guess what


                    
                    
                

                

                

            

        
    







            

            
            

                

                    
                

                

                    

                        


	

	
    

        🔥 | Latest
    

    
    

        

        
        

            







    guess what: inquisitorhotpants:

burntcopper:

futureevilscientist:

optimysticals:

uovoc:

konec0:

sleepyferret:

shitfacedanon:

dat-soldier:

sonnetscrewdriver:

dat-soldier:

did-you-kno:

Source


back the fuck up


There’s another story that I like about a Chinese general who had to defend a city with only a handful of soldiers from a huge enemy horde that was in all likelihood going to steamroll the place flat within hours of showing up.
So when said horde did arrive, they saw the general sitting outside the city’s open gates, drinking tea. The horde sent a couple of emissaries over to see what was what, and the general greeted them cheerfully and invited them all to come and take tea with him.
The horde decided that this was a scenario that had “MASSIVE FUCKING TRAP” written all over it in beautiful calligraphy and promptly fucked off.
Whoever that general was, he was clearly the Ancient Chinese equivalent of Sam Vimes.


did he just invite us over for tea nah man i’m out


This just keeps getting better

I fucking love history.

ok but tbh that story misses a lot of the subtlety of the situation like ok
so this story is the Romance of Three Kingdoms, and essentially takes place between Zhuge Liang, resident tactician extraordinaire, and Sima Yi… OTHER resident tactician extraordinaire.
The two were both regarded as tactical geniuses and recognized the other as their rival. Zhuge Liang had a reputation for ambushing the SHIT out of his opponents and using the environment to his advantage, thus destroying large armies with a small number of men. Sima Yi (who kind of entered the picture later) was a cautious person whose speciality was unravelling his opponent’s plans before they began. So it was natural that the two would butt heads; however, since Sima Yi tended to have more men and resources, he started winning battles against the former. Which, y’know, kinda sucked.
On to the actual story: Zhuge Liang is all like “shit i gotta defend this city with like 10 men.” Literally if he fights ANY kind of battle here, he WILL lose; his only option for survival is not to fight. And that’s looking more and more impossible until he hears that his rival is leading the opposing army. And then he gets this brilliant idea. He basically opens all the gates, sends his men out in civilian clothes to sweep the streets, and sits on top of the gate drinking tea and chilling out and basically makes the whole thing out to be a trap
When Sima Yi comes he’s all like “yo come on in bro”
and Sima Yi is like “yeah he’s never been that obvious about his traps before. this is definitely a bluff” and he’s about to head in when he realizes
wait. he knows that i think he’s bluffing.
and so he gets it in his head that maybe, just MAYBE, Zhuge Liang has this cunning plan that will wipe out his army - recall that he has a pretty good handle on what his rival is capable of. And after a long period of deliberation (which is just like “he know that I know that he knows that etc.”), being the cautious man he is, SIma Yi eventually decides to turn his entire army around and leave.
Zhuge Liang later points out that the plan was based specifically on the fact that he was facing his rival; if it had been anyone else, there’s no way it would have worked. A dumber or less cautious person would have simply charged in and won without breaking a sweat. 
and that’s the real genius here: it was a plan formed entirely just to deceive one man, and it worked.

Zhuge Liang is the most brilliant, sneaky-ass bastard in history. One time his side’s army was out of arrows, which pretty much meant they were screwed. So Zhuge Liang goes and does the logical thing, which is build a fuck ton of scarecrows and put them all on boats. Then he makes the men hide in the boats and sail them out on the river.
Well, that day was super foggy (which Zhuge Liang had predicted. Did I mention he was also a freakishly accurate meteorologist?). So the enemy across the river sees a fleet of boats armed to the teeth with what appears to be half an army of men. They panic! and start firing arrows like crazy. 
Zhuge Liang lets this play out for a while, then he’s like, ”Ok guys that’s enough.” They calmly turn the boats around and go back to base, where they dismantle the scarecrows and pull out all the enemy’s arrows.
Zhuge Liang is legend.

I love this post. It just keeps getting better. Like seriously, I would have adored learning about this in World History.

If you want to see this in cinematic glory, watch Red Cliff.
Especially since it makes Zhuge Liang look like this:
Red Cliff is 50% bloody battles and 50% eye candy and about half of that eye-candy is due to Zhuge Liang

I fully support watching Red Cliff; it’s gloriously silly entertainment during the battle scenes.

Guess what just got moved to the top of my watch list?? :D

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: inquisitorhotpants:

burntcopper:

futureevilscientist:

optimysticals:

uovoc:

konec0:

sleepyferret:

shitfacedanon:

dat-soldier:

sonnetscrewdriver:

dat-soldier:

did-you-kno:

Source


back the fuck up


There’s another story that I like about a Chinese general who had to defend a city with only a handful of soldiers from a huge enemy horde that was in all likelihood going to steamroll the place flat within hours of showing up.
So when said horde did arrive, they saw the general sitting outside the city’s open gates, drinking tea. The horde sent a couple of emissaries over to see what was what, and the general greeted them cheerfully and invited them all to come and take tea with him.
The horde decided that this was a scenario that had “MASSIVE FUCKING TRAP” written all over it in beautiful calligraphy and promptly fucked off.
Whoever that general was, he was clearly the Ancient Chinese equivalent of Sam Vimes.


did he just invite us over for tea nah man i’m out


This just keeps getting better

I fucking love history.

ok but tbh that story misses a lot of the subtlety of the situation like ok
so this story is the Romance of Three Kingdoms, and essentially takes place between Zhuge Liang, resident tactician extraordinaire, and Sima Yi… OTHER resident tactician extraordinaire.
The two were both regarded as tactical geniuses and recognized the other as their rival. Zhuge Liang had a reputation for ambushing the SHIT out of his opponents and using the environment to his advantage, thus destroying large armies with a small number of men. Sima Yi (who kind of entered the picture later) was a cautious person whose speciality was unravelling his opponent’s plans before they began. So it was natural that the two would butt heads; however, since Sima Yi tended to have more men and resources, he started winning battles against the former. Which, y’know, kinda sucked.
On to the actual story: Zhuge Liang is all like “shit i gotta defend this city with like 10 men.” Literally if he fights ANY kind of battle here, he WILL lose; his only option for survival is not to fight. And that’s looking more and more impossible until he hears that his rival is leading the opposing army. And then he gets this brilliant idea. He basically opens all the gates, sends his men out in civilian clothes to sweep the streets, and sits on top of the gate drinking tea and chilling out and basically makes the whole thing out to be a trap
When Sima Yi comes he’s all like “yo come on in bro”
and Sima Yi is like “yeah he’s never been that obvious about his traps before. this is definitely a bluff” and he’s about to head in when he realizes
wait. he knows that i think he’s bluffing.
and so he gets it in his head that maybe, just MAYBE, Zhuge Liang has this cunning plan that will wipe out his army - recall that he has a pretty good handle on what his rival is capable of. And after a long period of deliberation (which is just like “he know that I know that he knows that etc.”), being the cautious man he is, SIma Yi eventually decides to turn his entire army around and leave.
Zhuge Liang later points out that the plan was based specifically on the fact that he was facing his rival; if it had been anyone else, there’s no way it would have worked. A dumber or less cautious person would have simply charged in and won without breaking a sweat. 
and that’s the real genius here: it was a plan formed entirely just to deceive one man, and it worked.

Zhuge Liang is the most brilliant, sneaky-ass bastard in history. One time his side’s army was out of arrows, which pretty much meant they were screwed. So Zhuge Liang goes and does the logical thing, which is build a fuck ton of scarecrows and put them all on boats. Then he makes the men hide in the boats and sail them out on the river.
Well, that day was super foggy (which Zhuge Liang had predicted. Did I mention he was also a freakishly accurate meteorologist?). So the enemy across the river sees a fleet of boats armed to the teeth with what appears to be half an army of men. They panic! and start firing arrows like crazy. 
Zhuge Liang lets this play out for a while, then he’s like, ”Ok guys that’s enough.” They calmly turn the boats around and go back to base, where they dismantle the scarecrows and pull out all the enemy’s arrows.
Zhuge Liang is legend.

I love this post. It just keeps getting better. Like seriously, I would have adored learning about this in World History.

If you want to see this in cinematic glory, watch Red Cliff.
Especially since it makes Zhuge Liang look like this:
Red Cliff is 50% bloody battles and 50% eye candy and about half of that eye-candy is due to Zhuge Liang

I fully support watching Red Cliff; it’s gloriously silly entertainment during the battle scenes.

Guess what just got moved to the top of my watch list?? :D

                
            

            
            
inquisitorhotpants:

burntcopper:

futureevilscientist:

optimysticals:

uovoc:

konec0:

sleepyferret:

shitfacedanon:

dat-soldier:

so...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: I can hear Charlemagne right now: “Guess. What. Race it is!”
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: I can hear Charlemagne right now: “Guess. What. Race it is!”
                
            

            
            
I can hear Charlemagne right now: “Guess. What. Race it is!”

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: cereusblue:
unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
This is how the golden age of piracy ended.
The first mermaid to get tattoos :)


“we didn’t know any better,” the crewman says, and swallows, presenting the chest to the captain. “what do we do now?”
“kill it,” the captain says, but the ice is melting in his eyes.
“we can’t,” the first mate says desperately, praying she won’t have to fight her captain on this. “we can’t. we - i won’t. we won’t.”
“i know.”
x
“daddy,” she says, floating in a tub of seawater in the hold, “daddy, la-la, la-la-la.”
her voice rings like bells. her accent is strange; her mouth isn’t made for human words. it mesmerises even the hardiest amongst them and she wasn’t even trying. the crew has taken to diving for shellfish near the shorelines for her; she loves them, splitting the shells apart with strength seen in no human toddler, slurping down the slimy molluscs inside and laughing, all plump brown cheeks and needle-sharp teeth. she sometimes splashes them for fun with her smooth, rubbery brown tail. even when they get soaked they laugh. they love her.
“daddy,” she calls again, and he can hear the worry in her voice. the storm rocking the ship is harsh and uncaring, and if they go down, she would be the only survivor.
“don’t worry,” he says, and goes over, sitting next to the tub. the first mate, leaning against the wall, pretends not to notice as he quietly begins to sing.
x
“father,” she says, one day, as she leans on the edge of the dock and the captain sits next to her, “why am I here?”
“your mother abandoned you,” he says, as he always has. “we found you adrift, and couldn’t bear to leave you there.”
she picks at the salt-soaked boards, uncertain. her hair is pulled back in a fluffy black puff, the white linen holding it slipping almost over one of her dark eyes. one of her first tattoos, a many-limbed kraken, curls over her right shoulder and down her arm, delicate tendrils wrapped around her calloused fingertips. “alright,” she says.
x
“why am I really here?” she asks the first mate, watching the sun set over the water in streaks of liquid metal that pooled in the troughs of the waves and glittered on the seafoam.
“we didn’t know any better,” the first mate says, staring into the water. “we didn’t know- we didn’t know anything. we didn’t understand why she fought so viciously to guard her treasure. we could not know she protected something a thousand times more precious than the purest gold.”
she wants to be furious, but she can’t. she already knew the answer, from reading the guilt in her father’s eyes and the empty space in her own history. and she can’t hate her family.
“it’s alright,” she says. “i do have a family, anyways. i don’t think i would have liked my other life near as much.”
x
her kraken grows, spreading its tendrils over her torso and arms. she grows too, too large to come on board the ship without being hauled up in a boat from the water. she sings when the storms come and swims before the ship to guide it to safety. she fights off more than one beast of the seas, and gathers a set of scars across her back that she bears with pride. “i don’t mind,” she says, when the captain fusses over her, “now i match all of you.”
the first time their ship is threatened, really threatened, is by another fleet. a friend turned enemy of the first mate. “we shouldn’t fight him,” she says, peering through the spyglass.
“why not?” the mermaid asks.
“he’ll win,” the first mate says.
the mermaid tips her head sideways. Her eyes, dark as the deep waters, gleam in the noon light. “are you sure?” she asks.
x
the enemy fleet surrenders after the flagship is sunk in the night, the anchor ripped off the ship and the planks torn off the hull. the surviving crew, wild-eyed and delirious, whimper and say a sea serpent came from the water and attacked them, say it was longer than the boat and crushed it in its coils. the first mate hears this and has to hide her laughter. the captain apologizes to his daughter for doubting her.
“don’t worry,” she says, with a bright laugh, “it was fun.”
x
the second time, they are pushed by a storm into a royal fleet. they can’t possibly fight them, and they don’t have the time to escape.
“let me up,” the mermaid urges, surfacing starboard and shouting to the crew. “bring me up, quickly, quickly.”
they lower the boat and she piles her sinous form into it, and uses her claws to help the crew pull her up. once on the deck she flops out of the boat and makes her way over to the bow. the crew tries to help but she’s so heavy they can barely lift parts of her.
she crawls up out in front of the rail and wraps her long webbed tail around the prow. the figurehead has served them well so far but they need more right now. she wraps herself around the figurehead and raises her body up into the wind takes a breath of the stinging salt air and sings.
the storm carries her voice on its front to the royal navy. they are enchanted, so stunned by her song that they drop the rigging ropes and let the tillers drift. the pirates sail through the center of the fleet, trailing the storm behind them, and by the time the fleet has managed to regain its senses they are buried in wind and rain and the pirates are gone.
x
she declines guns. instead she carries a harpoon and its launcher, and uses them to board enemy ships, hauling her massive form out of the water to coil on the deck and dispatch enemies with ruthless efficiency. her family is feared across all the sea.
x
“you know we are dying,” the captain says, looking down at her.
she floats next to the ship, so massive she could hold it in her arms. her eyes are wise.
“i know,” she says, “i can feel it coming.”
the first mate stands next to the captain. she never had a lover or a child, and neither did he, but to the mermaid they are her parents. she will always love her daughter. the tattoos are graven in dark swirls across the mermaid’s deep brown skin and the flesh of her tail, even spiraling onto the spiked webbing on her spine and face. her hair is still tied back, this time with a sail that could not be patched one last time. 
“we love you,” the first mate says simply, looking down. her own tightly coiled black hair falls in to her face; she shakes the locs out of the way and smiles through her tears. the captain pretends he isnt crying either.
“i love you too,” the mermaid says, and reached up to pull the ship down just a bit, just to hold them one last time.
“guard the ship,” the captain says. “you always have but you know they’re lost without you.”
“without you,” the mermaid corrects, with a shrug that makes waves. “what will we do?”
“i don’t know,” the captain says. “but you’ll help them, won’t you?”
“of course i will,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “i will always protect my family.”
x
the captain and the first mate are gone. the ship has a new captain, young and fearless - of the things she can afford to disregard. she fears and loves the ocean, as all captains do. she does not fear the royal fleet. and she does not fear the mermaid.
“you know, i heard stories about you when i was a little girl,” she says, trailing her fingers in the water next to the dock.
the mermaid stares at her with one eye the size of a dinner table. “is that so?” she hums, smirking with teeth sharper than the swords of the entire navy.
“they said you could sink an entire fleet and that you had skin tougher than dragon scales,” the new captain says, grinning right back at the monster who could eat her without a moment’s hesitation. “i always thought they were telling tall tales.”
“and now?”
“they were right,” the new captain says. “how did they ever befriend you?”
the mermaid smiles, fully this time, her dark eyes gleaming under the white linen sail. “they didn’t know any better.”

She protects her family.

Hi everybody! Guess what’s being posted on AO3 now at the following link!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498384/chapters/53760817
That’s right! Here you go. I’ll be uploading it in some chunks, because I want to make sure I have everything I wanted edited cleanly finished, but follow the story there!




HEY GUYS GUESS WHATS BACK ON THE DASHBOARD AND BETTER THAN EVER

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: cereusblue:
unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
This is how the golden age of piracy ended.
The first mermaid to get tattoos :)


“we didn’t know any better,” the crewman says, and swallows, presenting the chest to the captain. “what do we do now?”
“kill it,” the captain says, but the ice is melting in his eyes.
“we can’t,” the first mate says desperately, praying she won’t have to fight her captain on this. “we can’t. we - i won’t. we won’t.”
“i know.”
x
“daddy,” she says, floating in a tub of seawater in the hold, “daddy, la-la, la-la-la.”
her voice rings like bells. her accent is strange; her mouth isn’t made for human words. it mesmerises even the hardiest amongst them and she wasn’t even trying. the crew has taken to diving for shellfish near the shorelines for her; she loves them, splitting the shells apart with strength seen in no human toddler, slurping down the slimy molluscs inside and laughing, all plump brown cheeks and needle-sharp teeth. she sometimes splashes them for fun with her smooth, rubbery brown tail. even when they get soaked they laugh. they love her.
“daddy,” she calls again, and he can hear the worry in her voice. the storm rocking the ship is harsh and uncaring, and if they go down, she would be the only survivor.
“don’t worry,” he says, and goes over, sitting next to the tub. the first mate, leaning against the wall, pretends not to notice as he quietly begins to sing.
x
“father,” she says, one day, as she leans on the edge of the dock and the captain sits next to her, “why am I here?”
“your mother abandoned you,” he says, as he always has. “we found you adrift, and couldn’t bear to leave you there.”
she picks at the salt-soaked boards, uncertain. her hair is pulled back in a fluffy black puff, the white linen holding it slipping almost over one of her dark eyes. one of her first tattoos, a many-limbed kraken, curls over her right shoulder and down her arm, delicate tendrils wrapped around her calloused fingertips. “alright,” she says.
x
“why am I really here?” she asks the first mate, watching the sun set over the water in streaks of liquid metal that pooled in the troughs of the waves and glittered on the seafoam.
“we didn’t know any better,” the first mate says, staring into the water. “we didn’t know- we didn’t know anything. we didn’t understand why she fought so viciously to guard her treasure. we could not know she protected something a thousand times more precious than the purest gold.”
she wants to be furious, but she can’t. she already knew the answer, from reading the guilt in her father’s eyes and the empty space in her own history. and she can’t hate her family.
“it’s alright,” she says. “i do have a family, anyways. i don’t think i would have liked my other life near as much.”
x
her kraken grows, spreading its tendrils over her torso and arms. she grows too, too large to come on board the ship without being hauled up in a boat from the water. she sings when the storms come and swims before the ship to guide it to safety. she fights off more than one beast of the seas, and gathers a set of scars across her back that she bears with pride. “i don’t mind,” she says, when the captain fusses over her, “now i match all of you.”
the first time their ship is threatened, really threatened, is by another fleet. a friend turned enemy of the first mate. “we shouldn’t fight him,” she says, peering through the spyglass.
“why not?” the mermaid asks.
“he’ll win,” the first mate says.
the mermaid tips her head sideways. Her eyes, dark as the deep waters, gleam in the noon light. “are you sure?” she asks.
x
the enemy fleet surrenders after the flagship is sunk in the night, the anchor ripped off the ship and the planks torn off the hull. the surviving crew, wild-eyed and delirious, whimper and say a sea serpent came from the water and attacked them, say it was longer than the boat and crushed it in its coils. the first mate hears this and has to hide her laughter. the captain apologizes to his daughter for doubting her.
“don’t worry,” she says, with a bright laugh, “it was fun.”
x
the second time, they are pushed by a storm into a royal fleet. they can’t possibly fight them, and they don’t have the time to escape.
“let me up,” the mermaid urges, surfacing starboard and shouting to the crew. “bring me up, quickly, quickly.”
they lower the boat and she piles her sinous form into it, and uses her claws to help the crew pull her up. once on the deck she flops out of the boat and makes her way over to the bow. the crew tries to help but she’s so heavy they can barely lift parts of her.
she crawls up out in front of the rail and wraps her long webbed tail around the prow. the figurehead has served them well so far but they need more right now. she wraps herself around the figurehead and raises her body up into the wind takes a breath of the stinging salt air and sings.
the storm carries her voice on its front to the royal navy. they are enchanted, so stunned by her song that they drop the rigging ropes and let the tillers drift. the pirates sail through the center of the fleet, trailing the storm behind them, and by the time the fleet has managed to regain its senses they are buried in wind and rain and the pirates are gone.
x
she declines guns. instead she carries a harpoon and its launcher, and uses them to board enemy ships, hauling her massive form out of the water to coil on the deck and dispatch enemies with ruthless efficiency. her family is feared across all the sea.
x
“you know we are dying,” the captain says, looking down at her.
she floats next to the ship, so massive she could hold it in her arms. her eyes are wise.
“i know,” she says, “i can feel it coming.”
the first mate stands next to the captain. she never had a lover or a child, and neither did he, but to the mermaid they are her parents. she will always love her daughter. the tattoos are graven in dark swirls across the mermaid’s deep brown skin and the flesh of her tail, even spiraling onto the spiked webbing on her spine and face. her hair is still tied back, this time with a sail that could not be patched one last time. 
“we love you,” the first mate says simply, looking down. her own tightly coiled black hair falls in to her face; she shakes the locs out of the way and smiles through her tears. the captain pretends he isnt crying either.
“i love you too,” the mermaid says, and reached up to pull the ship down just a bit, just to hold them one last time.
“guard the ship,” the captain says. “you always have but you know they’re lost without you.”
“without you,” the mermaid corrects, with a shrug that makes waves. “what will we do?”
“i don’t know,” the captain says. “but you’ll help them, won’t you?”
“of course i will,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “i will always protect my family.”
x
the captain and the first mate are gone. the ship has a new captain, young and fearless - of the things she can afford to disregard. she fears and loves the ocean, as all captains do. she does not fear the royal fleet. and she does not fear the mermaid.
“you know, i heard stories about you when i was a little girl,” she says, trailing her fingers in the water next to the dock.
the mermaid stares at her with one eye the size of a dinner table. “is that so?” she hums, smirking with teeth sharper than the swords of the entire navy.
“they said you could sink an entire fleet and that you had skin tougher than dragon scales,” the new captain says, grinning right back at the monster who could eat her without a moment’s hesitation. “i always thought they were telling tall tales.”
“and now?”
“they were right,” the new captain says. “how did they ever befriend you?”
the mermaid smiles, fully this time, her dark eyes gleaming under the white linen sail. “they didn’t know any better.”

She protects her family.

Hi everybody! Guess what’s being posted on AO3 now at the following link!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498384/chapters/53760817
That’s right! Here you go. I’ll be uploading it in some chunks, because I want to make sure I have everything I wanted edited cleanly finished, but follow the story there!




HEY GUYS GUESS WHATS BACK ON THE DASHBOARD AND BETTER THAN EVER

                
            

            
            
cereusblue:
unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
This is how the g...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: gservator:
slumberinggirl:


cutereptiles:

shadyufo:

shadyufo:
Guess what I’m hauling in my wagon?
A Friend!



:D



:}}



:}{

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: gservator:
slumberinggirl:


cutereptiles:

shadyufo:

shadyufo:
Guess what I’m hauling in my wagon?
A Friend!



:D



:}}



:}{

                
            

            
            
gservator:
slumberinggirl:


cutereptiles:

shadyufo:

shadyufo:
Guess what I’m hauling in my wagon?
A Friend!



:D



:}}



:}{


            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: geographybasket:

I just got TV Paint and guess whatA animation test ft Czech(the thing’s transparent sorry)
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: geographybasket:

I just got TV Paint and guess whatA animation test ft Czech(the thing’s transparent sorry)
                
                

                
            

            
            
geographybasket:

I just got TV Paint and guess whatA animation test ft Czech(the thing’s transparent sorry)

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: ironwoman359:
cereusblue:

unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
This is how the golden age of piracy ended.
The first mermaid to get tattoos :)


“we didn’t know any better,” the crewman says, and swallows, presenting the chest to the captain. “what do we do now?”
“kill it,” the captain says, but the ice is melting in his eyes.
“we can’t,” the first mate says desperately, praying she won’t have to fight her captain on this. “we can’t. we - i won’t. we won’t.”
“i know.”
x
“daddy,” she says, floating in a tub of seawater in the hold, “daddy, la-la, la-la-la.”
her voice rings like bells. her accent is strange; her mouth isn’t made for human words. it mesmerises even the hardiest amongst them and she wasn’t even trying. the crew has taken to diving for shellfish near the shorelines for her; she loves them, splitting the shells apart with strength seen in no human toddler, slurping down the slimy molluscs inside and laughing, all plump brown cheeks and needle-sharp teeth. she sometimes splashes them for fun with her smooth, rubbery brown tail. even when they get soaked they laugh. they love her.
“daddy,” she calls again, and he can hear the worry in her voice. the storm rocking the ship is harsh and uncaring, and if they go down, she would be the only survivor.
“don’t worry,” he says, and goes over, sitting next to the tub. the first mate, leaning against the wall, pretends not to notice as he quietly begins to sing.
x
“father,” she says, one day, as she leans on the edge of the dock and the captain sits next to her, “why am I here?”
“your mother abandoned you,” he says, as he always has. “we found you adrift, and couldn’t bear to leave you there.”
she picks at the salt-soaked boards, uncertain. her hair is pulled back in a fluffy black puff, the white linen holding it slipping almost over one of her dark eyes. one of her first tattoos, a many-limbed kraken, curls over her right shoulder and down her arm, delicate tendrils wrapped around her calloused fingertips. “alright,” she says.
x
“why am I really here?” she asks the first mate, watching the sun set over the water in streaks of liquid metal that pooled in the troughs of the waves and glittered on the seafoam.
“we didn’t know any better,” the first mate says, staring into the water. “we didn’t know- we didn’t know anything. we didn’t understand why she fought so viciously to guard her treasure. we could not know she protected something a thousand times more precious than the purest gold.”
she wants to be furious, but she can’t. she already knew the answer, from reading the guilt in her father’s eyes and the empty space in her own history. and she can’t hate her family.
“it’s alright,” she says. “i do have a family, anyways. i don’t think i would have liked my other life near as much.”
x
her kraken grows, spreading its tendrils over her torso and arms. she grows too, too large to come on board the ship without being hauled up in a boat from the water. she sings when the storms come and swims before the ship to guide it to safety. she fights off more than one beast of the seas, and gathers a set of scars across her back that she bears with pride. “i don’t mind,” she says, when the captain fusses over her, “now i match all of you.”
the first time their ship is threatened, really threatened, is by another fleet. a friend turned enemy of the first mate. “we shouldn’t fight him,” she says, peering through the spyglass.
“why not?” the mermaid asks.
“he’ll win,” the first mate says.
the mermaid tips her head sideways. Her eyes, dark as the deep waters, gleam in the noon light. “are you sure?” she asks.
x
the enemy fleet surrenders after the flagship is sunk in the night, the anchor ripped off the ship and the planks torn off the hull. the surviving crew, wild-eyed and delirious, whimper and say a sea serpent came from the water and attacked them, say it was longer than the boat and crushed it in its coils. the first mate hears this and has to hide her laughter. the captain apologizes to his daughter for doubting her.
“don’t worry,” she says, with a bright laugh, “it was fun.”
x
the second time, they are pushed by a storm into a royal fleet. they can’t possibly fight them, and they don’t have the time to escape.
“let me up,” the mermaid urges, surfacing starboard and shouting to the crew. “bring me up, quickly, quickly.”
they lower the boat and she piles her sinous form into it, and uses her claws to help the crew pull her up. once on the deck she flops out of the boat and makes her way over to the bow. the crew tries to help but she’s so heavy they can barely lift parts of her.
she crawls up out in front of the rail and wraps her long webbed tail around the prow. the figurehead has served them well so far but they need more right now. she wraps herself around the figurehead and raises her body up into the wind takes a breath of the stinging salt air and sings.
the storm carries her voice on its front to the royal navy. they are enchanted, so stunned by her song that they drop the rigging ropes and let the tillers drift. the pirates sail through the center of the fleet, trailing the storm behind them, and by the time the fleet has managed to regain its senses they are buried in wind and rain and the pirates are gone.
x
she declines guns. instead she carries a harpoon and its launcher, and uses them to board enemy ships, hauling her massive form out of the water to coil on the deck and dispatch enemies with ruthless efficiency. her family is feared across all the sea.
x
“you know we are dying,” the captain says, looking down at her.
she floats next to the ship, so massive she could hold it in her arms. her eyes are wise.
“i know,” she says, “i can feel it coming.”
the first mate stands next to the captain. she never had a lover or a child, and neither did he, but to the mermaid they are her parents. she will always love her daughter. the tattoos are graven in dark swirls across the mermaid’s deep brown skin and the flesh of her tail, even spiraling onto the spiked webbing on her spine and face. her hair is still tied back, this time with a sail that could not be patched one last time. 
“we love you,” the first mate says simply, looking down. her own tightly coiled black hair falls in to her face; she shakes the locs out of the way and smiles through her tears. the captain pretends he isnt crying either.
“i love you too,” the mermaid says, and reached up to pull the ship down just a bit, just to hold them one last time.
“guard the ship,” the captain says. “you always have but you know they’re lost without you.”
“without you,” the mermaid corrects, with a shrug that makes waves. “what will we do?”
“i don’t know,” the captain says. “but you’ll help them, won’t you?”
“of course i will,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “i will always protect my family.”
x
the captain and the first mate are gone. the ship has a new captain, young and fearless - of the things she can afford to disregard. she fears and loves the ocean, as all captains do. she does not fear the royal fleet. and she does not fear the mermaid.
“you know, i heard stories about you when i was a little girl,” she says, trailing her fingers in the water next to the dock.
the mermaid stares at her with one eye the size of a dinner table. “is that so?” she hums, smirking with teeth sharper than the swords of the entire navy.
“they said you could sink an entire fleet and that you had skin tougher than dragon scales,” the new captain says, grinning right back at the monster who could eat her without a moment’s hesitation. “i always thought they were telling tall tales.”
“and now?”
“they were right,” the new captain says. “how did they ever befriend you?”
the mermaid smiles, fully this time, her dark eyes gleaming under the white linen sail. “they didn’t know any better.”

She protects her family.

Hi everybody! Guess what’s being posted on AO3 now at the following link!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498384/chapters/53760817
That’s right! Here you go. I’ll be uploading it in some chunks, because I want to make sure I have everything I wanted edited cleanly finished, but follow the story there!




HEY GUYS GUESS WHATS BACK ON THE DASHBOARD AND BETTER THAN EVER



I love this

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: ironwoman359:
cereusblue:

unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
This is how the golden age of piracy ended.
The first mermaid to get tattoos :)


“we didn’t know any better,” the crewman says, and swallows, presenting the chest to the captain. “what do we do now?”
“kill it,” the captain says, but the ice is melting in his eyes.
“we can’t,” the first mate says desperately, praying she won’t have to fight her captain on this. “we can’t. we - i won’t. we won’t.”
“i know.”
x
“daddy,” she says, floating in a tub of seawater in the hold, “daddy, la-la, la-la-la.”
her voice rings like bells. her accent is strange; her mouth isn’t made for human words. it mesmerises even the hardiest amongst them and she wasn’t even trying. the crew has taken to diving for shellfish near the shorelines for her; she loves them, splitting the shells apart with strength seen in no human toddler, slurping down the slimy molluscs inside and laughing, all plump brown cheeks and needle-sharp teeth. she sometimes splashes them for fun with her smooth, rubbery brown tail. even when they get soaked they laugh. they love her.
“daddy,” she calls again, and he can hear the worry in her voice. the storm rocking the ship is harsh and uncaring, and if they go down, she would be the only survivor.
“don’t worry,” he says, and goes over, sitting next to the tub. the first mate, leaning against the wall, pretends not to notice as he quietly begins to sing.
x
“father,” she says, one day, as she leans on the edge of the dock and the captain sits next to her, “why am I here?”
“your mother abandoned you,” he says, as he always has. “we found you adrift, and couldn’t bear to leave you there.”
she picks at the salt-soaked boards, uncertain. her hair is pulled back in a fluffy black puff, the white linen holding it slipping almost over one of her dark eyes. one of her first tattoos, a many-limbed kraken, curls over her right shoulder and down her arm, delicate tendrils wrapped around her calloused fingertips. “alright,” she says.
x
“why am I really here?” she asks the first mate, watching the sun set over the water in streaks of liquid metal that pooled in the troughs of the waves and glittered on the seafoam.
“we didn’t know any better,” the first mate says, staring into the water. “we didn’t know- we didn’t know anything. we didn’t understand why she fought so viciously to guard her treasure. we could not know she protected something a thousand times more precious than the purest gold.”
she wants to be furious, but she can’t. she already knew the answer, from reading the guilt in her father’s eyes and the empty space in her own history. and she can’t hate her family.
“it’s alright,” she says. “i do have a family, anyways. i don’t think i would have liked my other life near as much.”
x
her kraken grows, spreading its tendrils over her torso and arms. she grows too, too large to come on board the ship without being hauled up in a boat from the water. she sings when the storms come and swims before the ship to guide it to safety. she fights off more than one beast of the seas, and gathers a set of scars across her back that she bears with pride. “i don’t mind,” she says, when the captain fusses over her, “now i match all of you.”
the first time their ship is threatened, really threatened, is by another fleet. a friend turned enemy of the first mate. “we shouldn’t fight him,” she says, peering through the spyglass.
“why not?” the mermaid asks.
“he’ll win,” the first mate says.
the mermaid tips her head sideways. Her eyes, dark as the deep waters, gleam in the noon light. “are you sure?” she asks.
x
the enemy fleet surrenders after the flagship is sunk in the night, the anchor ripped off the ship and the planks torn off the hull. the surviving crew, wild-eyed and delirious, whimper and say a sea serpent came from the water and attacked them, say it was longer than the boat and crushed it in its coils. the first mate hears this and has to hide her laughter. the captain apologizes to his daughter for doubting her.
“don’t worry,” she says, with a bright laugh, “it was fun.”
x
the second time, they are pushed by a storm into a royal fleet. they can’t possibly fight them, and they don’t have the time to escape.
“let me up,” the mermaid urges, surfacing starboard and shouting to the crew. “bring me up, quickly, quickly.”
they lower the boat and she piles her sinous form into it, and uses her claws to help the crew pull her up. once on the deck she flops out of the boat and makes her way over to the bow. the crew tries to help but she’s so heavy they can barely lift parts of her.
she crawls up out in front of the rail and wraps her long webbed tail around the prow. the figurehead has served them well so far but they need more right now. she wraps herself around the figurehead and raises her body up into the wind takes a breath of the stinging salt air and sings.
the storm carries her voice on its front to the royal navy. they are enchanted, so stunned by her song that they drop the rigging ropes and let the tillers drift. the pirates sail through the center of the fleet, trailing the storm behind them, and by the time the fleet has managed to regain its senses they are buried in wind and rain and the pirates are gone.
x
she declines guns. instead she carries a harpoon and its launcher, and uses them to board enemy ships, hauling her massive form out of the water to coil on the deck and dispatch enemies with ruthless efficiency. her family is feared across all the sea.
x
“you know we are dying,” the captain says, looking down at her.
she floats next to the ship, so massive she could hold it in her arms. her eyes are wise.
“i know,” she says, “i can feel it coming.”
the first mate stands next to the captain. she never had a lover or a child, and neither did he, but to the mermaid they are her parents. she will always love her daughter. the tattoos are graven in dark swirls across the mermaid’s deep brown skin and the flesh of her tail, even spiraling onto the spiked webbing on her spine and face. her hair is still tied back, this time with a sail that could not be patched one last time. 
“we love you,” the first mate says simply, looking down. her own tightly coiled black hair falls in to her face; she shakes the locs out of the way and smiles through her tears. the captain pretends he isnt crying either.
“i love you too,” the mermaid says, and reached up to pull the ship down just a bit, just to hold them one last time.
“guard the ship,” the captain says. “you always have but you know they’re lost without you.”
“without you,” the mermaid corrects, with a shrug that makes waves. “what will we do?”
“i don’t know,” the captain says. “but you’ll help them, won’t you?”
“of course i will,” she scoffs, rolling her eyes. “i will always protect my family.”
x
the captain and the first mate are gone. the ship has a new captain, young and fearless - of the things she can afford to disregard. she fears and loves the ocean, as all captains do. she does not fear the royal fleet. and she does not fear the mermaid.
“you know, i heard stories about you when i was a little girl,” she says, trailing her fingers in the water next to the dock.
the mermaid stares at her with one eye the size of a dinner table. “is that so?” she hums, smirking with teeth sharper than the swords of the entire navy.
“they said you could sink an entire fleet and that you had skin tougher than dragon scales,” the new captain says, grinning right back at the monster who could eat her without a moment’s hesitation. “i always thought they were telling tall tales.”
“and now?”
“they were right,” the new captain says. “how did they ever befriend you?”
the mermaid smiles, fully this time, her dark eyes gleaming under the white linen sail. “they didn’t know any better.”

She protects her family.

Hi everybody! Guess what’s being posted on AO3 now at the following link!
https://archiveofourown.org/works/22498384/chapters/53760817
That’s right! Here you go. I’ll be uploading it in some chunks, because I want to make sure I have everything I wanted edited cleanly finished, but follow the story there!




HEY GUYS GUESS WHATS BACK ON THE DASHBOARD AND BETTER THAN EVER



I love this

                
            

            
            
ironwoman359:
cereusblue:

unnameablethings:


dragonsateyourtoast:

redporkpadthai:

dragonsateyourtoast:

otherwindow:

otherwindow:
Th...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: awesomacious:

guess what? you’ll be just fine
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: awesomacious:

guess what? you’ll be just fine
                
            

            
            
awesomacious:

guess what? you’ll be just fine

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: guess what? you’ll be just fine
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: guess what? you’ll be just fine
                
            

            
            
guess what? you’ll be just fine

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: guess what? you’ll be just fine
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: guess what? you’ll be just fine
                
            

            
            
guess what? you’ll be just fine

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: Guess what song i was watching.
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Guess what song i was watching.
                
            

            
            
Guess what song i was watching.

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            







    guess what: Guess what’s back one the menu boys by PaYr0
MORE MEMES
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Guess what’s back one the menu boys by PaYr0
MORE MEMES
                
            

            
            
Guess what’s back one the menu boys by PaYr0
MORE MEMES

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: Guess what’s back one the menu boys
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Guess what’s back one the menu boys
                
            

            
            
Guess what’s back one the menu boys

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            







    guess what: Saving Your Grades From
 A Mental Health Crisis
 What To Do Before, During, And After
 by SmartStudy.tumblr.com

 IF YOUR GRADES ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER
 CONTACT YOUR TEACHERS
 This should be the first thing you do when you realise you're in crisis. Email them, and explain your
 situation in short, professional terms. You do not have to include details about your condition. "I have
 a mental health condition" should suffice as to the nature of the issue.
 Tell them that you are going to arrange to see a medical professional as soon as possible, and ask what
 process you should go through to defer/get an extension on assessment, and if they can help you in
 any way.
 Other people you may have to contact or CC in the email (depending on your school):
 University
 High School
 Head of House
 Class Coordinator
 Faculty/School Admin
 Disability Advisor
 Grade Coordinator
 Head of Department
 Academic Admin
 Counsellor
 School Counsellor
 Student Advocate
 BOOK A DOCTOR/THERAPIST APPOINTMENT ASAP
 This will be the person who can vouch for you the most. It's best if you have seen them before and
 they know you. If you can't get an appointment within a few days, call them and email them (if you
 haven't seen them before this will not work). Make sure to check out what counselling your university
 or school offers.
 During this appointment, the priority is to make a plan to get you back on your feet. This effort will
 not be useful if you stay a mess. Once you've figured that out, get two things from this person. One is
 a medical certificate/letter stating that you have, in fact, been going through this crisis. Second is a
 letter that describes the nature of the crisis, what treatment you're going through, and which people
 to contact (psychiatrists, etc.) who can vouch for this.
 Note: The reason I say to get two letters is because there is still a huge stigma around mental illness,
 and you don't want to reveal that you've got a disorder that's highly stigmatised, only to have it come
 back and bite you in the ass later. Don't provide details unless it's necessary or asked for.
 A STUDENT
 KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS
 Most schools and institutions will have a list of a student's rights and responsibilities online. Look them
 up. Know what your rights are as a student. Also look to see if there are state/national laws protecting
 you, or if your school is a part of a network of schools that has its own code. Some people working in
 schools still think mental health issues are trivial, and you never know when they're going to ignore a
 rule to suit themselves. Make sure you can pick on this if it happens to you.
 Pretty much all schools will have protection in place for students with mental illnesses and disabilities,
 so even if you a miss a deadline for a form or make another mistake, they should take your exceptional
 circumstances into account. This is where a student or disability advisor from school can help you.
 ottom

 IF YOU HAVEN'T REACHED CRISIS YET
 TALK TO A DOCTOR/THERAPIST/COUNSELLOR/TRUSTED ADULT
 If you're going through a hard time, talk to someone who can help you. Any trusted adult or
 professional can help you get back on your feet before it's too late, or refer you to someone who can.
 If it's a new issue, you'll have to see someone like a GP who can refer you to a therapist or mental
 health service.
 Talk to them about what's been happening, and say that you need help. Sometimes, even talking
 about the problem can help you feel better. In these situations, they can also help you figure out what
 you can do at school to catch up/get special help.
 FIGURE OUT HOW TO STUDY WHILE IN A BAD STATE
 Even if you're getting help, it might be some time before you're fully back on track. In these instances,
 try to make the best of a bad situation.
 Can't leave the house? Access lecture recordings and eBooks. Ask your friends to send you their notes,
 or ask the teacher if you can submit your homework via email, or through a friend. Have trouble
 concentrating? Figure out how long you can study without needing a break, and make a schedule
 around that.
 Always make sure to ask your teachers if they can help you with this. Whether it be slightly changing
 the requirements or conditions of a piece of assessment, or simply their understanding that you may
 not be able to attend perfectly, it can make a big difference with your overall marks. If they don't know
 you're struggling, they can't help!
 DON'T PUSH YOURSELF OR OVERTHINK
 When you realise there's an issue, it's easy to fall into panic or try to power through. Don't do this. It'll
 just make you more stressed and aggravate the existing problems, which will make things much worse
 in the long run.
 Though it's hard to believe sometimes, your health and mental health are more important than your
 grades. You can't ignore your mind when it's screaming at you that something is wrong. Listen to it,
 and be easy on yourself.
 The best way to get back to your full potential to ask for help and give yourself what you need. Take a
 break when you need one and practise self-care. It's more important than you might things.

 RECOVERING FROM A BREAKDOWN
 ACCEPT THAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING MAJOR
 Once the worst has passed, some people try to brush it off and pretend it never happened. They can
 feel ashamed or embarrassed about what they went through. However, there is absolutely nothing to
 be ashamed or embarrassed about, especially if you had a pre-existing mental health condition. Every
 life has ups and downs and just because yours were a bit more serious than some people's, it doesn't
 mean that you're weak somehow.
 The best thing you can do for yourself is to recognise what happened, and work to prevent it from
 happening again by setting up crisis plans and support networks.
 GET TUTORING TO CATCH UP
 If you've fallen behind, don't worry. There are plenty of ways to catch yourself up and get back on
 track. The best way is to hire a tutor. They can guide you through the work, help you understand
 difficult concepts, and identify the places you need more help.
 Yes, tutors can be expensive, but there's a way to get around this. See if there is anyone who took
 your class the year before who might be willing to tutor you for an hour each week for a discounted
 prince. Similarly, see if there are any students who can help you in exchange for something like
 instrument lessons. And if any of your friends are academically gifted, I'm sure they'd be able to help.
 If all else fails, go to office hours and any free tutoring sessions your school or university offers. Do
 some research, ask around, see what's there.
 PACE YOURSELF AND DON'T RUSH IN
 After a breakdown or crisis, you may be tempted to throw yourself back into your work to catch up.
 Don't! You'll become overwhelmed and end up back at square one. Remember, you've just been
 through a very difficult situation and you're not going to get better overnight.
 Ease yourself in. I definitely recommend starting with a reduced or part-time study load if possible.
 Remember that you may not be back at your full capacity just yet, and difficulties concentrating and
 being motivated could make things hard. By starting off slowly, you're able to get used to studying
 again without too much pressure.
 DEVELOP A ROUTINE
 Yes, this advice is in every piece of study advice ever, but you shouldn't develop just any routine.
 Develop one that allows you plenty of breaks and takes into consider any issues you may have with
 fatigue or focusing. If your breakdown was caused by overwork, make sure this one is easier on you.
 Things to include you could include in a healthy routine (but don't micromanage!):
 "I feel crap" time*
 Breaks and meals
 Plenty of sleep and rest
 "You" time (treat yo self)
 Time to plan for the next week
 Exercise (have you tried yoga? Kidding)
 Meditation/mindfulness
 Friend/family social time
 * Remember that the thoughts and feelings caused by mental illness are not shameful, and ignoring
 and forcing them down will only make them worse. If you need to lie in bed feeling miserable, do it.

 THINGS TO REMEMBER
 DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
 It can be easy to look at other people and see your own flaws, but it's important to try not to. Every
 person has different experiences and struggles, so it's not fair to yourself to look at someone without
 yours and think you're behind in some way.
 Taking longer to complete your studies isn't shameful. Making mistakes isn't shameful. Needing
 breaks isn't shameful. You'll get where you need to be in the end. Have patience.
 GRADES DON'T DEFINE YOU
 I spent so much of my life thinking my only worth came from my academic success. And guess what?
 This just led to more anxiety and depression. It's important to realise that things like grades, class
 rankings, GPAS, and "intelligence" aren't that important. Who you are and what you do is far more
 important than these arbitrary labels.
 THERE IS A STIGMA, SO BE PREPARED
 It's an unfortunate reality, but there is still a stigma against mental health issues and there is a chance
 it might affect your experiences while dealing with administrative staff and teachers. There have been
 stories about people telling their people supposed to be guiding them that they have mental health
 issues, and being dismissed because "it's a girl issue" or "it's all in their head".
 Be prepared in case this happens to you. Remind people that it's a medical condition and that you can
 get proof from medical professionals if need be. Plus, there is probably something in your school's
 policies or even the law that protects you when you have a mental illness.
 Remember that just because people are ignorant, that doesn't mean your issue is not 100% real and
 important. Don't let these people make you feel worse.
 YOU CAN DO THIS
 In our darkest moments, it can be hard to believe that we're capable of immense strength, but I
 promise you we are. Whatever obstacle is in your path right now - even if it's your brain chemistry -
 you are going to get through this.
 You've made it through every worst day you've had so far. You've made it through the dark and scary
 moments, and you've come out the other end stronger and wiser.
 Remember that you are strong, and even when you don't feel like it, there is always support available
 to help you realise that strength again.
 tmblimteom
apricot-studies:
smartstudy:

Hey guys. I’m glad to be finally posting my “mental breakdown survival guide”. As you know I struggle a lot with mental health, and so I have been through a lot of breakdowns. So many that I actually dropped out of university after 3 weeks in 2016 and had to take the whole year off. Because of this, I’ve made it my mission to help others with mental health issues as much as I can, so you don’t have to go through what I’ve been through.
Anyway, here is my guide. I tried to keep it general, and actually useful. If you have any questions or additions please feel free to add them. 
And as ever, if you want to talk to me about studying with mental illness or want to see a post on a specific topic, please feel free to message me. 

thank you so much for this

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Saving Your Grades From
 A Mental Health Crisis
 What To Do Before, During, And After
 by SmartStudy.tumblr.com

 IF YOUR GRADES ARE IN IMMEDIATE DANGER
 CONTACT YOUR TEACHERS
 This should be the first thing you do when you realise you're in crisis. Email them, and explain your
 situation in short, professional terms. You do not have to include details about your condition. "I have
 a mental health condition" should suffice as to the nature of the issue.
 Tell them that you are going to arrange to see a medical professional as soon as possible, and ask what
 process you should go through to defer/get an extension on assessment, and if they can help you in
 any way.
 Other people you may have to contact or CC in the email (depending on your school):
 University
 High School
 Head of House
 Class Coordinator
 Faculty/School Admin
 Disability Advisor
 Grade Coordinator
 Head of Department
 Academic Admin
 Counsellor
 School Counsellor
 Student Advocate
 BOOK A DOCTOR/THERAPIST APPOINTMENT ASAP
 This will be the person who can vouch for you the most. It's best if you have seen them before and
 they know you. If you can't get an appointment within a few days, call them and email them (if you
 haven't seen them before this will not work). Make sure to check out what counselling your university
 or school offers.
 During this appointment, the priority is to make a plan to get you back on your feet. This effort will
 not be useful if you stay a mess. Once you've figured that out, get two things from this person. One is
 a medical certificate/letter stating that you have, in fact, been going through this crisis. Second is a
 letter that describes the nature of the crisis, what treatment you're going through, and which people
 to contact (psychiatrists, etc.) who can vouch for this.
 Note: The reason I say to get two letters is because there is still a huge stigma around mental illness,
 and you don't want to reveal that you've got a disorder that's highly stigmatised, only to have it come
 back and bite you in the ass later. Don't provide details unless it's necessary or asked for.
 A STUDENT
 KNOW YOUR RIGHTS AS
 Most schools and institutions will have a list of a student's rights and responsibilities online. Look them
 up. Know what your rights are as a student. Also look to see if there are state/national laws protecting
 you, or if your school is a part of a network of schools that has its own code. Some people working in
 schools still think mental health issues are trivial, and you never know when they're going to ignore a
 rule to suit themselves. Make sure you can pick on this if it happens to you.
 Pretty much all schools will have protection in place for students with mental illnesses and disabilities,
 so even if you a miss a deadline for a form or make another mistake, they should take your exceptional
 circumstances into account. This is where a student or disability advisor from school can help you.
 ottom

 IF YOU HAVEN'T REACHED CRISIS YET
 TALK TO A DOCTOR/THERAPIST/COUNSELLOR/TRUSTED ADULT
 If you're going through a hard time, talk to someone who can help you. Any trusted adult or
 professional can help you get back on your feet before it's too late, or refer you to someone who can.
 If it's a new issue, you'll have to see someone like a GP who can refer you to a therapist or mental
 health service.
 Talk to them about what's been happening, and say that you need help. Sometimes, even talking
 about the problem can help you feel better. In these situations, they can also help you figure out what
 you can do at school to catch up/get special help.
 FIGURE OUT HOW TO STUDY WHILE IN A BAD STATE
 Even if you're getting help, it might be some time before you're fully back on track. In these instances,
 try to make the best of a bad situation.
 Can't leave the house? Access lecture recordings and eBooks. Ask your friends to send you their notes,
 or ask the teacher if you can submit your homework via email, or through a friend. Have trouble
 concentrating? Figure out how long you can study without needing a break, and make a schedule
 around that.
 Always make sure to ask your teachers if they can help you with this. Whether it be slightly changing
 the requirements or conditions of a piece of assessment, or simply their understanding that you may
 not be able to attend perfectly, it can make a big difference with your overall marks. If they don't know
 you're struggling, they can't help!
 DON'T PUSH YOURSELF OR OVERTHINK
 When you realise there's an issue, it's easy to fall into panic or try to power through. Don't do this. It'll
 just make you more stressed and aggravate the existing problems, which will make things much worse
 in the long run.
 Though it's hard to believe sometimes, your health and mental health are more important than your
 grades. You can't ignore your mind when it's screaming at you that something is wrong. Listen to it,
 and be easy on yourself.
 The best way to get back to your full potential to ask for help and give yourself what you need. Take a
 break when you need one and practise self-care. It's more important than you might things.

 RECOVERING FROM A BREAKDOWN
 ACCEPT THAT YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SOMETHING MAJOR
 Once the worst has passed, some people try to brush it off and pretend it never happened. They can
 feel ashamed or embarrassed about what they went through. However, there is absolutely nothing to
 be ashamed or embarrassed about, especially if you had a pre-existing mental health condition. Every
 life has ups and downs and just because yours were a bit more serious than some people's, it doesn't
 mean that you're weak somehow.
 The best thing you can do for yourself is to recognise what happened, and work to prevent it from
 happening again by setting up crisis plans and support networks.
 GET TUTORING TO CATCH UP
 If you've fallen behind, don't worry. There are plenty of ways to catch yourself up and get back on
 track. The best way is to hire a tutor. They can guide you through the work, help you understand
 difficult concepts, and identify the places you need more help.
 Yes, tutors can be expensive, but there's a way to get around this. See if there is anyone who took
 your class the year before who might be willing to tutor you for an hour each week for a discounted
 prince. Similarly, see if there are any students who can help you in exchange for something like
 instrument lessons. And if any of your friends are academically gifted, I'm sure they'd be able to help.
 If all else fails, go to office hours and any free tutoring sessions your school or university offers. Do
 some research, ask around, see what's there.
 PACE YOURSELF AND DON'T RUSH IN
 After a breakdown or crisis, you may be tempted to throw yourself back into your work to catch up.
 Don't! You'll become overwhelmed and end up back at square one. Remember, you've just been
 through a very difficult situation and you're not going to get better overnight.
 Ease yourself in. I definitely recommend starting with a reduced or part-time study load if possible.
 Remember that you may not be back at your full capacity just yet, and difficulties concentrating and
 being motivated could make things hard. By starting off slowly, you're able to get used to studying
 again without too much pressure.
 DEVELOP A ROUTINE
 Yes, this advice is in every piece of study advice ever, but you shouldn't develop just any routine.
 Develop one that allows you plenty of breaks and takes into consider any issues you may have with
 fatigue or focusing. If your breakdown was caused by overwork, make sure this one is easier on you.
 Things to include you could include in a healthy routine (but don't micromanage!):
 "I feel crap" time*
 Breaks and meals
 Plenty of sleep and rest
 "You" time (treat yo self)
 Time to plan for the next week
 Exercise (have you tried yoga? Kidding)
 Meditation/mindfulness
 Friend/family social time
 * Remember that the thoughts and feelings caused by mental illness are not shameful, and ignoring
 and forcing them down will only make them worse. If you need to lie in bed feeling miserable, do it.

 THINGS TO REMEMBER
 DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO OTHERS
 It can be easy to look at other people and see your own flaws, but it's important to try not to. Every
 person has different experiences and struggles, so it's not fair to yourself to look at someone without
 yours and think you're behind in some way.
 Taking longer to complete your studies isn't shameful. Making mistakes isn't shameful. Needing
 breaks isn't shameful. You'll get where you need to be in the end. Have patience.
 GRADES DON'T DEFINE YOU
 I spent so much of my life thinking my only worth came from my academic success. And guess what?
 This just led to more anxiety and depression. It's important to realise that things like grades, class
 rankings, GPAS, and "intelligence" aren't that important. Who you are and what you do is far more
 important than these arbitrary labels.
 THERE IS A STIGMA, SO BE PREPARED
 It's an unfortunate reality, but there is still a stigma against mental health issues and there is a chance
 it might affect your experiences while dealing with administrative staff and teachers. There have been
 stories about people telling their people supposed to be guiding them that they have mental health
 issues, and being dismissed because "it's a girl issue" or "it's all in their head".
 Be prepared in case this happens to you. Remind people that it's a medical condition and that you can
 get proof from medical professionals if need be. Plus, there is probably something in your school's
 policies or even the law that protects you when you have a mental illness.
 Remember that just because people are ignorant, that doesn't mean your issue is not 100% real and
 important. Don't let these people make you feel worse.
 YOU CAN DO THIS
 In our darkest moments, it can be hard to believe that we're capable of immense strength, but I
 promise you we are. Whatever obstacle is in your path right now - even if it's your brain chemistry -
 you are going to get through this.
 You've made it through every worst day you've had so far. You've made it through the dark and scary
 moments, and you've come out the other end stronger and wiser.
 Remember that you are strong, and even when you don't feel like it, there is always support available
 to help you realise that strength again.
 tmblimteom
apricot-studies:
smartstudy:

Hey guys. I’m glad to be finally posting my “mental breakdown survival guide”. As you know I struggle a lot with mental health, and so I have been through a lot of breakdowns. So many that I actually dropped out of university after 3 weeks in 2016 and had to take the whole year off. Because of this, I’ve made it my mission to help others with mental health issues as much as I can, so you don’t have to go through what I’ve been through.
Anyway, here is my guide. I tried to keep it general, and actually useful. If you have any questions or additions please feel free to add them. 
And as ever, if you want to talk to me about studying with mental illness or want to see a post on a specific topic, please feel free to message me. 

thank you so much for this

                
            

            
            
apricot-studies:
smartstudy:

Hey guys. I’m glad to be finally posting my “mental breakdown survival guide”. As you know I struggle a lot...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            







    guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

                
            

            
            
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

                
            

            
            
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: Pendulum
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle - it basically moves between growth and value investing - it is that simple!
After a recession, when the whole stock market cycle, the business cycle and the credit cycle have gone bust:  interest rates are low to super low, the Fed is trying to stimulate the economy - Investors start to look at Growth Stocks/ Growth-Oriented Mutual Funds (a growth stock is one that generally averages about 20% growth per year along with the technology sectors like semiconductors and Biotech/Pharmaceuticals)….. Small Cap stocks/Mutual Funds also take off - money is cheap to borrow to fund R&D, marketing expenses, etc. 
But Value stocks/Mutual Funds also start to rise:  A RISING TIDE LIFTS ALL BOATS - was the 90′s moniker!
Hence, the market starts to take off:  as markets start to heat up and the economy starts to OVERHEAT - the Fed starts to raise interests to COOL the market down - like in November 1999 - the Fed had raised the Federal Funds rate way up to a whopping 6.5% to try and cool down the economy and to put a damper on the Dot.com Boom - fueled stock market!  
Those who forget history do not recall that the yield curve inverted in 1998; the Federal Funds rate was too high in 1999 (FYI side note:  the “average” technology mutual fund in 1999 was up 100%!!!!!!!!!!!! by years’ end)  Guess what?  The whole market crashed in April 2000!
So from that time to about mid-June 2000 - the market went nowhere!   Value investing and investing in Bonds (like Intermediate and Long-term Treasury Bonds (backed by the full faith of the US government) went up from June 2000 to December 2000 (Berkshire Hathaway A shares went up over 85% that year within 6 months!).  Warren Buffet?  Look him up!  Treasuries also did extremely well - like one “Talking Head” has been quoted as saying - “There is always a Bull Market somewhere”……
And the whole process starts over again from a boom to bust cycle, about every 10 years or so……the Real Estate Market moves in a boom to bust cycle about every 7 years….
MY OPINION – stay the course with Value-oriented Investing:  it works in both up and down markets!  A mix of Value Mutual Funds and Treasury Bond Mutual Funds weather ALL storms - OVER THE LONG HAUL - and yes, expect a few hiccups along the way too LOL!)….Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) investing will work too - but, I like Mutual Funds - the minimums are $3,000.00 however (at least) to start investing in a SINGLE fund.  DO YOUR RESEARCH/DUE DILIGENCE ON THE WEB and also on YOU TUBE!
Guys - the overall stock market climbs in a stair-step fashion:  up, then sideways/down and then up again!  Invest for the long term (like 30-50+ years)….YOU WILL BE A WINNER!  Be it an investment account or a retirement account or BOTH:  like a personal investment account and a ROTH IRA or an employer-sponsored 401k Plan along with a personal investment account.
Dollar-Cost Average your contributions to personal investment/ROTH accounts; that is invest the same $ amount each and every month - regardless, whether the market is up or down!  Ignore the noise!  Ignore the Talking Heads”.
CURRENT MARKET :  MY OPINION
Me personally, I am accumulating cash and letting my current investment portfolio just ride along with this geo-politically fueled/baseless rate cut economic environment …Impeachment talks, China Trade War escalation, Iran concerns, Saudi Arabia bombings, Japan-South Korea tensions as well as renewed North Korea tension over prior failed talks, the American Farmers plight due to the trade war, negative return/yield rates on European Bonds, Brexit concerns, a dollar that is too strong, etc.
When American companies start to cut back, lay people off, these people can not keep spending to keep GDP/the economy growing, then these people can not pay their mortgages/auto loans/credit cards….Will it be “somewhat” similar to 2008… all over again? 
I have no professional opinion nor do I have a crystal ball – Maybe the FED will engineer a “SOFT” Landing”…..this time: they never did in the past when “Bubbles” Greenspan or “Helicopter Ben” Bernake were FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMEN.
THOSE THAT FORGET HISTORY ARE DOOMED TO REPEAT IT….
Flash

                
            

            
            
financialeconomicsexplainedus:
POSTED:  10/09/2019
The Stock market, as well as the overall economy, moves between a boom and bust cycle...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: argumate:
industrialangel:

artandrhinos:

rossberrypie:
Best pirate ive ever seen…
I am living for this meme

@argumate Try and guess what the music is.

it’s the umbrella that makes it

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: argumate:
industrialangel:

artandrhinos:

rossberrypie:
Best pirate ive ever seen…
I am living for this meme

@argumate Try and guess what the music is.

it’s the umbrella that makes it

                
                

                
            

            
            
argumate:
industrialangel:

artandrhinos:

rossberrypie:
Best pirate ive ever seen…
I am living for this meme

@argumate Try and guess wh...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            






        

        
        

            







    guess what: ORihad Herrma M
 S
youmakemelikecharity:

rock-moms:

vastderp:

gaybuttfuckzone:

deltasniper1000:

So someone in a group asked me to tell them why I hate the ocean sunfish so much, and apparently it was ~too mean~ and was deleted. To perpetuate the truth and stand up for ethical journalism, I’m posting it here. [Rated NC-17 for language.]

Disclaimer, I care about marine life more than I care about anything else, for real. Except this big dumb idiot. And it’s not like an ~ironic~ thing, I mean it IS hilarious to me and they ARE THE BIGGEST JOKE PLAYED ON EARTH but I seriously fucking hate them.

THE MOLA MOLA FISH (OR OCEAN SUNFISH)

They are the world’s largest boney fish, weighing up to 5,000 pounds. And since they have very little girth, that just makes them these absolutely giant fucking dinner plates that God must have accidentally dropped while washing dishes one day and shrugged his shoulders at because no one could have imagined this would happen. AND WITH NO PURPOSE. EVERY POUND OF THAT IS A WASTED POUND AND EVERY FOOT OF IT (10 FT BY 14 FT) IS WASTED SPACE.

They are so completely useless that scientists even debate about how they move. They have little control other than some minor wiggling. Some say they must just push water out of their mouths for direction (?????). They COULD use their back fin EXCEPT GUESS WHAT IT DOESNT FUCKING GROW. It just continually folds in on itself, so the freaking cells are being made, this piece of floating garbage just doesn’t put them where they need to fucking go. 

So they don’t have swim bladders. You know, the one thing that every fish has to make sure it doesn’t just sink to the bottom of the ocean when they stop moving and can stay the right side up. This creature. That can barely move to begin with. Can never stop its continuous tour of idiocy across the ocean or it’ll fucking sink. EXCEPT. EXCEPT. When they get stuck on top of the water! Which happens frequently! Because without the whole swim bladder thing, if the ocean pushes over THE THINNEST BUT LARGEST MOST TOPPLE-ABLE FISH ON THE PLANET, shit outta luck! There is no creature on this earth that needs a swim bladder more than this spit in the face of nature, AND YET. Some scientists have speculated that when they do that, they are absorbing energy from the sun because no one fucking knows how they manage to get any real energy to begin with. So they need the sun I guess. But good news, when they end up stuck like that, it gives birds a chance to land on their goddamn island of a body and eat the bugs and parasites out of its skin because it’s basically a slowly migrating cesspool. Pros and cons. 

“If they are so huge, they must at least be decent predators.” No. No. The most dangerous thing about them is, as you may have guessed, their stupidity. They have caused the death of one person before. Because it jumped onto a boat. On a human. And in 2005 it decided to relive its mighty glory days and do it again, this time landing on a four-year-old boy. Luckily Byron sustained no injuries. Way to go, fish. Great job.

They mostly only eat jellyfish because of course they do, they could only eat something that has no brain and a possibility of drifting into their mouths I guess. Everything they do eat has almost zero nutritional value and because it’s so stupidly fucking big, it has to eat a ton of the almost no nutritional value stuff to stay alive. Dumb. See that ridiculous open mouth? (This is actually why this is my favorite picture of one, and I have had it saved to my phone for three years) “Oh no! What could have happened! How could this be!” Do not let that expression fool you, they just don’t have the goddamn ability to close their mouths because their teeth are fused together, and ya know what, it is good it floats around with such a clueless expression on its face, because it is in fact clueless as all fuck.

They do SOMETIMES get eaten though. BUT HARDLY. No animal truly uses them as a food source, but instead (which has lead us to said photo) will usually just maim the fuck out of them for kicks. Seals have been seen playing with their fins like frisbees. Probably the most useful thing to ever come from them. 

“Wow, you raise some good points here, this fish truly is proof that God has abandoned us.” Yes, thank you. “But if they’re so bad at literally everything, why haven’t they gone extinct.” Great question. 

BECAUSE THIS THING IS SO WORTHLESS IT DOESNT REALIZE IT SHOULD NOT EXIST. IT IS SO UNAWARE OF LITERALLY FUCKING EVERYTHING THAT IT DOESNT REALIZE THAT IT’S DOING MAYBE THE WORST FUCKING JOB OF BEING A FISH, OR DEBATABLY THE WORST JOB OF BEING A CLUSTER OF CELLS THAN ANY OTHER CLUSTER OF CELLS. SO WHAT DOES IT DO? IT LAYS THE MOST EGGS OUT OF EVERYTHING. Besides some bugs, there are some ants and stuff that’ll lay more. IT WILL LAY 300 MILLION EGGS AT ONE TIME. 300,000,000. IT SURVIVES BECAUSE IT WOULD BE STATISTICALLY IMPROBABLE, DARE I SAY IMPOSSIBLE, THAT THERE WOULDNT BE AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE 300,000,000 (that is EACH time they lay eggs) LEFT SURVIVING AT THE END OF THE DAY. 

And this concludes why I hate the fuck out of this complete failure of evolution, the Ocean Sunfish. If I ever see one, I will throw rocks at it.


LIVE OCEAN SUNFISH UPDATE: FISH DISCOVERED TO BE MORE DUMB THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHTSo
 the top and bottom fins kind of wiggle all of the time and they are not
 sure exactly why but think it’s stabilization. BUT they can jump by 
turning on their side and using them as 
wing type things. It is suspected they do this as a way of “scratching” 
their parasite ridden bodies. So learning that I was like “huh okay they
 have a skill.” Then I discovered this: Since they 
are so terrible at swimming, the current will carry them into deep cold 
water. Then they die. So I have learned that they are so stupid they 
just get slowly consumed by a freezing death. All while they have the 
full ability for that to not happen. Because they’re fucking worthless 
floating garbage



i read this out loud to my marine bio nerd friend and she agrees


be nice to them they’re doing their best :(

    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: ORihad Herrma M
 S
youmakemelikecharity:

rock-moms:

vastderp:

gaybuttfuckzone:

deltasniper1000:

So someone in a group asked me to tell them why I hate the ocean sunfish so much, and apparently it was ~too mean~ and was deleted. To perpetuate the truth and stand up for ethical journalism, I’m posting it here. [Rated NC-17 for language.]

Disclaimer, I care about marine life more than I care about anything else, for real. Except this big dumb idiot. And it’s not like an ~ironic~ thing, I mean it IS hilarious to me and they ARE THE BIGGEST JOKE PLAYED ON EARTH but I seriously fucking hate them.

THE MOLA MOLA FISH (OR OCEAN SUNFISH)

They are the world’s largest boney fish, weighing up to 5,000 pounds. And since they have very little girth, that just makes them these absolutely giant fucking dinner plates that God must have accidentally dropped while washing dishes one day and shrugged his shoulders at because no one could have imagined this would happen. AND WITH NO PURPOSE. EVERY POUND OF THAT IS A WASTED POUND AND EVERY FOOT OF IT (10 FT BY 14 FT) IS WASTED SPACE.

They are so completely useless that scientists even debate about how they move. They have little control other than some minor wiggling. Some say they must just push water out of their mouths for direction (?????). They COULD use their back fin EXCEPT GUESS WHAT IT DOESNT FUCKING GROW. It just continually folds in on itself, so the freaking cells are being made, this piece of floating garbage just doesn’t put them where they need to fucking go. 

So they don’t have swim bladders. You know, the one thing that every fish has to make sure it doesn’t just sink to the bottom of the ocean when they stop moving and can stay the right side up. This creature. That can barely move to begin with. Can never stop its continuous tour of idiocy across the ocean or it’ll fucking sink. EXCEPT. EXCEPT. When they get stuck on top of the water! Which happens frequently! Because without the whole swim bladder thing, if the ocean pushes over THE THINNEST BUT LARGEST MOST TOPPLE-ABLE FISH ON THE PLANET, shit outta luck! There is no creature on this earth that needs a swim bladder more than this spit in the face of nature, AND YET. Some scientists have speculated that when they do that, they are absorbing energy from the sun because no one fucking knows how they manage to get any real energy to begin with. So they need the sun I guess. But good news, when they end up stuck like that, it gives birds a chance to land on their goddamn island of a body and eat the bugs and parasites out of its skin because it’s basically a slowly migrating cesspool. Pros and cons. 

“If they are so huge, they must at least be decent predators.” No. No. The most dangerous thing about them is, as you may have guessed, their stupidity. They have caused the death of one person before. Because it jumped onto a boat. On a human. And in 2005 it decided to relive its mighty glory days and do it again, this time landing on a four-year-old boy. Luckily Byron sustained no injuries. Way to go, fish. Great job.

They mostly only eat jellyfish because of course they do, they could only eat something that has no brain and a possibility of drifting into their mouths I guess. Everything they do eat has almost zero nutritional value and because it’s so stupidly fucking big, it has to eat a ton of the almost no nutritional value stuff to stay alive. Dumb. See that ridiculous open mouth? (This is actually why this is my favorite picture of one, and I have had it saved to my phone for three years) “Oh no! What could have happened! How could this be!” Do not let that expression fool you, they just don’t have the goddamn ability to close their mouths because their teeth are fused together, and ya know what, it is good it floats around with such a clueless expression on its face, because it is in fact clueless as all fuck.

They do SOMETIMES get eaten though. BUT HARDLY. No animal truly uses them as a food source, but instead (which has lead us to said photo) will usually just maim the fuck out of them for kicks. Seals have been seen playing with their fins like frisbees. Probably the most useful thing to ever come from them. 

“Wow, you raise some good points here, this fish truly is proof that God has abandoned us.” Yes, thank you. “But if they’re so bad at literally everything, why haven’t they gone extinct.” Great question. 

BECAUSE THIS THING IS SO WORTHLESS IT DOESNT REALIZE IT SHOULD NOT EXIST. IT IS SO UNAWARE OF LITERALLY FUCKING EVERYTHING THAT IT DOESNT REALIZE THAT IT’S DOING MAYBE THE WORST FUCKING JOB OF BEING A FISH, OR DEBATABLY THE WORST JOB OF BEING A CLUSTER OF CELLS THAN ANY OTHER CLUSTER OF CELLS. SO WHAT DOES IT DO? IT LAYS THE MOST EGGS OUT OF EVERYTHING. Besides some bugs, there are some ants and stuff that’ll lay more. IT WILL LAY 300 MILLION EGGS AT ONE TIME. 300,000,000. IT SURVIVES BECAUSE IT WOULD BE STATISTICALLY IMPROBABLE, DARE I SAY IMPOSSIBLE, THAT THERE WOULDNT BE AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE 300,000,000 (that is EACH time they lay eggs) LEFT SURVIVING AT THE END OF THE DAY. 

And this concludes why I hate the fuck out of this complete failure of evolution, the Ocean Sunfish. If I ever see one, I will throw rocks at it.


LIVE OCEAN SUNFISH UPDATE: FISH DISCOVERED TO BE MORE DUMB THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHTSo
 the top and bottom fins kind of wiggle all of the time and they are not
 sure exactly why but think it’s stabilization. BUT they can jump by 
turning on their side and using them as 
wing type things. It is suspected they do this as a way of “scratching” 
their parasite ridden bodies. So learning that I was like “huh okay they
 have a skill.” Then I discovered this: Since they 
are so terrible at swimming, the current will carry them into deep cold 
water. Then they die. So I have learned that they are so stupid they 
just get slowly consumed by a freezing death. All while they have the 
full ability for that to not happen. Because they’re fucking worthless 
floating garbage



i read this out loud to my marine bio nerd friend and she agrees


be nice to them they’re doing their best :(

                
            

            
            
youmakemelikecharity:

rock-moms:

vastderp:

gaybuttfuckzone:

deltasniper1000:

So someone in a group asked me to tell them why I hate...

            
            
        

    



        

        
        

            







    guess what: NEW EPISODE
 CN
 CARTOETw

 I WAS TERRIBLE TO YOU.

 I LIKED TAKING EVERYTHING OUT ON YO..
beta-kindergarten:

Because this is, for whatever reason being discussed again in the tags, here’s just another reminder to everyone, and especially to my fellow survivors who see themselves in Jasper:

SU has /never/ been ambiguous regarding who was in control of malachite. It was undoubtedly Lapis up until SWI, and even then you could say she and Jasper were working together to fight the CGs. Abuse by definition NEEDS to have a power imbalance between the victim and abuser. Jasper was never allowed that power, while Lapis is always described as the one who was in control, therefore Lapis was the abuser and Jasper was the victim.

Victims aren’t always good people. Jasper is very much a victim of circumstance, both from the war and from Malachite. Yes, she’s abusive, but towards the corrupted gems, and has yet to be given a chance to unlearn her toxic behaviors. She’s a messy victim, she’s aggressive and angry, and there are so many survivors who act like this; and guess what, they’re still victims. Having “ugly” symptoms and feeling affection for your abuser does NOT make you the abuser of the relationship. It doesn’t undermine your abuse and certainly doesn’t justify it, no matter what vitriol this fandom tries to spew at you because you see Jasper as the victim.

Abusers aren’t always going to be your enemy. They aren’t always going to be bigger than you, or physically stronger. They can be friends or family or “beach summer fun buddies”. They can be nice sometimes and absolutely terrible other times. And they can also have traumas of their own. This doesn’t change or excuse the fact that they’re abusive. Lapis is this kind of abuser. She was the one holding the chains, the one who acknowledges her own power (and fears being placed in positions of control because of it), and the one who regrets her decisions and is trying to stop being abusive. 

Frankly I don’t care about protagonist centered morality enough to even consider Steven’s point of view regarding Malachite. I don’t care what the CGs in the show have to say about the situation because regardless of how much of a “terrible” person Jasper is, it’s presented clearly to us who was the one being held in chains against their will. I also cannot be bothered to care about your definitions of “lashing out” or, “self-blaming”. Lapis made her intentions painfully clear that this was for revenge and wanting to take out everything on someone. She doesn’t love the earth nor does she want to play nice with the CGs. So don’t even try to tell me this because I’m frankly just /tired/ of being reminded that you people don’t actually care about victims if our behaviors or coping mechanisms are “wrong” to you. 

Also, of the 2 years that I’ve been involved in this hell fandom I’ve yet to see Jasper fans attack the inboxes or posts of Lapis fans to the same extent that the reverse has been done. Jasper fans don’t spread ugly rumors about Rebecca Sugar’s abuse history either, so it’s pretty ironic that WE’RE the ones who condone abuse isn’t it?

tl;dr: You’re honestly disgusting if you’ve EVER tried to make a victim feel bad for liking Jasper, and I sincerely hope you grow up some day and learn that it’s not worth it to harm real people and survivors for the sake of a cartoon. And if you’re a victim who relates to Jasper, believe me when I say you aren’t alone and you aren’t a bad person. Keep doing you. ✌️
    

        
        
        
        
        
        
        
        
    

    

        

            
            

                
                guess what: NEW EPISODE
 CN
 CARTOETw

 I WAS TERRIBLE TO YOU.

 I LIKED TAKING EVERYTHING OUT ON YO..
beta-kindergarten:

Because this is, for whatever reason being discussed again in the tags, here’s just another reminder to everyone, and especially to my fellow survivors who see themselves in Jasper:

SU has /never/ been ambiguous regarding who was in control of malachite. It was undoubtedly Lapis up until SWI, and even then you could say she and Jasper were working together to fight the CGs. Abuse by definition NEEDS to have a power imbalance between the victim and abuser. Jasper was never allowed that power, while Lapis is always described as the one who was in control, therefore Lapis was the abuser and Jasper was the victim.

Victims aren’t always good people. Jasper is very much a victim of circumstance, both from the war and from Malachite. Yes, she’s abusive, but towards the corrupted gems, and has yet to be given a chance to unlearn her toxic behaviors. She’s a messy victim, she’s aggressive and angry, and there are so many survivors who act like this; and guess what, they’re still victims. Having “ugly” symptoms and feeling affection for your abuser does NOT make you the abuser of the relationship. It doesn’t undermine your abuse and certainly doesn’t justify it, no matter what vitriol this fandom tries to spew at you because you see Jasper as the victim.

Abusers aren’t always going to be your enemy. They aren’t always going to be bigger than you, or physically stronger. They can be friends or family or “beach summer fun buddies”. They can be nice sometimes and absolutely terrible other times. And they can also have traumas of their own. This doesn’t change or excuse the fact that they’re abusive. Lapis is this kind of abuser. She was the one holding the chains, the one who acknowledges her own power (and fears being placed in positions of control because of it), and the one who regrets her decisions and is trying to stop being abusive. 

Frankly I don’t care about protagonist centered morality enough to even consider Steven’s point of view regarding Malachite. I don’t care what the CGs in the show have to say about the situation because regardless of how much of a “terrible” person Jasper is, it’s presented clearly to us who was the one being held in chains against their will. I also cannot be bothered to care about your definitions of “lashing out” or, “self-blaming”. Lapis made her intentions painfully clear that this was for revenge and wanting to take out everything on someone. She doesn’t love the earth nor does she want to play nice with the CGs. So don’t even try to tell me this because I’m frankly just /tired/ of being reminded that you people don’t actually care about victims if our behaviors or coping mechanisms are “wrong” to you. 

Also, of the 2 years that I’ve been involved in this hell fandom I’ve yet to see Jasper fans attack the inboxes or posts of Lapis fans to the same extent that the reverse has been done. Jasper fans don’t spread ugly rumors about Rebecca Sugar’s abuse history either, so it’s pretty ironic that WE’RE the ones who condone abuse isn’t it?

tl;dr: You’re honestly disgusting if you’ve EVER tried to make a victim feel bad for liking Jasper, and I sincerely hope you grow up some day and learn that it’s not worth it to harm real people and survivors for the sake of a cartoon. And if you’re a victim who relates to Jasper, believe me when I say you aren’t alone and you aren’t a bad person. Keep doing you. ✌️
                
            

            
            
beta-kindergarten:

Because this is, for whatever reason being discussed again in the tags, here’s just another reminder to everyone, and...