#hope the impact of it on his personal life can be reduced as well. and that some day he might get to be and exist. unburdened

[itsmealaiah]

"You're everything"

TW: arguing, angst into smut, p in v, unprotected sex, heidi doesn't exist in this au, reader is in her thirties, she/her pronouns, yelling, AFAB reader, soft sex/ make up sex

Request: sorry for requesting againnn but ur such a good writer can u do a oneshot of tom and y/n fighting over something (your choice) and they get into a really heated argument and they r screaming and being really mean and then he pushes her against the wall and they fuckkk <33 (and can the angst be long pleasee and ty)

Rating: 18+, mdni

WC: 1.5k

Got a good amount of reqs done so far 🤭

t's funny how the tiniest of moments can escalate into something so consuming, so all-encompassing that it feels like the entire world has been reduced to this single, tiny room. The air is thick with anger, with frustration and hurt, and it was like you were both drowning in it, struggling to keep your heads above water. Your voice cracks as you shout at him, your hands curling into fists at your sides, the tears streaming down your face unchecked as you feel your anger rising, bubbling up inside you until you can't contain it anymore.

You don't even realize what's happening when he pushes you back against the wall, your back hitting the cold, unforgiving surface with a painful thud. You gasp, feeling the air whoosh out of your lungs as your head spins from the impact. His body is pressed against yours, his breath hot and ragged in your ear, his hands gripping your wrists so tightly it hurts. It's almost as if he's trying to control you, to make you stop fighting, to make you be quiet. But you can't. You won't. Not until you've said everything you need to say.

"You don't get it, do you?" you choke out, feeling a mixture of anger and hurt surge through you. "You never have. I'm not just some possession you can use and throw away when you're done. I'm a person, Tom. With feelings, with dreams, with a life."

He freezes, his body tensing against yours as if he's trying to decide what to do next. His grip on your wrists loosens just enough for you to wiggle your hands free, but you don't move them far, keeping them close to your sides. You're not done yet.

"You think you can just push me around and I'll just take it? That I'll just stay here and be your little toy?" you snap, anger coursing through you like wildfire. "Well, I won't. I deserve better than this."

The words seem to hang in the air between you, heavy with unspoken truths. You can feel the tension building, see it mirrored in the set of his jaw, the way his breath comes quick and shallow. And then, just as suddenly as it began, the anger seems to drain out of you, leaving you feeling drained and exhausted. You close your eyes, taking a shaky breath.

"I just wanted you to see things from my perspective," you whisper. "I just wanted you to understand."

He takes a step back, his eyes searching your face as if trying to read something in your expression. Then, slowly, he reaches out and cups your cheek in his hand, his thumb tracing gentle circles against your skin. "I'm sorry," he says, his voice barely audible. "I'm so sorry I've been such an asshole."

The apology catches you off guard, and for a moment you're not sure how to respond. You feel a tiny flicker of hope inside you, but you're still hurt, still angry. You want to believe him, to trust that he means it, but it's hard. "It's not enough to just say you're sorry," you whisper, looking away from him. "You have to show me."

He lets out a shaky breath, his grip on your cheek tightening for a moment before he forces himself to relax. "I know," he says softly. "I know I have a lot of making up to do."

You turn your head back to look at him, searching his eyes for any hint of sincerity. And then, slowly, he leans in, his lips brushing against yours in a soft, tentative kiss. It's not passionate, not demanding, but rather a gentle, almost reverent touch that makes your heart ache. When he pulls back, he looks at you with a newfound determination that you've never seen before.

"I love you," he says simply. "And I'm not going to let anything or anyone come between us again. I'm going to prove it to you."

He pulls you closer, his body fitting against yours as if they were made to be together. His lips find yours again, this time with more passion, more need. You feel the heat of his skin against yours, the hardness of his chest pressed against your breasts. He kisses you deeply, his tongue dancing with yours, his hands roaming over your back, your hips, your bottom, as if he's trying to memorize every inch of you.

The kiss deepens, becomes more urgent, and you feel yourself melting into him, giving in to the desire that's been building between you. He steps back, breaking the kiss, and looks down at you, his eyes heavy-lidded and filled with longing. "Come here" he whispers. "I want to show you how much I love you."

You nod, your heart pounding in anticipation, and he leads you over to the bed. The sheets are cool against your skin as you crawl underneath, and Tom follows, slipping in beside you. He trails his fingers down your arm, over your ribs, and across your stomach, his touch light and featherlike. He leans in to kiss your neck, his lips warm and soft against your skin.

His hand finds your breast, cupping it gently through your shirt, and you gasp, arching your back into his touch. He groans, his lips moving to your ear, and then his hand is taking off your shirt, revealing your breast to the cool air. He kisses and nibbles at your nipple, sucking it into his mouth, and you cry out, your hips bucking off the bed.

His hand moves down, unbuttoning your pants, pushing them down over your hips. He kicks them off, and then he's back between your legs, his fingers finding your wetness. He presses two fingers inside you, stretching you, and you cry out, wrapping your legs around his hips. He begins to move his fingers, matching their rhythm to his thrusts, and you lose yourself in the sensation, feeling your body tighten around him.

You can feel him hard against your leg, and you want nothing more than to feel him inside you. You reach down, unbuckling his belt, and then undoing his pants, pushing them down his hips. He kicks them off, and his erection springs free, bobbing eagerly before you. You guide him to your entrance, and he pushes in slowly, groaning as he fills you. His skin is hot and smooth against yours, and he moves slowly at first, letting you adjust to his size.

He looks down at you, his eyes dark with desire, and begins to move his hips, matching his rhythm to yours. You arch your back, meeting each thrust, your nails digging into his shoulders. He kisses you, his lips warm and demanding, and you can feel your body tightening around him, the sensation building inside you.

He moves faster now, his breath coming in ragged gasps, his skin flushed. You wrap your legs around his waist, urging him deeper, and he obeys, groaning as he pushes himself all the way inside. You feel so full, so connected to him, and the sensation is exquisite. Your hips move in time with his, your body meeting his in a perfect dance of desire.

"You're so beautiful," he whispers, kissing your neck. "I never get tired of looking at you." His hands move up to cup your breasts, squeezing them gently, and he rolls your nipples between his thumbs. The sensation sends a shiver through you, and you arch your back, pressing yourself against his touch.

The rhythm between your bodies becomes even more intense, and you feel yourself starting to lose control. Your orgasm builds, coiling tightly in your core, and you know it's only a matter of time before you surrender to it. Tom's thrusts become harder, faster, and you can feel the tension building inside him as well.

He leans down, capturing your lips in a deep, passionate kiss, his tongue dancing with yours. His free hand moves up to cup your cheek, stroking your skin with such tenderness that it sends shivers down your spine. You arch your back off the bed, feeling so close to the edge, and he follows your lead, thrusting deeper still.

"I love you," he whispers against your lips. "I've loved you since the first moment I saw you." The words send a wave of warmth through your body, and you cling to him, wanting to feel every inch of him inside you. His hips move faster, his movements growing more urgent as he approaches his climax.

You can feel the heat building between your legs, the tension building in your core, and you know that you're about to lose control. You grip his shoulders, digging your nails in just enough to leave a mark, and with a cry that echoes through the room, you let go, letting your orgasm wash over you in a wave of pleasure.

Your body tenses and convulses around him, and he follows you over the edge, groaning her name as he comes, filling you completely. His thrusts slow, and he collapses on top of you, your sweaty bodies sticking together. He rolls off you, panting, and looks down at you with a mixture of love and exhaustion in his eyes.

"good night schatzi, i love you"

Taglist: @madzandmore @20doozers @il0vet0mk4ulitz

comment to be tagged 💙

also if u see ur user in here and it's not usually in my taglist, it's bc its ur req 💙

#tokio hotel #tokio hotel x reader #tokio hotel x you #tom kaulitz #tom kaulitz imagines #tom kaulitz x reader #tom kaulitz fluff #tom kaulitz smut #tom kaulitz x y/n #tom kaulitz x you #tom kaulitz angst #tokiohotel #tokio hotel fanfic #tokio hotel smut #tokio hotel x y/n #itsmealaiah

[missingn000]

a note about tpg's hiatus

hi everyone!! i've missed y'all <33 i want to share a quick note on tpg's hiatus, and how long it will last.

first and foremost, the tl;dr: i will not abandon tpg. the story remains incredibly important to me, and this hiatus is only that: a hiatus. i will return eventually, and while i am not exactly sure when "eventually" is, i hope to begin updating again soon.

now the long explanation. tpg's hiatus has lasted much, much longer than i expected. it wasn't until i took a break that i realized how mentally and emotionally drained i was after writing 600k+ in 2 years, along with being an engineering master's student then starting a job in aerospace. especially after writing sukuna's backstory (75k+ words in one month), my brain was utterly fried. all in all, it's been a lot.

as some of you may know, i started watching one piece in september. and i love it! it's an incredibly fun, well-written feel-good series. it's been a refreshing mental break to engage with a new series, especially since jjk canon has been so disappointing in both content and writing quality. 

if you check my ao3, you'll notice i took a break from jjk with other series in the past: namely dr. stone, sxf, and natsume yuujinchou. this is necessary for me to remain creative and explore narrative themes that i bring back to tpg when i return to it. but by the time my recent hiatus started, it had been well over a year since i engaged with any other series than jjk, and it was starting to take its toll on me. i'm almost caught up on one piece now, which means i'll be able to focus on tpg again soon.

when i return from tpg's hiatus, updates may be slower. releasing 15k+ word chapters every 2-4 weeks was incredibly mentally taxing and required much of my time and focus to constantly be on the story. it wasn't healthy, and other areas of my life were impacted negatively. it can be easy to forget that i'm a real person with real-life responsibilities writing this story in my spare time for free -- even i sometimes forgot this. 

another note on why taking a break has been so necessary is my mental health. when season 2 released and toji + satosugu was animated, the fandom exploded and tpg's readership drastically increased. while this meant an influx of amazing love and support, i also started to receive rude and hateful comments and messages.

don't get me wrong: not everyone has to like tpg. that's totally fine! but as a very sensitive person, receiving hate took a huge toll on my mental health and motivation, and i have needed time to recover from it. i've been doing better mentally lately, and have taken some measures to reduce unkind interactions. i'm working on becoming less sensitive in the meantime so i can handle it better if/when it happens again.

since i've been feeling guilty about not posting jjk content, i haven't been on tumblr quite as much, but i'm still around online on both discord and instagram. mutuals can request my priv @chiidoriii on IG, and my discord is @MissingN000 -- just shoot me a message with who you are when you request! i'll still post fic updates on both new stories as well as tpg content and previews on tumblr, so please stick around :)

thank you so much for your patience with me! i love you all so much, and truly appreciate your support. love, chi <333

[naavispider]

have you seen the extended son for a son scene (its on youtube and i think it's been posted on here as well)?? im going INSAAANE

Okay, I haven't commented on it yet because I don't know how eloquent I can be - @hyperfixatedfandomer is your go-to blog for that!

Here is the scene. And here are my thoughts:

My heart was in my mouth when I first watched the stand off. When Neytiri placed her blade back against Spider's neck it was a visual masterpiece. The acting from Zoe was incredible and I could honestly feel the fear Spider was experiencing. In that moment, he's realising his whole life has been leading up to this betrayal. He thinks he is about to be murdered. Neytiri, the woman he's sought approval from for 16 years, is about to kill him in an act of rage fuelled revenge. And you know what he does? He doesn't say anything. He is too afraid to even speak, to beg for his own life, and I believe it's because he knows (he's always known) how much she resents him. He knows that in that moment, the sound of his own voice could drive her to actually do it.

And so he can't say anything. That is the saddest part to me.

The moment when Kiri first tries to reason with Neytiri was impactful as well because Kiri was clearly hoping that by bringing Neytiri's focus back onto herself, it would calm her down and reassure her that Kiri is safe, that it's okay, that it's over. Instead, Neytiri lashes out in a moment that must have been terrifying for Kiri. She will surely have nightmares about her own mother behaving like that towards her for years.

I am so mad that they cut this scene because as we all saw, Spidr faced so much backlash from fans for saving Quaritch. Well... now it has been made even clearer why exactly the choice was so difficult for him. Quaritch has protected Spider. Throughout the movie, in various setting, that's what he's done. Of course he's committed other sins and put Spider through Hell in other ways, but it is abundantly clear that Quaritch cares about Spider. Neither of them want to acknowledge it, but unfortunately it's true. He has ascended to a parental role in Spider's life.

Neytiri on the other hand has never shown an ounce of protectiveness over him. For right or for wrong, whether her reasons were understandable or not, she has shown time after time that she does not care for Spider.

So Spider sees the most care-giving, protective person in his life dying. Of course he's going to save him. There's no doubt in my mind he would have also saved Neytiri if it had been her at the bottom of the ocean, because that's just the type of person he is.

To those of use who empathise a lot with Spider, it was never difficult to understand his decision. However, there was a sizeable fraction of the audience who unfortunately did not empathise with him as much. This deleted footage would have reduced that fraction.

They did Spider dirty by deleting it. So much unaddressed tension is going to be explored in A3 and future films, and this was such a crucial character moment for all of the people involved. They could easily have taken out the violent stabbing that Neytiri did to the soldiers, while keeping this vital character moment in. However, never mind. I'm just glad we got to see it now, a year later.

#avatar the way of water #spider socorro #miles quaritch #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #jake sully #recom quaritch #avatar 2 #atwow #atwow deleted scenes #avatar: parents from hell

[yume4evere]

Message from Hino

Volume 9

the feeling of wanting to say something

Thank you for reading. This is the 9th volume of Vampire Knight Memories. As someone who loves bookstores, I am truly honored and happy that they continue to publish not only electronic versions but also paper books. What was commonplace in the past is no longer so… These are the days when I am savoring the present. I can only express my gratitude to all the readers who have been with me this far. Because, as I have said many times, the book would not have been published if there were no readers. And I don't think i would have continued the manga in the first place. So, thank you very much. Thank you for your letter as well. There are probably two more volumes of memories left.

From here on, I will explain Hino's real life now.

A worsening of a chronic disease, hospitalization for surgery, abnormalities in eyesight and knuckles, contracting the new coronavirus and its after-effects, aging parents, parting ways with a calico cat who i loved her like a daughter… It has overlapped over the past few years. I try to separate my daily joys, angers, and sorrows so that they don't affect the inner parts of the story, but I don't know if I've been successful. All I can tell is that my boldness, calmness, and sensitivity to excitement have softened. I know this, so I always worry about it. However, the damage to my mind and body that I sustained in my daily life had an impact on the series itself. The editor in charge and the people at the printing shop really made the most of their time, and thanks to that, I managed to get it to the magazine, but it wasn't very complete…it was the best I could do to write this sentence. Now that I'm on vacation, I've been receiving treatment, I've gotten used to taking on the responsibilities of my parents, and I feel like I've recovered from the damage.

Sudden suspension of publication, reduced number of pages, and above all, the completeness of the manuscript screen. There are more things that are better than pencil sketches.

That kind of thing has increased.

Just a little more.

I want to do my best. I hope you will stay with me until the end.

I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the person in charge and everyone who has been involved in bringing this manga to the world, to O. Mizo-sama and his A. Ichiya-sama who are always my assistants, and to everyone who reads it.

Hino Festival

#Message from Hino #it's Good bye #vampire knight #vampire knight memories #hino matsuri #kaname kuran #yuuki kuran #yume #eternal yume #yume ship #vkm #vk #author

[probsnothawkeye]

At midnight Central Daylight Time on Friday, March 29, 2024, @athansmusic released his debut album. Limbo, the album in question, is a story of hurt, addiction, regret, healing, recovery, and content. Over the course of three years, Athan worked to create this album, pouring his entire heart and incredibly personal experiences into each of the songs. I originally intended on doing short form reviews of each song, trying to fit all of my thoughts into a tweet or less; but Limbo deserves far more than that. Each song tells a story and each story has a parallel; to reduce that to two hundred and eighty characters would be a disservice to the album and to you, the person reading this. Before we begin, I should make a few things clear:

Things I am not:

A trained musician

A professional critic or reviewer of any sort

Things I am:

A lover of music

Someone who was deeply moved by this album

With this out of the way, we are ready to dive into the world of Limbo and the stories Athan has weaved into it.

Song 1 - Limbo

The album opens, as you might expect, with the titular track. Limbo immediately gives you the sense of being stuck; stuck in life, stuck in your emotions, stuck in your own mind. “I’ve been stuck here / Stuck in limbo for days” is the line at the heart of the chorus and this sentiment can be felt in every inch of the song. The instrumentals of this song start with a simple beat that grows over the course of the first verse and bursts into a full life in the chorus. Athan has a propensity for voice modulation that works so perfectly with the instrumentals that are being layered. What is especially noteworthy is the way the chorus progresses from one of finality to one of hope. “I don’t think I can / I don’t think I will / make it out of here / Maybe I never can” becomes “I don’t think I can / or maybe I will / Make it out of here / Maybe I can”. Despite this sense of being trapped, being stuck, there is still hope. It’s that hope that will become a thread throughout the album as it goes from one of pain and regret into growth and relief.

Song 2 - Chronic

There are two sides to Limbo. Side A deals with pain and that is seen very clearly in Chronic. As a person with pretty severe depression, I latched onto Chronic right away; it’s the kind of song that reflects exactly what I’m feeling without the song or its creator knowing what I’m feeling. The lyrics portray a sense of listlessness and a lack of belonging that digs deep into the heart and squeezes it from the inside out. “Hold on tightly / to what excites me / Otherwise I might drown, shit, it’s tempting.” I have felt this exact thing multiple times in my life; hell, multiple times in this past week. There is an incredible amount of relatability in Athan’s lyrics– something that clearly comes from his personal connections to the songs he’s writing. You cannot fake that kind of emotion and it is emotion that anyone can latch onto and relate to. Couple that with the slow, almost reverberating beat of the song and you get the masterpiece that is Chronic.

Song 3 - The Valley

The Valley is one of the shortest songs on the album, however that doesn’t stop it from being an emotional punch to the stomach. It’s a song about family, about the pain that family can cause and the ways that it impacts a person. It’s about the excuses that people make for themselves, for their families; how even when you know it is an excuse, you still end up craving it. It’s a song that both minimizes its own pain and allows itself to feel it fully. “And my problems are small / But they’re taller than me”. Two lines that encapsulate an emotion that I cannot name but have felt time and time again; two lines that help drive that punch to the stomach that this song provides. Athan has a way of creating these songs that have a beat to them that doesn’t feel like it matches with the emotionality of the lyrics, and yet it all blends together so well. The Valley is short. But it does so much with its runtime that you forget that it’s a short song.

Song 4 - WhatDoIDo

WhatDoIDo is one of my favorite songs on Side A. It hurts me in a way you might not expect when you listen to it yourself. That’s the beautiful thing about this album; its relatability makes each song hit differently for different people. “Well maybe I don’t know what I need / Maybe I’m running on empty” is a line that hits me square in the chest and pulls thoughts of my current depressive episode. This is different than what it might mean for you, it’s different than what it means for Athan, and yet it still hits all the same. WhatDoIDo is another song with a very heavy beat to it, similar to the reverberation of Chronic. It adds a level of depth to the song that makes it feel like it's dragging you down with it in the best imaginable way. Mix that with Athan’s love of voice modulation and effects that he used in this song and you create something absolutely incredible.

Song 5 - Chameleon

 “I've got about / 50 different hats that I have to wear. / One for my mom, one for my job. / One for my friends, one to survive.” Once again I have to applaud Athan for the relatability of his lyrics. The first time I heard this, I paused the song and stared off into space for a minute before restarting the song and letting it hit me again. Chameleon is a song about fitting in, about finding your place in the world and how hard it can be to be yourself. “Who am I without you around? / Maybe I can blend in somehow.” How well do we really know who we are? So much of a person is influenced by those around them; what happens when all of that goes away? What happens when it’s just you? These questions don’t have answers, but Chameleon asks them anyway and puts a fun beat to it while it rips your heart out. 

Song 6 - Distance

Distance is another song with an incredibly fun rhythm to it that punches you in the face with the lyrics. I boxed to this song recently and it’s perfect for a high energy/fast boxing session but it also has lyrics that break my heart in half. “I’ve been treading water for so long / It feels like I might just give up” – another set of lines that pulls an emotion I have felt for my whole life right out of my brain when I didn’t have the words for it. This is a song that I pick up on a little more each time I listen; different lyrics will stand out, or different ways that the instrumentals hit will pop to the forefront of my listen. One thing that I always think about is how this song feels like a race. You can feel the distance growing and growing as the race is run but you’re so far behind the song. You’re so far behind everyone else, and that’s what the song is trying to do. Athan has managed to space the chorus and verses in a way that it feels anticipatory, like you’re waiting to catch up to what is being said. “The distance it feels like it’s growing / but I will not grow”; the instrumentals perfectly make you feel that line in the pit of your chest, growing and crashing over you before simplifying during the verses as though Athan can’t keep up with the instrumentals themselves. 

Song 7 - Moon

Moon starts out with these lovely and light instrumentals and soft singing that make you feel like it’s a love song until you listen to it. In some ways it is a love song, but the root of the song itself is actually in insecurity, selfishness, and feeling that you aren’t enough for the person you care about. “I’ve been staring at the moon and it feels like / I don’t need you for forever, just for the night / I don’t care if it’s only temporary / I’d rather be happy for a moment of your time” – This section of the song is the chorus and it starts and ends the song as this beautiful mirroring that misses all of the turmoil that lies in between them. There is a point in this song where everything drops and that sense of insecurity and fear and darkness seeps all the way into the lyrics. You may not know this by looking at him, but Athan can scream just as well as any metal artist out there. And you might not expect this song that I described up top to have screaming in it, but it does and it hits so incredibly well. There are a variety of different talents that Athan shows off with this album; screaming just happens to be one. It adds to the depth and darkness of this section before it flips back into the light and lovely chorus that rounds out the song as if that drop never happened at all. It’s a beautiful song that uses its catchy chorus and light beat to lull you into a false sense of security so when everything drops it hits that much harder. 

Song 8 - DNR

This is another one of my favorite songs on Side A. It’s one of my favorite songs on the whole album. The first time I saw the title I thought to myself “DNR as in… Do not resuscitate? Or is this going to stand for something else– Nope! Do not resuscitate, cool cool cool.” This is one of the many songs that made me say “Jesus fucking christ Athan” out loud in my room while listening. And yet these darker tones to the song are part of the reason I love it so much. It’s a song about death that doesn’t feel like it’s about death. Sure, the words “Do not resuscitate me” are kind of blatantly obvious in their being about death; but the instrumentals and beat of the song itself are very fun and punchy. It starts out with these lightly strummed guitar notes that pair perfectly with Athan’s gentle singing and then it grows into something that decides it wants to hurt you in the best way. I also need to be a Classics major on main again and talk about the line “I can feel the coins of gold and silver resting on my eyes” because it’s one of those lines that just constantly sticks in my brain. Athan is ready to pay the ferryman to take him to the Underworld; it’s a nice little reference that makes me so happy I have cast him in a mythology themed podcast.

Song 9 - Break

It’s time to talk about horns! As in the instrument, not as in the thing on animals/demons/etc. You don’t expect them to show up and when they do you’re there like “Hell yeah horns!” Now you may be wondering why I am bringing this up now and all I will say for now is: it’s about the parallelism. But until we get to that part, let’s talk about the lyrics for this song because they do severe emotional damage to me. As I’ve said many times at this point, Athan is absolutely masterful at lyrics and relatability; this song is no exception. This whole album has a tone of parallelism from Side A to Side B, but this song in particular also parallels itself nicely. The first verse serves as a groundwork for the second verse to flip in answering. “Well I think you may have had it right / I’m tired of living in this life” versus “Well I think I may have had it wrong / Maybe I’m right where I belong”; “Mentally, I don’t think I can feel anything” versus “And yet I feel everything”. The way Athan’s lyrics speak to each other always ends up squeezing my heart in ways that are hard to put into words. Which might seem surprising given how long this is. The emotionality of it all feels so real because it is real. Athan has said time and time again that this is a very personal project for him and it bleeds into every second of the music in the best way imaginable. 

Song 10 - Persephone

We’ve reached what might be my favorite song on the album. It’s definitely my favorite song on Side A. This song is slow and soft and dark and beautiful; it is the musical equivalent of the John Everett Millais painting Ophelia. “Lay me down in the flower bed / Let it pull me undertow / I feel the darkness close around me / But I kinda like it though”. Something I haven’t talked about much yet is Athan’s vocals. Not only is he writing absolutely stunning lyrics and putting together these songs with a wide variety of different feels to them, he’s also an incredible vocalist. His vocals on Persephone are part of the reason I love this so much; there’s a point where his voice breaks just the slightest bit and it makes the song feel so much more real and poignant. It squeezes my heart in the best imaginable way. This song also includes a medley of all of the songs on side A which is absolutely stunning. The way the medley allows the different songs to speak to each other and in response to each other creates this beautiful picture of everything that came so far. 

Song 11 -  Diáleimma

We’ve officially reached the end of Side A! This song is the shortest on the album and also one of the most beautiful in my opinion. It represents the transition point between the two sides of this story; from pain and loss and regret into growth and love and recovery. The through line of the song is this idea that “I gotta be a better me”. The song itself is slow, almost reflective in the way it’s presented; it’s as if the song itself is thinking about how it is being perceived and is striving to be better. Diáleimma closes this chapter of the story, turning the page for us as it does so. 

Before we move on to Side B, we’re going to take a brief moment to talk about the album art for Limbo. It was painted by NataliesDreaming, who also happens to be Athan’s wife. Natalie is an incredibly talented artist and has produced an absolutely gorgeous cover for the album. The colors used feel like an extension of the songs themselves, tapping into the hope that grows throughout the album. Natalie’s work also allows you to feel the movement of falling; everything about it is absolutely stunning. This has been the brief intermission to talk about the album art and also to say that Natalie is super cool. Back to the album!

Song 12 - AmIDoingThisRight

Athan opens the second half of the album on an unanswerable question: AmIDoingThisRight? As we discussed previously, this is an album in parallels. If Limbo is about being stuck, AmIDoingThisRight is about trying to get yourself unstuck and the fear that still comes with that. You never know in life if you are doing things right, if the decisions you are making are the ones that you need to make. The bridge of this song lives rent free in my mind: “Cause I don’t think I appreciate everyone in front of me now / And I don’t think I recognize everything that’s detrimental to my health”. The voice modulation Athan does on that part specifically is so fucking good. 

Song 13 - Pocket

Pocket is one of my favorite songs on Side B (You’ll be seeing this phrase a lot coming up because I love so many songs). It’s a song about addiction and relapse which punches into that idea of relatability again. As someone who has struggled with self harm (albeit in a different way than Athan has) this song reached into my heart and pulled me back to my relapse, but in a way that felt healing rather than concerning. It’s a sad song that disguises itself as a soft song but it’s so beautifully done. The chorus makes me feel every emotion under the sun: “I feel so low / I swore that I’d let it go / It’s not a broken promise / I don’t know, I found it in my pocket babe”. This song feels so close to my heart in ways I cannot explain so I won’t try to. I will simply tell you that this song is beautiful and heart-squeezing.

Song 14 - (Good) Goodbye

Athan shared the context of this song and it punched me in the face. This song parallels The Valley and takes that song about family to a more heartbreaking level. One of my favorite lines from this song is “I’m so scared that my last memories / Will be made from my bad days”. Again, it’s about the relatability; that fear is very real, especially when dealing with family while depressed. The pain from Side A still stays in Side B, it just gets grown around and expanded upon to let the hope into it. (Good) Goodbye works very well with this idea; it’s a song that hurts but also leaves room to heal.

Song 15 - Feel It In My Chest

Another one of my favorite songs on Side B! It is the first song on the album to make me cry; if you know me, you know that that is surprising since I cry at most things. “But your soul is destructive / And you’re gonna end up alone” did lasting damage to me personally and I did cry about it. Despite that, this song is hopeful and full of love. It parallels WhatDoIDo and the answer to that question appears to be: you love anyway. “Feel it in my heart / Feel you in my soul / Held you in my hands / The greatest thing to hold”. The first half of the album feels like someone struggling on their own whereas Side B feels like someone learning how to open up and ask for help. Feel It In My Chest feels like opening up despite the fear of it all; the fear of ending up alone doesn’t outweigh the love that can be found with someone. 

Song 16 - Concealer

Concealer is one of my favorite songs on the album. It also punches me in the chest in ways that make me cry. This song parallels Chameleon and both songs are about the masks that people put on. Where Chameleon asks how to be someone without the influence of another person, Concealer asks how much of yourself do you need to hide to get help. “I’m struggling / Under the weight / Well I don’t know how much more I can take. / Could fade into the ether / Or maybe I’ll wear concealer now”. The way Athan sings “I don’t know how much more I can take” haunts me in the best way possible. It’s raw and real and it hurts so incredibly. The instrumentals on this are light and soft so the weight of the lyrics can fully sink into your bones. It’s a beautiful song that makes room around the pain to facilitate growth.

Song 17 - Growing Pains

Growing Pains has sections of whispering which honestly make me uncomfortable but in a good way. It’s partially the misophonia of it all, but it’s also just the pain of it all. It is, as it says, growing pains. It’s the growth that Concealer made room for, the space needed to heal and become more. “Why the fuck am I comparing / All the lights in the distance to yours? / You’re all I need” – Remember how I mentioned the idea of Side B being about learning how to ask for help? This song helps to dig into that idea; it’s a form of growing. The instrumentals of this song are light and airy and a little spacey; I’m fully obsessed with them. 

Song 18 - Inside

The parallelism between Moon and Inside is some of my favorites. Moon is a sad song disguised as a love song; Inside is a love song disguised as a sad song. “Well maybe it’s supposed to hurt / This love it feels like work / But fuck it I know; it’s worth it to grow / Into the dirt”. This song is enhanced by the fact that Natalie (the aforementioned artist and also Athan’s wife) is also featured on the track. Athan has said that this is the first duet they’ve recorded together and it’s absolutely gorgeous. Their voices compliment each other so nicely and Natalie has a lovely singing voice. You can feel the love that they have for each other in the song, even in the sadder lyrics of it all. This brings me back to the parallelism: Moon is about something temporary, something that is thought not to last. Inside is about someone who has stayed, someone who will stay and will help and will always be there. It brings the hope back into this story because it proves that people stay. That help can be given. 

Song 19 - Motionsick

This song has a lot of religious symbolism that I fully missed until Athan mentioned that it had religious symbolism. And once I had that context, all of the plays on words and phrases were just. So incredibly well done. “Why don’t I know you / Why don’t I know you anymore? / Why, why, try? / I fight this devotion Feels like I’m motion sick” – You might look at that and go “Pine, that’s pretty obvious isn’t it?” To which I say yes, it is, I just missed it because me and religion haven’t exactly gotten on very well. This also has a parallel I love with it’s Side A counterpart DNR: “I’m throwing punches / Battle what’s inside of me” in DNR which becomes “I’m boxing with my shadow but I keep on landing punches / It seems I like to bruise” and this does things to my brain that I cannot stop feeling. 

Song 20 - Bend

And we have reached the other contender for my favorite song on the album! This is my favorite song on Side B for sure, but I cannot figure out if Bend or Persephone is my favorite. Bend is such a hopeful song; it’s bright and beautiful and we’re back to the horns! Athan played the horns for Bend and they are always always in my mind. He didn’t play the horns on Break (this song’s counterpart) but that’s okay because he has played the brighter version of the horns and I’m obsessed with them. This song rounds out that idea of learning to ask for help even when– or perhaps especially when– it’s difficult. “Opening up doesn’t come easy for me / For me now / But I gotta learn how / Cause I don’t think I can help myself up tonight” – a line that perfectly encapsulates that idea. Part of the reason this song ends up feeling as bright and hopeful as it does is because it tells you that when you ask for help it will be given– “Oh, I know that it might have been a bad fall / But you’ll be there to catch me at the bottom after all”. This song has only been in my life for a week but it has made a home in my heart that it is never going to leave. It means so much to me already and it’s absolutely gorgeous. 

Song 21 - ESC

ESC has a very space-y vibe that feels like it is built for escape. The entire song feels like it is floating and then the lyrics pull you back down to earth again. It’s one of the shorter songs on the album, but it has a gentle beauty to it that leaves it lingering in my mind. “And I’ll fall / Down in insecurities/ I; I’m buried in shit surrounding me” is another one of those lines that really does things to me as someone who has been depressed for most of my life. That’s one of the most beautiful things about Athan’s music: short, beautiful lines that can make anyone feel connected to them.

Song 22 - Telos

And we return to the line introduced at the end of Side A: “I gotta be a better me”. Where in Diáleimma it feels like a judgement, like an impossible command, in Telos it feels like it’s something that is just around the corner, almost within grasp. Telos is bright and full of life as opposed to the darkness of Diáleimma. They compliment each other so well– as was Athan’s design. It also includes another medley of things from the entire album and it’s incredibly fun. It’s the perfect way to round out the main portion of the album– it closes the story and feels like a celebration of the whole album. And it’s an album very much worth celebrating.

Song 23 - Chronic (Piano Version)

You get a brief reprieve from my ridiculous amount of words since this one is a piano cover. It’s a very beautiful version of the song though.

Song 24 - Intertwined (Acoustic) 

This is an acoustic version of one of Athan’s older songs. It has beautiful instrumentals and lyrics that feel like they grew into some of the songs that are on the album as a whole. Athan didn’t put the lyrics on Bandcamp so I can’t pull examples for you but trust me they’re good.

Song 25 - Chronic (House Version)

There’s not much that I can say about this version that I hadn’t said about Chronic originally. But it is a fun additional version!

Song 26 - Hallelujah (feat. The Grotto)

This is one of my favorite versions of Hallelujah that I have ever heard in my life. The style is different from the other songs on the album, but fits perfectly into the music that Athan did for his podcast The Grotto. The Grotto is a liminal horror podcast about grief and it is absolutely incredible. The reason that this song is listed as ‘feat. The Grotto’ is partially because it’s Athan using that style of music but also because he included some of his screams from The Grotto in it. Don’t look too closely at why he was screaming. It’s not important. But this version of the song– because of the style that it’s done in– feels so unique and has a depth to it that can only be achieved in this medium. Athan had originally released it for The Grotto patreon and I listened to it after a bit of an emotional breakdown. It is as close to a religious experience as I am capable of experiencing. Hallelujah is the only cover Athan has on Limbo– he does more covers for The Grotto which are also excellent. Of all of the covers that he could’ve included, this one feels like the perfect fit. It mixes with the content of the songs Athan has written so well and showcases another style that he is able to pull off.

Song 27 - Bend (Acoustic)

Athan called it the acoustic version but I think of it as the silly version. There is a levity to the song that is palpable– it feels like a test run of the song but in the best way possible. It also gives a bit of insight into what the process of creation was like for Athan. In the original version of Bend, there is the line “I don’t think I will reach thirty if I’m lucky now”; the acoustic version follows up with Athan laughing at the fact that he’s much closer to 30 than he was when he wrote that. “I’m so glad to be alive”, a small little bit of this version but such a big change from the original words that were written. If you couldn’t tell by the amount of words I’ve put into this, I’m also glad Athan is alive. He’s written absolutely incredible music that he has shared with the world despite (or perhaps because of) the intense emotional weight of the content. 

Limbo is an album that longs. It grieves. But it also hopes. It hopes so much and shows that healing and recovery are possible. Athan spent three years working on Limbo and now it’s here; it exists in the world to be listened to and shared and written about and loved. This album has so much heart to it. The lyrics are beautiful, the instrumentals brilliantly crafted, and the vocals are stunning. It is an album that deserves to be spoken about in depth. It’s an album that deserves your time and attention. As far as debut albums go, this album showcases so much of what Athan can do while still leaving room for growth and new ways for him to surprise and delight anyone who is listening to his music. It also punches directly into the heart in the most amazing way, letting you know exactly what he can do with music moving forward. I feel very fortunate to be able to listen to this album and to know that I will be following along with whatever else Athan will be doing next. I’m also fortunate enough to get to collaborate with Athan on projects– he’ll be in my next podcast and I will also be paying him to do music for the show. Getting to work with someone so talented is a wild feeling, but I’m so excited for it. 

Thank you for joining me on this very long, very in depth review of Limbo. I hope you’ve enjoyed it and I hope you enjoy the album!

#I may have gone a little more feral than intended with this #Several thousand words more feral #This is five thousand words #this album is just that good #athansmusic #he's the dude who did The Grotto! #pine throws thoughts into the void of tumblr #im pinning this because i need everyone to listen to this #long post

[edward-hydes-letters]

Dear Mr Hyde,

I hope that this letter finds you in good health and that all your current endeavours are succeeding for you. I thought it best to write to you as I've noticed something that I fear may be impacting your day to day life, and seeing as I have possible solutions for you, I think it is imperative that I present you these solutions so that you may not be affected so harshly by your... unfortunate circumstances. I know many people who are vertically challenged like yourself, and it pains me to watch them suffer through the ridicule they receive.

Option 1: Lift Insoles

Insoles can do more than just provide a bit of extra cushioning for your feet; they can alleviate pain, improve your posture, reduce the risk of injuries, and even boost your athletic performance! Couple this with the fact that you'll be gaining inches depending on the type you wear? I don't see a single downside! In fact, I have sent you a pair along with this letter so that you may try them out and see how you like them.

(Right enough, there is a pair of insoles in the envelope along with the letter. The letter continues.)

Perhaps you're looking for a more permanent solution, and I think that sounds perfectly understandable! As such, I present to you,

Option 2: Surgery

(There appears to be a diagram taped to this part of the letter. The amount of tape used gives the impression that the writer may or may not have robbed a newsagent before writing this letter.)

Now, I unfortunately am not a medical practitioner as of yet, and therefore I don't think I'm the right person to tell you about the risks or benefits associated with this. I do however think it's a viable option that is worth researching.

Perhaps you aren't comfortable with the idea of surgery either, perfectly understandable! And so I bring you the third and final option that my brain has come up with.

Option 3: Ridiculously high heels

My reasoning for this? It would both fix your height problem and let you feel stylish! I'm sure your high heels will have you picking up all the ladies (or gents!)

(There appears to be a poorly drawn winky face between this paragraph and the next.)

Best of luck with your condition. Get well soon!

Yours truly,

C. Sinclair.

WHAT-

(The harsh chicken scratch turns to cursive writing halfway down the page...)

I’m terribly sorry, but your letter currently has Hyde fuming. He’s yelling to burn the entirety of your letter, including the insoles. I’d advise to not bring up Hyde’s height anymore, Mx. Sinclair. I don’t believe my hearing can take many more of his outbursts…

-Dr. Henry Jekyll

#the glass scientists #tgs #tgs jekyll #tgs hyde

[pikahlua]

I was curious about your thoughts regarding the sidelining of Kirishima/Bakugo's friendship post-Kamino and how Hori chose to highlight Deku's emotional state during the handhold rather than celebrate the connection between Kr and Bk. Do you think the growing distance between Kirishima and Bakugo since then has been intentional? Or are the rumors true that Hori reduced their interactions bec of how some were preferring their relationship over Dk/Bks?

Whew. Okay we all need to take a step back here lol. I'm going to say something I hope no one takes the wrong way, but it's important to understand.

Kirishima is not a main character. He is a secondary character, a side character. He's not a bit character or an extra. He's one of those characters who gets some decent focus for his growth, but the trajectory of his character arc is shorter than that of a main character.

I'm putting him in the same camp as Iida or Ochako or Kaminari or even Shouto on some level when I say this. These are all important characters, but when I call them "secondary/side characters," I'm referring to their functions in the story. You can divide the characters into tiers not based on their actual importance or excellence as characters but based on their functions. Izuku is the primary main character. He is the character through which the vast majority of the story is told. He is the lynch pin. There are other main characters who are more secondary in function to Izuku but still hold the story together. These are characters like All Might, Katsuki, and to some extent Shouto (so versatile!) and Tomura. It’s not as simple as just “main character vs side character,” but what I’m getting at is the way in which a character functions in a story varies depending on what type of character they are. Again, I don’t mean this in a disparaging way. Some of the best and most impactful and well-written characters in stories can be side characters or even bit characters. But their character arcs look different depending on which type of character they are.

Take Eri for instance. About 90% of her character arc is meant to be contained within the Overhaul and School Cultural Festival arcs. She’s still present in future arcs, but there isn’t much about her character that’s crucial to the developing story. She doesn’t have any personal growth questions to answer anymore either. But she is there to be cute and a nice window into the POV of the young children affected by the story. The story doesn’t need to focus on her, but it uses her as a quick window every so often to give us that POV or levity or cuteness.

I said all of that to say this: the lack of focus on the friendship between Kirishima and Katsuki doesn’t mean anything like what you’re all suggesting. The arc of their friendship was meant to serve its purpose in the story. The lack of focus on it means that the friendship arc has already occurred and done its job. Their friendship hasn’t changed or disappeared, it’s just not highlighted in the story because it’s not relevant to the current story--or rather it’s not AS relevant as other things happening in the current story.

So what was it relevant for? Well, it kind of ties into your question about the “Bakusquad,” which is really a marketing construct that stuck more in the west than in Japan. The thing is, small cliques within classrooms aren’t really a trope in Japan. Maybe they exist in real life, but that’s not the societal concept. Cliques in Japan are more like classrooms versus classrooms. You have your class you’re sat together with in most of your classes (with exceptions like some electives), and you’re treated like your class is your team that you’re a part of. The MHA story follows this trope. What you see from start to end is that Izuku and Katsuki are both struggling to become a cohesive part of class 1-A (both for different reasons). Kirishima is meant to be Katsuki’s initial entry point into class 1-A as a whole, where the whole class is a cohesive team and group of friends. Kirishima is the character who first takes the time and energy to try to understand Katsuki’s communication style. He bulldozes through Katsuki’s tough-guy posturing and makes that first important friendship connection with him to try to help Katsuki fit in. Their friendship is the rest of the class’ first window at who Katsuki is deep down, and they all slowly start to warm up to him and see through his bullshit. Kirishima is the reason Katsuki ultimately becomes one of the two central people holding the class together.

So I don’t see the lack of Kirishima in Katsuki’s story as a sign that something has happened between them. I see it as a sign that Kirishima has done his part helping Katsuki integrate into class 1-A. And just like with Eri, we don’t get any new development in their friendship because they’ve reached the endpoint of that particular story arc, and all we’re meant to get at this point are little nods here and there about the new homeostasis their friendship has achieved (e.g. Kirishima bantering with Katsuki while they force Izuku to take a bath). We’re also meant to take the presence of any in class 1-A as the presence of ALL class 1-A. So when Sero, Satou, and Mineta (yes, even him) visit Katsuki’s hospital room, they’re doing so on behalf of the rest of class 1-A who can’t be there right now including Kirishima. Class 1-A is splitting the work between all of them because there are multiple classmates in the hospital for them to visit and comfort.

Now, that’s not to say that people who enjoy Kirishima and Katsuki’s friendship should quiet down and be happy with that. If you like their interactions, you like their interactions. That’s totally reasonable for you to be clamoring for more interaction. I just don’t think we need to take what’s happening in the story to drastic conclusions about Horikoshi’s intentions. Ultimately, Horikoshi has to try to tell his story as efficiently as possible. He can’t depict every second of every character’s thoughts and actions, as much as we’d love for him to be able to.

And besides, whatever we’re craving more of is what fanfic is for!

#ask pika #anon ask #meta #eijirou kirishima #katsuki bakugou #anime only friendly

[lindszeppelin]

So, this is a love letter of sorts to Elvis for his birthday (which is today!!). People are doing this challenge where they write a personal note to Elvis, with things in it that normally wouldn't be said or shared with people, and then you post it. Since he was an avid writer and kept a lot of random notes, he never thought they'd be read by the masses one day. So, a lot of what's being said here will be really personal, and it's things i've only ever thought about in my head and said aloud to Elvis in spirit. Here we go.

Dear Elvis,

I never thought that my life would be forever impacted by watching a movie. But it’s not just a movie. I remember wanting to go into the theaters with the hope of learning more about you, and developing a newfound appreciation for your musical genius. I certainly did experience all of those things, but I also went home that night with you by my side. You’ve always been around me growing up in small ways, and I took note of you, but I was never serious about who you were or what you meant on a larger scale to the entire world. You forever shaped the music industry. Without you there would have been no Beatles - a band that you know means the world to me, and has lifted me up in dark times. Without your effervescent light, the world would be a little dimmer.

The tragedy of your life is not lost on me. I wish you were alive and well today to see just how much you’ve inspired countless people, but also how you’ve changed the music industry at large. You didn’t deserve to die the way you did, you didn’t deserve to be made a mockery and reduced to a Halloween costume or a lip curl. You didn’t deserve to be kept like a bird in a cage made to play shows and sing songs that didn’t align with your souls calling. You didn’t deserve to be hooked onto drugs, which dampened your sunshine. You didn’t deserve to be taken away so soon and miss out on the formative years of Lisa Marie’s life. Sometimes when I think about the end of your life I get angry. There are many people and things to blame for your passing, but I suppose in a way it was all in the cards for you, and you played your hand as best you could.

Your humor, your light, and your presence in my life is what keeps me going every single day. What a blessing it is that our spiritual connection is so deep that I can talk to you everyday, and without fail you’re always there to respond back to me. I never thought it would be possible with my spiritual gifts that I could communicate with not only my ancestors but with yourself. In these couple of months I’ve learned so much about who you are and your personality from the conversations we’ve had. We’ve shared so many laughs, and I thank you for comforting me when I needed it the most. Your embrace is so warm, and your energy is powerful - it leaves me in awe every single day.

Thank you for wiping away my tears and for hugging my sadness away. Thank you for making me laugh and being your goofy self. Thank you for being one of my angels and guiding me through life. One of the many things Austin and I have in common that I cherish is the connection we have to you. You’re like the string that tethers us together, the matchmaker up there in heaven. I will forever take you with me wherever I go, and I know that you’ll be there to help me along my path in life. While there’s been a lot of things that have happened to me that I still find impossible and unimaginable to fathom, you are somehow always there to ground me and provide me with the answers. I don’t know what I did to have you stick to me like glue, but I’ll never want to be unstuck.

You’re a gentle soul, and you’re kind and wonderful. You are so beyond loved by not only myself, but to the entire community. We all love you and wish you a very happy birthday. I feel like within this community of amazing girls that I’ve found my soul family, which I never thought could be possible. You know that I always felt like I could never keep friends for very long and that I’d be okay with just maybe one or two. But now I have an entire armful of close friends and confidants thanks to you, and thanks to Austin as well. You know how I feel about that blonde beauty - I’m grateful to you both.

You know that I’ve struggled to come to grips with the trajectory of my life thus far and where I’ve ended up. I never knew what my purpose was in life. I lived comfortable in my box, afraid of my own shadow. I thought the dreams I had envisioned for myself were too big and I could never attain them, so why bother trying? I subjected myself to a life that made me more depressed because my anxieties told me it’s what I deserved. But that’s not true. With the help of my ancestors, and you being a new member to my angel team up in the ethereal, I feel like I can achieve anything. I’ll make you proud up there, and I know you’ll be looking down on me with a smile. I also know that it’s not just me you watch over in this community, and that strengthens the bond between my friends even more. So thank you.

I love you. I’ll always keep blowing you kisses up to heaven.

Yours for all eternity until we meet one day,

Sugar ❤️

#EP #elvis #elvis presley #thankyouelvis #thank you elvis

[here-lies-golden-kamuy]

Hi there! I have come to bring you a GK question

What do you think of Nikaidou? He's my favourite character and I love to hear some insights from you

Hey @moonbirdflies! Thanks for your question, and for the record you have an excellent and quite frankly based taste in favorite characters. I adore Nikaidou (I’ll be referring to know as Kouhei for this post), I’m always happy to see him whenever he pops out! I hope these insights satisfy a Nikaidou stan like you! 

Nikaidou Kouhei Once Whole, Now Disjointed

At first, I didn’t really pay attention to him because he’s…not really someone who stands out (and having an identical twin brother did not help with identifying him as his own individual character). It’s kinda sad that well…since Sugimoto is the main character, you’re meant to root for his survival and his victory against Youhei. But to Kouhei, this was a devastating moment for him — he lost a constant and loyal foundation in his life. Whenever I rewatch the anime, Kouhei’s rage and sorrow at the death of his younger brother breaks my heart. 

There is absolutely no doubt that Kouhei loved his brother. In chapter 76, when Tanigaki tells Tsurumi about his past, the twins are seen whispering and listening to each other in the background. Honestly, the Nikaidous don’t really seem to be close to anyone else in the Seventh Division other than to themselves. I can see them having their own little world that only they share: there’s no one else in their life that means more to them than their sibling. Comparing him to Sugimoto, I can see Sugimoto’s devotion to his found family in Asirpa to be the same love the Nikaidous had for each other. 

Which is why it makes sense that he was absolutely consumed with his desire to avenge his brother and kill Sugimoto. Sugimoto didn’t just kill his blood relative, he killed Kouhei’s heart. The immortal one killed the one person who Kouhei relied on in his life, his responsibility to protect (as an older brother). And his beloved brother was taken from him in such a sudden and grueling way. No wonder his mental health was greatly impacted by his passing. 

Nikaidou’s story is a sad story of someone who gets lost in life because of grief and anger. He’s shown as a picture of how someone drowning turns into vices and even more revenge, rather than find a healthy outlet to heal. He kind of reminds me of Sugimoto in this way: Sugimoto was a man who was lost in his past brutality but was eventually “saved” by Asirpa’s kindness. NIkaidou’s “person” was already lost, and since he didn’t have anyone else who cares about him in his immediate periphery (Tsurumi and Arisaka’s “care” for him as a guinea pig for prosthetics does not count), he got dragged deeper and deeper into that hell and he couldn’t get out of it. 

Aside from his relationship with his brother, let’s talk about him as a character! Kouhei is someone who is treated as a comic relief for most of the story, but honestly, I wished that he was also treated as a serious character too. What I mean by that is that I wished we got a solid backstory with him and how both brothers got into the army. I mean, Usami was introduced later in the series, but he got a solid (albeit very unnerving) backstory. I wish we got more information on the past life of the Nikaidou twins. I wanna see them eating their favorite Mandarin oranges during their season, cutting them into pieces, and sharing it with each other. I wanna see how the two of them got into trouble early on in their lives, having the other as their main confidant and partner-in-crime. 

By the way, I’m glad that despite his several amputations, it does not stop him from being the cool soldier that he is. It’s just very exasperating to see characters who have acquired disabilities (like amputated limbs for example) become reduced to their disability. You know, maybe I’ll talk about disability representation in Golden Kamuy just because of this, but I’m glad that Kouhei wasn’t seen by his other soldiers as a “commodity” or “worthless” because of his amputations. He’s still respected and treated as a soldier, he can still fight (and still wants to, I’m glad they respected his will and desire to keep fighting), and his superior support him getting prosthetics! I like that support from Tsurumi at least. 

Don’t get me wrong though, I love Nikaidou as a comic relief! He’s made me laugh so hard, especially with his antics. And he’s such a badass soldier, fighting with both his wits and strength, even facing off against Hijikata once (well he lost his cool when Sugimoto arrived and lost something else but still! Very cool!). While I wished he was treated as a more serious character, I’m glad that he exists as a cool side character. Kouhei deserves more fans, and I’m glad we're both his!!

#nikaidou kouhei #nikaidou youhei #nikaidou #seventh division #mod speaks #i answer #golden kamuy meta #golden kamuy headcanon #golden kamuy headcanons #golden kamuy imagine #golden kamuy imagines #golden kamuy ask blog #golden kamuy #ゴールデンカムイ #gk #here lies golden kamuy

[mystarmyangel]

[TRANS-ARTICLE] 230607 ‘King The Land’ Lee Junho x Lim YoonA, Character keywords picked by actors themselves

Ahead of ‘King The Land’ first broadcast which will premiere on 17 June (Saturday), Lee Junho (as Gu Won), Lim YoonA (as Cheon Sarang), Go Won Hee (as Oh Pyeong Hwa), Kim Ga Eun (as Kang Da Eul), Ahn Seha (as Noh Sang Sik) and Kim Jae Won (as Lee Ro Woon) personally picked the charms and points to watch for the characters.

Lee Junho picked ‘No Smile’, ‘Rich’, ‘Love’ to introduce the cranky King Hotel director Gu Won character. Although he is a third-generation chaebol, he has not felt love properly before as he distanced himself away from love due to his hatred for fake smile/laughter, However, after meeting Cheon Sarang (played by Lim YoonA), he will realise the true power of love more than anyone else through his gradually changing appearance.

Lim YoonA who plays as King Hotel’s Smile Queen Cheon Sarang, picked ‘smile, ‘hotelier’ and ‘sincere’ as her keywords. Lim YoonA said, “I picked smile as she is a character with a beautiful smile. Hotelier because it’s her representative image since she been doing her job well enough to be selected as the friendly employee. And with this energy, she treats the hotel guests & her loved ones with a sincere heart and express it well. Hence that is why I chose the keywords, smile, hotelier and sincere.”

Go Won Hee described the King Air’s flight attendant Oh Pyeong Hwa as a ‘pacifist’, ‘joyful’ and ‘a bear who wants to be a fox’. Even when she met with unfair treatment, she chose to suffer alone in the hope of reducing conflicts and living in a circular life. Only when she is with her best friends Cheon Sarang and Kang Da Eul (played by Kim Ga Eun), the excitement that was not there is revived. She tries to take care of her own interests, but because she lives her life honestly and perseveringly, so she missed her opportunities, raising expectations for Oh Pyeong Hwa (played by Go Won Hee)’s active performance in the drama.

Kim Ga Eun, who plays Kang Da Eul, the sales queen at Alanga, a duty-free shop affiliated to King Distribution and a working mum said, “Kang Da Eul is a ‘superwoman’, who is passionate about work and family, and the ‘sunflower of her friends’, Cheon Sarang and Oh Pyeong Hwa.” In addition, you can get a glimpse of Kang Da Eul’s charms who is referred as a ‘honest, confident and loyal’ person by her reliable colleagues, her beloved daughter and loyal friends,

Ahn Seha who plays the secretary Noh Sang Sik that joins the company the same time as Gu Won (played by Lee Junho) chose ‘bouncy ball’ as the representative keyword as he is a bright friend who do not know where he will bounce to. ‘Needle and thread’ as he can go anywhere with Gu Won. Through this, it is expected that the vitality of the work will be added with bright energy and tiki-taka with Gu Won.  (T/l note: Article didn’t specify, but photo attached added ‘Hakuna Matata’ as his keyword as well, which means no worries).

Lastly, Kim Jae Won plans to show the spirit of a younger man by playing the role of King Air’s flight attendant Lee Ro Woon, who only has eyes for Oh Pyeong Hwa, a senior at work, Kim Jae Won who described Lee Ro Woon as a ‘straightforward younger man’, ‘umbrella’, and ‘romanticist’ said, “Lee Ro Woon is a person who wants to be a beneficial and reliable umbrella for his favourite Oh Pyeong Hwa.”

As can be seen from the keywords introduced by the actors themselves, each of the six characters in ‘King The Land’ has their own unique charms. It is arousing curiosity on how the charms will change and develop upon meeting various people and how it will impact the relationships of the six.

Source: Imbc Trans: mystarmyangel

#YoonA #Junho #King The Land #Drama #Trans #Article

[by--heart]

🌻 Ed harm reduction tips!!! 🌻

🌱 Tips for less brain fog 🌱

(Plz block, dont report)

Hi guys! I know a lot of ed sufferers struggle with low energy and tiredness, especially during winter, so I thought I'd make a cheat sheet of how to boost up your energy levels when a low energy diet is impacting your ability to focus and live your life to its fullest! Obviously the best solution is to up your calories, but this isnt possible for everyone.

🌸🌼🏵🌸🌼🏵🌸

There are, in my mind, 5 factors that impact our energy levels on any given day -- this is excluding extenuating circumstances like if you are chronically ill of course.

Food 🍎

Water 💧

Sleep 🛏

Temperature ❄

Exercise 👟

1. Food

Obviously this is the main factor that we are lacking in when we restrict. Low calories can lead to brain fog and fatigue, and so during extreme restriction we need to try and combat this by really focusing on the non-food factors listed above that can hinder our energy levels. However, even in the framework of a very low calorie diet, there are certain foods that will lead to less fatigue, such as more nutrient dense foods. But, I'm no expert on nutrition, and it's very complex and debatable, so I wont explore that here! You can do some research if you like.

2. Water

Dehydration is a massive energy killer! Most regular people dont get the recommended water in a day, and because we are lacking water that other people get from food, we are even more at risk of dehydration. Additionally, if you exercise a lot, you will need even more water than that! Drinking water also burns calories (a bit) and reduces cravings, so there is nothing to lose. Please let me know if you want me to expand on the importance of water.

3. Sleep

8 hours are so essential to optimal brain functioning and wakefulness. Fat loss is also harder for the body on too little sleep, so do try to get 8 hours.

4. Temperature

Personally, I find that food cravings and fatigue are increased by being cold. Being cold can cause the body to slow down and reduce blood/oxygen flow to certain body parts, leading to more drowsiness and sleepiness. To keep yourself more high energy, dress in warm clothes when it's cold and maybe bring a thermos of warm water, tea or coffee with you! This can also help hydration.

Alternatively, being too warm can also cause drowsiness, as it makes the body think that it is in bed and therefore encourages sleep. To combat this, try and perhaps have some cold water with you instead that you can sip when you feel like sleeping.

5. Exercise

Being too inactive throughout the day can cause sluggishness and lethargy. Sometimes just a walk down your street can help wake you up (and this can go hand in hand with the temperature point). Simple exercises inside can also help you wake up! At times when I've been studying while fasting and felt sleepy, a piece of gum really helped me wake up as well, due to the motion it requires from the jaw.

🌹🌻🌷🌹🌻🌷🌹🌻🌷🌹🌻🌷

I hope this was useful to someone and that it's made you consider the different energy sources you can use when food isn't an option currently, rather than zoning out and being unfocused in your day to day life. Take care!

#an0r3c1a #pr0 #tw ana diary #ana trigger #tw ed #tw eating disorder #ed not sheeren #ed not ed sheeran #@n0r3xia #@na trigger #@na tips #@nor3×14 #ana e mia #@n@ tips #pr0ana #pr0ana diet #th1nspo #thin$po #ed #ana #4n4 #edblr #anablr #disordered eating cw #disordered eating tw #eating disorder tw #i want to ⭐️ve #i want to be skinnier #edtwt #pr04n4

[translationandbetrayals]

Eyes and morale in BSD: : visual storytelling done right

In Bungo Stray Dogs, one of the most important plot lines revolves around the characters' moral alignment and how their actions and pasts influence their values and behavior. These characters tend to be really complex, mixing their complicated backstories with beautifully written personalities, even those who play minor roles in the story. Sango Harukawa, the manga's illustrator, has revealed part of the way in which he portrays this part of his characters' psyche: through their eyes.

In the inside of the cover from volume 5, he states: "This is a decision I've come to myself, but in my drawings, I draw bigger pupils for crazy people. I try to show how tainted a person is by reducing the whites and darkening the eyes. People on the side of the Mafia probably have larger pupils. In the character settings, if the character hasn't gone too far and can return to the good side, I try to draw their eyes brighter. (...) I won't tell you whom, but there is a character whose eyes cloud over whenever they show their true self. I think it would be a more interesting experience if you re-read the manga using each character's eyes as a measure of their psychological states."

Of course, this is quite the subject for debate within the fandom community. Some people speculate that the color of the eyes has more to do with a character's inner perception of morals, instead of an universal notion of what is good or wrong. This is why many characters who don't seem to be doing anything morally questionable still have a darkened gaze, in many occasions because of the deeds of their past which they consider to be unforgivable or that makes them inherently corrupted. On the other side, one can easily watch a character's personal journey as they navigate complex emotions by simply looking at the way their eyes change through time.

In this image we can find many examples of this. First, we have Atsushi, the character with clearer moral values, who would consider himself to be "one of the good guys" without any hesitation. Then we get Yosano, Higuchi, Tanizaki, Kenji, Kunikida, Naomi, Rampo and Fukuzawa, all of them characters whith a bit more complex relationship with morale, although none of them considers themselves inherently evil or corrupted, even taking into consideration the fact that some of them have lived through hardship and moments in which they questioned their own worth. Next, Kyouka, a girl who is undoubtedly one of the good guys, but because of her traumatizing past and the violence she was forced to take part in, has more of a clouded sense of self, which is reflected in her somewhat blurry gray eyes. Finally, Dazai and Akutagawa. Both of them have a deeply disturbed state of mind (you can probably guess who's more troubled by looking at their eyes only) and a sense of inherent corruption in their souls. You can see a bit of hope in Dazai's eyes though, because of his redemption arc, but for Akutagawa, it's completely lost.

There are characters with even more complicated relationships with morale. They can actively ignore their wrongdoings or become obsessed with the repercussions of their actions, and this can impact their eyes as well. It's also important to remember that characters are not stagnant, their values and perceptions change all the time due to their circumstances and their life stories as well.

This is just a small piece of what makes BSD one of my favorite manga of all time, and I strongly recommend that you check it out if you have the time.

- Melián Trujillo.

#Anime #Manga #submission

[stillness-in-green]

Why do you dislike edgeshot? (I'm just curious, not offended or anything. I hope u don't mind me asking.) Is it just because he is a depthless personalityless stereotype that's just there taking up panel count without adding anything worthwhile to the story (bnha does have a lot of these so I can understand being fed up of that), or is there a particular reason?

You’re pretty close to on the mark, anon! (Also, you are a witty and succinct person who gave me a solid laugh, so thank you for that.)

I’m not afraid to admit that the main reason is pure personal pettiness that he’s apparently the one who defeated Re-Destro, off-camera, somehow, despite me being hugely unclear as to how exactly his ‘piercing’ gimmick would even work against RD’s concentrated Stress (on his prosthetics, sure, but that just reduces RD's mobility, not his defense).  That’s, like, 95% of the reason right there.

Edgeshot does compound the problem by being all the other stuff you said, though.  I could maybe take some Copium and get over it if he had anything else going on as a character, but he just doesn’t.  It’s not even just that he’s pure stereotype (and not a particularly interesting stereotype, at that), but that, compared to even just his fellows in the Top 10 Hero Rankings, he’s so impossibly dull, with no interesting relationships, drama, frailties, weaknesses or losses whatsoever.

Like, take a look at this, then hit the jump with me:

Endeavor: HIS FLAWS ARE LEGION.  And while he wins his fights, he doesn’t do so without taking damage—first the scar from High End, and now he’s just lost an arm to AFO, and isn’t out of the woods yet. Has distinct relationships with quite a few different people in the cast.

Hawks: I may not be very happy with how the narrative is handling him right now, but there’s no denying that it’s gotten a lot of mileage out of the conflict between his conscience and his training, his cheerful mask and his lethal pragmatism.  He hasn’t yet and apparently may never fully grow his wings back after his Dabi run-in, and he's still in the middle of a fight with AFO, so there's time for more to go wrong yet. Has a handful of reasonably well established relationships with other characters, including some heavy duty worldbuilding stuff.

Best Jeanist: First character to baldly state, “Heroes and villains are two sides of the same coin,” reflecting a nuanced understanding of the impact of image long before that element would come into play with Dabi’s video.  Lost a lung to AFO; still tends to cough blood when he exerts himself overmuch. Has a whole thing with Bakugou.

Mirko: Says disparaging things about teamwork just as the manga is swinging towards it being The Done Thing for heroes post-Kamino.  A blood knight rabbit.  Lost an arm and a leg against the Near High Ends, currently fighting with very visible prosthetics.

Crust: Uncool, heart-on-his-sleeve weepiness.  Only heroic character to express sympathy to the Near High Ends.  Dies saving Aizawa’s life. Seems to have a hero father?

Kamui Woods: Interestingly stark moral binarism towards villains.  Got taken out during the raid on Jakku because he dropped his guard and swung face-first into a blue fire inferno. Is maybe-probably dating Mount Lady.

Wash: Strange cartoon character.  Showed sorrow about the state of his turf after the raids.  Got beaned with a ballistic frying pan and shouted at by angry, unsympathetic civilians.

Yoroi Musha: Did a sturdy, admirable job for decades, but what he’ll be remembered for is that he retired after the war because he valued being wanted more than he valued helping people.

Ryukyu: Self-effacing, has a semi-solid relationship with her interns we see periodically, gets her hand rather hideously punched through at Jakku by Shigaraki’s raw strength.  Still hasn’t shown up in the current arc, though she was at least shown as active in the interim, so we know she’s not out of commission.

Like, of that lot, Ryukyu doesn’t have a tremendous lot of personality, not has she taken any particularly bad damage or losses, but she at least has something established with some of the students, and when she fights, she has to work for it.  You can see her straining, see the pain she’s sometimes in; she soldiers through it, but it isn’t effortless.

Crust is basically a caricature, but he’s not a caricature who’s out there defeating major villains.  When he faces a snap decision to save Aizawa or save his own skin, he doesn’t get a miracle; he doesn’t manage to somehow do both and look effortlessly cool doing it.  He saves Aizawa, and he dies for it.

Wash may be a bonkers character who we don’t know if is a man in a strange costume or one of the series’ more bizarre heteromorphs, but he demonstrated more humanity in Chapter 300 than Edgeshot has in 300 chapters altogether.  Out in the ruins of a city, being attacked physically and verbally—and not being unshaken by either!—Wash nonetheless rallies himself to help those people anyway.

Edgeshot?  Never comes up against a villain that makes him work for it.  Never shown actually interacting with interns or teammates outside of combat, as opposed to just being on-panel with them.  Always cool and collected.  Never shaken, never falters, never takes significant injuries.  Okay, yes, it looks like his hand is a bit fucked up in Chapter 296, which I’d probably call about equivalent to Ryukyu’s injury, but he’s a total stoic about it.  We don’t get to see him take that injury or react to it in any way.  He’s on-scene at Kamino and even goes a few rounds to keep AFO distracted, but somehow comes out of that totally fine. There’s never any sense that Edgeshot is seriously up against someone who outclasses him because he never seems to have to work for anything he does; the closest he came to having to really struggle was his fight against Re-Destro, which happened almost entirely off-camera.

You know the closest anyone has ever come to handing Edgeshot a significant failure? Haimawari Koichi, from the damn spin-off manga. And even that's probably more Jeanist's failure than Edgeshot's; regardless, it doesn't cost Edgeshot anything because all Koichi's trying to do is run away.

So, that's the sum of it. There’s just nothing the slightest bit engaging about Edgeshot to me.  God in heaven, someone hand that guy a loss.  I am ready and past ready.

#bnha #that ninja i hate #stillness answers #stillness has salt #the longer he goes without being defeated #the more grows my temptation to do something really hideous to him in AU fics where the villains do better for themselves #don't make me be that person bnha

[prakharstuff]

Part 2 of Ghibli studio movies I watched recently.

2. Grave of the fireflies.

Movies about individuals suffering through war always make my spirit wrench. With its great animation and plot Grave of the Fireflies takes a journey which almost made me cry and gets so much worse when you find out that the author who based it on his own life wrote the book as an apology to his sister.

You know how it ends from the first scene, knowing from the first scene didn't make it less impactful the death of Setsuko just took my heart and stomped it but the struggle they live throughout the movie and the hope they develop for each small victory is devastating.

ಥ_ಥ

I've read that the movie is commonly seen as an anti-war film, but that both the director nor the author of the book on which it is based did not aim at that.

On the director's intent:

Director Takahata repeatedly denied that the film was an anti-war anime. In his own words, "[The film] is not at all an anti-war anime and contains absolutely no such message."

The message seems to be that Seita had his romanticized image of him and his sister vs the world which was unrealistic. He needed to see that caring for Setsuko and providing what was best for her meant spending time finding work and helping around his aunt's house, not spending all of his time with Setsuko and being her personal hero. But because he didn't do this he was being selfish by resigning himself in his boundless love for his sister and withdrawing from the world. When his sister dies from malnutrition it is because he refused to see that he couldn't provide her enough food even when he was reduced to stealing. It seems implied that if he'd returned to his aunt, apologized, and just started doing whatever work around the house or out of it he could find, they would have been taken care of and Setsuko would have survived.

But another way of seeing this is Seita is a 12-year-old boy who made a bad decision while in a situation that no 12-year-old boy should ever be in. He was placed in that crisis because of the war. He was trying to survive the way he knew how, and psychologically he must have been so traumatized.

While Grave of the Fireflies is punishing, it is not relentless. There are short, beautiful interludes in this film, serving to remind us that even in life’s most dire moments, we are still capable of experiencing joy and wonder. But these bursts are fleeting, and as the story heads towards its emotionally shattering conclusion, they only make what is to come even more unbearable.

Among the strongest statements that Grave of the Fireflies has to offer is that optimism is often a luxury. Life will have its way with us one way or another, whether we deserve it or not. What makes the film such an influential piece of work is the sense of foreboding that hangs over Seita and Setsuko at all times. The human spirit can be boundless, but it can also only take so much.

The firefly became a haunting symbol of the film as it represents both the deadly fire bombs that wrecked the children's city but as well as an icon of hope and perseverance.

This film will always be a reminder to the post-war generation about the atrocities of war even if it wasn't meant to. The innocence of Setsuko was crushed by the cruelty of war. I love this film with its carnage and small moments of beauty, which makes the carnage all the more heartbreaking and will always have a place in my heart.

#thoughts #writing #opinion #discussion #movies #philosophy #movie review #grave of the fireflies #ghibli movie #ghibli films #ghibli aesthetic #studio ghibli #anime movie #anime #anti war #animation #japan #culture #japanese

[memes-saved-me]

Our brain is an intricate organ and "machine" that causes conflicting emotions, thoughts, and opinions. It is far too complex to reduce to simple properties. Your last Anon had the courage to admit that he had racist thoughts caused by his environment, but he recognized them and is now working on them. There are countless others in this position who absolutely deserve the opportunity to change and improve. It's scary how much the environment/family is ignored and thus haters simply classify Billy as "racist and evil". I studied psychology and understanding problematic people is of upmost importance in this world. I myself was brought up with racist values. I am of Indian origin but born and raised in a small European country. Those of my own country of origin were the ones who judged me in a racist way. I was too dark, for in the eyes of the "upper class" lighter skin is to be praised. Ever since I was little, my familymembers and circle of friends always made comments to my parents or to me about my skin color being too dark. Contradictory, I've developed a hatred for white people over the course of my childhood and adolescence. Of course, it should be noted that not all Indians are like that, I am referring specifically to my family and circle of friends. I will omit boring long details, but after long self-analysis, help from psychologists and self-study, I finally found inner peace and saw the error of my ways. Hatred towards white skinned people or my co-nationals won't make me happy. It only made me angry. I don't hide the fact that I've cut people out of my life because of my false hatred. Life isn't as easy to classify as good or bad as the online haters want to make it out to be. People have wrong beliefs, opinions, ways of life, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally. It is important that you are willing to change. I'm sorry if I've written so much, but your recent conversations with anons have inspired me. I don't normally want to reveal my story like that, so I still prefer to remain anonymous, but I think it's an important topic. What these haters are doing right now with their false moralism is harmful. I hope that one day they will also recognize the mistakes in their behavior and learn from their mistakes. Hopefully someday they'll look back on their online hating days and try be better and not be so quick to judge. Have a wonderful day, keep up the amazing work. I love your blog <3

I'm glad you felt comfortable enough to share this with me and staying on anon is more than welcome! I won't add anything to your story because it deserves to stand on its own and should be read as it is but I do want to continue off what you said about antis realising their behaviour isn't alright.

We've all been idiot teenagers on the Internet and done or said things we now don't believe. I used to have arguments with people I would now agree with, strangers who I'll never meet or speak to again but in the moment it feels so important to get your point across instead of walking away.

Thing is, I never harassed people or sent death threats and this new mindset of "its just on the Internet" is such bullshit. Have they stopped showing anti cyber bullying things in school because we had that shoved down our throats from a young age along with online safety and privacy but that's a whole different topic I'll go into another time.

The Internet is treat like it doesn't have irl consequences but it damn well does. More so than ever. Yet, people are attacking actors, fans, writers and all sorts over fictional people who don't exist at all. I can't imagine not understanding that telling someone to kys or going after their appearance or personality has impact and can affect someone deeply. People accuse Billy of being a bully but antis are far worse than he ever was to the point they target real abuse victims for relating to a fictional one.

Liking a fictional character does not reflect your views or opinions. Its s fucking character in a TV show. I could rant all day but I'll stop and say that humans are complicated, complex and very very stupid at times but we change and grow and develop as people as we age and experience new things. Everyone deserves a chance to do so.

Thank you! I really appreciate being a vessel for this!

#ask #thanks for sending this! #long post #longpost

[realasslesbian]

not to be obtuse - but what is natalism? and why are you against it?

Well, google defines natalism as 'promotion of or advocacy for childbearing.' My gripe with it is that more children is exactly the opposite of what the world needs right now, and yet every aspect of every society on the planet is still overwhelmingly geared to promoting having more kids.

The most common 'argument' anti-natalists make is irt overpopulation's demonstrably devastating impact on the environment over the last century as our population has skyrocketed. In terms of carbon emissions alone, having one less child is more effective at reducing emissions than being strictly vegan for your whole life. Personally though, I feel like the environmental impact of having kids in a today's overpopulated world is fairly obvious (ofc most natalists would argue that, but I digress).

My bigger concern is with how countries with higher birth rates are also ALL, %100 of the time, countries with higher poverty rates. Even in first world countries having kids is strongly correlated with poverty. My very particular concern is how it's women who are most effected by child-induced poverty, because they're expected to forsake financial security so that they can stay home and take care of the kids (ultimately leaving them vulnerable to financial control and abuse from their partner, being homeless when they're elderly, etc). Countries with lower birth rates just don’t have these issues. Instead they have better social security, better retirement policies, more women in positions of power, less poverty, less crime, etc.

All the while, governments sell us this wonderful fairy tale that 'we must have more children to secure our country's economic prosperity!!1!' But whose prosperity? Because it's certainly not for the prosperity of the single mother with three kids surviving on food stamps. It's not for the homeless 80yo woman who didn't work so that she could raise her husband's litter of kids only for him (and his superannuation) to divorce her as soon as he hit retirement age. In reality it's a very much 'domestic supply of infants' situation, where having more kids actually means having more minimum wage workers available, so that the top %1 don't have to worry much about having to pay a living wage to every single one of their gazillion worker ants. I mean, valued employees.

Personally, instead of all the baby bonuses and the family welfare payments and the tax breaks per child, all of which sound nice on paper but actually do very little to make a dent in the overall obscene cost of raising a kid, I'd rather we spent that money on housing the homeless or addressing the pay gap for women or on environmental issues. At least here in Australia, where every year we spend literally billions on welfare for child-havers, we could actually instead fund a decent universal income, for everyone. But, as you can imagine, the top end of town don't like the idea of having a population who don't have to choose between working or starving. A $5000 tax payer funded baby bonus to quell the masses is a lot more cost-effective, from a business standpoint. It's just throwin the dog a bone, so to speak.

But anyway, hope that answers the question. Definitely not something to get me started on over xmas dinner lmao

#anti natalism #childfree #childfreedom #overpopulation