Home and Safe Haven

Welcome Eto likes Mass Effect (Garrus, Jaal), Dragon Age (Alistair, Anders, Cullen), Avatar: The Last Airbender (Katara/Zuko), Good Omens (Ineffable Husbands), crafting (sewing, knitting, embroidery) and many other things. Sometimes she writes, crafts, makes art or rambles about her OCs. If you talk to her about something that makes you squee, she will probably squee right back at you.

[keep-the-colour]

[simena]

Garden of Hope - James Gurney (detail)

[manticoreimaginary]

oh my god, but what is this painting without the dinosaur?

[lizardlicks]

why would you crop the dinosaur

[fencehopping]

Extruding pasta

[wandasviz]

The Good Place - series premiere and series finale

[gloamglozerglam-deactivated2022]

Anyway here’s a poem I wrote about my cat

After “Do not stand at my grave and weep”, author disputed:

Do not stand at your bowl and meow. I gave you food. It’s in there now. I feed you at the dawning light, I feed you at the fall of night. I feed you kibbles mixed with meat And wet food for a special treat. I feed you even though you scoff At all the food within your trough. I feed you and still yet you yell Like as a beast from deepest hell. Do not stand at your bowl and cry. I gave you food. You will not die.

[jedthewolfdog]

upset and don’t know why? Appease the Brains

lizard brain

questions: do i have food, water, and safe shelter? 

solutions: drink more water. drink things with electrolytes. make and stick to a food schedule that works for you. clean your room. if you are in an unsafe situation, talk to someone trusted about creating a plan to get out 

toddler brain 

questions: have i had enough rest? am i been getting what i need to be healthy? am i cared for? am i frustrated? 

solutions: make sure you’re getting enough sleep on a schedule that works for you (people naturally sleep better at different times and need different amounts of sleep. if youre young you will need to sleep more than 7 or 8 hours). make sure you have varied nutrition in your diet. make sure your medications and supplements are working for you and take them on schedule. work on developing a support system that meets your needs. take breaks from things if you feel burned out, even if it’s only for a day 

monkey brain 

questions: have i had enrichment in my life? am i stuck in a rut? have i had socialization, entertainment, and creativity? has anything challenged me lately? 

solutions: limit your time on social media. make an effort to be in new environments - even if its another room in your house or backyard. examine what is or isn’t working in your routine. pick up a new hobby (if you’re more physically active, consider a hobby like writing or coding. if you’re more mentally active, consider a hobby like woodworking, bookbinding, or a sport). write stories, make art, and write analyses (if you haven’t tried original work - focus on that for a little while). try new music. try a new food. build something with legos. consume a new type of media even if you’re not sure you’ll like it (like graphic novels, radio plays, or watching ballet). take on a long term project and set aside time to work on it on a schedule (whether its every day, every few days, or specific days each week) 

human brain 

questions: do i feel loved? do i feel understood? am i existentially fulfilled? do i have a sense of purpose? do i have a sense of meaning? am i contributing to the lives of the people i care about and are they doing the same for me in return? 

solutions: reach out to friends and loved ones, and do activities together, like play a game online or walk in the park. talk to safe people about things that upset you, such as a trusted friend or a therapist, and find steps to improve your mental health. interrogate whether your religious beliefs are working for you, and if they are, make an effort to practice your faith, whether that is attending services (including digitally if they have them), reading and discussing your religious texts, or following holidays. read self help books or blogs from trusted professionals. read about philosophy and interrogate your own understanding of things. learn how to communicate your needs, thoughts, and desires to people who will listen. be active in your community (whether in community service, activism, or getting involved in local politics). adopt a rescue animal. give money to causes you care about. make an effort to learn about points of view and lived experiences that are different than your own. challenge assumptions about how you are expected to live your life and decide whether you want those things or not. express love for the people you care about - through kind words, good acts, crafts, or otherwise. if there are steps in your life you have been afraid of taking, make a plan to take them 

if you fulfill higher needs before lower needs, you will still feel bad. if you feel bad and don’t know why, start lower and work your way up. basic needs must be met before moving on healthily 

[urban-trek-thru-middle-earth]

Incorrect Lord of the Rings Quotes

[the-radio-star]

Finally some good fucking news

[rock-fish-deactivated20201231]

they concluded that the rats were having fun partially bc the rats voluntarily initiated games, hopped around joyfully and teased researchers by pretending to come close and then skittering away. rats are Very Good

[sindri42]

These scientists are getting grant money to play games with rats all day and that is just, living the dream.

[deathstars]

me remembering that luke and rey didn’t even have a good relationship and we didn’t get to see them as a parental relationship or even as friends

[artoodeetoa]

cant believe they expected us to believe luke saw rey; a lonely kid from a desert planet dreaming about finding her parents, struggling with her identity, and dealing with the weight and pressure of bringing back the jedi…. and he didnt want to help her. not only that, they also made them argue the whole time. SICK

[deathstars]

the real luke skywalker would meet rey and be like oh i know you. i’m your dad now. i can teach you three things: how to Force, how to make the perfect cup of hot chocolate, and how to destroy fascists. let’s go do barrel-rolls in x-wings

[softieskywalker]

the way the real luke skywalker would have taken a single glance at that feral desert girl and been like. "my child now." come here girl I'll teach you how to build moisture vaporators so you never have to exploit yourself for water. yes this is more important than jedi training. yes we can cover that later. oh you want to fight kyle? oh you're struggling with the idea that he might still have a soul? ok learn from my mistakes and don't lose a hand in a fight you can't win, but also did i tell you about the time i beat my dad's ass so hard he bounced back to the light side? funny story actually,

all of this in the 10 minutes after she gives him anakin's lightsaber

[deathstars]

Rey: i was abandoned by my family on a backwater desert planet and waited for them for most of my life before a droid and the man who would become my best friend showed up and i chose to leave everything i knew behind in order to help save them and help the rebellion. i am very strong with the force and want to learn in order to protect the ones i love but my own capacity for darkness scares me. i need help understanding who i am and what my power means

Luke:

[softieskywalker]

the force: here, have an apprentice who's a metaphorical narrative mirror for you. she needs guidance and a mentor figure.

luke: oh you mean my new daughter

the force: what

[deathstars]

Rey: here dad meet my friends

Luke, meeting orphan mechanic rebel rose tico, pilot with a flair for drama poe dameron, and man who chose goodness in the face of overwhelming evil and is powerful in the force finn: oh you mean all my new kids

[softieskywalker]

luke, talking to the force ghosts of the jedi council: so my first apprentice grogu has a mandalorian dad right? and he told me about how he rescued him and adopted him and how that's custom for mandalorians, right? to adopt the children they rescue. so THEN i got hit with a tax bill for religious organizations and i thought you know what doesn't get taxed? children. like when you have a child. you're not paying the government for having a child. SO i thought you know what i ain't payin the government shit-

force ghost obi-wan: but isn't leia the chancellor?

luke: EXACTLY imagine paying taxes to your sister!!! i'd rather die. anyway that's how i ended up with 15 children. they're all skywalkers.

yoda: force-sensitive, some of them are not.

luke: yes. your point?

[inky-starlight]

@softieskywalker you can’t just leave absolute gold in the tags

[unidentifiedspoon]

been thinkin about this lately and i think i want a small life. not a BAD life n not an ISOLATED life n not a CLOSED life but just. small. with defined boundaries. i want a job that will sustain me that doesn't require exhaustion to survive. i want a place to live that's big enough for me to choose every part of it; just enough shelf for mugs i love, just enough cabinet for a neat set of paints, just enough closet for clothes i actually like wearing not just ones i tolerate. i want to do little routines and make small batches of things and be a regular somewhere. i just want to have something contained and clear that's mine, mine, mine

[copperbadge]

I essentially achieved this within the past few years (I am 42) and I gotta tell you guys who are still striving for it, it feels even better than you think it will. Keep your heads up and keep reaching! 

[marzipanandminutiae]

it’s hilarious to me when people call historical fashions that men hated oppressive

like in BuzzFeed’s Women Wear Hoop Skirts For A Day While Being Exaggeratedly Bad At Doing Everything In Them video, one woman comments that she’s being “oppressed by the patriarchy.” if you’ve read anything Victorian man ever said about hoop skirts, you know that’s pretty much the exact opposite of the truth

thing is, hoop skirts evolved as liberating garment for women. before them, to achieve roughly conical skirt fullness, they had to wear many layers of petticoats (some stiffened with horsehair braid or other kinds of cord). the cage crinoline made their outfits instantly lighter and easier to move in

it also enabled skirts to get waaaaay bigger. and, as you see in the late 1860s, 1870s, and mid-late 1880s, to take on even less natural shapes. we jokingly call bustles fake butts, but trust me- nobody saw them that way. it was just skirts doing weird, exciting Skirt Things that women had tons of fun with

men, obviously, loathed the whole affair

(1864)

(1850s. gods, if only crinolines were huge enough to keep men from getting too close)

(no date given, but also, this is 100% impossible)

(also undated, but the ruffles make me think 1850s)

it was also something that women of all social classes- maids and society ladies, enslaved women and free women of color -all wore at one point or another. interesting bit of unexpected equalization there

and when bustles came in, guess what? men hated those, too

(1880s)

(probably also 1880s? the ladies are being compared to beetles and snails. in case that was unclear)

(1870s, I think? the bustle itself looks early 1870s but the tight fit of the actual gown looks later)

hoops and bustles weren’t tools of the patriarchy. they were items 1 and 2 on the 19th century’s “Fashion Trends Women Love That Men Hate” lists, with bonus built-in personal space enforcement

[prismatic-bell]

Gonna add something as someone who’s worn a lot of period stuff for theatre:

The reason you suck at doing things in a hoop skirt is because you’re not used to doing things in a hoop skirt.

The first time I got in a Colonial-aristocracy dress I felt like I couldn’t breathe. The construction didn’t actually allow me to raise my arms all the way over my head (yes, that’s period-accurate). We had one dresser to every two women, because the only things we could put on ourselves were our tights, shifts, and first crinoline. Someone else had to lace our corsets, slip on our extra crinolines, hold our arms to balance us while a second person actually put the dresses on us like we were dolls, and do up our shoes–which we could not put on ourselves because we needed to be able to balance when the dress went on. My entire costume was almost 40 pounds (I should mention here that many of the dresses were made entirely of upholstery fabric), and I actually did not have the biggest dress in the show.

We wore our costumes for two weeks of rehearsal, which is quite a lot in university theatre. The first night we were all in dress, most of the ladies went propless because we were holding up our skirts to try and get a feel for both balance and where our feet were in comparison to where it looked like they should be. I actually fell off the stage.

By opening night? We were square-dancing in the damn things. We had one scene where our leading man needed to whistle, but he didn’t know how and I was the only one in the cast loud enough to be heard whistling from under the stage, so I was also commando-crawling underneath him at full speed trying to match his stage position–while still in the dress. And petticoats. And corset. Someone took my shoes off for that scene so I could use my toes to propel myself and I laid on a sheet so I wouldn’t get the dress dirty, but that was it–I was going full Solid Snake in a space about 18″ high, wearing a dress that covered me from collarbones to floor and weighed as much as a five-year-old child. And it worked beautifully.

These women knew how to wear these clothes. It’s a lot less “restrictive” when it’s old hat.

[gothiccharmschool]

I have worn hoop skirts a lot, especially in summer. I still wear hoop skirts if I’m going to be at an event where I will probably be under stage lights. (For example, Vampire Ball.)

I can ride public transportation while wearing them. I can take a taxi while wearing them. I can go on rides at Disneyland while wearing them. Because I’ve practiced wearing them and twisting the rigid-but-flexible skirt bones so I can sit on them and not buffet other people with my skirts. 

Hoop skirts are awesome.

[magpiescholar]

Hoop skirts are also air conditioning.  If you ever go to reenactments in the South, particularly in summer, you’ll notice a lot of ladies gently swaying in their big 1860s skirts – because it fans all the sweaty bits.  You’ll be much cooler in a polished cotton gown with full sleeves, ruffles, and hoopskirt than in a riding jacket and trousers, let me promise you!  (This is part of the reason many enslaved women also enthusiastically preferred larger skirts – they had more to do than sit in the shade, but they’d get a bit of a breeze from the hoops’ movement as they were walking.)  

They’re also – and I can’t emphasize enough how important this is – really easy to pee in.  If you’re in split-crotch drawers (which, until at least the 1890s, you were), you can take an easy promenade a few feet away from the gents and then squat down and pee in pretty much total privacy.  It gives so much freedom in travel when it’s not a problem to pee most anywhere.

People also don’t realize that corsets themselves were a HUGE HUGE IMPROVEMENT over previous support-garment styles – and if you have large breasts that don’t naturally float freely above your ribcage (which some people’s do! but it’s not that common), corsets are often an improvement over modern bras.

They hold up the breasts from underneath, taking the weight of them off your back.  Most historical corset styles don’t have shoulder straps, so you’re not bearing the weight of your breast there, either, and you can raise your arms as far as your dress’s shoulder line allows (which is the actually restrictive bit – in my 1830s dress, literally all I can do is work in my lap, but in my 1890s dress I can paddle a kayak or draw a longbow with no trouble.  Both in a full corset).  They support your back and reduce the physical effort it takes to not slouch, helping avoid back pain.  They’re rigid enough that you don’t usually have to adjust your clothing to keep it where it belongs.  They’re flexible – if you’re having a bloaty PMS day you just … don’t lace it as tightly, and if your back muscles are sore you can lace it a little tighter.  And you can undo a cup (or, y’know, not have breast cups) to nurse a baby without losing any of the structural integrity of the garment.

I do educational/historical dressing and people are really insistent, like, “The corset was invented by a man, wasn’t it?”  “Actually, women were at the forefront of changing undergarment styles throughout the 19th century!” “But it’s true that it was invented by a man.”  

Uh, well, it’s hard to say who “invented” the style but it’s very likely that women’s dressmakers mostly innovated women’s corsets and men’s tailors mostly innovated men’s corsets, honey.  Because those exist too.

[deanplease]

Everything about all of this is accurate.

[tenderwiki]

@star-anise

[star-anise]

Yeees.

Also? These fashions are about taking up space. They’re about being loud and visible and saying HERE I AM. About saying “I’m so rich, I need someone to help me dress every morning.” And about saying, “I am not solely here for male consumption”–there’s a reason so many cartoons lampooning women’s fashion are about how hard those ladies are to kiss, and how impossible it’d be to have a quick fuck in them. (Which it actually isn’t, but that’s beside the point)

Historical women’s fashions aren’t 100% unproblematic and absolutely wonderful. They make stark class distinctions incredibly visible, because you simply cannot wear some of these dresses and keep them maintained without a private staff to do a ton of work for you. They upheld a standard of femininity a lot of women were excluded from. They limited women’s and girls’ participation in sports and athletics. 

But damn, women wore them for a reason.

[bogleech]

I want more villains who care about their henchmen. I wanna see the bad guy fly into a rage because the hero hurt their very favorite bungling goon and it was nearly his birthday.

[bogleech]

"how dare you fail me you miserable oafs!!" should be retired. "How DARE they bully my adorable oafs!!!" should be industry standard.

Underlings having to hold back their dark lord like an overprotective parent because they don't really want a famous hero to get outright murdered just on their behalf.

[omnybus]

I had to draw something

[perseus-huntress]

Garrus the Hero we all Deserve

Why Garrus Vakarian is better in every way than Commander Shepard, but is too nice to do anything about it. 

Cards on the table, Shepard is awesome. Like really fantastic, and I love them deep and hard. But Shepard has extensive training in the military, is a recognised veteran, has the resources of the Alliance, Council and Cerberus, the backing of THE Nihlus Kryk to be a Spectre, the most kick ass ship in the entire galaxy, THE best pilot in the galaxy and a hand picked elite team. Also they tend to fall over luck at every turn. 

And yet, Garrus Vakarian is in every way better: 

Manages to worm his way onto Shepard’s classified super duper Spectre ship by shooting one guy in the face and following up with smooth talking. 

Head hunted into the Spectre programme. 

In charge of investigating a rouge Spectre. 

Leaves not only the Normandy crew but his entire identity to go become the Space Batman on Omega. 

Wildly successful in this endeavour. Pissing off 3 merc bands and Aria in the process. 

Gathers a team of his own, without a reputation, without money or any kind of resources. 

Hunts down and isolates one Merc boss and continuously fights him for hours on end without dying horribly. 

Helps old ladies. 

Takes down an entire Gun ship with I presume only his sniper rifle. 

Plays catch with a rocket, survives. Up and about in less than 24h. 

Shoots 3 mercs with 1 bullet. 

Ironic punishments… 

Shaped like a friend, wins over Ashley, Wrex and everyone else ever. 

Gets so beloved widows write to him trying to comfort him over their own loss. 

Apparently is an incredible hand to hand fighter. 

Has no idea how to deal with romance, Googles it. 

An exceptional natural leader. 

Spends his summer harassing the Hierarchy into giving him a special task force. 

Manages to actually put the above mentioned token task force to good use, by reinforcing Palaven. Possibly saving millions of turian lives. 

Has general’s saluting him.

Wrecks an AI at maths.  

Inexplicably becomes bros with and sasses the damn Primarch. 

Doesn’t know how to dance. Learns. 

Opens doors like a normal person. 

Organises the refugee camps on the Citadel.

In conclusion? 

Feel free to add, I will as I think of other things. 

[princessvicky02]

@call-me-ryder  anything to add to that?

[biotic-commando]

Man. This list is great. I’ve been doing nothing for four days except think about Garrus and talk to @inquisitorhierarch about him in extreme detail. There are whole essays that could be written about this. I’m sure I’ll think of more stuff but for now I’ll add:

When Shep goes to see him right after he comes back to the Normandy in 3, he pulls out a bottle of expensive booze to show her. This can only mean that he had come prepared to Menae with the booze in his go-bag. I can only infer that this means the Reapers hit and he figured “Shit hit the fan, therefore Shepard is going to show up soon, I’d better be prepared.” Like, the galaxy is falling apart, and he’s still like “My kinda sorta maybe hopefully gf is definitely going to be busted out of jail now, I need to have this expensive booze ready.” He’s such a gift.

Next, about that big reunion on Menae - as @ruskidoll stated, he’s something akin to buddies with Victus, which is illustrated by how casually he speaks to him when Shepard is explaining to Victus that he’s the new Primarch. Given the strict hierarchy and meritocracy of the turian empire (plus all the generals getting literally flustered in his presence and saluting him and calling him “sir”) this can only means that Garrus is like, really REALLY high-ranking now. I don’t think Shep was too far off when she razzed him about being next in line for Primarch. 

And yet when Garrus is talking to Liara over the comms, he insists that she not worry about him and talks about putting rugs down in the forward battery and being comfortable enough with that. Like, he’s one of the top-ranked turians in the whole galaxy but he doesn’t feel entitled to a bed.

There are infinity things that could be added but anyway here are two thoughts for now!

Garrus Vakarian is a gift, protect him at all costs. I don’t know what we ever did to deserve him

[emmavakarian-theirin]

• In a matter of 3 years, he goes from ‘no one will listen to me’ to ‘everyone demands my advice’, now understanding what it’s truly like to be a leader like Shepard which he originally wanted to be, but now sees why it’s not the best life, but he never complains.

• He wants to kill the man that betrayed him and got his team killed, but even if Shepard doesn’t let that happen, he’s still loyal to Shepard and thanks them for their help.

• His mother is fighting a terrible illness that his family can’t afford treatment for while he can’t even be there, yet he still does everything he can to help her, going so far as sending donations anonymously and seeking out Mordin for his help, but he does all this without mentioning it to Shepard, possibly due to not wanting to burden them with any more problems.

• In most cases, whenever they’re on an intense mission or Shepard is going through something, he tries to make light of it, but he’s respectful enough to know when something is too much to make light of and just be comforting about it instead.

• He will arm Shepard’s ENTIRE apartment from the hot tub to the coffee machine to make sure Shepard is safe*. (*Safe if Shepard never touches anything but the gesture is what matters.)

• Garrus, as the most trusted comrade, is the only person Shepard can come clean with if the genophage was sabotaged*, and he doesn’t judge them for it. (*This is stated in the ‘Mass Effect 3 - Collecters Edition Guide’)

• He never mocks or questions Shepard in ME3 for being with Cerberus. He stood by Shepard every step of the way, always having their back like they had his. If anything, he would blame himself as much as Shepard would blame themself.

• While Garrus might not always agree with Shepard, he is always respectful of their decisions and will always stand by them regardless, because at the end of the day, he both respects and trusts Shepard more than anyone in the galaxy.

“We’re in this ‘til the end.”

[caffeinewitchcraft]

*puts on sunglasses, looks up at the moon* “The Little Mermaid, huh? I remember her.” *whips off sunglasses and looks directly into the camera* “Be a shame if someone made it super gay.” 

[caffeinewitchcraft]

The Little Mermaid and the Sea Witch

“I love you,” Ariel says without looking up from the seaweed she’s weaving into a basket. “I’d die for you.”

Ursula’s heart stops. She stares into her crystal ball blankly, long nails scraping against the surface unpleasantly. This isn’t what she expected from her day. 

You can’t, she wants to say.

You’re not for someone like me, she wants to confess.

Your father will kill you for this, she wants to warn.

Oh thank god, she wants to sob.

Ursula is alive because she thinks twice before she speaks at all. She stares into the murky depths of her future and thinks.

Ursula is the sea witch. She’s been cursed before, so many times before, and she knows she’s not fortunate enough to turn away the blessings that fall into her lap (might not be strong enough to even try). Ariel is a blessing, the greatest blessing that has ever found its way into her cave, into her home, into her arms. Ariel is the best part of the tides, the ones that roll in during summer, warm and welcoming even into the dark part of the ocean Ursula has been forced to call her home. If Ursula is smart, she’ll do anything to keep Ariel right here, so close that Ursula can reach out and touch her if she wants.

But.

Ariel is beautiful and curious and smart. She’s enthusiastic and empathetic and has the most beautiful singing voice that Ursula’s ever heard. Ursula’s a sea witch, cursed to her fate by Triton when she was too young to fight back. She thinks that Ariel doesn’t deserve the same fate.

“Are you sure?” Ursula asks at last. 

Weiterlesen

[bunjywunjy]

if our body replaces all cells every 7 years, then why tattoo stay?

the simplest version of that answer is- yes, you're right!

the cells containing the tattoo ink DO periodically die and get replaced by new cells, but the reason this doesn't destroy your precious skin art is this- those cells are actually carefully passing the ink particles along to their successors when they kick it, so each new generation of cells picks up the same exact ink particles from their elders in a cycle of inheritance that only ends when you die!

and the long version is, as soon as the tattoo gun fills your arm with ink, your immune system is on top of it; it sends a battalion of white blood cells called macrophages to the area, and they all gobble down the ink in an attempt to break it down and protect you! but. the ink particles are very large, and cannot be broken down by the macrophages, so once an ink particle is engulfed the macrophage that grabbed it is literally just stuck wherever it currently is in your skin and can't go anywhere or do anything else.

this is fine, the cell still gets nutrients and will live a normal macrophage lifespan, it just can't wander off and ruin your ink. but eventually, your trapped ink macrophages WILL die, and when they do they just kind of vomit their captured ink everywhere! whiiiich triggers your body's Intruder Alert defenses and sends a new set of macrophages to the area, who immediately just hork down the SAME DAMN INK PARTICLES and get stuck again. and on and on it goes, ad infinitum!

[ceekari]

@marissa-photo wat??

[curlicuecal]

pics :)

[roach-works]

i like that not only do i have tattoos, i have an entire population of cells that do nothing but perpetually sit there, angrily hugging each particle of ink for the rest of their lives

[sunshine-in-a-bottle]

Thinking about Anders from Dragon Age. How he was right and correct about how wrong the way mages were being treated, was justified in his anger and trauma, while still containing bigotry for elves and having asshole opinions and behaviors. It's probably been said before, but I really love that nuance?

Fighting bigotry doesn't erase your own biases, trauma doesn't mean you're incapable of harming others. He was right, he was wrong, he was complicated and scared and in a lot of pain. I want to shake him when he says shitty things, I want to hug him when he's grieving his lover. I want him to see a therapist and I want him to do better. I want him to know that he mattered, every single person he helped escape the Circle will remember him, everyone he healed will live easier.

He was a such a person to me.

[higgsbison]

he just does things sometimes