#critical thinking is a great skill to have and we should all use it more | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

transmutationisms · 9 months

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how do i know what’s right?

i feel like i have zero critical thinking skills ;-;

a lot of the time when someone poses an idea or a theory they think they’re right, and so they use language that enforces that. but then someone refutes it, and uses language affirming what they believe and i see the point in their argument. and then it gets refuted again and again and again and im just confused.

hi great question. i would love it if there were a single easy litmus test to figure out who's 'right' and whose info i should trust! unfortunately things are rarely this easy, and it's actually completely normal to be overwhelmed by the amount of information being produced and shared, especially when it comes to topics you haven't researched/lived/etc. for most of us, this will be most topics!

i'd preface this by saying that i think your overall attitude here is actually a good one. you're framing it in a pretty self-deprecating way—but actually, imo this type of openness to discussion and disagreement is a really good place to start, esp when dealing with topics that are new to you. nobody enters a contentious debate with a fully fledged, defensible viewpoint. you might feel like you're just treading water here, making no progress toward being able to evaluate arguments for yourself, but i highly doubt that's true.

all of that said: while i again cannot give you a single litmus test for figuring out what's 'right', there are four pretty basic sets of questions that i automatically run through when encountering a new idea, source, topic, or argument: we can call these origin, purpose, value, and limitations.

origin: who's the author? do they have any institutional affiliations? who pays their salary? is this argument or paper funded in any way? is the argument dependent upon the author's social position or status (race, class, etc) and if so, are those factors being discussed clearly? does the author have ties to a particular nation-state or stakes in defending such a nation-state? what's the class character of the author and the argument? what's the social, economic, and intellectual context that gave rise to this argument or source?

purpose: why is this source or person disseminating this information or making this argument? are they trying to sell you anything? are their funders? are they trying to persuade you of a particular political viewpoint? keeping in mind the answers to the 'origin' questions, are there particular ideological positions you would expect to find in this source or argument, and are they present? what are the stakes for the author or source? what about for those who cite the source or further disseminate or publish it?

value: what does this source or argument accomplish well? what aspects of the argument are new to you and strike you as insightful? are there linkages being made that you haven't encountered elsewhere, and that you think are effectively and sufficiently defended? are there statistics or empirical data that might be useful to you in forming your own argument, even if you disagree with how this source or author is interpreting them? what does this argument or source tell you about the types of debates being had, and the rules of those debates?

limitations: where does this argument or source fail you or fall apart? are there obvious rhetorical fallacies you can identify? is the author forgetting or overlooking some piece of information that you know of from elsewhere? which viewpoints may be omitted? keeping in mind the answers to the 'purpose' questions, if this source is defending a particular ideology or political position, is that one you agree with? is it only defensible so long as the author omits or distorts certain pieces of information? are there points where the argument jumps from evidence to a conclusion that the evidence can't fully support? are there alternative explanations for the evidence?

over time you will often find that it becomes more and more automatic to ask yourself these questions. you will also find that the more you read/hear about a particular topic, the faster you can determine whether someone is presenting all of the evidence, presenting it fairly, and using it to fully defend the argument they ultimately want to make. and you will probably also find that at some point, you're able to synthesise your own argument by pulling the strong parts from multiple other people's viewpoints, combining them with your own thinking, and fitting them together in a way that adequately explains and materially analyses the issue at hand.

#sry if this feels kind of abstract lol fight between specificity and applicability #lit and literacy

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thesirencult · 8 months

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WHY INVESTING IN YOURSELF WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

"The best thing you can do is to be exceptionally good at something," said Buffett. He added, "Whatever abilities you have can't be taken away from you. They can't actually be inflated away from you. ... So the best investment by far is anything that develops yourself, and it's not taxed at all."

- Warren Buffet

There is a reason people call Mr. Buffet the "Oracle/Sage Of Omaha".

Not only he is great at asset management and making the right predictions when it comes to the financial markets, but he is also very wise and offers great advice.

Investing in your own self is the only type of investment you can make that is absolutely safe and guaranteed to give you a return on investment that would satisfy you.

Knowledge is fuel. You are the vehicle.

We are living in times of abundance. Knowledge and data curation is the hottest skill someone can learn right now. That's what AI models like ChatGPT do. They curate useful data from trash. That's what you should also do with your mind. Throw out what's hindering your growth and feed your brain with nutritious food for thought.

We are nearing the "Age Of Abundance", the Golden Saturnian Age of our times. Don't fall into oblivion.

The resources are within a finger's reach. You are actually holding the most precious asset in your hands right now, that's how I reached you.

Whoever takes advantage of this situation will succeed.

Read books, articles, essays. Watch videos and documentaries. Educate yourself for free. If you have the ability to get a university degree for free, do it ! Don't fall in the trap of "degrees are useless". Instead choose to educate yourself in subjects that interest you and make you even more savvy. Invest in evergreen skills. Learn content creation, marketing and money management. Study philosophy to learn the art of critical thinking.

In the next 10 years we will all transform from 9 to 5 slaves to freelancers and one-person businesses. This is where we are headed. Notice all the lay-offs and how artificial intelligence has taken the world by storm.

Be proactive.

#finance #level up journey #leveling up #leverage #level up #investment #essay #source:thesirencult #hypergamyblr #seduction #tarot reading #ai #business #entreprenuership

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five-thousand-loaves-of-bread · 1 year

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on one hand i know why like in online autistic space, people are really against assuming support needs online. because sure what put online is only a fraction of experience. some only want post positive things. and other people mask difficulties so appear better off than actually are, etc. know all that!

but issue comes when… there is consistent pattern of a specific type of lower support needs (LSN) autistic generalizing their LSN experience, pathologize every little experience as autism, spread misinfo, use aspie supremacist rhetoric,

erase higher support needs (HrSN) autistic experience, speaking over us, perpetuate extremely harmful ableism against us, do not reflect own privilege, pose self as most oppressed,

and misusing support needs label

and it’s important to note that it’s mostly being done by (a specific group of) lower support needs autistic. because they have more communication abilities, more self advocacy abilities or more able to learn self advocate, more independence, more closer to the mythical “neurotypicality” ideal, more able to mask, etc etc… loudest, most majority, most listened to.

“how dare you assume my support needs when you don’t know me” has been conveniently used as a shield to free them of responsibility. “if conveniently don’t mention that have lower support needs, or have level 1 autism, then they can’t criticize me of perpetuating aspie supremacy can’t criticize me of not reflecting on my LSN advantage, and i can become the victim and escape accountability.”

and. another layer of issue is. some of them genuinely think they high support needs or have substantial support needs because they need support and don’t have needs met. when they’re… not.

i have been putting off addressing this topic because i don’t want a slippery slope to fake claiming, or give off “i know you more than you” because i don’t.

but. i know the autism spectrum more than them. i know the support needs spectrum and autism levels more than you. and maybe even most important, i know what i don’t know about these topics more than you.

yes, HrSN autistics can achieve great things, as much or maybe even more than LSN and nonautistic nondisabled people.

yes, some HrSN autistics can speak relatively fluidly. some HrSN autistics may be able to mask. some HrSN autistic may be not as visible HrSN/autistic every single second of day—less likely, but who am i to generalize?

BUT. and i have addressed this over and over and over again in my posts. being HrSN is not just about needing help with “eating” (and by eating they mean cooking and not actually feeding), reminder to shower, budgeting, getting groceries, some of the time. being level 2/3 is not just about other people think you “weird” sometimes, or meltdown once in a while (like weeks apart).

overwhelmingly more HrSN autistics struggle with masking or unable to mask at all, with most or all communication, living independently is often not even an option to consider for us, can’t hold job (mayybe unless very specific employment support), visibly autistic, visibly disabled.—as in, you can tell. strangers can tell.

for many of us, there is no reasonable deniability, there’s no benefit of the doubt, there’s no hiding.

for many of us, we are concerned and focusing on basic living skills.

and i’m trying to be generous here. i’m trying to give these people & behavior i’m critiquing the benefit of the doubt. there are harsher things i want to say that im holding off right now.

not saying there’s nothing wrong with assuming support needs. not saying we should all start random assign internet people support needs labels.

but there is nuance. some people don’t like that nuance tho because it not in their favor and they can’t play victim anymore

#actually autistic #actuallyautistic #autism #high support needs #low support needs #medium support needs #nd #asd #visibility #actually disabled #actually neurodivergent #loaf screm

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elonomhblog · 25 days

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the importance of balance in academia

balance is SO IMPORTANT in every aspect of life, but so often students sacrifice it in order to achieve high-level grades. balance is a critical factor that contributes to both personal well-being and academic success. many myths exist that build this lack of balance in the academic world, so let's debunk some of them.

working long hours guarantees advancement who told you this? seriously? the number of hours worked does not necessarily correlate with productivity or career success. quality of work matters more than quantity. you should try to prioritize efficiency and well-being over excessive hours.

life must be compartmentalized separating work and personal life rigidly isn’t always feasible. embrace flexibility. sometimes school/work and life blend, and that’s okay. focus on being present wherever you are.

you can have it all this is a big goal of a lot of people. i hate to break it to you, but you're NEVER going to have it all. balancing everything perfectly is challenging. prioritize what truly matters to you. accept that some trade-offs are necessary.

time management solves everything another lie that's commonly believed. yes, time management helps but IT WILL NOT SOLVE ALL YOUR PROBLEMS. time management alone won’t guarantee balance. it’s about making conscious choices, not just managing the clock.

technology frees up more time/technology wastes time technology can both help and hinder balance. you must learn how to use technology wisely; and not let it consume your life. always disconnect when needed.

academic stress arises when a student’s existing capacity to manage and adapt to academic demands is exceeded. it encompasses mental distress related to expected academic challenges, fear of failure, or even the possibility of academic failure. you can prevent it by learning about your stressors, changing what you can, moderating your emotional reactions and practising physical responses to stress (e.g. mindful breathing). remember, academic stress is normal, but managing it effectively is essential for your overall well-being and success. prioritize self-care, seek help when needed, and find a healthy balance.

one thing that you're going to have to learn in order to become more balanced on your academic journey is to drop perfectionism. you may think that it has helped you get to where you are,, that it motivates you and keeps you going. these are lies. you must find new ways to motivate yourself that are not harmful.

for example, learning how to evolve whilst accepting that you are still growing and that you are just a person will get you to the same places, without the detrimental effects. perfectionists tend to have an all-or-nothing mindset and experience feelings of inadequacy due to toxic comparison. in being a perfectionist, your creativity may dwindle, as well as health implications arising and relationship strain.

if you don't believe me -- take a look at the article here.

but HOW can you manage balance in academia?

prioritize and plan though time management will not save you by itself, it is a great skill and very helpful. create a weekly schedule that allocates time for BOTH academic and personal activities. prioritize essential tasks and set realistic goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

set boundaries establish clear boundaries between work and personal life. make time to go out with your school friends outside of schoolwork! you have to be mindful, however, that it impossible to have a perfect divide or balance. we are humans; we are messy; life is messy.

self-care make time for activities that help you relax and recharge, such as exercise, meditation, or spending time with loved ones. prioritize physical and mental health alongside academic commitments.

be flexible recognize that there will be times when your work demands more of your time and attention. adapt to changing circumstances while maintaining a balance.

build a support system i can't stress this enough! having people around you --even if you're writing your stressors on an anonymous blog-- is so vital to academic success. foster personal relationships and build a network of colleagues and friends who understand the challenges of academia. seek advice and support from mentors and peers.

effective communication communicate openly with colleagues, supervisors, and family members about your commitments and limitations. negotiate the workload when necessary. i remember in primary school (sixth grade, to be precise) when my teacher gave me extra homework to 'push me'. it took so much time away from me. as a twelve-year-old, i was able to talk to her and we agreed that i would simply just do the extension homework (instead of double work) so that i would have more time to play. this shit works!

utilize technology leverage technology for efficiency. use tools for time management, collaboration, and communication. if you get too distracted by technology, block the sites. delete the apps. do whatever you have to do to make it a tool. you can always re-download when you're finished. you can always call a friend during the breaks.

i think one of the most significant things to learn, ever, is that all of your actions/strategies are a double edged sword. they can either hurt you or help you. you have to decide which side you use.

achieving balance is an ongoing process, and you have to learn what works best for you--everyone is different. always strive for a healthier equilibrium. i promise you that it will be better for your wellbeing; your soul.

luck on your academic journey.

❤️ joanne

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the-modern-typewriter · 4 days

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Hello this is a question that came about from watching the new Fallout TV show and a character named Maximus. He’s a relatively neutral character and his arc is very wonderful coming from a writer and big book reader but I noticed that the average viewer doesn’t understand his character and actually hates him… my question is as an author is it okay to make your story more digestible to people who lack perception since it’s the general audience for mainstream media and how do you do that without losing your story? Idk this was probably too complex and a stupid question 💔

Not a stupid question! There are no stupid questions.

Going to unpack this a bit though. (I haven't seen the show.) First some general points, but then some advice on balancing complexity in a story.

So. Some things to get out of the way:

You don't know what the average viewer is thinking. Just because their opinion on a character is different to yours, doesn't mean they lack perception. Do we sometimes have an issue with critical thinking in the modern age? Yes. But we also live in an age where people bring a vast array of different insights and experiences into the stories they read/watch. 99% of the time a story doesn't have just one right interpretation, especially if it is a more complex narrative.

You CAN try to write a story that is more digestible to a general audience, but if you do have concerns about the media literacy of the general population, focusing on providing unchallenging stories is not the fix to that. People learn through engaging with interesting work and having discussions about them - e.g. when they are given the opportunity to. Perception, like anything, is a skill trained with practice. No one's born with it. There's no inherent us/them that can't be changed.

Will you be happy and fulfilled as a writer writing stories that you feel are dumbed or watered down? I know I wouldn't end up writing the versions of stories that I want. Similarly, you probably won't then attract the readers/audience that most resonate with your ideas, because you don't give them the chance.

Generally speaking, people hate being talked down to. As a reader/lover of stories, if I thought a writer was talking down to me and thought I was an idiot who couldn't understand the themes/plot, I wouldn't want to have anything to do with their stuff. It's a horrible feeling, isn't it? It's like being written off before you even leave the gate.

Okay, now some advice: Amazing children's books are a great example of stories that are simplified to appeal and meet the audience where they are at, without losing the richness that makes them resonate and engage readers/audience. However, there are adult examples too. They share some qualities.

These often have:

Clear structure (there are a myriad story structures that you can use to make a story hit beats the reader expects and create a sense of satisfaction, while still giving you room to play.)

High concept story idea/plot (so, stories that can be explained/pitched in a line. E.g. children are forced to fight in televised death matches (Hunger Games), a famous author is imprisoned by a dangerous fan who doesn't approve of his new work (Misery), 'it's jaws in outer space!'). These stories have simple premises that often have wide-appeal, but the stories themselves can be complex.

Engaging main character(s) with a clear goal/agenda. They don't have to all be morally pure, but for an easy win, your character should be likeable/easy to root for. In a children's book, e.g. at the simplest level, these are often also high concept. (E.g. a mouse wants to be heard so is convinced it needs a lion's roar to be loved - The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright)

There are, of course, exceptions to every rule. Game of Thrones was phenomenally popular, for example, but I don't think it's an easy to sink into world/simple set of characters.

Watering down an existing story to fit a different target audience is often not going to lead you to write the best story. This is because it's like trying to fit a triangle into a circle, or make a banana bread into a savoury scone. However, there are plenty of stories with mass-appeal that offer readers a variety of different levels to engage with them, so it is very possible to write a brilliant story with mass appeal. But you work from the foundations up, not from the finished product down.

I hope this helps!

#writing advice #writing talk #writing tips #creative writing #fiction writing #writing #on writing

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jazeswhbhaven · 4 months

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Huge Announcement from PrettyBusy! 1.10

First, this is quite long btw, if you'd like to read it for yourself please look on their website! They haven't uploaded it on their social medias just yet, but also check WHB Updates on twt in case I miss anything. I'm really only going to highlight the stuff I care about and wish to speak on! But overall there's a lot they're changing up and giving us in the future so this shows promise.

So! I like the timing of their pacing of releasing new chapters. I want them to take their time, the writers especially to give us some good stuff to read because I highly doubt they're gonna change the amount of battles between each story node. .-. And if they do then great!

They do give some info about friend systems (getting materials and items by having friends etc.) the Minhyeok mini game and additional chats being added.

So it seems here that we will get to battle the angels for additional items. They say you can loot them from their realms...so I wonder how this is going to go! Though it sounds like these battles are going to be harder than usual so make sure to beef up your teams/cards since the conditions need to be met.

SKRUNKLY MAMMON („ಡωಡ„)

But yay birthday stuff! I'm hoping they do it before my birthday date which is later in that month...because otherwise I'd have to wait until next year :(

Also they say that we will get to decorate the lobby with a single theme, icon packages will be added in the future, but they will give us icons for all the devils for the ones we have it sounds like.

Stickers of Ppyong are rewarded, they say 'line' so it makes me think of the messaging service LINE but I'm not sure if that's what they mean.

Now here's the big one

So now when we hit the pity threshold we will be able to select the character we want instead of just hoping we get whichever one we want. This is a big thumbs up from me because I think if ppl are throwing in that much money they should get what they want.

Now to address the 500 monthly Solomon Seals. They are letting us collect this by attendance and quests. I'm fine with that because I already do this with the Solomon Tears. I did peep some complaints (very few though) that didn't like the fact that they had to do stuff in order to get it. Come on now guys, you didn't think they were just gonna give us paid currency for free each month. Even I know better.

AND the Pancake Shop change. This one I am a bit worried about simply because what they highlighted sounds like it may or may not turn out to be what we expected in terms of spending and using our Pancakes to get items/characters we want. Also peep that in the future when we pull, when we get duplicates of Devils and cash them in for currency it will reward us with Gold and Tomes for the lower grade, and Nightmare Pancakes for the higher grade devils.

They did say that they are OPEN to criticism once the shop releases, so be ready to email them if this new Pancake system does not work for you. And a quick thing about the Nightmare Pass is that they did listen that other countries have to pay much more in pricing for things like this so they are open to lowering the price in the future. But this statement made me laugh ->

idk about any of you, but this read to me as "Yeah I'm tired of ya'll asking us for stuff when we do so much"

Like aight PB I hear you...I see you... (btw this isn't meant to be negative, I know very well what they mean)

So for Enviroment Changes (I'm assuming for gameplay) here are the highlights

-Reducing the Ultimate scenes by half (meaning it will be on the screen less during battle) -adding illustrations from past events into the album -boss skill window (idk who asked for this but cool) -faster annoucements about new characters and release schedules

So for January no new characters (bummer, but I understand) They say they are doing this because it takes them about 2-3 weeks to get the characters approved or any additional events and stories approved before they can confidently announce when we will see them.

It is crucial that we as players give them grace on this because given the nature of the game they have to jump through a lot of damn hoops to get things approved and the industry is realllllyyyy against NSFW stuff lately especially the higher up the ladder folks and will reject just about anything they don't like. I've seen people literally have to pull projects because the big man said "Nah not in this house" But PB is trying and that's what counts. They at least were transparent here that they don't want us to get our hopes up until things are certain.

And just a little message from them. Reminding us that they are a small production crew and that they are trying their best with all the resources they have at hand.

We all may have our thoughts about how they run things and it's natural because we're human, but the devs are at least listening and showing that they are willing to change and work around our needs the best they can for a better gaming experience. Now I do forsee some stuff is gonna piss us off, but that's a given. All we can do is give them feedback when it's due!!

#whb #what in hell is bad #prettybusy what in “hell” is bad?#whb game #game update #whb updates #a lot of stuff coming our way folks!#still worried about that pancake stuff but we'll see

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snowswan-royalehigh · 4 months

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My personal thoughts on Remarried Empress

Hi there! I'm not going into an too much of an in-depth analysis, so please take my words with a grain of salt. I'm going to focus on Rashta's past.

Rashta is a very well written character, she's shown to be naive and innocent, with underlying layers of cruelty and a character development towards greed which is wonderfully executed. However, the fandom refuses to allow her to have nuance to her character.

When the webtoon and novel start off, we already know Rashta is somewhat portrayed as a villainess, and during my first readthrough, I also wanted to sucker punch her in the face. (I would be publicly executed by Sovieshit) But when I reread I realized how much nuance I missed, and some nuance the fandom ignores entirely.

We start off knowing Rashta is a runaway slave. Which already starts us off on a generally sympathetic note, because we can tell she's had some form of a bad life prior to becoming Sovieshit's concubine. We know she has an annoying habit of speaking in third person, she's a crybaby, she's incredibly controlled by her emotions, she lacks critical thinking skills, and she doesn't even know how to read or write.

Rashta is incredibly easily manipulated, she shows that with her interactions with Sovieshit and especially Duke Ergi. Duke Ergi influences almost all of Rashta's moves, such as the Christmas tree wedding dress, which was a huge embarrassment. In defense of Rashta's lack of knowledge, she was a slave. How was she supposed to know about how these things, when she had spent her life, being forced to clean, with no hope of escaping. She hadn't even done anything to become a slave in the first place, she was made one so her father wouldn't have to pay for his crime. She was uneducated as can be. Reading and writing at that time was only for the highborn.

Rashta is confirmed to have had a lot of love for the idea of her children, and she carried that baby to full term. Imagine how mortifying it was when Lotteshu showed her that corpse. (How the hell did he even get his hands on the corpse. We should be focusing on that a lot more) So could we really blame her for running away, Alan abandoned her as well, and Lebetti always treated her like trash.

Rashta undergoes a corruption arc because of the people around her. Navier remarks in her head that Rashta has no one good around her to inform her, in the webtoon.

Now, imagine this situation from the point of view of Rashta. You just saw your supposed dead child with an obvious great amount of trauma via your whole childhood, and now, the emperor, an incredibly powerful man, has proposed to become your lover. He's going to give you protection, and most likely save you from your horrible life. Everyone forgets the power dynamic of these two. Rashta is the lowest in society while Sovieshit is the highest. What terrible consequences would Sovieshit's pretty ass conjure from rejection? Even the webtoon remarks that it's like a fairy tale.

Navier and the rest of the nobles are her enemies, because of how she was raised. She actually started off the webtoon looking up to Navier, and seeing Navier as someone she could basically worship, and believed that Navier would act as a motherly figure although she was greeted with Navier's justifiable pettiness although Rashta didn't know what she was doing wrong.

If Rashta was the protagonist everyone would be gushing about her, because she is manipulative, but so is Navier. The people around Rashta fail her, when she could've been so much more, and she has so much underutilized potential. Rashta would've been incredibly hyped up for kicking Navier out, and Navier would be seen as cold hearted and self centered.

TL;DR, Rashta is still an antagonist, but she is not a straight up villain. She's complex, and she's more human than any other antagonist. She's only hated on for being the 'other woman' and the fandom acts like she seduced Sovieshit for the funsies.

(Fuck Sovieshit, all my homies hate him!!!))

#the remarried empress #Rashta #Sovieshitslander #Characternuance #Nuance #mischaracterization #character arcs #sovieshu #Sovieshu slander

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bogunicorn · 10 months

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thoughts on what fandoms the da:i characters would be in

I will do this for you but ONLY if I amend it to "fandoms they would be annoying about" because it's funnier and otherwise I'm just assigning them shows they would be into and that's too subjective and less fun

One of them has to be a Homestuck and it's Sera, Sera is the Homestuck. Sera has a Trollsona that she doodles on everything, she would 100% absolutely try to dye herself gray using sharpies and vodka for a cosplay. She references it all the time and is annoying when you don't understand her jokes. She still tries to get people into it, but she considers Andrew Hussy a mortal enemy these days for Reasons.

Solas is a Song of Ice and Fire bitch. Not the show. The books. "But wait, Boggers!" you might say (if you know me well enough to call me "Boggers"), "What about LOTR? Why isn't Solas into LOTR?" And to that I say, he's definitely read it and is a nerd about it, but this is about fandom, and fandom to someone like a Reddit-addicted bitch like Solas is about theory crafting, debates, and politics, and ASoIaF being complex but unfinished really lends itself to the kind of deep internet toxicity that I think Solas would crave. Also he likes wolves.

Cole is a Supernatural Superfan. He has all the cheesy "join the hunt" merch because for a while it was his chief special interest and all he wanted was SPN stuff. He's kind of obsessed with Baby, specifically. His favorite episode was Baby and he has an AO3 account full of fic written from the car's perspective. He didn't cry in the finale until he saw the Impala under the canvas and he's been lowkey upset at Sam for doing that ever since.

Dorian is an old school Baldur's Gate fan. Like, BG1 and 2. He's played other RPGs of that era, those are just his favorites. What makes him an annoying fan is that he thinks complicated = good and looooooves to complain about how "simple" and "boring" current-era RPGs are. If you can't softblock yourself from all progress by making one mistake two hours into your playthrough, it's too easy. He's active in fandom spaces and is largely helpful, like he writes tips and guides and will answer newbie questions, but the price for his help is dealing with him being smug.

Leliana is a FromSoft fangirl and a Soulslike aficionado. Nightingale says git gud. She'll happily team up with you in co-op to get you through stuff if you ask, but she also explains mechanics and such like you should have known them already and thinks you're just not trying hard enough to listen, even though her advice is almost incomprehensible.

Cullen is an MCU fanboy. He fully believes they're the peak of cinema. He compares literally everything to an MCU movie, as he has seen all of them, multiple times, and thinks you're "thinking about it too much" if you criticize them in more than the most banal of ways. Usually it's fine, like, being excited for stuff is fine and enjoying mainstream things are fine, but you can only have so many "Thanos was a great villain" conversations with this dude before you go insane. Despite seeming incapable of critiquing the MCU, his criticisms of the DCEU are spot-on, sharp, and demonstrative of actually very impressive media analysis skills, but also coming from a starting point of "DC Bad, Marvel Good", so it's like, we could've had it aaaaaaaaall.

Cassandra is in the Bridgerton fandom. She read the original books and liked them, so she was one of the first people watching the show. Most of her fandom stuff happens on Facebook with other book fans. Watching the show with her is fun until the exact second she says "well, in the BOOKS" and then rattles off a list of the most inconsequential changes, distracting you from a pivotal moment in the show and forcing you to rewind. She is very pressed about the seasons going out of order from the books.

Varric is a Critical Role evangelist. He was there when it started, he's listened to everything. He's listened to other real play podcasts and shows, but CR is his favorite. That's not annoying in and of itself, what's annoying is that he will not stop trying to get you to watch it. If you even breathe in the direction of a DnD-related topic he tries to give you "advice on where to start" with CR. His friends put up with it because he's their Forever DM and they love him, but he sure does do a lot more obnoxious sound effects now than he used to and they're planning an intervention about it.

Josephine is a Disney Adult. She seems normal and then bam, you get blindsided by something insane, like that she owns every single Disney character Funko Pop, or that she's gone to DisneyWorld for vacation every year for the last decade, or you go over to her house for dinner and find Hidden Mickeys in her bathroom, or she's really intense about pin collecting and limited edition mouse ear headbands. You wonder when she has the time and energy to collect all this. And there's more of it every time you see her. But the thing is that she's pretty quiet about it as long as you don't poke the bear. You know that she's seen every one of the new remakes in theaters, but you don't dare ask her opinion about them. Her favorite princess is Cinderella and she tells you "the original dress was silver" with exactly the same amount of excited did-you-know energy every time.

I hate to break this to you all, but Iron Bull is a Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan fanboy. Yep. Yes he is. His toxic trait is that he shuts his brain off and just enjoys the gritty action sequences. He liked Batman v Superman. He bought the Snyder Cut. He thinks Nolan's Batman is the absolute best that franchise has ever been and ever could be. I'm sorry, it's heartbreaking but it's true. I know, I'm sad, too, we can hold each other.

Vivienne has been in the Anne Rice fandom under the same pseudonym for ever. She was one of the original fans and was much more active in fandom when she was much younger, but she made her fannish activities more and more private as she became more established in her career. You would honestly never know it meeting her IRL; at most, people come over for dinner parties and might notice that she owns every single Anne Rice book, but they're part of her overall book collection and don't really stand out. Secretly, though, she's been keeping up with the Anne Rice fandom under a pseudonym this whole time and goes to the more modern in-person events using her fake name. She might kill you if you ever connected her fandom activities to her real life in any way. She's also just, like, she's really bad at letting people be wrong about these books. Really, really, really bad. There are epic-length threads on old forums that are just her and one other similarly deranged person fighting about obscure Vampire Chronicles lore.

And finally, Blackwall is a Game of Thrones girlie. The show, not the books. He's one of those "I don't like fantasy but I like Game of Thrones" guys, and he thinks GoT is mold-breaking and special and better and grittier and more realistic than other fantasy and that's why he likes it. His most irritating fan trait is that he thought season 8 was good and that the ending was good and he likes to get into heated debates with other fans about it. However, he does not know what Reddit is, he only talks with other GoT-watchers in Facebook, which is why he and Solas haven't had the fight to end all friendships yet. Yet.

BONUS! Krem is into Star Wars and Scout Harding is a die-hard Trekkie, and they go to big cons and cosplay together. They're not annoying at all, I just wanted to mention it because I feel like that's in-character for them.

**also if you like this and think "i'm gonna give this fine person a follow because they're so funny about dragon age", i made a new DA sideblog at @skyholdstarbucks where i'd post anything similar to this in the future

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seungkwansphd · 2 years

Text

edward scissorhands

pairing: jun x reader wordcount: 3.6k summary: you can only describe your best friend Jun’s halloween costume as a yassified edward scissorhands. and you want him...BADLY? no...no that simply can’t be right. genre/themes: smut, lazy & hurried plot, best friends to lovers, reader is DROWNING IN THE NILE. limbo jun, croptop jun, repressed angst?, soft post sex feels, dom/brat vibes. once again instigator/facilitator minghao.

a/n: idk...i went feral & wrote this in a fury. enjoy!

“Are you sure about this?” Jun couldn’t help the blush that had crept up his face as Minghao made last minute alterations to his Halloween costume.

“Yes, very,” Minghao peered over his glasses at his longtime friend.

“I just-,” Jun looked at himself critically in the mirror. “I don’t think this is what YN had in mind when they said I should dress up as Edward Scissorhands for Halloween.

“No, I don’t imagine it was. But I am also unwilling to listen to you gripe even one more time about being single and this will certainly do the trick.”

“My whole stomach is out!” Jun almost shouted at his friend, gesturing at his torso animatedly.

“Your abs are out,” Minghao corrected, “You have a great physique, you may as well use it to your advantage.”

“I’m-,” Jun grumbled.

“I already cut the fabric off and I won’t be bothered to put it back on,” Minghao cut him off impatiently.

Minghao was so incredibly tired of listening to Jun’s whining about being single when what he really wanted was you. He was also tired of your endless moping over how all of your moody, emo dates were emotionally unavailable when what you really needed, but couldn’t see or wouldn’t accept, was your golden retriever boyfriend Jun. It was time to put his apparel design skills to task.

“Well, you’re not my type,” Minghao let out a low whistle as he patted himself on the back, “But this is one eye catching costume.”

Jun had to agree. One could describe it as a yassified abstraction of Edward Scissorhands. The now cropped pleather jacket and shirt showcased the hard planes of his abdomen prominently. His blonde hair had grown out slightly and, once styled, would hang over his smudged, black eye makeup. It was a stark contrast to his usual appearance, but it was Halloween after all. If Minghao needed a creative project, who was he to say no?

…

“Explain to me, one more time please, what your costume is?” Lena furrowed her brows at you as she took in your fairly plain makeup and white dress.

You huffed. Yes alone, you did look unremarkable in your Kim Boggs costume, but as soon as Jun arrived as Edward Scissorhands it would make a lot more sense.

“I’m Kim Boggs!” you wanted to yell. Why did nobody get your fantastic Tim Burton reference? And where the hell was Jun? “The girl from Edward Scissorhands.”

“So where is your Edward Scissorhands? Did you do half of a couples costume by yourself?”

“I don’t know where the hell Jun is! We were supposed to come together, but at the last minute he said Minghao needed some help or something. He should be here soon, I hope.”

“Wait, are you and Jun finally together?” Lena asked excitedly.

“What? No! Are you crazy?” you stuttered, giving her a confused look. “Jun is my best friend, hell no we did not get together!”

“Really?” Lena shook her head, confused. “So then why the couples' costume?”

“Who else was going to be my Edward Scissorhands? Minghao said it was too tacky, not his style. And I don’t really have a lot of other options as the dating has not gone well.”

“Oh no? Why’s that?”

“I guess my type…is emotionally unavailable,” you huffed, taking a sip of your drink. You didn’t want to go too into detail, as you knew it would make you moody and you still had hopes of enjoying the party. “It’s just…not going to plan, you could say.”

“Hm, is there a chance that you would go for a different type of person?” Lena shrugged. She knew your penchant for a dark haired, skinny, and moody boy, but had always wondered if someone more straightforward, easygoing, and funny might be more your speed.

“I-...” you trailed off, brain malfunctioning severely after your eyes flew to the door. Jun had arrived.

“You…?” Lena tried to follow your incomplete train of thought before realizing your attention had been sucked completely elsewhere. She followed your gaze and could not help the shit eating grin that spread across her lips as she realized what…or better said, who you were staring at. “Hello, Earth to YN!” she laughed, tapping you on the forehead gently to get your attention back.

“Huh? Sorry, what were you saying?” you asked her. You blinked as you tried to understand what had just happened, but your mind was painfully devoid of thoughts.

“I was saying, you might want to think about branching outside of your normal type? When it comes to dating. You never know what might tickle your fancy, if you give it a shot.”

“Yeah…,” you nodded, clearly not listening as Jun finally spotted you.

You had no earthly explanation as to why, but your heart started pounding erratically as he fixed his sulky, smudged gaze on you and approached. It might’ve just been the boots, but something about his walk was even distracting to you. Slower than usual, somehow more deliberate, and very different from your typically eager best friend.

“There you are,” his dark facade cracked into a bright smile as he looped his arm around your shoulder happily. “Sorry I’m late. Costuming emergency.”

“I see,” you mumbled, unable to tear your eyes away from your friend’s abs. “Did Minghao just chop off half of your costume or what?”

“More like a quarter, but yea. He said he was taking over creative control.”

“Ah,” you nodded. You knew you were staring, but somehow looking at his abs seemed more appealing and attainable than staring at his face.

“YN!” Minghao popped up, dressed as a very impressive Jack Skellington.

“Oh my god!” you screamed excitedly at his costume. “Hao you look amazing!” you pressed up onto your toes to get a closer look at his face paint. “Wow, amazing!”

“Thank you,” Minghao nodded surely. He had done a fantastic job with his costume, indeed.

“I look so boring between you two,” you pouted slightly, pointedly avoiding looking at Jun.

“You’re the one who wanted to be Kim Boggs.”

“Yes, but if I’d known you were going to make Jun’s costume slutty, I would’ve done that too! This costume is canonically accurate, so now I just look plain.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t look slutty!” Jun protested, flushing.

“J-just with your little waist out like that? A-and your makeup all sexy?” you stuttered, filter completely abandoned at this point.

You could feel Lena and Minghao smirking so painfully smugly at you as Jun looked slightly bewildered at your outburst.

“Nothing. It’s fine!” you shrugged, needing to go outside and clear your mind. “I’ll be back, Jun-bug,” summoning a decades-old nickname to try and remind yourself that this was your friend.

“You better get it together, you dumbass,” you chastised yourself as you paced back and forth.

How embarrassing it was to be having this sort of reaction to Jun, of all people. Were you really so shallow that all it took was some pleather costuming and smudged eye makeup to go feral for someone who was decidedly not your type? You kicked yourself for ever suggesting this costume to Jun.

After a few more minutes of muttering, you felt like you could return. Sucking in a deep breath, you pulled open the door just to have to shut it again.

“Absolutely not,” you shook your head, trying to wipe the image of Jun engaging all of his core muscles for a game of limbo from your mind. Nope. Outside was great.

You took a seat on a bench near the fire to collect yourself for a second time. Why on earth was this happening to you? This was Jun for god sakes! You’d drank hand sanitizer in middle school with this man. You’d been the one to teach him, woefully recently, that females have three holes and not two. God damn it.

“YN!” your name shocked you out of your stupor. You groaned slightly, seeing Jun approach you with some concern in his face.

“Are you okay? You’ve been out here for a long time. Did you drink too much already? You’re supposed to be my beer pong partner.”

You smiled with relief. This was the Jun you knew, chattering on without a care. You could hide this from him if you wanted to.

“I’m okay,” you answered, smiling nervously up at him. “I’m just distracted, I guess.”

“Oh, by what? Are you that upset that I changed my costume? Minghao, he just-”

“No, it’s not that,” you laughed. Jun had always had a talent for getting so painfully close to the point and just barely missing.

“So what is it?” He fixed a serious look at you.

You swallowed under his tense gaze. You could feel your body reacting, wanting to look so disrespectfully at your friend.

“You?” you all but whimpered, gaze back on his abs, when you answered.

“Me?” Jun was confused, following your line of vision to his own torso. His heart pounded in his ears. In all your years of friendship, despite his secret wishes, you’d never looked at him like this. He’d buried it over time, but seeing you look up at him, your expression a mixture of disbelief and desire knocked his old crush loose again way too easily.

“What, cause I’m dressed like this you want me to be mean to you, like those guys you’ve been dating?” Jun asked, more than slightly bitter.

“Huh?” your face screwed up in confusion. His jealousy was easy to clock, but the way your breath grew shallow at Jun’s harsh words was bewildering.

“You’re acting like you’ve never seen me shirtless before,” Jun chuckled, ego swelling at the way you reacted.

“Jun,” you squeaked as he pulled you onto your feet.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” he asked. He was genuinely curious now.

“I-…want you,” you sighed.

“Me? Or just this version of me?” he needed to know.

“I don’t know!” you stamped your foot, genuinely frustrated at this tangled ball of feelings that had shown up suddenly.

“Hey, hey!” Jun suddenly snapped back to reality, seeing the distress on your face, “I’m just teasing, you’re so easy to rile up,” he tried to play it off, cupping the sides of your face in his large hands.

“Not funny,” you sigh, heart still pounding. Your skin prickled at Jun’s comforting touch and it was like the last piece of your brain suddenly clicked into place. “I want you,” you blurt out.

“I said I was just teasing,” Jun rebuts instinctively.

“I don’t-, I’m not,” you shake your head firmly. “Please?”

Jun folds. Almost before you can even complete your soft request, he lowers his face to yours and kisses you firmly. You moan into his mouth as he pulls you against him, your soft curves molding against his hard musculature.

“Will you take me home?” you murmur against his lips and Jun doesn’t have to think twice. He picks you up and carries you to his car, sending Minghao a brief and apologetic text before driving away.

“You know, we don’t have to,” Jun offers as soon as you enter his apartment.

“I want to,” you pout, his kindness making your chest tighten.

“You just want me for my slutty waist,” Jun laughs, catching your eyes on his abs again.

“Maybe,” you look away indignantly.

“C’mere,” Jun beckons you. You walk towards him and he surprises you by grabbing you by the wrists and placing your hands on his torso. “Look any harder and your eyeballs will fall out.”

“Jun!” you flush at his teasing, but your hands explore anyway.

“You’re cute when I tease you,” he laughs darkly in your ear. Who knew Jun had this side to him.

“Junie,” you squeak as his fingertips dig into your hips and you gush for him. “Bed, now.”

“Yes, princess,” he nods, hauling you onto his hip to carry you into his bedroom. You melt a little bit, hearing his nickname for you in this context. “That works for you, huh?” he chuckled, picking up on your soft sigh before setting you down.

“Seems so,” you blush furiously. Juns blonde hair hangs in his eyes as he looks down at you. The jacket makes his already tall frame look even larger and more looming than usual. “Fuck,” you squeak, thighs pressing together.

“Uh uh, open,” Jun tuts, sliding a hand between your knees to press you open. “Oh,” he grins wolfishly as his fingertips discover your telling wetness.

You let out a strangled sigh and it goes right to his head. While Jun was doing a pretty good job of keeping his cool and staying in character for you, he was freaking out internally. He would go straight to hell for lying if he ever said he’d never pictured you in his bed before, but to have you here and now was another thing completely.

“Junie, you okay?” you looked up at him with concern as he was deep in thought. “We don’t have to, if you’re having second thoughts.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jun snapped out of it, looking at you as if you’d grown a second head. “I’ve been waiting for you to be ready for this for years,” he laughs darkly before pressing his palm against you, hard.

“Ah!” you cry out, unable to process his confession as he barreled past it. “Jun!” you gasped, squirming at his precise pressure.

“Stay still, kitten,” he grumbled, his left hand coming up to grab you firmly, just under the jaw.

You buckled. You folded. You melted against him with a fluttery ‘hmm’, grabbing at his jacket weakly for support.

“Just like that?” your best friend chuckled, pressing a kiss to your temple before stepping back. “You’re too easy.”

A soft laugh of disbelief is all you can manage as you watch Jun shrug off his jacket. Your brain is addled with a bunch of realizations that threaten to solidify, so you shake your head, putting that off for just a while longer.

“Jun, come here,” you pout, pulling him towards you by his belt loops. You press soft kisses against his exposed abs and along his waistband, palming him through his pants.

“Fuck,” he hissed, growing weak at the knees. His hand threads through your hair, applying gentle pressure.

“Can I suck you off?” you asked politely, fingertips resting at his belt buckle.

“Go ahead,” he responded cooly, even though he felt like his head was going to catch fire.

You hummed excitedly as you undid the buckle. The plasticky material crinkled loudly as you pulled it down, but you managed to unleash Jun’s proud erection. Grasping him at the base, you wasted no time and slid your lips over him. Groaning appreciatively at the way he filled your mouth up, you worked up and down at a medium pace. A bubble of pride rose in your chest at the strangled sounds that Jun made.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Jun groaned, eyes rolling back into his head. “Of course you give immaculate head too.”

A baffled smile curled onto your lips as you processed Jun’s compliment. Immaculate? He really knew how to hit you right in the praise kink.

“Juuuuun,” you pulled back to whine impatiently. “I want to ride you.”

“By all means, go ahead,” Jun laughed, shucking his pants off and laying back on the bed.

You had planned to undress as well, but seeing Jun laid back with his erection jutting proudly upwards was completely derailing and you found yourself climbing onto him, the front of your dress gaping wildly open to favor him an unobstructed view of your breasts.

“You look a mess,” he laughed, somehow both derisive and affectionate. “You want me that badly?”

“I-I don’t like this side of you,” you lied, flushing bright red and refusing to answer his question.

“Liar,” he chuckled, palming your breasts firmly before he reached up, hooking his hand around the back of your neck, pulling your face down to his. “If you want to ride my cock, which you obviously do, I want to hear you say it.”

Jun almost felt mean, but the way your pupils dilated reassured him. Your lips pursed slightly and you thought about punching him before you gave in.

“I want you,” you admitted reluctantly. “I want you to split me in half, Jun,” you admitted, head hanging in shame at the words you’d just said out loud.

“Oh? I mean go ahead,” Jun nodded, eyes wide.

You moved with embarrassing speed, reaching down to slide him into you. You’re a little surprised at the size, but your toes curled at the sensation of having to slide down slowly and stretch around him. You let out a sigh when you bottomed out, letting out a breath you hadn’t been aware you’d been holding.

“You’re so tiny,” Jun pants, grabbing at the front of your dress as he rolled his hips.

“I hate you,” you squeak as he thrust into you, deep and full.

“Yes, I can see that,” he rolled his eyes at your bratty display. “Do you usually cream on everyone that you hate? Or just me?”

“Jun!” you gasped, scandalized and reeling. You looked away, trying to hide your blush, but Jun had other ideas.

“Look at me when I’m fucking you,” he demanded, grabbing your chin and turning your eyes back towards him. His index and pointer finger slid into your open mouth and he stroked impossibly deeper into you as your lips closed around him.

Your expression grew frantic as you spasmed around him. You wanted to say something, to warn him, but your mouth was full. Jun can read your cues too well, though, and he grins encouragingly up at you as you come apart around him, the ball of flames in the pit of your belly ripping through you.

“Wen Junhui,” you narrow your eyes at him after you’re finally able to catch your breath. “What the hell was that?”

“What? You didn’t like it?” he played with your hair as you laid across his chest.

“No, it’s not that,” you shake your head furiously.

Truth be told, you were having trouble pinpointing exactly what your hang up was. It certainly wasn’t that you hadn’t enjoyed it. And sure, you’d wondered in passing about what it might be like to date Jun, but you wondered that about everyone so you’d never thought that much about it.

“Talk it out with me,” he suggested, like he always did when you were confused or conflicted.

“I’ll try,” you huffed, forcing your thoughts into coherency. “Well, one. I didn’t think that was ever going to happen, so I’m kind of in shock. Two, I don’t understand how you seem to have crawled into my brain to know all the right buttons to press. And three, I’m just kind of annoyed that I’m so blindsided by it? Like were there no indications for me that you have this side to you?”

Jun laughed, propping your chin up with his palm.

“Well, to your first point, I’ve probably thought about this enough times to make up for you threefold. Two: I’m your best friend? I know so much about you, is it a surprise that I can infer some of your sexual preferences? You're not exactly subtle, you’re kind of bratty as a friend too.”

You opened your mouth in protest at this statement and Jun cut you off with a pointed ‘see?’ look.

“And to your last point…at least part of it is that I didn’t want you to know.”

“Why?”

“Cause I was so hopelessly smitten over you for a while and I wanted you to feel the same about me. But the whole me, not just that side of me. And then I just got used to it, I guess.”

Your eyes swum at this statement. You were speechless.

“Hey, we’re okay right? I'm still your Jun,” he squeezed your cheeks nervously.

“It’s just-, I mean,” you tried several times to start your answer before succeeding. “It’s very difficult to reconcile the person I just had sex with and my best friend. But yes. You are my Jun. It’ll just take some getting used to,” you nodded.

Jun’s eyebrows raised.

“Inch-resting,” he stroked an invisible mustache as he waggled his eyebrows at you playfully. “So you’re saying we’ll be doing this again?”

“Wen Junhui, I really do hate you!” you pinched him in the side. He was such a good goddamn goofball and it was one of the things you loved most about him.

“No you don’t,” he laughed, rolling over so that he was laying on you. He wasn’t heavy, more like a human weighted blanket. “Ow my balls,” he winced before readjusting so that his thick erection nestled between your thighs.

“Y-you’re doing this on purpose,” you narrowed your eyes at him, the heavy heat of him making you feel melty again.

“Uh duh! I told you, I’ve been waiting for this for years,” he looked meaningfully into your eyes.

You had fully melted now. You kicked yourself for not seeing things more clearly and sooner, but Jun didn’t let you wallow for too long. He was right, you had a lot of lost time to make up for!

#jun smut #junhui smut #jun fanfic #junhui fanfic #svt smut #svt fanfic #jun imagines #jun scenarios #junhui imagines #junhui scenarios #seventeen fanfic #seungkwansphd:writes #jun x reader #junhui x reader #seventeen smut

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rach-amber · 2 months

Note

Hi, it’s me again (:

What was your favorite character traits about Rachel Amber?

Hey! Happy to see you and boy what a great question, thank you! Loaded answer ahead; TLDR, see the good in Rachel Amber.

Rachel's many things. Pretty, hot, charming, stylish, not to mention her lovely voice, these physical traits are already a great start for many. Then you have functional traits-- ambidextrous (can I just say that's hella cool, omg I want that too), social genius/people skills, straight As student, drama queen, masked with a layer of mystery, many people would've already fallen for her, in-game and out, me being one of them when I first got to know her as a character (so pretty much those were my fav traits of her).

But if we strip her physical beauty down and shove aside her fascinating skillset, who is she really? We may never know 100%, but some character traits can still be found.

Here are some of my favourite (&underrated) Yangs to Rachel Amber's sides. aka why Rachel Amber should get more love & less hate from the fandom

Ofc there are exceptions, but those are not relevant in this post; assumptions & headcannons are added

1. A good heart

Kindness to me will always be one of the most important character traits to have for anyone. With all that powerhouse of a Rachel Amber can accomplish, she chooses to use them with kindness.

With her social skills she chooses to lift people up, saving Hayden from a quickly-escalating scolding from Mr Keaton in ep 1, asking Chloe in a nuanced way if she's "taking (getting kicked outta Blackwell) this a little too well", kinda guiding her independent thinking rather than directly telling her what's right or wrong. (There'd be constructive criticism between Chloe & Rachel, which I stan in a relationship/friendship.)

With her intelligence she tutors Justin & helped him improve his algebra from an F to a C I believe? That's pretty impressive, ngl

with her ambidexterity.. idk, she makes Chloe happy :> (yes i'm totally referring to doing graffiti with her left hand on Chloe's insistence *cough*)

This is why I'm inclined to believe that tornado was not Rachel's revenge. She'd never choose to put Chloe, her parents, her friends, at risk; if she wanted revenge she could've killed the men w her powers. Sure you can say some of these might be her trying to live up to her DA father / principal assistant's duties, but at least she chose to do them. She could very well be a kid who doesn't give a damn or fluff through some of these things that requires time & effort.

2. Sees the good in others!

One of the most underrated Rachel Amber traits imo. This girl literally has a reputation of "her friends are her friends", and does not discriminate in terms of friendship/who she hangs out with. She picked Chloe up from her lowest (saw her & praised her for backtalking the biker, defending Nathan, & "you're more of a hero than you think you realise", when Chloe didn't take Drew's money). Rachel stuck with Chloe when no one else did (puts up with her sh*t, which ofc Chloe does the same), literally chose Chloe to share her uncertain future outside Arcadia, did not take her chance to leave when she could in those 3 years, most likely cuz she wanted to leave with Chlo. She also hung out with Nathan (& Chloe when so many wouldn't), saw the good in Frank (yes. same as Nathan & Chloe his reputation is far from great and despite the unhealthiness of this relationship, she at the very least cared for the guy, & saw the humanity inside him), & very sadly fell for the portrayed "gone through some serious shit" act by Jeffers*n, all these showing her being an empathetic & sympathetic person.

I'll add non-judgemental as well, cuz it's why she's able to get along with so many people so well. Like what her VA Kylie Brown says in an interview, whoever you are, Rachel'd be like "hey you're a pretty cool person, let's talk!" It's inspiring. I love that about her. Gotta have more Rachels in the world.

3. Ambitious. Puts in the hard work. Persistent.

"One day, I'm gonna climb Mt Everst." says a 15 year old Rachel in Bts, who has posters of travelling in Asia (the green poster has Chinese words saying "go travel in China", amongst others), already speaks about her courage & ambition. And of course, leaving Arcadia with no one but Chloe for a better life. Yes you can say it's reckless, because it's a big idea for a teenager, but she didn't just give up on it. It stuck with her, and she worked hard for it. Doing photoshoots to get modelling jobs, maintaining her 4.0 GPA, finding opportunities to leave... she did those for 5 years. And in the comics universe, they made it out! Now they're over 22yos with an LA apartment, Rachel's in modelling gigs with her acting career kicking off... what could've been for game Rachel. (oh the things I'd do for Bts' ending to be Max appearing in the nick of time instead of that damn vibrating phone!) Also I wonder if in some universes, like the wheelchair Chloe one, a missing Rachel could mean she actually made it out without others knowing, instead of the darker end.

4. Caring & thoughtful & protective & passionate partner/friend/lover!

She listens to Chloe's problems (therapy session), she gives Chloe nice clothes to wear within the few days they'd met (what financially challenged Chloe needed, & in a way that wasn't awkward for Chloe), she sends post cards to Chloe while she's away (she thinks about her often), & "don't f****ing touch her". Passionate lover, I mean.. the way she kissed Chloe under that lamp (with high intimacy of course) is good enough an example. Chloe's the romantic one in my head. Rachel, the passionate.

*the way she puts her hand on C's shoulder after wiping her tears, OmO*

So far these are the character traits I can think of, and your question helped draw out Rachel's positive sides that are too under-recognised. Thanks again! :)

These links helped me understand Rachel & Amberprice better, here for people's reference:

youtube

Because I choose to see the good in Rachel, I'm her defender through and through. Join me, if you can.

Edit: damn I literally wrote an essay, maybe 1 day there'd be a video!

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artist-issues · 4 months

Note

Quick question. Have you read any of Brandon Sanderson's books before? If so, what books would you recommend?

Also, what books of C.S. Lewis, would you recommend and why.

I want to start reading them, but I'm uncertain what books I should pick out and try.

Hello my friend!

I've never read Brandon Sanderson, or heard of him! Do you hear good things about him? Should I look into him? Sorry to turn it back around on you.

C. S. Lewis is unlike any other author to me. What he has to say resonates with me and feels like he opened up my heart and put what was in there into order every time I read his stuff. Feels like going to the chiropractor—like my thoughts and emotions and vague ideas have been out of alignment, and he pops them back into place where I didn't even know I needed alignment.

That said, I love all his stuff. Fiction, non-fiction, essays, letters to friends, lectures, everything. So I'm almost...the wrong person to ask, because I would recommend ANYTHING he writes.

I'll try to give you a little recommendation-by-starting point?

If you're looking for fiction: Read the Chronicles of Narnia. If you've already read them, read them again 😅 I read them on loop. They're on my phone. I'm never not reading them.

If you're looking for deeper ("adult") fiction: Read Out of the Silent Planet, then Perelandra—but I don't recommend reading That Hideous Strength until you've tried to read...

3. If you're looking for commentary on fundamental worldviews: Read The Abolition of Man. It's an essay on what C.S. Lewis believed about the idea of "progressivism," but it has a lot to say about objectivity versus subjectivity, and where logic and emotion belong in the priority-list of a person...I just recommend that everybody read The Abolition of Man. Then read That Hideous Strength to finish the Ransom Trilogy, because it's kind of a modern-fairytale picture of what Lewis was trying to say in Abolition. Reading both will compliment his thoughts!

4. If you're still looking for more fiction: Read The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce, then Til We Have Faces and The Pilgrim's Regress.

5. If you're looking to set your mind on the things above with C.S. Lewis: Read Mere Christianity, and The Problem of Pain.

6. If you're looking to hear what C.S. Lewis had to say about stories or critical thinking: Read his essay in response to critics of the Lord of the Rings (I think it's called "The Dethronement of Power") and read An Experiment in Criticism. (He has so much good stuff to say about enjoyment, and how humans can use their critical thinking skills to actually get in their own way. C.S. Lewis really believed that people should enjoy what is good to enjoy, in the proper way, and that that was one of the most God-honoring things you could do. He also hated teetotaling along the same lines 😅)

Remember that everything C.S. Lewis writes is very "thematic." He wasn't exactly making allegories all the time, but he was making "supposals" all the time. For example, Narnia is "suppose God created other worlds; in those worlds there had to have been a Jesus; in a world of talking beasts, what would Jesus look like? A lion." Or, "suppose God created life on all the planets in our solar system, not just Earth, and suppose Satan was put in charge of ours while other angels were put in charge of other planets; then what would space travel look like?" And many thematic lessons are tied up in there.

Also, if you read his biography Surprised by Joy and Perelandra, you might come to realize something about C.S. Lewis' beliefs that I'm only just starting to grasp: he thought we make WAY too drastic and exclusive a distinction between "story" and "reality." He believed that there was something in every story which points back to the one great story God made up, which is reality. So he's not afraid to include pagan mythology in his own Christian stories because to him, knowing their history and the cultures they come from, some of those pagan myths and stories tie neatly into truths about God. It might be a hard thing to grasp depending on your Biblical upbringing, but the spirit of what he means is not unbiblical.

Another cool thing I'm learning from Lewis is that he didn't think of all mankind as monsters. Oh, he believed that the Bible was correct when it says "all have sinned; there is none righteous," etc. He certainly didn't believe there was anything good left in man. But what he did believe was that man was kind of like a broken mirror, I guess. Like, it's in pieces on the floor. Good for nothing but the trash. But you can still look hard at the shards and figure out what it should be doing, and in that way, you can see traces of the mirror's creator. So in his biography, there's this interesting part where C.S. Lewis actually says that heartlessness is a worse sin than, say, homosexuality—they're both sin, but at least one points to a twisted version of what we were made for, which is love. At least someone could look at those broken shards and maybe come to the conclusion that there is a God who made us creatures for love, and therefore learn something about Him, even if we mucked it up. But with a heartless person? Lewis seems to condemn that person as not human at all, because there's no trace, not even a broken trace, of what humans are meant to be in them.

I just thought that was interesting. Because it makes you realize that mankind's story isn't "bad to good." It's more like, "good, to bad, back to good." Which is why any of us recognizes the need for God at all.

Anyway! Sorry for the ramble, I know you didn't ask for it 😅 I hope that gets you started? I also hope you blog about what you think of any of Lewis' stuff; I can't wait to read it. He's near and dear to me, so I like the thought of "sharing" his writing with anyone. Thank you'

#C.S. Lewis #Lewis #Lewisian #Inklings #Narnia #asked #answered #recommendations #books #reading #the ransom trilogy #abolition of man

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neurosiscocktail · 6 months

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OFMD finale spoilers ahead-

I’m on my third rewatch because I read the Vanity Fair article, and I’ve heard some really interesting opinions that differed from my own, and so I rewatched it with all of that in mind. unfortunately I still just think the last episode was not great. Some stuff I really enjoyed, but a lot that I didn’t.

1) no one searched the hostage for weapons? You’re telling me not one of the people who have been pirates most of their lives thought to search the hostage.

2) Izzy might have insisted, but putting the most notable and visibly recognizable pirate on your crew front and center feels like a very stupid move. A large part of this season was about Stede learning to be a pirate, and it feels like they slashed his character development and Ed, Izzy, Fang, Roach, and several other crew members critical thinking skills because they wanted to kill Izzy.

3) they did a good job foreshadowing his death. I kind of always knew it was coming, but wasn’t paying much attention because I didn’t want to. I really dig the fairytale themes. Someone else mentioned this and once I was looking for it I really loved it!

4) now that I’m looking for it, I see a lot of places where Izzy was a mentor and I get what he was going for and don’t mind it, really like it in some ways. however, the docking joke made me very uncomfortable now that he’s said Ed sees Izzy as a father figure. (I think I was a little delayed on seeing this because I was busy making jokes about how they were cowards for not hiring a child to play Izzy, since in real life he was estimated 15 years old when ~38 year old Ed and Stede met)

5) now that I’ve rewatched it with the writers intent in mind, I still think the “killing your redeemed antagonists” and the “killing your mentors because they have nothing left to teach” troupes are bad and lazy. Knowing that that’s what he was going for didn’t make it less so. I thought it might. If you love this troupe, more power to you, they did a good job with it and this finale was probably right up your alley. I unfortunately find it to be lazy writing and the troupe stopped being good 40 years ago.

6) Lucius was AMAZING this season. I thought his arc dealing with his trauma was very good and very realistic. I love that they didn’t just hand wave off his experience, but had him deal with things in a tangible way.

7) again, I still don’t understand why cartoon rules apply to everyone but Izzy and this gunshot wound.

8) I really loved the relationships between Izzy and the crew this season but especially him and Jim, Frenchie, and Lucius. I thought the casual intimacy really showed how their relationships developed.

9) His death speech and funeral were worse on the second and third watch when I was really paying attention and not bawling my eyes out. Ed has really… not been forgiven by the crew. A lot of them did, but Lucius sure didn’t, and it seems like they accepted his ‘apology’ but they still don’t trust him. So to have his death speech, one, include him taking more accountability for Blackbeard, which Ed hasn’t done at all yet, and then follow it up with the crew being his family who love him felt weird. It felt like that speech was written when we had 2 more episodes of character growth that got cut. Because that did not seem like how they felt. There really wasn’t much happening with the crew during his death or funeral which felt weird. Except Roach at the funeral. That was excellent.

- addendum: I know that death speeches in shows are for the protagonist but I feel like some of it should have been about him, and not an apology? The whole thing just felt awkward. And we have heard from creators that Izzy is a deeply sentimental man, not burying him with his ring and using it as a grave marker where anyone could steal it felt bad.

10) I felt when they first introduced the prince that he was supposed to be a wake up call for Stede. It seemed like he was meant to represent what Stede could have been. A spoiled rich brat with no common sense or thoughts about how his actions effect others. Someone who views themself as a main character and everyone else is a supporting role. When he was first introduced it felt like that was supposed to be a wake up call for Stede- “this is what you could have been if you didn’t want to be better. If you weren’t kinder and more empathetic” and I thought that started off really well, but then it felt like they took back some of Stede’s character development and it didn’t pack as big of a punch.

11) I really feel like Stede and Ed have not been put in a good position to be successful in the very intense relationship they have just started. They have just decided to completely isolate themselves, when we just had a whole episode foreboding doing that. I LOVE Mary and Anne, but I do feel like the finale had Ed and Stede just ignore every warning they got and I feel like that’s been disappointing- feeling like their characters were making progress but ended somewhere where they didn’t actually make any progress. It was all very romantic but lends itself to 0 longevity.

12) Ed especially felt stunted this season. Stede made some great progress, but Ed just kept running away from his problems, figuratively and literally and not taking accountability. I love Ed, but I think if I didn’t already love him before watching this season, this season wouldn’t have convinced me to. I’m not sure where that leaves us for season 3- I think maybe that season will be about him having to actually face himself, and I look forward to it.

Overall I feel like I could have really loved this season if the writers were given more budget and time, and they weren’t, and that’s not their fault. However, I’m really not thrilled about the product we were left with. Which is unfortunately kind of what MAX wants because it has really seemed like they’ve been trying to cut this wildly successful show.

Again, dissatisfaction with a season is not a reason to harass other fans, writers, or actors. I’d love to hear how other people are feeling about things

#ofmd 2 #ofmd season 2 #ofmd spoilers #ofmd izzy #izzy hands #isreal hands #lucius spriggs #critical

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just-late-roman-republic-things · 8 months

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Hi can you explain why you think Agrippa is better than Julius Caesar? No hate just curious

Sure thing! This is all just my opinion; y'all are welcome to disagree.

I've posted before about why Caesar was such a successful general. But he was also incredibly lucky. His poorly-planned landing on Britain should have killed him. The time he got encircled/besieged at the Battle of Alesia should have killed him. The time Pompey kicked his ass at Battle of Dyrrachium should have killed him. The utterly unnecessary Alexandrian war, and logistically disastrous African campaign should have killed him.

His resourcefulness, ability to improvise, and great relationship with his troops saved him each time. But he survived despite taking needless risks, disregarding logistics, and poor strategic choices.

There is nothing as thrilling as the Battle of Alesia in Marcus Agrippa's story. That's because Agrippa never got himself into such a bad position in the first place.

His most famous victory, at Actium, was an anticlimax that ended with Antony and Cleopatra running away. Agrippa never lost a major battle like Caesar did at Gergovia, Dyrrhachium and Ruspina.

Besides sharing most of Caesar's strengths, Agrippa was superior at:

Logistics. In all my reading of Agrippa I found no examples of him running out of supplies, communication disruptions, or overextending his forces.

Naval warfare. He surpassed Sextus Pompey, the other great admiral of the age, in tactics and seamanship. Agrippa surpassed everyone in his ability to navigate far from shore and incorporate naval operations into combined land-sea assaults. Actium was an anticlimax because Agrippa had used these skills to capture most of Antony's ships, destroy his supply lines, and trap his navy in a terrible position long before the battle itself.

Grand strategy. Tactics win battles; strategy wins operations; grand strategy is the ability to comprehend a whole war from a bird's-eye view, identify what big goals must happen in order to win, and stay focused on those goals. Agrippa's skill with grand strategy is most obvious in his reconquest of Illyria, where he used multiple fronts with interconnected objectives to ensure that no one defeat could be decisive. Caesar, in contrast, had a habit of making detours (like Britain and Alexandria) that didn't help his bigger campaign objectives.

And finally, Agrippa didn't kill a million Gauls or start a civil war just to further his career. This is a matter of ethics, not ability. But I include it because Caesar is an incredibly charismatic man even today, and a lot of us feel instinctively drawn towards a winner. I say this as someone who thinks most fiction characterizes Caesar unfairly. Even I must admit that Caesar was a profoundly selfish and hypocritical man whose actions harmed his country more than they helped. You could criticize Agrippa's actions too - and I have - but he didn't slaughter people for his own personal advancement, or at the expense of his country's stability.

The main reason we don't hear more about Agrippa is that he downplayed his achievements, and gave the credit to Augustus whenever possible. He declined triumphs he was offered and rarely put his name on monuments (the Pantheon excepted). Also, his memoirs haven't survived, while Caesar's Gallic Commentaries did.

Sources:

Historia Civilis - His videos are the best introduction to Agrippa's military achievements.

Agrippa: Right Hand Man of Caesar Augustus, by Lindsay Powell

Augustus: First Emperor of Rome, by Adrian Goldsworthy

Augustus: The Life of Rome's First Emperor, by Anthony Everitt

A Companion to Julius Caesar, anthology, ed. Miriam Griffin; particularly "General and Imperialist" by Nathan Rosenstein

#just roman asks #julius caesar #marcus agrippa #ancient rome #military history #hot takes with jlrrt #jlrrt essays

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ellsieee · 1 year

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This is my last rambling Unintentional Love Story post and I feel a bit sad that I have to say goodbye until season 2. I think it's going to be a while before another series captures my heart like this one. The last series before ULS that caused this level of brainrot was Word of Honor and that was two years ago. 😅

Taejoon and Wonyoung's story wrapped up beautifully. It brought all the warm fuzzies and I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying ending.

I like the contrast here, with Wonyoung feeling helpless, thinking they're really over, and Taejoon smiling because he realizes that Wonyoung is jealous and that they're definitely getting back together.

Istg Taejoon is being a little gremlin here. That smile on his face makes me think he knows that the way he responded makes it seem like he wants Wonyoung to disappear.

The way pulls Wonyoung into the hug with strength, but then gently cradles his neck during the hug made me sigh with happiness.

I've seen a lot of discussion about the dead fish kissing in ULS and I wanted to address it. I'm not going to pretend they didn't serve us multiple servings of dead fish. I get the criticism, we shouldn't be getting dead fish anymore in 2023 and I too, could have done without the dead fish close ups. However, I stand by my earlier statements that the dead fishes do not detract from the series. Despite the poor kissing skills, all the emotions are there, and isn't that what makes a series great?

The zoomed out shot of them kissing made my toes curl. I love the way that Taejoon is gripping Wonyoung's hands, not letting him go. It's these moments and feelings that resonate with me rather than the actual kissing. Would better kissing or getting rid of the dead fish close ups have improved the series? Probably yes, but only a little. Does it ruin the series as some claim? Absolutely not. I will defend this series till I die.

I loved Wonyoung's tear here. He's just so overcome with emotion and I was too while watching. His love is finally reciprocated again. I'm so happy for them.

YASSSS. Finally. I squealed with joy. Wonyoung's smile is everything. 🥰❤️

Melted into a big puddle of goo again. This is one of my favorite scenes. The way Wonyoung and Taejoon move their arms to hold each other closer, along with Taejoon's patented neck hold had me screaming into my pillow again. 😅

Love Donghee Taejoon bestie energy. Love that grabbing each other by the scruff is their way of communicating. No way is Taejoon going to let Donghee kiss Wonyoung! 🤭

I loved Wonyoung's piss off, I'm not scared of you look to Inho and daddy Taejoon's charging in to protect his boy.

THAT FLEX!! Wonyoung holding hands with Taejoon and then giving Inho that hmpf, loser glance as he is led away shows how confident he is now. Love it.

SO CUTE. I love the handhold with interlocking fingers. 🫠 I have not read the manhwa, but apparently Wonyoung is the one who buys the rings, so he could be checking Taejoon's ring size here. 🥰

Has any other kbl had this much handholding? I really like this shot because for whatever reason I see a heart in the empty space between them.

They are the cutest couple. Love how Wonyoung snuggles Taejoon. Taejoon loves Wonyoung's cutesy side just like me. Matching pjs should be cringe but it's freakin cute when they do it.

Oooo Wonyoung's got lines! 😊 I'm so glad that Taejoon was able to leave his baggage behind enough to be able to say that without feeling like Wonyoung is only trying to take advantage of him.

I'm so happy they released the behind the scenes so we can have both POVs of this hug. Wonyoung looks so happy. I'm smiling like an idiot again.

I love that we got to see Wonyoung standing up to vice manager Jung. Demanding an apology! You get him Wonyoung! But also, when did Jung find out that Taejoon and Wonyoung were dating? When did he find out they broke up? Did Taejoon tell him? 🤔

A picturesque ending. 🥰❤️🫠 I do wish we got a bit of back story on the rings, but it doesn't matter. They're going to live happily ever after, I know it.

It's really over. 😭 I will miss this series so much. It's my favorite kbl ever for now.

In case anyone is interested and missed the other spazz posts: [Ep 1-4] [Ep 5-6] [Ep 7] [Ep 8] [Ep 9]

#my weekly spazzy love letter to unintentional love story #this series is just so good #i can't stop talking about it yet #but at least i can start bringing myself to properly watch some other series now #unintentional love story

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