Today in Rae's head

[supreme-leader-stoat]

It occurs to me that as badass as the Unoathed are in general, Notum in particular is going to be an absolute nightmare to fight. I don't imagine he can actually fly in it like a Windrunner, but since he can summon and dismiss his armor at will, he can just fly around in ribbon form and then become corporeal again at his destination. He's like if you mashed together a full shardbearer and a Husked One with infinite respawns.

[neo--queen--serenity]

It’s incredibly important to me that the anime decided to include this scene that wasn’t in the manga. In the manga, Maomao does pass out in Jinshi’s lap after saving him from what was obviously an assassination attempt.

HOWEVER, the manga cuts off at this point, keeping strictly in Maomao’s perspective, and cuts straight to when she regains consciousness in bed after being treated for her injuries. The manga doesn’t show how she got back. They SAY how, and she briefly mentions, “wow that must have been embarrassing; he carried me back,” but we don’t SEE it. We don’t get to feel the true impact of what that means. But the anime DID show us, and holy shit.

They SHOW us how taboo this is. They show Jinshi carrying her out of the temple, after a public attempt on his life.

They show us the shock and horror on Lakan’s face as Jinshi silently walks past him. Horror at the state his daughter is in, horror at another man—a man with a status he could never dare to question—staking such a public claim over his child, horror at the fact that he could never have this level of closeness with her (as Maomao would never allow it).

Everyone hides their gazes, as is their custom when someone of his rank passes by, but the air is different this time. Jinshi is furious, he’s terrified, and he could not give a single shit about how inappropriate it looks to these palace officials.

The shot that slowly follows her trail of blood—even though it’s a small detail—that in particular leaves such a intense impression of how poignant this is for him.

Maomao talked about this scene in the manga like it was nothing to her. She did what she set out to do: she saved the person who was targeted by the attack. She didn’t even know the target would be someone she knew. But she has no idea that this happened afterwards as a result of her bravery. To her, it likely wasn’t even an act of bravery at all. She acted on impulse; she did what she knew was the right thing to do.

The anime didn’t need to include this, because the manga didn’t show it. But damn, I’m so glad they did.

[clementines-writing-corner]

I absolutely adore this show

[idreamstill]

When I was little I didn't realize the bugs that crawl in my hair were bad. I didn't realized that they were the cause of the itching and one of the reasons people didn't like their children near me. To me they were just bugs living thier life. I used to watch them race up hair strands trying to time them. Rip out chucks of hair and ball it up just to watch them navigate the maze it became.

It wasn't til I was seven and a nurse sent me home from school and explained what they were that I realized that most people didn't have lice. I went home with my 5 year old brother to my 3 year old sister with the left overs of my lunch in my backpack for her. As she ate I began to pick at the bugs in her hair putting them in a jar. Then when she decided she had sat still long enough debating how do I get rid of them.

I remember the nurse saying something about shampoo and combs. But we didn't have money for food tonight let alone shampoo and the closest store was so far away to walk. I remember running down the street to use my neighbors phone to call my nana. I remember begging her to get us shampoo and she did and she even shaved my brothers hair. And we used the shampoo with the cold water from our neighbors hose while they weren't home so they wouldn't yell at us for stealing thier water again.

We never fully got rid of the lice until I was 12 and put into a childrens home with nothing but the clothes on my back and my sister. I'm in my 30s now and some times I still can feel the phantom movements of them in my hair.

And im so glad to be rid of them and to never have to be in a place where my child will have those worries. Yet, somewhere within me is a child that loves bugs that mourns her first friends as twisted as that is.

[milamai]

Sky Lanterns (by Milamai)

[asexual-not-a-sexual]

I think this speaks for itself. Accepting a person doesn’t mean you get to put limits on their freedom. You can’t be an ally and want us to stop talking, or labeling, or demanding to be heard. 

Acceptance has no exceptions. Period.