someone is ranting, someone is pining🤭

A strange alien doctor stands near the unconscious body of Padme Amidala. “It appears she has lost the will to live.” A older man with a limp hobbles closer with the aid of a cane. “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” says Dr. Gregory House.

Broke:

Belle has Stockholm syndrome because she falls in love with the Beast, her kidnapper.

Woke:

Stockholm syndrome was coined to slander a woman who had been in a hostage situation but openly criticized the poor police response which recklessly put her in more danger and escalated the violence. She was then belittled and discredited publically by the police for this.

So. Yeah. Maybe Belle does have Stockholm syndrome actually.

🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

an expert analysis of my five day old chicks

the only reason why ten year old girls are destroying stupidly overpriced products at sephora to make “skincare smoothies” is because they aren’t being given access to a yard with a variety of mud, sticks, rocks, puddles, and old ceramic planters to make potions in. the children yearn for the apothecary

This Anatomical Heart Balaclava Is Off The Hook! Amazing work, cosplay balaclava inspired by Shin from Dorohedoro. Follow the maker Kaz on Twitter: @kaztrophysics and Instagram: @kazclops.

And he was a slender boy

I love that at this meeting, Xie Lian asked Hua Cheng about Hua Cheng and didn't even know it

And Hua Cheng was almost screaming, "Hey, it's me!"

And when Xie Lian suggested that he might be Hua Cheng, he smiled so sweetly 💕

And deep inside he was so happy because his gege is so smart😌

This official art makes me feel so much love

I love that little blush on Xie Lian's cheek and the way Hua Cheng looks at his beloved 💕 and a butterfly on Xie Lian's fingertips ✨️

is this orange or yellow.

from VIETNAM: LOTUS IN A SEA OF FIRE: IN SEARCH OF THE ENEMY OF MAN

From a letter by Thich Nhat Hanh addressed to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., June 1, 1965

The self-burning of Vietnamese Buddhist monks in 1963 is somehow difficult for Western Christian conscience to understand. The press spoke then of suicide, but in the essence, it is not. It is not even a protest. What the monks said in the letters they left before burning themselves aimed only at alarming, at moving the hearts of the oppressors, and at calling the attention of the world to the suffering endured then by the Vietnamese. To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination, and sincerity. During the ceremony of ordination, as practiced in the Mahayana tradition, the monk-candidate is required to burn one or more small spots on his body in taking the vow to observe the 250 rules of a bhikshu, to live the life of a monk, to attain enlightenment, and to devote his life to the salvation of all beings. One can, of course, say these things while sitting in a comfortable armchair; but when the words are uttered while kneeling before the community of sangha and experiencing this kind of pain, they will express all the seriousness of one’s heart and mind, and carry much greater weight.

The Vietnamese monk, by burning himself, says with all his strength and determination that he can endure the greatest of sufferings to protect his people. But why does he have to burn himself to death? The difference between burning oneself and burning oneself to death is only a difference in degree, not in nature. A man who burns himself too much must die. The importance is not to take one’s life, but to burn. What he really aims at is the expression of his will and determination, not death. In the Buddhist belief, life is not confined to a period of 60 or 80 or 100 years: life is eternal. Life is not confined to this body: life is universal. To express will by burning oneself, therefore, is not to commit an act of destruction but perform an act of construction, that is, to suffer and to die for the sake of one’s people. This is not suicide. Suicide is an act of self-destruction, having as causes the following: (1) lack of courage to live and to cope with difficulties; (2) defeat by life and loss of all hope; (3) desire for nonexistence (abhaya).

This self-destruction is considered by Buddhism as one of the most serious crimes. The monk who burns himself has lost neither courage nor hope; nor does he desire nonexistence. On the contrary, he is very courageous and hopeful and aspires for something good in the future. He does not think that he is destroying himself: he believes in the good fruition of his act of self-sacrifice for the sake of others. Like the Buddha in one of his former lives—as told in a story of Jataka—who gave himself to a hungry lioness which was about to devour her own cubs, the monk believes he is practicing the doctrine of highest compassion by sacrificing himself in order to call the attention of, and to seek help from, the people of the world.

I believe with all my heart that the monks who burned themselves did not aim at the death of the oppressors but only at a change in their policy. Their enemies are not man. They are intolerance, fanaticism, dictatorship, cupidity, hatred, and discrimination which lie within the heart of man. I also believe with all of my being that the struggle for equality and freedom you lead in Birmingham, Alabama, is not really aimed at the whites but only at intolerance, hatred, and discrimination. These are real enemies of man—not man himself. In our unfortunate fatherland we are trying to plead desperately: do not kill man, even in man’s name. Please kill the real enemies of man which are present everywhere, in our very hearts and minds.

Now in the confrontation of the big powers occurring in our country, hundreds and perhaps thousands of Vietnamese peasants and children lose their lives every day, and our land is unmercifully and tragically torn by a war which is already twenty years old. I am sure that since you have been engaged in one of the hardest struggles for equality and human rights, you are among those who understand fully, and who share with all their heart, the indescribable suffering of the Vietnamese people. The world’s greatest humanists would not remain silent. You yourself cannot remain silent. America is said to have a strong religious foundation and spiritual leaders would not allow American political and economic doctrines to be deprived of the spiritual element. You cannot be silent since you have already been in action and you are in action because, in you, God is in action, too—to use Karl Barth’s expression. And Albert Schweitzer, with his stress on the reverence for life. And Paul Tillich with his courage to be, and thus, to love. And Niebuhr. And Mackay. And Fletcher. And Donald Harrington. All these religious humanists and many more, are not going to favor the existence of a shame such as the one mankind has to endure in Vietnam. Recently a young Buddhist monk named Thich Giac Thanh burned himself [April 20, 1965, in Saigon] to call the attention of the world to the suffering endured by the Vietnamese, the suffering caused by this unnecessary war—and you know that war is never necessary. Another young Buddhist, a nun named Hue Thien, was about to sacrifice herself in the same way and with the same intent, but her will was not fulfilled because she did not have the time to strike a match before people saw and interfered. Nobody here wants the war. What is the war for, then? And whose is the war?

Yesterday in a class meeting, a student of mine prayed: “Lord Buddha, help us to be alert to realize that we are not victims of each other. We are victims of our own ignorance and the ignorance of others. Help us to avoid engaging ourselves more in mutual slaughter because of the will of others to power and to predominance.” In writing to you, I profess my faith in Love, in Communion, and in the World’s Humanists, whose thoughts and attitude should be the guide for all humankind in finding who is the real enemy of Man.

“self immolation as a form of extreme political protest has a long history all over the world, and aaron bushnell’s death should not be discussed solely as a suicide”

and

“people who are already hurting and vulnerable can do more to help while they are still alive than they could in death, and should not repeat aaron bushnell’s actions”

are statements that can and must coexist, actually.

he felt that he was complicit in genocide as an active duty us service member, and, to an extent, he was. but also as an active duty service member, he was legally not allowed to quit his job as a member of the military.

his final act was to take drastic measures to draw attention to a genocide that many people in this country are turning a blind eye towards, and i commend him for his sacrifice. it should be honored and remembered.

that doesn’t mean i want anyone to feel that they should follow in his footsteps.

he should not have been made, by nature of his employment, to feel that he was complicit in genocide, because those in power should not be funding and supporting it in the first place. but they are doing so, and he made it clear that did feel that way. we can’t change that. that doesn’t give us the right to dismiss and ignore his actions.

“this [genocide] is what our ruling class has decided is normal.” and it shouldn’t be.

keep bushnell’s message in mind as you organize. protest, fundraise, call your representatives. these are actions that have a tangible effect. and they do far more to help than dying.

but i’m not going to condemn him, just as i’m not going to condemn the likes of thích quảng đức. i’m not going to say that his death was worthless, because it brought undeniable attention to the matter at hand, despite attempts by american media to gloss over why he did what he did.

i understand where people are coming from — self immolation is a deeply disturbing thing to witness, even blurred. i was very deeply affected by the video. but that’s exactly why he did it; to get through to people that this matters.

i don’t want anyone else to die, either. but remembering aaron bushnell and what he died for is not synonymous with encouraging suicide.

his last words were “free palestine” and, as people living in countries that are funding extermination, it is our job to carry on that cry until palestine is free.

that means living to see it through. ensure that he did not die in vain.

They just keep getting better

A lil doodle of Spock to make studying syntax a little better

embroidery animation collab with Rosie Brain Embroidery

link to tutorial about designing the reference animation: https://youtu.be/epCdVCWzISs?si=fJ0pk6PgpoPsR3mU

Let's build a freeze team for Ayaka!

Hello everyone! I'm back now so I can start posting again :D

Before I get into it, yes I did change the banner lol. I just wanted to switch things up for a bit, I hope u like it!!

Anyways, with Ayaka's rerun currently ongoing, I wanted to make a guide for anybody who just got her and is a bit confused on her teams. Let's get into it!!

╰┈➤ why does Ayaka need freeze? You might have noticed that almost every Ayaka team is a Freeze team. There are 2 main reasons for this. The first is that, to maximize the damage of her burst by allowing it to always hit an enemy, enemies must be kept stationary via Freeze. The second is that Ayaka applies Cryo waaaay to fast with her burst to allow her to reliably trigger Melt reactions

╰┈➤ basic team outline Ayaka freeze teams usually follow this outline: ❀ Ayaka ❀ Anemo character on 4pc Viridescent Venerer ❀ Cryo battery (creates Cryo particles to supply energy) ❀ Hydro character for Freeze

╰┈➤ Anemo options ❀ Kazuha ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The best option and usually the go-to. Kazuha provides Elemental damage bonus along with great grouping and his own personal damage ❀ Venti ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Great grouping and personal damage ❀ Jean ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Can consolidate the healer role which is useful in some teams. Great healer choice w/ Furina ❀ Sucrose ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Some grouping, Elemental DMG buff at C6. Works well enough as a substitute. Can run Thrilling Tales of Dragon slayers to give Ayaka lots of attack

╰┈➤ Cryo options ❀ Shenhe ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ The best option and usually the go-to. Provides buffs to Cryo damage along with Cryo resistance shred and elemental Burst damage ❀ Charlotte ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Consolidates a healer role but should really only be used in Furina teams ❀ Diona ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Can consolidate the healer role along with providing a shield ❀ Rosaria ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Good personal damage, buffs Crit Rate which can be useful to reach certain stat thresholds for Ayaka ❀ Ganyu ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Very strong personal damage from Burst. Decent Cryo damage buff and can share some field time. Works well in teams with Venti ❀ Kaeya ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Great budget option who provides tons of energy via Cryo particles. Good personal damage

╰┈➤ Hydro options ❀ Kokomi ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Usually the go-to option. Great AoE Hydro application that doesn't require normal attacking. Great healing. Can run Tenacity of the Millileth and Thrilling Tales of Dragon slayers to provide tons of Attack to Ayaka. ❀ Mona ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Hydro Application from skill has a much smaller AoE than Kokomi. Burst gives a large damage boost. Can run TTDS ❀ Furina ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Great Hydro application that doesn't require normal attacking. Incredible personal damage. Requires an all-party healer such as Charlotte or Jean. Furina teams can kinda be considered a different arychetype of Ayaka teams. ❀ Xingqiu ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Provides some defensive capability but requires normal attacking to apply Hydro which can make the team feel awkward ❀ Yelan ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Very strong personal damage but requires normal attacking. Passive can provide a damage boost to Ayaka ❀ Ayato ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Hydro application from burst has a very large AoE and good damage. Works very well with Venti. Can also share some field-time with his own DPS. ❀ Barbara ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ Budget option. Good healing but her Hydro application is quite awkward. Can run TTDS.

╰┈➤ premium team Ayaka's best (non-Furina) freeze team is also referred to as her "premium" team because it uses all limited 5 stars. Here's a quick overview of their builds ❀ Ayaka ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 4PC Blizzard Strayer. Mistsplitter's Reforged/Amenoma Kageuchi/Finale of the Deep ❀ Shenhe ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 4PC Noblesse Oblige. Calamity Queller/Favonius Lance ❀ Kazuha ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 4PC Viridescent Venerer. Freedom-sworn/Xiphos' Moonlight/Favonius Sword/Iron Sting ❀ Kokomi ˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ 4PC Tenacity of the Millileth. Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers (TTDS)

╰┈➤ premium team vs. Furina The Furina variant of Ayaka teams (usually Kazuha/Furina/Charlotte) seems to preform similarly to the premium team (Shenhe/Kazuha/Kokomi)

╰┈➤ issues to look out for Ayaka's teams have 2 main issues 1 ・❥・ Many enemies in recent abyss cycles are immune to freeze 2 ・❥・ Without enough ER%, Her teams can feel kinda bad to play

And that's all for today! I hope you find this guide helpful and informative. If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the replies or send in an ask (no question is too small!)

I hope you have a great day!!

This animation without the filter because it fucked with the framerate for some reason (this isn't the intended look otherwise, but bleh)