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chynandri · 11 months

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Additional Thoughts About Ibara & Aesthetics

Using this image to indicate to you that I'm gonna be mentioning Rouge&Ruby a LOT.

Writing this post on Ibara and Tsumugi's dorm room, it reminded me of some more thoughts I’ve been microwaving in my brain for a while. From the dorm post we’ve pretty clearly established that Ibara… doesn’t express much of a personality in his sense of style 😂 he was born in a wet cardboard box all alone ok

HOWEVER… what I’ve found really intriguing about him (besides everything.) is that despite that lack of self expression in a personal space, he does have a strong sense for art and aesthetics in what he creates.

What tipped me off on this was actually his in-game office interaction with the whiteboard. He has the ‘good’ result of drawing a cute bird, saying he ‘knows a little about the arts’ (which probably means he knows a lot, he’s just being fake humble). When I first saw this, I was a little bit surprised.

So later on, when Rouge&Ruby confirmed that he does do costume designs and storyboards himself, I was pretty excited to see his artistic skills a little bit expanded upon.

And actually, he has said this interesting thing in relation to art:

Translation by Land of Zero

So clearly, Ibara has a sense for the value of art and thinks it’s important.

And it aligns with how he intended for Adam to focus on the art of performance (compared to Eve which is more popular and takes on more entertainment jobs).

What I’m trying to say is that while he obviously loves making money and business domination, he also has an understanding and skill for art and design. Business, art, aesthetics often come hand in hand I think, as having a good concept and attractive visuals is essential to selling anything...

Translation by Land of Zero

Considering he designed every part of Melting Rouge Soul + Ruby Love himself and contacted Hiyori for his connections to chocolate designers so that Eden's chocolates stand out, I feel his consideration for making something with 'artistic and financial value' really comes through in Rouge&Ruby.

Translation by Land of Zero

I think the whole point of that event is that within Ibara there is a passionate burning soul bursting with expression and creativity (even love) in pursuit of his ambitions, and it comes through so so much in those songs and his own performance. He’ll prove Eden’s superiority in every avenue possible, not just monetarily but also artistically.

Although all this is only applied to his work, which is what he’s most passionate about. To Ibara, his work IS him:

Translation by Land of Zero

Additionally, Rinne notes Ibara’s more 'poetic' (and nerdy 🤓) side with how the Minotaurs Labyrinth is designed in Ariadne (variety show Ibara traps Crazy:b in):

Not only do things have to look good, they have to be quite meaningful and conceptual too. I mean, this IS coming from the guy who bases his whole personality and image on one (1) book he read as a sad little kid (Art of War btw) and inserts very unsubtle Bible references everywhere.

And Ibara putting the most effort into his chocolates despite being annoyed at having to make chocolates past Valentine's Day and it having no relation to work:

Translation by Land of Zero. He loves to succeed and be impressive for the sake of it.

So where he doesn’t put much effort into his personal spaces or appearance outside of work, it’s all because Ibara’s personality is just one that’s extremely singularly focused on one thing - his passion and work. I think this creates another interesting and lovely paradox to his personality, just one of the many this guy has. It’s what makes Ibara so delightful as a character.

Tl;dr - Ibara is actually quite into art and aesthetics, and even artistically inclined himself.

#ibara saegusa #enstars #yet another display of insanity from me. ur welcome #chyna writes too

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licncourt · 4 months

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Do you think Louis is "good with emotions"? What I mean is is he consciously aware of how he feels about what's happening around him, does he have a handle on emotions or does he have.. Issues with translating what he's feeling, therefore he is oblivious to his own emotions. Does he fine tune emotions in a conscious funnel that gives the reader an impression that he's quite adept at being a person you can go to with your problems. Does this make sense? I guess what I'm asking is would he be the best friend you can count on to have a deep talk with or is Louis so repressed he needs to write out his thoughts in a journal before he can give advice. Does he give terrible advice. Would he make a good therapist? I think he's a bit too mentally lost himself to be the person to depend on for advice even though compared to Lestat he's more emotionally mature, but (I'm sorry this is so winded) is Louis aware of his emotions enough to make good life choices, and is Louis able to distinguish emotions or does he struggle with them enough to be that person everyone goes to for advice (hypothetically). I hope I'm making sense.. I'm not too keen on the side of fandom that leans on Louis being the "sane" one while Lestat is the "insane" one, but in my short time in this fandom, that's been my experience 🤷🏻‍♀️ Everyone wants to lean on Louis, and they want him to be the family friendly one. It doesn't give room for him to flesh himself out. Why does Lestat get all the fun stuff. Louis started the shenanigans and he is obviously very unhinged. I don't think it's fair is all. But please give me your thoughts on this very long ask.

Oh God that's a hard question, but my answer is no, he isn't really. He's emotional but I wouldn't say he's good with those emotions or those of others (especially not those actually). In general he reminds me of when you meet a guy who sucks but they call themselves an empath.

Even Lestat says in one of the books that Louis is oblivious to the suffering of others in a lot of ways and I think that's true. He sees human misery when it supports his internal beliefs because he's actively looking for it, but he's not in tune with people in general, especially not when other people's feelings contradict his world view (ie owning slaves while acting like he's some kind of hero for the downtrodden because he eats rats).

I think the fact that he feels his own emotions so intensely is part of what makes him so selfish. He's incredibly caught up in what HE'S feeling, so the inner world of someone else is not really being considered, nor would it occur to him to consider it. That happens a lot in IWTV where, at least the way Louis portrays it, the only explanations he can come up with for Lestat's behavior are that he's stupid or he just has a bad personality.

There's always the implication that their relationship was deeper than Louis made it seem, but I also don't think he was interested in exploring Lestat's deeper motives for his behavior. He got his feelings hurt and therefore whatever Lestat had going on was irrelevant to him. There was no effort to understand and empathize when it was hard and he faced resistantance.

At the very least, be seems to be hellbent on strong-arming his own emotions to suit his will. He's very externally adamant about his chosen narrative, but he spends enough time just Having Feelings that at least deep down, he knows for himself what the truth is most of the time when it comes to his inner thoughts unless he's in true denial. He just chooses to be stubborn and force his way through life ignoring those feelings if he thinks they shouldn't be that way.

His thoughtfulness and how carefully he chooses his words does give the impression of some kind of emotional intelligence, but I think a lot of that is artificial, like when he's talking in IWTV about how his objections to killing are about the principle and the aesthetics. There's a lot of convoluted thinking and justifications, but not much consistent or reasonable logic to suggest that he's tapped into something grounded and honest within himself or the world.

Another indicator of whatever emotional imbalance he has is the way he cycles between being so rigidly repressed and then snapping. That's not the hallmark of someone who's processed or is capable of coping with any hard feelings, much like an addict who never gets treatment but manages to white knuckle their way through stretches of time before losing control again.

I suppose he is more emotionally mature than Lestat in his ability to exercise restraint and be calculated (in good and bad ways), but that doesn't always translate to an emotionally intelligent mindset that influences larger choices or patterns. No matter how good he is at it, his semi-frequent, massive lapses in judgement and self control kind of negate how helpful those skills can be.

This comes across in subtler ways too. He was more the family man than Lestat, but rather than responsibly parent Claudia through her adult challenges, he allowed and fostered an emotionally incestuous dynamic that was incredibly toxic for both of them. Other times he played calm and collected in the face of Lestat's outbursts, but he didn't actually work to resolve anything, just to keep the upper hand through his performative apathy. It's all very surface level and hardly ever productive.

The one credit I'll genuinely give to him was his willingness to let Lestat get whatever all that was out of his system in the 90s and 00s. He was very patient and honest about his feelings and finally had enough softness and genuine care for Lestat that he was able to see objectively the pain, confusion, and trauma those behaviors were born from. It's definitely growth on Louis' end compared to IWTV so golf clap for that.

I will say though that I definitely think he's too self-absorbed and judgmental to make a great listener unless he REALLY cares about the person talking to him. If he thinks he could've handled whatever the problem is better, it's going to show it accidentally even if he's being polite. The truth is he would not have handled it better most likely. Differently maybe, but not better. You had a freakout? Well. He simply would have repressed those feelings and then acted like a bitch later over nothing.

#answered #vc #meta #louis de pointe du lac

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nikolaiar · 2 years

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I’m just put my Homestuck headcanon a cause I can fuck you:

John:

Okay so he so would’ve watched buzzfeed unsolved y’all do know that right?

He used to watch those “top 5 cryptid” videos when he was a kid and gave himself nightmares

He’s jewish

He wears only those really uncomfortable looking sweaters cause his dad says they make him look handsome

He was bullied so bad

When he gets older he smokes so much godbless

He has those glow in the dark stars on his ceiling and has a UFO nightlight

He has a slight 1950’s accent cause of his dad (you know what I mean)

Rose:

She watched Twilight. That’s basically fact.

She had a huge thing for Wednesday Adams and wanted to be her so bad, she got mad at Mom for liking pink and stuffed animals cause she wanted her to act like Morticia

She was in a gifted child program

She would’ve listened to Lady Gaga and lost her mind

She knits sweaters for John

She always packs a pillow for when Jade passes out

She has albinism and is arab. She’s also black and Hispanic but she doesn’t really relate heavily to it.

She’s no sabo and Dave makes fun of her for it

Dave:

He used to watch Teenage Mutant ninja turtles all the time as a kid

He grew up around a lot of Hispanic/Latino kids so he was really in touch with his Hispanic side

He talks so fucking fast you can barley understand him, and it’s even worse in Spanish

He was homeschooled until middle school (horrible decision)

He would always sticks up for other people at his school that were getting made fun of cause they reminded him of John (plus he was kinda bullied for having albinism but he’ll never admit it)

Bro would only talk to him in Spanish and couldn’t read English so Dave was a translator really young, hence why he knows so many big words and all that

He has ADHD so bad

He makes fun of Dirk for being allergic to avacados

Jade:

She always has an extra pair of glasses cause she breaks them so much

She draws furry art and is surprisingly good at it

She used to read yaoi when she was younger and when Dave came out she asked if he was a Uke or Seme

She frequently asks Rose to write her ABO centric fanfiction

She’s Polynesian and Brazilian and she’s really in touch with it

She is a polygot like her g-pa

She patches her clothes up all the time because she has so many holes in them from miscellaneous activities

Her and Dave played all the Sonic games and discuss shipping dynamics

Jane:

She stans John Constantine

She makes all her friends play Clue with her and do escape rooms

She gets Jake to sample her new recipes because he has a sweet tooth

Jane and Dirk do TV show analysis’s on everything they watch they can’t help it it’s just fun

She got them into pretty little liars and Glee

She listens to musicals so hard shut up

She’s black and Korean y’all know that right?

Roxy:

She loves Zatanna and cosplays her all the time, she tries to get Jane to join her as Constantine

She watched supernatural and lost her mind when diestiel was canon

She has those cat ear gamer headphones and streams constantly

She has albinism

She is Mexican and can’t understand Dave’s Spanish cause it’s so fast godbless

She would listen to Doja Cat

She always has her LED lights on and set to pink

She had a huge Harry Potter phase, Jake had all the movies so they’d all watch it while Jane and Dirk would say how it differs from the books

She can’t keep a plant alive to save her life

Jake:

He’s a polygot, dude knows like 80 languages

He knows how to play bass but is shy about it because Jade is better

He has an Australian accent and no one knows where it came from

He does Muay Thai and is actually pretty accomplished, he is teaching Dirk

Dirk beats his ass frequently in boxing and he gets angry about it

He sleeps naked and everyone finds this out the hard way

Dude has so much body hair good lord

He understands Dave when he speaks Spanish and by proxy Dirk

He cosplays with Dirk and Roxy

He has so many plants cause they remind him of his grandma but he forgets to water them frequently

He loves Janes pumpkin pie so much

Dirk:

He is Columbian and is the only one other than Jake to understand Dave’s Spanish

When Dave first met Dirk and he understood him he high key wanted to cry

Dirk is obsessed with Batman so bad and got all of his friends into DC comics

He makes Jake cosplay nightwing for “obvious” reasons

He and Jane have frequent gossip sessions over tea and baked goods

He has every My little pony figure you can think of

He gets really clingy in his sleep

When he first slept with Jake he held into him like a koala and wouldn’t let go until Jake woke him up

He gets his ass handed to him when he practices Muay Thai with Jake, but gets payback with boxing

Him and Roxy frequently troll on toontown and used to scam in animal jam

He watched American psycho and had a phase that he still gets bullied for by his friends

He waxes EVERYWHERE except his armpits and legs

He listens to Marina and the diamonds

He had a hardcore scenephase that he still isn’t completely out of

#homestuck #dirk strider #dave strider #alpha kids #jake english #roxy lalonde #dirkjake #jane crocker #rose lalonde #jade harley #john egbert #homestuck headcanons #beta kids

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adarkrainbow · 8 months

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Green in fairytales (a Pastoureau translation)

In France, Michel Pastoureau has earned himself a strong reputation as a "historian of colors" thanks to very thorough and well-researched books he published about the history, evolution, uses and cultural connotations of each color (blue, green, red, black...). I borrowed from my library a copy of his book about green (Vert, Histoire d'une couleur ; Green, History of a color) and what a surprise! There is a segment about fairytales in there!

The book is organized by chronology, with a first segment covering the origins of humanity up to the year 1000 (Green: An uncertain color) ; then a second part deals with the span between the leventh and the fourteenth centuries (A courtly color) ; a third the span between the 14th and 16th (A dangerous color)... But what interests us is the fourth part, "A secondary color: 16th-19th centuries".

This part is divided itself into several sub-sections. "Protestant morality" "The green of painters" "New knowledge, new classifications", "Alceste's ribbons and green in theater" ; "Green during the Enlightenment", etc... And one of those subsections is called "Superstitions and fairy tales".

I won't copy all of this sub-section, because the first part about superstitions covers theatrical superstitions and other beliefs - but here is a rough translation of the part about fairytales.

A same ambiguity is observed in fairy tales, a literary genre that the 17th century did not invent, but renewed and made very famous. Notations of color are rare but very significant and the green might be less recurring than black, white or red, but it is the color of supernatural beings, notably of fairies. In several European regions of the modern era, fairies are called "dames vertes" (French for "green ladies"), Die grünen Damen, or The green fairies. This is due to several reasons: either they appear with clothes or shoes of this color, either they have green eyes or hair (just like witches) - and sometimes they simply live in a green landscape that reminds how their origins are tied to the vegetation cycles, and the cult of waters, trees and forests. In Northern Europe, if fairies dress in green, they do not like when mere mortals do the same. If one wants to gain their favors, they better not wear this color, nor any of the plants from which they get a part of their magical powers: the hawthorn, rowan, hazel, and others. Green is the color of fairies. But the fairy is a capricious and volatile being, sometimes godmother, sometimes lover, sometimes guardian angel, sometimes wicked genie - and just like the color green, the fairy can quickly change her mood, her appearance or her role. She is to be feared, and to be respected. Occidental culture does not have the monopoly of green fairies or greenish genies. They are encountered under various forms in Oriental cultures. The Islamic tradition, for example, presents a weird character that belongs to the supernatural world and whose name evokes the color green: Al Khidr (or Khisr), the "green man". His identity is a difficult thing to clarify. Some claim he is a son of Adam, others that he is an angel or a saint, while a third group calls him a clairvoyant prophet or a guide sent by fate itself. But all see in him a benevolent, though mischievious, genie who protects sailors and travelers, sends away the storms, puts out fires, saves people when they drown, banish demons and snakes. The Coran only mentions him once (eighteenth Surat, verses 65-82), but numerous tales and legends were told about him. Let us return to European traditions and fairy tales of the modern era. Just like the chivalry novels of the Middle Ages, they like to play on the sonority or the ortograph of some words to create strange or marvelous atmospheres. In French the name "vert" (green) is a better material for wordplay than any other name of colors, thanks to its phonic relationships with words such as "vair" (a type of fur), "verre" (glass), "ver" (worm) and "vers" (verse). (T.n.: they're all pronounced the same in French]. This results in numerous semantic confusions and interpretation uncertainties that make the happiness of commentators.

[Note: for an unknown reason Tumblr doesn't let me write more, so I'll put the rest in a reblog]

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wildwoof · 6 months

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I have begun to read the UNDEAD climax event, at least what's out of the translation rn. This comment alone

Made me feel something deep within. He's talking to AI robot Rei at this point. Of course the robot wouldn't understand what Koga's getting at. But we do. I do.

He's accepted the circumstances as they are with the AI robots due to Rei deciding it was for the best while they try to solve who's behind this. While Koga's not entirely thrilled about it, he goes along with it. While he's FINALLY gotten the chance to play the exact rock music he's always wanted to. Something didn't feel right to him. Why's that? Because he realized it's not actually what he wants. The music yes, but it not with WHO he wants. Case in point ^

AI Rei is very much old Rei, who Koga used to idolize & look up to. But it shows how much he truly has grown from that second year at Yumenosaki when he was trying his hardest to remind Rei of who he used to be. How he truly progressed from the Reypayment Festival when he laid himself out in front of Rei when the third years temporarily brought back DEADMANZ. It also makes sense why hearing it return fueled something within Koga, since like DEADMANZ was supposed to have been gone forever & replaced by UNDEAD.

Anyways, getting a little off topic. Koga doesn't JUST want to sing on stage with "a Rei." He doesn't want to just sing on stage with "a Kaoru." Adonis was there with him the entire time, as someone who is able to keep Koga grounded. It's mentioned on how these moments are like when Rei & Kaoru first graduated, them working separately from each other. But again, it just didn't feel RIGHT to Koga. Just someone who sounds like Rei. Or well, sounds like how Rei used to act. Isn't what Koga truly wants.

It hits home how eye-opening it becomes. Koga truly has moved past. He wants actual Rei, who Rei is & has become. Not just someone standing in who claims to be "like him" - robot or no. The AI are not the ones he WANTS to be singing on stage with. He wants all four of them. This was highlighted in the highlights that Happy Ele posted

Just pulls this from my other ramble I did about Koga when it dropped. He's beginning to grow & reflect. He's always been so adamant on the music & style of UNDEAD. How he was extremely anxious about what UNDEAD was dealing with while Rei & Kaoru were "making fools of themselves" for the higher ups of RhyLink just to safely solidify a place in RhyLink for them. He began to realize what the two of them were doing. He's grown. He's progressed, but these moments with the AI have truly smacked Koga right in the face.

He's happy, but he's NOT at the same time. Adonis being with him during HELLSING has definitely kept him from truly losing himself to his emotions, but it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't want these AI taking Rei & Kaoru's place beside them. After all, what would everything have been for if it's not all 4 of them???

It's an eye-opening moment to show Koga just where his priorities truly need to be. He loves UNDEAD very very much & that's who he truly wants there with him on stage.

#i'll get the new tag soon but I WOKE UP THINKING ABOUT IT #& so I slowly typed this between doing work #since first thing this morning skfjsjfksk #I JUST HOLD SO MUCH LOVE FOR HIM #( the lone wolf ) rambles

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ollifree · 1 year

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THANK GOD YOU REPOSTED I HAVE HAD TERRON MY SPIFFY FELLER ON MY MIND LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE (and also Great Uncle because for some reason they always appear together in my head). SO if I may I would like to ask 5 and 8 and maybe 7 for Caedan Amell (also my spiffy feller) if I can really be greedy 8) 8) 8)

hope you're having a lush as hell day my olli friend!!

ladkfjakfjkdjfk my friend my beloved you absolute peach you always know just which ocs to ask about uwu you can be as greedy as you want mwuah mwuah mwuah

5. letters between two of your OC’s companions about them

Excerpts from correspondence between Queen Lani Theirin-Cousland and Zevran Arainai. Both passages have been translated from the original Antivan. (featuring surprise guest @atypicalacademic's Chancellor of Ferelden, Sahi Tabris)

"...although we are able to twist their arms by reminding them who killed the archdemon. Half the time the alienage needs any kind of resource I have to say 'give me a non-racist reason' out loud to get them to shut up long enough we can push it through. I'd give Sahi access to the treasury every time it happens but we'd be cleaned out within a week."

"We could always pay you a visit in court. I am sure seeing their hero so angry on behalf of our fellow elves would chide most of them into silence. If not, you are aware my services are always available to you. I'll even throw in a discount!"

8. your OC’s doctor/healer talking about their injuries

An unsigned note with handwriting that matches Kinloch Hold's Senior Enchanter Wynne's. The note has been found shoved hastily in a desk drawer and seems to have been written without intention of sharing.

"I cannot say I've ever expected to pen these words, but thank the Maker Caedan's been proven right. Two long days and Terron's finally awake. Why the other wardens seemed so certain he would perish of his wounds is beyond me. Regardless, it is good to see them all smile again. As to the wounds themselves: Several broken ribs, as I feared. Terron is adamant we not use magic to heal them just yet. There are enough near death that need our attention more. Such a considerate young man. What would we do without him? Another skull fracture, which has already been mended. Hopefully with the blight well and truly at rest his propensity for slamming his head on every surface will cease as well. Cuts and bruising, as can be expected. No infections. He claims not to have dislocated anything. He's popped that shoulder back into place on his own so often I've no choice to consider it a lie until proven otherwise."

7. someone describing a time your OC hurt them

A journal entry from Alice Amell during her time at Skyhold.

"It was him. The little brother they stole from us then took from me. As unbearable - as abusive as the Gallows were, I'm sure we could have survived them together. You heard stories in the city, and Mama looked like she might break when I froze my wine at dinner, but I would see our little brother again. But when the templars came for me, they had already sent him across the sea. I hoped he might be at Skyhold. That the revolution would reunite us at last. I heard about what he did. His name was whispered between pages at lessons and over plates at meals. A veteran of a blight, and here I thought myself impressive for surviving Meredith. The boy following Lady Morrigan around - Kieran - he has our look. His skin and eyes are Chasind, but his cheeks and jaw and the way he stands are Amell. I asked Senior Enchanter Surana after I saw her speaking with him. I should have known from how she hedged her answers how this would go. He came back to me. Our lost brother. Everyone through history will point to the scar in the sky as a miracle, as though Caedan walking into Skyhold couldn't have brought our entire family to their knees. But when I finally approached him, when I told him who I was - I can't forget what his face did. I can't describe it. Walling himself off, from me. He'd grown so much, even taller than Father I think. Did I misremember his eyes? I always thought of them as grey. He was so cold. And his words. I can't - He didn't say as much, but it felt like staring up at a viper. Like if I did anything but turn and leave he'd kill me."

#ask #wild-houseplant #olli writes #terron mahariel #caedan amell #great uncle is very honored thank u #that first one went from 'huh wonder which ppl would write about terron'#to 'i know exactly who would gossip about their husbands' real quick #i didn't want to go the obvious route and write surana for caedan #and Oh Boy did alice have a lot to say #also yes caedan's eyes Were grey magic turned them black #fun lore fact

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grimalkinsquill · 1 year

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I was tagged by @leafweaverryn! Thank you for the tag, bud.

Rules: Pick any 10 of your fics, scroll somewhere to the midpoint, pick a line (or a few), and share it! Then tag people! (If you don't have 10, that's okee! Just post what you can! <3)

of Sages & Warriors, Chapter 1:

In her normal voice, the girl answered, “The cat shrugged modestly.” The girl then adjusted her voice in such a way that Tikki was hit with deep-set nostalgia. “Oh, whatever scraps you have leftover. I don’t mind.”

the heart is hard to translate / it has a language of its own, Chapter 4

Gajeel blinked again. At his confused stare, Makarov continued, “You can argue. You can stand up for yourself against me. You don’t have to fit a mold to receive help. I want you to be the best you that you choose to be. So, if you choose to argue me on that, argue.”

Gajeel tilted his head slowly, slumping in his chair. “I...I don’t know how to. Well...how to without trying to hurt someone.”

Ganzhyllsyn's 4 Steps to a Heist

“How am I not anxious? My secret is that I’m anxious about everything, but...I always remember that you guys are with me. Where people go as one, there is life. And life is beautiful and chaotic, but...in teamwork, of all us working together, there’s hope.”

Not Understanding, But Maybe Recognition

“Druid. What are you doing?”

She looked over her shoulder, then up over her shoulder at the Unseelie King. “Making jam,” she answered simply.

He inhaled slowly, approaching her from the side with smooth, even steps and then leaned against the counter, looking down at her with an eyebrow raised. “Why are you making something you cannot eat?”

“Because this is a larger story than me,” she paraphrased him neatly as if she had kept his words to her side like a scarf rather than a ghost.

Day 18: Panglossian

Minifillia smiled softly as if realizing the punchline to a joke Fana had just told. “That and you care, right?”

Fana laid back on her bedroll. “I care way too much, kid.”

Do Something Crazy, Chapter 2

She exited the tall grass and Kukui walked up to her, whispering, “What-” Jolene held up three fingers and silently counted down with them. Then there was a quiet, rhythmic stridulation from behind Jolene. She turned, smirking at the little Grubbin out of its hole.

“Hey, itty bitty, what’re you doing so far out of your hidey-hole?” she asked as it scrambled over to her. It climbed up her pant leg, settling itself in an empty large pocket. “You wanna hitch a ride?” It stridulated again, poking its head out of the pocket. “You wanna make it official?” she asked, taking out a Pokéball. She lowered the ball down to it and it poked it with its mandible. The ball opened and in the Grubbin went. Tick. Tick. Tick. Tock.

Jolene smirked at Kukui. “See?”

He blinked at her, looking a thousand miles away. She frowned and snapped her fingers, making him jump. “Sorry, I was just...lost in thought. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen anyone handle a bug type that well.”

“Bad thoughts or good ones?” she asked, letting the Grubbin back out and letting it nestle in its chosen pocket.

“Nostalgic ones,” Kukui answered. “When I was a boy, I went on the island challenge with a friend who favored bug types himself. You remind me of him a lot.”

Rooftop Romance, Chapter 1

You give a small shrug. “Don’t like that sort of thing in my city.”

“Sure, but you didn’t have to walk her all the way home,” he replies. “Could’ve just beat the guy up and then left her there.” He lands, eying you thoughtfully. “You didn’t have to make her feel safe.”

Stretching with a mock laziness, you shrug. “I’ve been her.” Perfect answer: suitably cryptic enough to be true and not give him much to work with. You roll your shoulders back, tilting your head. “I’m surprised.”

“About what?”

“That you haven’t tried to arrest me yet.”

He blinks, remembering who you are and who he is.

Guardian, Chapter 2

“Did you really try to Black Knight your way out of being injured?”

Teth-Adam tilted his head, momentarily confused. The woman from the office dramatically recited, “‘Tis but a scratch!”

“Ah, Monty Python,” Teth-Adam replied. “I suppose I did attempt to explain away my injuries by saying they were not as bad as they appeared, but Aryeh was as stubborn as I was. A familial trait.” He tilted his head to the left and caught another pen.

Fall in Line

She drags you along a line. “You weren’t made to fall in line?” She pulls your leash and you cry out as the metal in your collar digs into your neck. “Look at how wrong you were, puppy. Walking down a line like a good show dog.”

You walk down the painted line, following her and holding back tears, but only barely. Your neck stung. But you kept your hands at your side and you followed.

“Say it for me,” she stopped, the pressure on your neck alleviating. She looked at you with a pretty smile. “Say what you are.”

“I’m...I’m a good dog.” You feel nauseous from her satisfaction. “I follow orders. I was made to fall in line.”

Cold Front, Chapter 8

Theo’s eyes widened. “But-”

“Yeah,” Leonard replied, putting his hand down. “Some days, like today, I can agree with you. He was wrong, just like your bitch of a step-mom was wrong, and just like that toady old geezer was wrong.” He stood up. “You and me, we’re people that everyone always underestimated, tossed aside, and tried to control. That’s why we get along with the rest of the Rogues—we’re all the same way. Day by day, we’re gonna keep proving ‘em all wrong. We’ll start today by heating up that cold as fuck macaroni and cheese, having ourselves a nice lunch, and then icing your right shoulder since you dislocated that sucker.”

“Shit, really?” Theo asked, looking at her shoulder. “I could barely tell.”

“Yeah, you slept through me and Sam putting it back in. That was the second clue that you were fuckin’ exhausted.” Leonard stepped past her on the couch. He paused for a second, taking a step back to ruffle her hair. “What d’ya say, Theo? You ready to spite everyone who said you weren’t gonna be anything?”

She looked up at him, slowly grinning. “Fuck yeah.”

Leonard snorted, smirking. “That’s what I like to hear, kid.”

#grim writing things #i am a multifandom bitch who writes sassy motherfuckers who are all figuring out what the fuck hope means

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cha0ticr0b0tic · 2 years

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Character Names

Just something I’ve been working through in relation to the names authors give their characters, versus what the characters themselves want to be called, and all the ~trans feelings~ that emerge

A few years ago, I was reading Frankenstein for one of my undergraduate classes – pretty standard English major fare. I’m a horror nerd, so I was having a great time. Naturally, I was taking notes throughout, knowing my final essay for that class was going to be on the novel, only whenever I was writing about the Creature, I just called him Adam.

Some of this was because having to write “the Creature” over and over in my notebook was going to get real old, real fast. But, the main reason was that I owe far too much to the works of Guillermo del Toro. He has spoken at length about his love of both Frankenstein the novel and the Universal movies, and I can talk forever about how Frankenstein’s DNA is embedded in most of the movies he makes. There’s respect for the monsters he makes, and that’s translated over to my work. Calling the Creature “Adam” pays homage to the Paradise Lost reference and offers the guy the humanity nobody wants to give him. Oh yeah, that’s my friend Adam from down the street.

I’ve noticed a similar thing happening recently because I’m using Midnight Cowboy as a key text for my creative writing thesis. Everybody calls Rico Rizzo “Ratso,” and there are several instances where he basically begs Joe not to call him that – again, it’s about him wanting basic human dignity and respect. Many of the academic essays refer to him as “Ratso,” and it rubs me the wrong way a bit. “Ratso” may be what he’s referred to most often in the film, and what he’s called in the screenplay itself, but Rico is his given name, and the name he wants to be called.

None of this is meant to carry ~trans vibes~ in canon. Names, whether they’re chosen or given, have power. And, it doesn’t hurt that both of these texts have plenty of queer readings attached to them. I think about the Creature seeing himself in Adam and I look at that as a chosen name. I hear Rico telling Joe, the only guy he has resembling a friend, to call him by his real name “in his own goddamn place” and it reminds me of telling my own closest friends what I’d like to be called from here on out. En route to Miami, Rico tells Joe that he never ever wants to be referred to as Ratso in Florida. I remember getting accepted to grad school in Tampa back in spring of 2021 and thinking, now I can live as myself. It’s a work in progress, and I’m taking strides in the right direction whenever I can.

Anyway. Queer readings fun

#trans writer #trans rights #gender feels #little dude #monster boi

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pondjrwi · 2 years

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Just Roll With It Recap

Riptide Episode 45 - The Perfect Crime

- They all jump and throw things in the air trying to figure out the reversed gravity. Abdul, the frogtopus racer Gil brought, explains that the trains make people have opposite gravity. He also explains they have commoner clothes and will look suspicious. Chip and Jay make the plan that Gil is the undersea king, and they’re his escorts.

- They buy royal undersea clothes for a king and his attendants. Most people believe that Gil is king. The next day, they plan their heist. Gil and Abdul fraternize with the guards. He finds out that a lot of guards are warforged, and there’s a charging station in the palace. They also have security cameras on the second floor. There’s an extreme measure of security that comes into play only when the king is in danger that’s not mentioned.

- Jay tours the first and second floor of the castle. She finds out that the third floor is the king’s quarters, and the king’s council meets up every day, but the king hasn’t been attending recently because he’s sick. There’s only one way to get upstairs. Chip plans a route out of the castle and to the train.

- The next day they strike a match and begin their planning session. Gillion points out he can make a horse, and he and Ollie really want the horse to be part of the plan. Ollie suggests lots of good ideas, which makes Chip proud of him. He’s hesitant to sneak past security with Chip, but Chip reassures him that it’ll be fine.

- Abdul thinks that the king being sick is the perfect time to kill him, as no one would notice him being gone. They all tell him to take it down a couple notches, but he’s adamant, urgently reminding them that if they don’t kill the king tonight, the Blossom Boss will kill them.

- They decide that Gillion will arrange a meeting with the king (speaking Primordial so he doesn’t have to lie) and Jay will be his translator. Meanwhile Chip and Ollie will sneak in, steal all the gold, and escape loudly on Gillion’s horse. Alphonse and Abdul will sabotage the warforged charging stations. During the final day of planning, Chip teaches Ollie how to climb buildings.

- The day is here. Alphonse and Abdul convince the guards to let them in and disappear from sight. Gillion arrives at the palace door, shouting to the guards about how much he wants to kill the king in Primordial. Jay “translates” that Gillion is the King of The Undersea and needs a meeting with the king. Jay gets a natural 20 on deception, and a bishop comes up and ushers them in enthusiastically.

- Chip and Ollie begin to scale the palace walls. Chip falls halfway through but Ollie saves him. Chip lockpicks open a window and they sneak into a lavish room just as Gillion, Jay and the bishop walk into the room. They successfully hide.

- The bishop leaves and they meet the king’s retainer. He nervously says that they’re not allowed to go in because the king is sick. Gillion picks up the retainer and walks down the hall. Chip and Ollie whisper to each other, Ollie saying that this would never work if he was still small. Chip tells him he’s proud of him when Ollie finds a dark, vault-looking hallway.

- Jay and Gillion enter into the king’s bedroom, seeing a small boy in the bed. The boy guardedly asks what’s going on here. The retainer introduces the small boy as the king, Leon Edison, and himself as Gariath Watts. Gillion uses divine sense, smelling that Leon is not evil. Gillion introduces himself in common, asking what ails the king. Gariath realizes that Gillion was never a king after all.

Leon: “I’m not sick. I’m just not supposed to be seen.”

- Gariath interrupts, saying that he is sick, but Gillion tells him to let the boy speak.

Leon: “I’m not supposed to be seen, because I’m not supposed to be the king. Isn’t that right, Mr. Watts? I hear it all outside of my door.”

- Leon explains that his father died recently without appointing an heir. The council is running the show now, because if the people knew a kid was the king, they’d never take him seriously. Gillion asks if Leon wants to be the king. He says that where he’s from, he has a council, but they walk among the people. He would not call a council that hardly knows the people a council.

Leon: “Is this a diplomatic visit?”

Gillion: “In some ways it can be. But mostly I just want to help.”

- Leon says that he’s not allowed to and never has been outside the castle.

Gillion: “Have you seen the layers beneath?”

Leon: “I don’t really go there.”

Gillion: “Do you know what they do, what the people here look like, act like, what their lives are like? Did your father know? Do you know, Gariath?”

- Gariath knows that there are questionable decisions in the council, but he is not a part of it. He thinks this meeting is irresponsible and immature.

Gillion: “You speak of it being irresponsible and immature to bring a boy down into those layers below, but is that not what happens every day in this city? When a life is brought into it, they don’t choose it. You didn’t choose this. And I have a feeling, Leon, if you saw the council’s decisions and their ramifications on those your age and younger below us, you would not sit idly by. I sense good in you. You shouldn’t be trapped here. You should see for yourself what your kingdom is.”

- Leon says that he’s only the acting king because his brother is away at the moment. Gillion still thinks he should see the lower levels. Gariath wants to have a moment alone to speak with Leon. Gillion insight checks him, seeing that he feels fatherly towards the king. Gariath whispers to Gillion that he wants to keep the king out of these matters because he’s too young. Gillion responds that no one asks for responsibility, but should Leon accept it, he would be a great man. They let them have a moment alone.

- Chip and Ollie find a metal door with a red glowing symbol. Jay whispers into his mind, asking what he’s doing. She leaves two magic stones in the bathroom that make it seem as though she’s shitting, then goes to help him. She says that if the symbol is destroyed, they can get through the door. Chip tells Ollie that sometimes, he has to take a risk, so Ollie scratches it away. They open the door, seeing a huge trove of treasure.

- As Jay and Gillion walk back they hear a scream from the king’s room. They rush in to see Gariath knocked unconscious and Abdul holding a gun to Leon’s head, his hands shaking.

Abdul: “I have to do this. We have to follow through on the mission. If this is the king, then the king has to die. That’s what the boss said!”

- They try to convince him to stop, but he pulls the trigger. No bullets come out of the gun, so he pulls out a knife. Gillion puts him in a magic bubble. They see a device in the hand of the retainer, which Gillion realizes is the secret third security measure. They hear the sound of boots approaching. Jay sends a message into Chip’s mind that “it’s going down”. Chip opens the briefcase and a glorious water horse leaps out.

#riptide recap

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vlxdisdying · 29 days

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An Illustration for Behind The Mask, Another Mask - Chapter 8 - pisanjuk - Vampire Chronicles Series - Anne Rice [Archive of Our Own]

FIC EXCERPT: Differing reasons to hate Voltaire - A heated discussion over dinner.

..."Since Phillipe, the Duke of Orléans, is shoulder deep in reconstructing the Palais-Royal at the moment, my orchestra happens to be displaced. Which made me take a vacation of sorts to London, bringing a few fencing victories back to Paris as souvenirs." And he made a gesture to show he was finished.

"Well, it wasn't a vacation. Why don't you say what really brought you to London, Father?" Jonah asked, the polite address sounding quite sarcastic.

"Oh, you can speak of it, I already see that you're jumping at the opportunity." The Chevalier dismissed.

Jonah turned to me then, the furrow in his brow increasing and gaze held firm. "Monsieur Jacques Brissot requested of Father to speak with the English abolitionists about translating their work into French. We wanted it for production under our newly formed organization, Société des amis des Noirs. The authors have agreed, thankfully, and I can acquire some of the printed literature in French for you, Monsieur de Lioncourt."

I nodded a passive agreement to the idea.

He threw a glance at Louis, then, who was yawning into his hand at the given moment. "You haven't burned your edition of Voltaire's "Candide" yet, Louis. I noticed that it was right on the arm of your lounge chair, actually!" The young man's tone was ripe with provocation.

Louis chuckled and shifted in the chair next to me. "We've talked of this already. I'm simply not going to reject an author that's apart of the literary canon just for one disjointed belief!"

Jonah raised his hand in declamation. "Except it's not "just one disjointed belief". He's a damn polygenist, Louis! How can you trust in the words of a man that thinks there exist a number of different Adam and Eve's for each human coloration? Or even worse, a man that proposes that blacks have an animalistic origin, that we are inherently lesser than the more humane and dignified whites!"

"You can't dismiss-"

"Oh, but I can!"

"What do you propose then?!" Louis questioned with annoyance.

"In my heart I know there is no difference. That societal and literal shackles have held my men down all over the world, and that colonialists only continue to profit off their suffering! Voltaire himself had all ten fingers muddled in the slave trade, of course he needed an excuse for this vile system. One needn't feel compassion when they deem another a simple beast of burden."

The defiance was gone from Louis, as the fathers listened in silence.

"My skin is tanned as tarnished copper in summer, while I pass for a Spaniard in the colder months! You've visited the colonies, Louis, you know what scortching heat can be found in the Saharan desert. You were as crisp as a dried tomato yourself after a few weeks of hiding under sun hats and tents. And then look how the icy Scandinavians gleam palely in comparison." He paused to take a swallow of water. "I want you to throw that book away, I've equipt you with much finer literature so far."

No one spoke for a moment, until recognition sparked in the older merchant's eyes.

"Paul! Where have you been, young man?" He asked sternly, gazing at the one who stood at the room's entrance.

"And here comes our First Estate." Jonah mocked.

"Have you said grace before arguing, or shall I begin?" He chided, moving closer and grabbing the back of my chair. "You're sitting in my place."

"Tone, Paul." Monsieur du Lac reminded.

"It's alright, really." I stood and extended my hand to the pale, young man. "Lestat de Lioncourt." I greeted, but to my introducting came no answer.

The man clad in black sat in the still-warm chair and positioned himself in prayer, as the others followed suit, urging me to sit one chair down and do the same.

"Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless us and Thy gifts which we receive from Thy bountiful goodness, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen." He led soundly, the fathers joining with equal vigor, while the rest of us merely murmured.

Then he straightened with a sharp movement, looking at Jonah directly. "You're correct to scorn Voltaire, but you do it for the wrong reasons. He's godless and irreverent, and to support deism, in a time when prayer and sacrifice is most urgent to this populace, is simply destructive."

"We don't need prayer, we need reform, Paul. We need action! Not passive submission to a silent spectator. There shall not be any more divine right, as we shall render the King as impotent as God-"

The Chevalier started. "Don't talk to your cousin as such, Jonah, if you can't agree-"

"He is not my biological cousin and never will be. We are brothers in Christ and in no other sense." Paul declaimed in a loud but monotone manner, moving towards the dishes to pour a steamless cream potage with a ladle...

POV Lestat de Lioncourt, starting with both as humans, 18th century Paris, French Revolution, book renditions of main characters, borrowing from AMC's IWTV, Loustat.

#vampire chronicles #lestat de lioncourt #louis de pointe du lac #iwtv fanfiction #fanfic #vampire chronicles fanfiction #loustat

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denimbex1986 · 3 months

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'It’s an early march Friday night, I am on a bus which I will unfortunately ride until sunrise to get to my hometown...I turn to what is an old (relatively, I’m not even 25 yet) faithful: Hand. Cannot. Erase. Steven Wilson’s fourth solo outing. Since it came out (back in 2015) I became enthralled by not only its wonderful musical palette, but also by its themes, touching on isolation, alienation and modern-day malaise. When it came out I was barely sixteen, and a good dose of teen angst, mixed with some of the most depressing times in my life, led to this album becoming very, very important for me, and very quickly. One of my favorite things in music is when the artwork translates perfectly the content itself: Between the Buried and Me’s Coma Ecliptic is a bright blue sky backdrop on desert bushes with some rusty and mysterious machinery, Devin Townsend’s Deconstruction is angry, stormy clouds, Toska’s Fire by the Silos is a towering high tension trellis. Hand. Cannot. Erase. is an apartment complex at night, with different lights turning on and off, and a single, lonely person, gazing out their window, somberly. As it turns out, this was a perfect depiction of how I felt as a teenager, and it’s exactly my view out the window in the big town where I live now. It’s an image I obsess with constantly: the idea of a small individual in a world of several, simultaneous, small individuals, each within its own small universe. It’s not difficult to see why, when I watched Andrew Haigh’s All of us Strangers, a whole host of emotions rose inside me.

Adapted from a novel by Japanese author Taichi Yamada called Strangers ( 異人たちとの夏), All of Us Strangers is a recently released film by British director Andrew Haigh. The film stars Andrew Scott as Adam, a screenwriter who lives alone in his London flat. Through the course of the movie, Adam meets another man, Harry, played by Paul Mescal, whom he gradually falls in love with. Meanwhile, Adam goes back to his childhood home, and starts seeing his parents, played by Claire Foy and Jamie Bell, who died tragically in an accident when he was younger. It’s as though they were never gone, and are the same age as Adam in the present.

The film deals with themes such as grief, loneliness, memories and love, and how they’re all intertwined, seemingly impossible to discern. Adam’s life might have been adequate, but he decidedly shielded himself from the possibilities of love and interpersonal connection, scared both by how his sexuality was perceived in his youth, and by the pain he had to go through at such a young age.

These themes not only harken back to Hand. Cannot. Erase. (in a way which will be explained further down the essay), but they are used in another progressive rock concept album: Pink Floyd’s The Wall. The record tells the story of Pink, a man who is neglected and abused in multiple ways during his childhood, to then become an alienated rockstar who builds a metaphorical wall, isolating himself from the rest of the world. Other albums also use these themes in a rock opera context: The Who’s Tommy, or even Ayreon’s The Human Equation, where a man deals with the personification of his very emotions, à la Inside Out.

Steven Wilson’s album is explicitly inspired by the story of Joyce Carol Vincent, a girl who was found in her apartment three years after her death. The album takes this horrible real-life event and builds on it to tell fragments of the life of its protagonist, brilliantly embodied in the artwork by Karolina Grzybowska. The record opens, after the “First Regret” intro, with “Three Years Older”: its lyrics are sung from a second person’s perspective, and they probably take place after the titular three years, when the body is eventually found. What follows is a series of songs about longing for a moment frozen in time: “Hand Cannot Erase” is about a past relationship, “Routine” is about distracting yourself from grief and depression with chores, “Perfect Life” beautifully reminisces on a friendship from the protagonist’s youth, wherein tangible objects like cigarettes and clothes, and pieces of media such as songs become the ghost of someone. In his review of the movie, British film critic Mark Kermode underlined the film’s Japanese origin through its idea of ghosts: ghosts which inhabit everyday things, just like what happens in “Perfect Life”. These songs starkly oppose the bleak present of the protagonist, who moves into the city and gradually alienates herself, as told through tracks such as “Home Invasion”, “Ancestral” and “Happy Returns”.

The ideas presented in the album all resonate through Andrew Haigh’s film, and further back into his body of work: 45 Years (also 2015) is the story of a couple nearing their forty-fifth anniversary, when the body of a past lover is discovered in perfect conditions, frozen in the Alps. The concept of time freezing is further explored in All of Us Strangers, when Adam goes back to his old place, and is treated exactly as he was as a child by the ghosts of his parents. Adam confronts them with everything he wished he could have told them, effectively haunting them, as opposed to them haunting him.

This is not the first time that Steven Wilson and Andrew Haigh deal with these matters. The latter already used ghost stories and alienation in many of his works, both solo and not (The Raven that Refused to Sing and Other Stories, Deadwing and Fear of A Blank Planet). With Haigh I already mentioned 45 Years; both movies fit a motif that is recurring more and more in today’s indie-auteur-arthouse cinematic input: the obsession with memories and looking back. Recent films such as Charlotte Wells’ Aftersun (also starring Paul Mescal, coincidentally), Celine Sciamma’s Petite Maman, or Alice Rohrwacher’s La chimera, all deal with these in varying degrees and different cultures/genres of movies.

As I sit in the bus listening to Guthrie Govan’s breathtaking guitar solo in “Regret #9”, I think about how these topics are so important to me, and I come to realize why All of Us Strangers left such an impact. By way of its language as a film, it evokes nostalgia as a dreamscape: always blurry, sometimes unmistakably joyous, others unfathomably frightening, but never life-threatening. It reminds me to seek connections in a world made of walls, and to cherish them. It reminds me of difficult times, and how I longed for better things back in the day. The time difference is short, but just enough to make me pause, and think about how much life changed (for the better, luckily) in the span of 9 years. The film is, most of all, a visual poem, much equivalent to the way music is presented to the listener, underlined by the powerful use of Pet Shop Boys’ “Always on My Mind” and Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s “The Power of Love”, which enter the host of most memorable needle drops of the past few years, along with “Under Pressure” in Aftersun. Andrew Haigh directed what is quite possibly a masterpiece, or at least a very important film to me, much like the record it reminds me so much of.'

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tasmiq · 11 months

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Jumu'ah Khuthbah: 7 July 2023

Alhamdulillah that we live Allah's mercy with every waking moment, now with your Nana and Nanu. Ya Shakur that we empathised with each other like never before! Bismillah to this past week's inspirations...

#1. In my past, I had always felt that Sufism places too much emphasis on overcoming one's nafs / ego. Shaykh Nishaat continued with his gentle provocation where it is not only me but most people that don't truly acknowledge it. However, our Nabi SAW wisely identified the struggle against the nafs as the greatest. The struggle against oneself is incumbent upon every single human being.

It is one struggle that we cannot delay, ignore like many like me in my past, by being blissfully unaware of its role or even bluff ourselves by downplaying it! Only we know the truth about our position in relation to Allah. And only when I couldn't hide with worldly busy-ness as an accident survivor, could I earnestly reflect on it! My accident proves that life is short and Allah gave us free will to be able to discern who the boss of it is, and who isn't!

#2. The struggle of the nafs is incumbent on us so that we know ourselves and for what reason we were created for ... as a representative (khalifa) of Allah. We are therefore representing Allah in life. Everything belongs to Allah and we simply have to surrender through Islam and the Sufi path, ended Shaykh Nishaat's deep echo!

#3. We finally arrived to the profound yet simple insights through Shaykh Taner's appearance on IQRA, a virtual global conference on the translation of the Qur'an. From the onset, he appeared as a natural being un-immersed and un-scripted by presentation notes - which we mureeds, were accustomed to as - relaying "heart-language" ! In fact, he jolted the audience awake by instructing them to smile, by reminding themselves that Allah is loving and soft as Ar-Rauf. Because the plenary were getting lost in the semantics of the infamous difficulties of Qur'an translation; Shaykh Taner reminded the audience that Allah is not stern and vengeful, He is our best friend and means well for us!

This was followed by a description of the decade long and elaborate steps undertaken to achieve this Qur'an translation. He emphasised that what is in thie Qur'an is positivity, love and a belief in Allah's softness and forgiveness. During Q&A, he was able to gently respond to a challenge regarding a chronological presentation of the Qur'an. Shaykh Taner emphasised that it made more sense to instil the awe and love of Allah, as originally revealed, over the spiritual rules that ought to govern humanity.

When asked for an opinion on how Allah through the Qur'an professes that it's simple and easy to relate to, Shaykh Taner proclaimed something that even took me aback:

Allah is simple Himself!

At one point, an audience member conveyed interest in helping Shaykh Taner to distribute his translated version of the Qur'an, and after gaging his intention, Shaykh Taner proclaimed:

I love you man!

And send me your address so that I can send you an unsigned version because it is Allah's words!

#4. Was a serrendipitous encounter by Yasmin Mogahed again! At some point, she said that when we question Allah, it's because we are human. What really took me aback was her identification of a spiritual shortfall of mine, that we should stop expecting perfection. Being close to Allah doesn't mean we are perfect and being perfect is in fact, a toxic myth that we have. Nabi SAW said that all the children of Adam will sin, but the best of them are those that will repent! We can always fix our dis-ease through repentance. We ask Allah for forgiveness because Allah is the most forgiving. We must also ask Allah to help us to do better the next time.

Once we understand that Al-Hakim (the Wise Judge); is planning for us, it's easier to bear difficulties because there is an absolute reason for the way things occur. A little "misfortune" could, in fact, be Allah's saving grace! We ought to be content with Allah's decree, and we must remember that there is wisdom behind everything and there is ease with difficulty. We must assume the best of Allah SWT. Subhana'Allah for the sweet music to my ears, resounding haqq / truth!

youtube

#5. It was a peaceful farewell to Spirit who coloured our hearts with possibility thinking; in that we can communicate with animals, Insha'Allah. Alhamdulillah for a life well lived in Spirit's final years, a particularly long lifespan for his kind, Ya Shakur for him perishing as a free spirit!

We also end with gratitude that your Abbu is safe and sound with your Yaaseen Bhai, in George. Insha'Allah they stay that way as they assume my artsy inclination on their shared exploration.

Ya Shakur (for Allah's opening to a fulfilling means of sustenance for Yaaseen Bhai and for the opportunity for Abbu to bond with him, by seeing his new world, including merry cukaloox Nebula!)

#Youtube

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sinterblackwell · 11 months

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2023 - mid-year book freak out tag

yay to getting into danmei. yay to my current read, qiang jin jiu, that’s wrapped itself around my brain.

yay to turning 22, and so as a gift to myself, i wrote to my heart’s content about some of the reads that have stood out to me this year so far.

it was really fun <3 and long lol enjoy

best book you’ve read so far in 2023?

the grandmaster of demonic cultivation (vol. 3) by mxtx

this is actually a much more objective answer, like scum villain would seem the most obvious choice being that it’s my new all-time comfort series but genuinely, the plot and character arcs of mdzs were so truly well-done and completely mind-bending to me, i was obsessed with it through & through.

best sequel you’ve read so far in 2023?

the scum villain’s self-saving system (vol. 2) by mxtx

this is the volume where shen qingqiu/shen yuan really gets himself in deeper trouble as despite how adamant he is that the people he’s contending with, including luo binghe, are simply fictional characters, he twists the story so much that he finds himself enveloped in it. and he soon has to come to face that his actions do have serious consequences that affect the emotions & actions of others.

also the angst….luo binghe was so goddamn heartbroken the whole time and sqq couldn’t even understand it, it was a lot. i loved it.

new release you haven’t read yet but want to?

ascension by nicholas binge

this story reminds me so much of echo by thomas olde heuvelt, one of my top 3 reads of 2022, and while things certainly will be different, i am very excited for what the premise is promising.

most anticipated release for the second half of the year?

the husky & his white cat shizun (vol. 3) by meatbun

this official english translation by seven seas entertainment was set to be released much sooner, im recalling maybe around the first half of the year?? and then it just got set back even further, which absolutely pained me with the way things ended in volume 2. it was definitely probably for a good reason since it promises that the translation will give the story a lot of justice by being more thorough, but damn 🥲

imagine starting this series in late january and then finding out you won’t get to know what happens next for about seven whole months. i’ve had lots of experience at this point, you would think i’d be used to it, but i simply am not. what makes it worse is that there are already fans out there who know what happens, they know the story from beginning to end. and for those who couldn’t understand chinese, there were fan translations to help include those better with english into the fandom, but now that’s gone, since seven seas has taken the rights of the official english translations.

this volume isn’t set to come out until september. i wholeheartedly cannot wait another moment, and yet i am simply here….waiting :’)

biggest disappointment?

maniac (necessary evils, #7) by onley james

you know….this series is not perfect by any means. the writing can be pretty average every once in a while, the dialogue cringey at times and almost juvenile, even, despite how dark the content is. but the author writes one hell of a case for each book, and it’s a very unique premise for the story as a whole. this is the same author who completely changed me after reading asa & zane’s story in headcase, making me break outside of my comfort zone when it came to what i consume in romance; and the fact that i actually enjoyed it??

as someone who has just recently experienced this same thing with danmei, this is something i’ll always appreciate her for because it was a huge jump out of my comfort zone that i would’ve never given a second thought to before but i was already five books into the series so there was no turning back, i was committed.

with this very interesting take on the found family trope, and the clear care that the author took regarding the subject of these psychopaths handling these grim cases, i was very much sad about having to say goodbye to the characters because i don’t think this is something i could’ve read by anyone else, and i don’t think there’s anything similar. so it made it even more disappointing when with this particular relationship in this final book, all the build-up that had been written of this dynamic from all the way back to unhinged, just suddenly collapsed and didn’t feel nearly fully resolved. the subject matter, especially with thomas’ painful backstory, was just as dark and difficult to read as the others, and it felt personal because of course it was, he was the center of this entire project that made this story. but….it was hard to reckon with knowing how the plot itself actually was pretty solid but then just kinda tied itself up way too neatly by the end?

i like this found family, i really really do, and it’s nice to know that they get their happy endings, but the way it was written felt so easy. what these characters were doing were pretty huge on a national scale and all eyes are on them due to their fame & popularity, and yes i can believe that the system maybe is just that oblivious, maybe that’s why they’re even doing this in the first place, but a part of me was hoping to see much more tension, more stakes built that puts these characters all in all in a very precarious position. this final book hints at that in the synopsis but it doesn’t follow through that well, because again, everything just seemed pretty rushed and a bit lackluster in execution once this final mystery was solved with a bloody red bow. the closest to these characters getting into any trouble was when zane in headcase, as a budding crime reporter, was actually pretty damn close to completely unraveling all the secret dealings that the mulvaney family were involved with. but then he meets asa, and well…here he goes becoming a part of the mulvaneys and easing into their operation with his own skill set as a reporter, which you gotta love for him.

if i look at this from a different angle, i can see another reader possibly enjoying this because again, this series could just be a nod to how fucked up the justice system is that a group of psychopaths are the ones to rid these terrible people off the streets. what they’re doing isn’t evil at all, it’s just as a minor character tells zane in headcase, that if what the mulvaneys were doing was to be revealed to the whole goddamn world, a great majority would probably be thankful for it because these people they’re taking out are genuinely awful and completely irredeemable. so no, i don’t wish for the mulvaneys to get punished, they’ve already been through enough in their own pasts and they deserve to get to live this very unconventional and comfortable life with each other; especially noah and zane.

is this an outcome that any good therapist would wish for these two in particular?? hell no….but they’re happy and they’ve been through enough neglect & abuse in their childhoods, let them be pampered by their psychopathic lovers and be part of a family that has well and done proven they would literally kill for them to secure their protection….because they already have.

at the end of the day, i guess for a finale…i just expected more, personally?? and it felt a little flat for me is all. the more time goes on, the more i don’t feel all that positive about my enjoyment of the final book. but i still have soft feelings for the characters, and it does kill me to think i simply don’t understand the story as well as i wish i could’ve.

the ending just wasn’t entirely for me, sad to say. and the writing, didn’t do a lot as i hoped for.

so yeah….there’s that 😅 (i’m definitely using this as my goodreads review)

biggest surprise?

hawk mountain by connor habib

see, the writing style was pretty interesting, which was a bit of a surprise on its own since it was just so completely unlike a lot of what i’m used to reading. but even more so, the big surprise lied in a plot twist that happened in the story. and now, with this twist, it was something i already had predicted, but it happened so much sooner than i had thought and so to see how the author wrote the aftermath, the next 200 or so pages that were still left in the book, it was very impressive, making the story that much more intense to me, and it also made me appreciate what he was doing at all.

i also would say another surprise is just the fact that i even read this book at all since i literally read it in the spur of the moment after first hearing about it in a booktube video where the creator was being recommended this title and the words “an English teacher is gaslit by his charismatic high school bully” immediately made me check out this story on libby, which!! would you look at that?? it was available.

i wasn’t reading anything else at the moment since at the time, i had to wait to read the next volume for tgcf, so that definitely made for a memorable reading experience :’)

new favorite author?

rou bao bu chi rou, aka ‘meatbun doesn’t eat meat’

if we’re looking at the numbers, mxtx would actually be the one who’s a new favorite since i’ve read all her translated books up to this point. and while i do respect her a ton as an author, meatbun just really stands out with only two of the works i’ve been able to read by her: dumb husky & his white cat shizun + yuwu.

yuwu especially, even though i’ve only read the first volume in the seven seas eng. translation, it made a huge impression on me because of how much i loved the way this particular author writes her characters. there’s a different brand of humor that’s unlike mxtx, which makes it difficult to compare, but the relationships meatbun has her characters involved in in particular, especially the main pairing, really throw me for a loop because they’re like the definitions of tragic lovers, but there’s still so much more going on in the story, so much deception and political struggles going on, i deeply enjoy every bit of it. yeah there’s a lot of angst, but the yearning….i can’t get enough. especially being in mo xi’s pov.

newest fictional crush?

i….do not have one. the closest ones i can come up with are michael stirling from when he was wicked by julia quinn + wyatt mckinley from how to say i do by tal bauer. and this is just because they’re definitely my most favorite love interests i’ve read this year so far :’)

newest favorite character?

- jiang cheng from grandmaster of demonic cultivation by mxtx

it’s as i said to another reader friend of mine (i’m doing this word for word lol):

he has anger issues. a bitter human being. he lashes out pretty quickly because he doesn’t like being seen as vulnerable. he turned out very closely like his dead mother, who was abusive, but it wasn’t written all black & white, at least the story didn’t make it so but the fandom took it upon themselves to do as such. he lost a lot and the way cultivation society manipulated that to make him turn against his own brother, was very hard to read.

he’s so complicated, i love that in characters. i love characters who get so many chances to be better and they have that potential but their own vices make them fall short, they just…feel so bittersweet, and they have these moments where the sweet shines through a little, but it’s not permanent. it’s there, but it’s fleeting.

book that made you cry?

ahem….heaven official’s blessing (vol. 4) by mxtx

TWO words: blackwater arc

book that made you happy?

- sent to a fantasy world and now all the men want me (vol. 1) by jaclyn osborn

no, this is not a manga, but it has all the tropes seen in a book where the mc is “isekai’d into a fantasy world and magically gets into a harem” (as said by a friend when i was speaking to them about it). and they were right!!

at first, i was going to list the true love experiment by christina lauren as the winner but just a few days ago, i finished this story, and it was so ridiculous and fun and heartwarming and had such an interesting world for evan & me to dive into, i couldn’t help myself putting it on here.

it’s so incredibly self-indulgent, and it just makes the story even better. i already miss kuya and can’t wait to see him & sawyer get their happy ending in the future because it will come. same for lake, lake is a sweetheart who deserves better.

most beautiful book you bought this year?

- all the sinners bleed by s.a. cosby (x)

literally just bought this book and i gotta say, 75% of the reason was because of how stunning the blood moon is on the cover :’)

books you really need to read by the end of the year?

- dark heir (dark rise, #2) by c.s. pacat

- all the hidden paths (the tithenai chronicles, #2) by foz meadows

technically, these books don’t even come out until the end of the year. but i know damn well that is there no way i’m not reading them before the world turns 2024.

dark heir i have been waiting for for about TWO years now, and all the hidden paths was a pleasant discovery since the first book read pretty much as standalone; but with how expansive the worldbuilding was and same for the court intrigue, plus all the drama that happened near the end, it only makes sense that there’s still a lot to uncover in this universe so i am very much looking forward to it.

#❣️#i was this 👌🏽 close to not publishing this at all and then i remembered this is my blog and i like writing stuff like this so yeah :’)#just something for me to look back on on this app #booklr

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 1 year

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1/1/2023 DAB Chronological Transcription

Genesis 1-3

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. I'm Jill. Today is the first day of January. Welcome. We turn the page and boy, can a lot happen within one turning of the page. We have a new week, we have a new translation. We have a brand new year setting before us. Sparkly and shiny and a blank slate. A clean, fresh start. And I don't know about you, but I could use a good fresh start right about now. It is all things new and that is hopeful and that is promising if you are new here. Welcome. We are so grateful that you have found your way here and are desiring to be in the Word every single day and allow God to speak for Himself to you. And I promise you, Brian says this all the time at the Daily Audio Bible. Try it for 30 days and just see if you are not transformed. That is the ultimate goal, is that we allow God to do what he wants in us, through us, using us, by being in relationship with Him in His Word. And so, welcome to the journey of a lifetime. Let's get started. Today we are reading Genesis, chapters one through three. And this week we're reading the New Living translation.

Commentary:

There are so many things that we could dive into at the very beginning, so many complexities to this creation story. Firstly, maybe never underestimate the power of good. God creates the heavens, the earth, night and day, all living creatures of the sky and the sea. And he calls them good. Doesn't call him perfect, doesn't say, that's it, I did it. Well done, me. He looks at it and calls it good. We could just sit here for a long time and talk about the 7th day of creation being a part of the seven days. Rest was not an afterthought. It wasn't a reward for a job well done. The 7th day of creation was rest. It's a part of the process. And I know just some of us need to just hear that rest is not lazy, it is not weakness, it is not unproductive. Rest was a part of the process of creation. So some of us just need to sit with that, let you sit with that right there. And then we could dive into how woman was created. The fact that God allowed Adam to choose from all of the things that he created and pick his helpmate. And Adam looked and saw no suitable helpmate. I absolutely love that. I have gone back and read and reread and studied and restudied and I've barely scratched the surface. But what I know is what the story says. He looked and found no suitable helpmate. And so God does what God can only do. He creates something from what is already created. And it's the only thing in this creation story that he doesn't make brand new all on his own from nothing. He took man caused him to sleep deeply and formed woman from man. So if you're a woman and you have sort of lived with this idea that we are substandard, we are sort of secondary, we are an afterthought, let me just pull up a chair and grab my cup of coffee and let's talk about the fact that we are the more of Creation. We are created into a greater longing. God allows Adam the freedom to name the animals, and in that he found nothing that would suit him. We are the more of Creation. And lastly, let's not glide over the fact that we are made in the very image of the Almighty. Of course, we have the story of the fall, but I feel like so many people focus on that. Let's point out some of these intricacies that we would normally maybe just glide right over. And let's begin there.

Prayer:

Today, Father, we thank you for newness in every aspect of today. What today represents for us as a community that is here, we have every reminder of newness. It's a new week. It's a new translation. It is a new year. It is a brand new start. And we also read the newness of Creation that you spoke us, you spoke the world into Creation. And we are here because we are Your handiwork. And so many, so many of us need the hope of something brand new today. It could not have come at a better time. And so I thank You, God, that you are our hope of all things new. And you are our promise of all things new. New is not just what you do. New is who you are. And so I thank you that we have this reminder, this hope and this promise today. And we cling to it. We're clinging to it with all that we have. And I thank you, God, for a fresh start, a new slate, and a brand new journey. And I thank you that you will be with us in every step of this journey today, this year, and every day after. And I pray that those that have never known you or felt you in a real way would come to know you in a way that they have never experienced you before. We consecrate this year, this day, this new beginning to you. And we know as we read the story and creation that it requires us. We have to be a part of this process. We thank you that you desire that with us. May we desire intimacy newness in a brand new way that we've never experienced you before. I thank you to hear us when we pray. Pray this now. In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

No matter what this year holds for you, your journey in the Bible will be transformative. And listen. You can read people's Facebook posts. You can hear people make their New Year's resolutions. And you can hear people make their stakes of claims. I'm going to eat this year alive. I'm going to show this year. And sometimes we say all of that and we just get our butts kicked, truth be told. So maybe you just limped through the finish line of last year. You turned the page and it took everything, and you just turn the page. Listen, I see you. I feel you. Some of us just waved the white flag of mercy and just be kind this new year. Just be kind. So if you're not jumping up and down and shooting off fireworks, welcoming the new year, you're my people. Because I'm coming in quietly this year and I'm going to embrace the journey. The good news is we made it. We made it. And that is worth celebrating. So great start today. You made it through day one, and that's a victory. We're going to turn the page tomorrow and do this all over again. And I look forward to it. I'm Jill. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Hi DABC family. This is God's Gal, Minnesota. How are you? All around the world I've been enjoying listening to everybody call in and hearing all your voices. So today I'm calling to give a thank you to Brooke from the Midwest. She called in and she was actually thanking the DAB community for the prayers for her family from a year ago. Her sister was pregnant with twins and went into birth prematurely and they didn't know if the twins were going to make it. And at the same time, her brother was hospitalized and put on suicide watch and it was a very tough time for their family, but she called and asked for prayers and the DAB community and family prayed for their family. So a year later right now, her sister's twins are a year old and her brother is doing much better and has gotten the medical help he needs. And it was just such a blessing to me to hear because six years ago, my brother took his life by suicide and did not get the help he needed. And our family is so broken because of it very tough. So it's good for me to hear that people will reach out and get help. So I thank you, Brooke, for your call and your tears and I'll pray for your family to continue on. Okay, that is it. This is God's Gal, Minnesota. I wish you all a holy New Year as we grow closer to God together in community. God bless.

Hey, my delightful DABC family, this is Kingdom Seeker Daniel. Family, just wanted to lift up a couple of DABers here, so if you be so kind of join me, I'd appreciate it. Father, we come on behalf of our sister Kim in Kentucky, whose son Nicholas has not had success in passing the physician assistant exam at least a couple of times. And so, Lord, we're coming against the spirit of fear, but we realize that fear does not come from you. And Lord, whatever is standing in the way, the hindrances, the stumbling blocks, the drawback, god, I pray that you would let the peace that surpasses all understanding, let that peace guard Nicholas's heart and his mind in Christ Jesus. And I ask God that you remind him that it's in you that we live, move and have our very being. So everything that wants to try and take him captive, that is not of you. We pray God that the spirit of peace would take those things captive and cause him to be free and to be successful with the next exam that he comes against. We praise you and we thank you in advance for how you are going to give him success in Jesus name. Then I lift up Tanya from Suffolk. Lord, I pray that you would continue to comfort her husband's heart as he is grieving the loss of his daughter. Will you also step into this marriage? Will you break through and speak to that husband's mind and cause him to realize, Father, that you hate divorce and you are all about marriage. So whatever has caused the break, will you bring restoration? Will you allow Tanya to be still and know that you are God and watch you show up in this marriage? In Jesus name, amen.

Hey Darren C. From College Station, Texas. My name is Chris from Massachusetts, and I just want to encourage you that when you got married, your wife left her mother and her father and she cleaved to you. You're her husband. And I know you want prayer for the mother to release the daughter from serving Buddha. But I also want to encourage you to take your authority as the husband and lead your wife and your family to Christ. And remind the mother in law that she is no longer hers, that she is yours. That you two have become one and you're one flesh. And right now you two are serving separate masters and it's going to tear you apart. So I just want to encourage you to do everything you can to follow the scripture and have a biblical marriage. And I'll pray with you, Darren. I pray God right now that you would just lead Darren and his wife closer to you, Lord God, that you would follow a biblical marriage and that you would have the strength to do this. And I pray the Holy Spirit strengthen you in Jesus name. I totally believe you can do this and I believe you're going to be freely released from this whole situation and the mother in law will have no say in the matter.

Hi guys, it's Kate calling in. I just wanted to say how happy I was to hear from Ashley from Texas and you going over what the last year has been and what the Lord has seen you through and how we should not live in condemnation and also to never give up, but to keep looking up. Oh, friends, what an encouragement Ashley's story has been to us. And I remember Vincent in Connecticut. What a story. He a testimony he produced or the Lord produced in him. It's easy for us to say we produced it, but it's really the Lord. And I'm just so thankful to him. The things that I've gone through this year, multiple deaths, mostly recently. December 22, my mother in law went home unexpectedly to be with the Lord. And now we're dealing with a different family. My husband's, the executor of her estate, which is minimal, and on and on and on. But anyway, I do see with each person's testimony as well as my own, the secret sauce is to lay it at the Lord's feet, because he is faithful and he will act. And folks, write these things down. If you are like me and you like to be reminded of the quote proofs quote that the Lord does for us. It's just something I've done my entire walk with the Lord because A I forget easily and B, I love to look back and see what the Lord has done because I can often fall into fear so easily. Big time. But anyway, I thank you all for being a community with me this year.

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atenagi · 3 years

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TCF FOOD THINGS

Okay so there are a few things that I realized in regards to food in tcf (which I am 50/50 percent sure that someone has pointed out). Now can see in the novel that food is an integral part of the story (more on character development than plot development tho). So slight spoiler warning to those who haven't read at least 500 chapters.

Eating together is a sign of family. And I think that meals are used to show just that multiple times in tcf.

RAON AND SHARING FOOD

At the start we saw Raon not wanting to share the food that he was given right? But he is generous with the food that he himself hunted, like those times when Raon gave Cale and the others on their trip to the capital. Then he progresses on sharing his food all the time regardless of where it came from. He is always proud of himself whenever he gets to share food especially to Cale. Children have a behavior of presenting something that they deeply value to people that they either equally or value more than the thing that they present. and in this case, Raon's pies. Long explanation short, this is because Cale is a good father figure to Raon, taught him the value of sharing and being kind, and now Raon is on his way on being the most unselfish, selfish dragon. (Although this point is quite obvious)

BEACROX BEING A COOK

Beacrox became a cook, not only because it's a useful skill and he gets to use knives, but also, it may be his way of assuring himself. During his and Ron's escape from the Molan household, for sure there are times that they got hungry and needed to live on what they can get right? Idk, I have no definitive proof for that. But maybe, just maybe, his past despair and need for survival translated into something akin to a sublimation coping mechanism of some sort. And now he cooks to make sure his feeble young master (and the rest of his found family) are fed!

RON AND HIS LEMONADE

We can say that Ron giving Cale lemon tea is him being a b*tch and loves tormenting Cale. But I think that this is a physical representation to Ron about how much Cale has changed, yet still remains as his puppy young master. It is something that helps Ron remind Cale to keep his feet on the ground and remind himself that yes, he was once the trash of the count's family, but now he is the treasure of the duchy. It also acts as Ron's way of measuring how much Cale has progressed as a person but now it had just become a tradition for them. And let's face it, Cale hating lemonade but is more scared of not accepting it so he still drinks it is amusing. That and Ron can use this for identification purposes in the future if someone dares to imitate Cale in front of him.

CALE BEING CALE

Now this man over here is the definition of past trauma seeping to present behaviors. What I think is the reason he is so adamant on sharing his food and reminding people to eat is because of his past in Korea while fighting the monsters. Now that he has the resources to keep his people and himself well fed, he WILL make sure everyone is able to eat whenever they can. I hope you all get the point! This is more than him looking out for people. This is him being scared of himself and everyone else getting hungry again. That's why he always asks if they already ate. That's why during the SG's test, one of the first things he taught is how to hunt for food. That is why eating is usually pointed out in the novel! It's actually a not so subtle nod to his trauma.

(Talking about Cale's behavior and trauma is another thing because there are SOOO MUCH to unpack I swear. The characterization in tcf is GOD TIER!) I may add more if I think of other food things in tcf!

#tcf #trash of the count's family #cale henituse #beacrox molan #ron molan #tcf raon #Cale has trauma™#Everyone has trauma and tragic backstories™

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