For ATLA, 1 or 2 minor blind characters may have helped, or maybe an additional secondary or even main character with low vision.

Toph has a well-rounded personality, which also means the “token” is not completely applicable to her. Toph is a great character. It would have been nice if she were not the only blind character. In fact, I cannot think of any show that has more than one blind character, as if it is a character quirk that cannot be done more than once.

RANDOM IMAGINES TIME

Now I’m imagining a Zuko whose eyesight was affected by the burn or a Zuko whose father decided he didn’t need that side of face anyway if he could not see out of it. Or an Azula who is blind and still better than Zuko -sticks out tongue-! Or perhaps Sokka or Ty Lee contrasting Toph’s personality and bringing to the table a struggle with a lack of depth perception while hunting or performing in the circus, respectively.

The point is, you don’t have to overload your story with blind characters unless you are setting it at a school or event for the blind. Instead, consider who is blind in your story and who else possibly could be. Consider why you only have one blind character and why.

That about wraps up all my thoughts on Toph. In short, I love her. There are things they could have done better or additions they could have made to improve the episode and Toph’s character as a whole, but she is still one of the most beloved and recognizable blind characters ever. I think that says something about the impression she left on people.

If only she would have been accessible to more blind children from the start.

I hope this review was helpful! If you need help writing blind characters I provide sensitivity reading in exchange for donations. My inbox is also open for questions.

#avatar the last airbender #toph #toph beifong #writing blind characters #blind #blindbeta