Paradoxically, people who get angry at the "Was Brandon stupid?" (by going to where the Mad King was and Rhaegar and Lyanna had no reason to be, "conveniently" straight to his expected death in those circumstances) would be validated in such criticism being misplaced against him in the case that Brandon genuinely believed so with good reason by being lied to in such specific terms about whatever information came to him from the spot of Lyanna's disappearance.

The paradox comes from such crowd's wish to exonorate and pity Brandon, but not Lyanna, hence sticking in that dead end. Quite the contrary, the whole purpose of the outrage is solely to incriminate Lyanna - and of course Rhaegar.

I have found the best ally

Straight and cis people will say that they are allies, but you will NEVER measure up to my dentist.

Me: "Hey, is it ok if I can change my name on my info from [DEADNAME] to Aspen?"

Random woman that I wasn't even talking to in the chair next to me: "Honey, if that's the name you had at birth, [DEADNAME] is your only name."

My dentist, very slowly turning her rolley chair towards the woman: "Shush."

Random woman: "Excuse me?"

Destist: *closes privacy curtain while staring bullets at the lady*

Me: *pissing myself laughing*

My dentist while changing my name in my info (reminder that English is not her first language, she immigrated from Russia): "There, Sai, you have pretty boy teeth. Smile and make all girls swoon."

Me not having the heart to tell her I'm not transmasc but I'm Agender, and still pissing myself laughing: "Thank you [DENTIST NAME]."

Edit: Ok, I thought I would quit Tumblr, but the fuckin Pinterest posts brought me back, and this blew up apparently??? Thank you all for the attention lol, stuff has changed, and I go by either Damien or Aspen, either name is ok lol, and I'm genderfluid :] (if you don't know my pronouns just use they/them lol use those any day)

The main reason for the decline of shoujo anime for me really is that girls/women will still consume shounen while boys/men will not consume shoujo as much, so for producers if you have to choose between a shoujo or a shounen you will go for the shounen because you know you will be able to get both audiences while with shoujo the audience will really be majorly female and you will be losing money from half your audience. And that is also why shounen these days incorporate a lot of shoujo tropes into their stories (ikemen, romcoms, etc.) but still do it in a way that is mostly targeted for boys (male protag, big boobs and heavy sexualization of female characters that is not as present in actual shoujo stories), they do it to make sure they will grab both audiences. That is not to say that seinen and shounen can't do great animes like these (just look at horimiya and skip to loafer), but it also means we get a lot of anime that is trying to do the same but in a very harmful and sexist way (just look at shows like rent-a-girlfriend and the millions of bad isekai that come out every season). So, shounen is stealing shoujo tropes and making them worse (most of the time), and we're eating that shit up simply because there is no actual shoujo coming out as often as it did before.

i think people think i’m lying when i say that i don’t want to “be” anyone or anything and that i don’t care about conventional success. but nothing would make me happier than being left alone to just breathe and exist if my basic necessities were covered for life

I'm sure it's already been discussed somewhere, but while we're talking about Tommy being the catalyst for Buck's queer awakening, it's clear that he's probably going to serve a similar function for Eddie in a different way. It's obvious from the way he's been reintroduced that in some ways he's an Eddie clone, a stand-in until Buck can wrap his head around the fact that the man he's been in love with for ages is Eddie. However, after chewing on brilliant posts like this one and this one regarding the masculine rituals that Eddie engages in (and secretly wishes he could engage in with Buck) as an acceptable way to get the physical and emotional contact he craves, this whole storyline has immense potential for Tommy to pull Eddie aside gently and explain - as both a friend and a man who took some time to "figure himself out" while locked into a culture of toxic masculinity (now actual canon, Jesus this show keeps on giving) - what this could mean for him and the most significant adult relationship in his life. Unlike our favourite duo, Tommy isn't clueless: he's the one who understands (unlike Buck) that Buck wasn't really trying to get his attention. I have a feeling that Tommy will hopefully avoid getting his heart broken because he's aware from the beginning that he has rocked up to the middle of an It's Complicated situation and he's going to be the wise elder gay that helps bridge that gap between both Buck and Eddie as a couple and the men they were versus the men they're destined to be.

There is no point in trying to "educate" your favourite celebrities and authors about Palestine. There is decades worth of information about the genocide commited against Palestinians and if someone is advocating for some "peace on both sides" bullshit it's not because they're uneducated. It's because vocally supporting Palestine is getting people fired from their jobs, blacklisted, destroying their careers. If someone comes out with a wishy-washy "my heart breaks for the violence on both sides 🥺" stance, they have cynically chosen to prioritise their career over human lives. At that point, there is no point trying to educate someone because you want them to be a good person. Your focus shouldn't be on your favourite celebrity's personal moral journey. It should be on supporting and freeing the people of Palestine.

I think a nice end of year tradition I’m going to implement is taking inventory of all my witchy/devotional supplies so I can go into the New Year knowing what I already have so I don’t buy more.

You can also do this for Arts & Crafts supplies, clothes, jewelry, makeup, books, whatever you tend to accumulate a lot of.

It’s a good time to kick Capitalism in the teeth and use what you already have instead of consuming more more more. 👍🏻

THE WORLD OF DANGER DAYS IS A MODERN 1800S AMERICAN FRONTIER RRRRRAJHHHGHGGG ‼️‼️‼️

realisation that lenú and lila l’amica geniale are the equal and opposite reaction to tenoch and Julio y tu mamá también

Another point against public transport: adhd exists

I thoroughly dislike the githyanki plot in act 3 and how Lae'zel's personal quest and characterization gets consumed by it.

2023 is the Year to Become a Mindful Consumer

With the level of consumerism today, it is good to practice to view everything as an advertisement. This is not to stress you out, but for the benefit of understanding where it's worthwhile to put your time, money, and energy -- all of which affect beyond just you and this current generation. It's an amazing lens to wear to encourage you to consider where your need for purchasing an item, adopting a certain lifestyle, or even following certain social media accounts is coming from. We are all transmitting and receiving messages amongst one another constantly. The question is, "Which messages do I find value in supporting? Are the intentions here pure? Will contributing to this allow me and my community flourish?"

According to Merriam-Webster, an advertisement is "a public notice especially : a paid notice that is published or broadcast (as to attract customers or to provide information of public interest)" Advertisement comes from the French word avertir meaning "to turn, direct, make aware"

So, understand this: Influencers, celebrities, and politicians are advertisements. Billboards and commercials are advertisements. Labels are advertisements. News broadcasts are advertisements. Newspaper/article headlines are advertisements. BUT ALSO...The clothing one wears is an advertisement (even if it is devoid of branding). One's behavior is an advertisement. A facial expression is an advertisement (informing others of one's feelings). Artworks are advertisements. Institutions of education are advertisements. Songs are advertisements. Blogs are advertisements. Photos uploaded to social media are advertisements. Speeches, sermons, and talks are advertisements.

All that influences you to make certain choices in your day is an advertisement. Some things are advertising positive messages. Some are advertising horrible messages. And others are offering mixed messages.

We don't realize the depth of advertisements in our lives, for one, because we are told to be advertisements ourselves. It feels important to our survival: to attain enough money, admiration, and acceptance. We are encouraged to look a certain way on paper (resumes, CVs, cover letters, report cards, exam scores, etc), in media (photographs, interviews, podcasts, videos), and in face-to-face interactions (accents, fashion style, body shape, makeup, etc).

We don't want to lose authenticity amongst friends and family. We want to talk to real human beings on emotional, logical, and spiritual levels, right? Becoming a mindful consumer is coupled in with helping you realize what you stand for, remain an active thinker, and hold secure with your empathy. When you step up in this aspect, it will encourage others to do the same. It's important that we stay connected with being truthful & kind individuals with depth, I would think.

HOW TO (remember what I defined as an advertisement):

Notice what is being advertised. Is there a literal product (you may need to look for product placement, scripted review, restrictions on sharing honest opinion, etc)? An ideal? A societal standard? A new concept?

What was your honest emotional response to the advertisement? Did it seem alluring? Revolting? Boring? Intriguing? Disturbing? Confusing? Frustrating? (Notice as well what your gut feelings are saying).

Notice what sensory aspects of the advertisement affected your emotions. Was it the color palette, music, filter, word choice, lettering, vocal inflection, etc? What is the general vibe of the advertisement? Is it cheery? Fearful? Hopeful? Inspiring? Angry? Degrading? Does the emotional vibe make sense with the message?

Notice the intentions behind the advertisement. Is the predominant intention here to gain money? Make positive change for those struggling? Deceive or confuse people? Spread gossip or hate? Encourage? (Know about the characters of the individuals, the pasts of the companies, the institutional influences, the historical comparisons which can be drawn, if individuals are being taken advantage of, how true are the claims, if there is funding going on). Does the advertiser show indication of integrity? Do they make use of "experts," popular individuals, and buzz words to distract from the natural inclination to find proof or reason to approve of the advertisement's messaging?

If you are left at all unsure if you agree with what is being advertised, do research (be sure you know how to find reliable sources, but sometimes it's worth seeing what the opposition/competitors/opposing perspectives say too). It's always good to be informed. You can even send questions directly to the person or company advertising. Evaluate with logic & intuition, to avoid letting pure, knee-jerk emotionality to do the decision-making.

Remain flexible to change your mind about your initial evaluations. Sometimes, we aren't always accurate the first time because we didn't have a full enough picture.

Generally, it's good to realize that labels/appearances/glimpses are not going to fully or accurately represent the truth of what is being advertised. It's up to us to notice how true they are. Look at the fine print.

PRACTICE: look at the ads on television, social media pages, magazines, newspapers, and websites. Move into considering songs, television shows, movies, social media videos, and documentaries. And keep on evaluating as you expand what you consider to be an advertisement.

‼It helps to gain knowledge of what the most influential people, titles (eg. doctor, specialist, best-seller, award-winner, etc), and institutions are. They usually are not widely scrutinized and so their messages are taken on as near fact. They also will be able to influence entire markets/spheres/communities with ease.

GOOD DEMONSTRATIONS: a b

so last year, I sort of made a resolution, in that I decided 'fuck it, I wanna learn to crochet' and guess what? I learned crochet basics, am still learning, and am starting to move forward towards, I guess, intermediate basics? I crocheted a beanie (complete with sewn on pom) for my mom and she genuinely likes it, some coasters, and I'm almost done with my first blanket.

this year, idk what my resolution is. I'm leaning towards learning to sew, but I also want to paint more, learn to solder, carve, sculpt, am interested in pottery - basically, I want to create and be creative. want to make art. want to make clothes. want to make props. want to make pretty things that makes my magpie brain go oooh. want to become more self reliant, more sustainable, and want to be able to support myself and my husband financially without the 9-5 grind that keeps me on constant burnout.

but trying to go all in never works, and generally leads towards failure. so this month I'll try to pin down something specific that, even if nothing else works out, this is a thing that I can keep at it with.

also if anyone would be interested in purchasing crochet coffin coasters lmk cause am considering making sets to try and sell.

it actually means a lot to me that tim is wearing his crucifix necklace on fire island in 1979

I wish I was attractive and charismatic and savvy enough to succeed at selling content of myself online. Not joking a bit. I'm tired of selling my entire livelihood to employers who don't care about my well-being at all. But it's all I can do to appear as though I'm "trying to be a productive member of society." I kinda hate that phrase and what people mean by it when they say it. Everything sucks, one way or another.