#Try to talk to people and learn different viewpoints

[adulthumanproblem]

Honestly, I was kind of done with the online left when people claimed you're a real life bad person if you

*checks notes*

Play the video game The Tenants (and similar)

Because you play as a landlord, and landlords are evil, and because you play as one, you basically are one, and you're therefor evil

No really. That's a discussion I had.

I tried to teach them the difference between real life and video games, between fantasy and reality, but no dice

I got blocked the moment I said that I'm anti-gun irl but still play shooter games every so often

Anyway. Many of the "progressive moral online left" would totally blame video games for real life violence

[fishnapple]

New friendship, who are they?

I tested out a new set of beads for this reading. It was really fun.

This is a general reading meant for multiple people. Take only what resonates and leave out the rest.

Your feedback is much appreciated. If you find the reading resonated with you, leave a comment, I’d love to know 🎐

About me | Masterpost

Book a reading with me - KO-FI (→ personal reading)

BLACK

This might be someone who has their North node conjunct your ASC. You will be a breath of fresh air to them, they will want to learn a lot from you, at the same time, feeling a little bit out of their depth and uncomfortable. Your way of acting is completely different from their usual friends and your outlooks are also different from theirs. But they will sense that they can grow with you, you embody the path that they need to take. They're likely younger than you or less experienced than you.

They're a hardworking individual with a serious mindset. I think they can be pretty quiet, timid at times. They think a lot before they talk and consider the consequences of their words. You probably won't have much success in trying to small talking them. They might even seem closed-off, so frivolous chit-chat seems out of the question. But their attitude will change when you approach them with more serious topics, an agenda in mind, maybe you could ask for their help or they could ask for yours, a great excuse to start a conversation. They can be pretty stubborn in defending their viewpoint, so don't poke fun of them.

You're likely to meet them at your workplace or where they are working. They could be providing a certain service to you, frequently, so you begin to talk more to each other. You might casually mention one of your hobbies and you guys would click. And from that point onward, there will be opportunities to expand your social circle, you or them will introduce each other to their circle of shared interests. It will take time to get close to this person, even when both of you have the desire to get to know each other. They hide a lot of their more sensitive and soft side, I think that by being friend with you, they will have a chance to bring out this side more. This group is quite short because there's still a lot for this person to uncover and learn about themselves, they haven't come to their true sense of self yet. This person will look up to you a lot. In turn, they will boost your confidence and make you feel appreciated.

★Possible astrology placements: Aries, Scorpio Sun/ Sun conjunct Pluto, Pluto in 1st house, Moon in Taurus/Moon in 2nd house, Saturn in 3rd house, Mercury in Capricorn, Venus in Pisces, Mars in Cancer

SILVER

I get a strong Sagittarius or Jupiter energy from this new friend. They have a strong yet very graceful character that will inspire you a lot.

This friend will come in when you are about to turn a new page in your life, ready for a new phase. The moment you're about to step out of your comfort zone, the universe will introduce you to them, so that you will have an easier time adapting to changes. They will help you unravel the knot in your psyche. Whatever hangups you are having, they will work with you to address them. They will be stern and blunt about it, there's no getting away. At times, you will feel so triggered by them that you want to quit, to end this connection, but fate will keep you guys together and you will be grateful for their perseverance and faith in this friendship.

The first thing you will notice about them is their voice and the way they talk. They could be a fast talker, animated in their gestures and have a lively, mischievous expression. They are a compelling conversationalist, you won't get bored talking to them, exchanging ideas with them will be a joy, an eye-opening experience. Because they will expand your mind, introduce you to many subjects that before that, you had thought uninteresting, but through them, through their enthusiasm, you will find a new interest for these subjects.

You guys might work together or in the same environment a lot. There's a sense of helping each other, walking together side by side. You probably will travel a lot with them. This will be an equal relationship, there's a balanced give and take between you.

This person could have changed their home a lot. They don't have a very stable ground to rely on. They can have an air of being standoffish, but that's just their independent energy. But they can feel lonely easily. They feel that something about them is different from everyone around them, even their families don't understand them enough.

You might observe that they tend to fight against social standards, what's trending, they hate being a follower, mindlessly doing something just because everyone else is doing it. So they definitely stay away from those famous places with 5 stars reviews on Google. They can also be misunderstood a lot by their friends and the groups they are in, accused of being individualistic. This saddens them, but they won't back down for it. Popularity is not their goal. If you're someone who is struggling with fitting in, being yourself in a group setting, then you can learn a lot from this person. In turn, you will provide a rare sense of recognition for their honest heart.

★Possible astrology placements: Sagittarius, Gemini, Aquarius placements, Jupiter in 7th house, Jupiter in Libra, Pluto in 10th house, Aquarius ASC, Sun/Mars in 11th house, Mars in Aquarius, Sun in Pisces

TEAL

This friend will come into your life during the period when you think everything is moving so slowly, there's barely any progress or anything exciting. They will prove you wrong. You will most likely meet them at work or on the way to work, or at an institution. You could have noticed each other before but didn't really pay attention. It would take an event or a third person to properly introduce you.

It will be a slow start, you won't click immediately, I sense that your temperaments can be different from each other's. You will find them a little mysterious, watchful, they seem to be the type that prefers to stay silent at first to assess the situation and the other person better. You would hear about or sense something spiritual in them. They might have a different religious beliefs or they practice an occult art. They could speak a different language, came from a foreign country or have travelled very far from home. You will be mystified and intrigued, but a little intimidated. There could be a period of time at first when you just silently observe each other without making a move. I think the first person to break the silence will be you and they will breathe a sigh of relief. You seem to be more carefree and at ease with yourself than this person, and seem younger too, even if just in spirit.

You will have many philosophical discussions with this friend. The way they talk is wise and gentle. They have an innate understanding of how things work, they probe for deep meaning and open to myriad kinds of experiences. They could have a very profound effect on your mind, asking you questions that you've never thought of before, but they will not be confrontional about it, they just want to ask the question and leave the pondering and thinking to you, the answer is not as important as the acceptance of the question.

They might have moved their living space a lot or rarely stayed at home. They're a nomad, always on the move. They like to travel, explore, could be with their friends, which they have a lot, or alone, they are fine with both.

You will admire their honest way of expressing themselves, their energy feels pure and straightforward, what they show is what you get. Even though they seem so serene and calm, later you will learn that they have been hurt a lot in the past. They might have a fear about commitment, past relationships failed them, so they can be more cautious in this area. You will bring a lot of joy to them, they will find your way of living refreshing and fun, they will want to learn a thing or two about your hobbies and taking them up. You guys will talk about all kinds of things, share the silliest jokes, being ridiculous with each other without care.

★Possible astrology placements: prominent Sagittarius, Taurus, Aquarius placements, Jupiter in 3rd house, Sun in 9th house, Saturn aspects, Moon in 11th house

BLUE

You might be intimidated by them at first but attracted nevertheless. They will remind you of someone you knew in the past or someone in your family.

This person has a strong and intense aura, they are the type that takes no bs from people and set in their way. They would wear a lot of black and red colour and look good in them. Their style would be bold but minimalist. They don't like to adorn themselves with unnecessary things and prefer a neat style for easy movement and activities. Yes, they will love to move a lot, they are active physically and need lots of mental and physical exercises to release the pent-up energy inside them, which is a lot.

You would meet them in a public place, could be a company building, an institution. Maybe when you're going on a business trip or study abroad, or going to museums, conferences, the lecture hall. You will immediately be impressed by their vibrant aura. They seem so self assured, confident, but oddly enough, they don't seem to be comfortable around a crowd. I wouldn't be surprised if they have encountered some jealousy or backstabbing in the past. The crowd doesn't usually go easy on an individualistic person.

They will complement you perfectly. When you feel nervous, they will be strong and confident for you, when you feel down, they will light up your spirit, when you are confused, they will sit you down and talk some sense into you. And I think you will do that for them too. They are an extremely loyal friend. Fiercely protective of their close ones. Their protection is gentle but firm. They will peer into your core and unearth every secret and dark corner that you have. But they won't use it against you. You will feel seen and understood. Just remember never to betray them or cross their boundaries, they can unleash hell on you. This is the kind of person that you want to be friend with, not make an enemy out of them.

They could have talents with words, with musical instruments, with painting. They have a sensitive artistic soul that can perceive the tiniest beauty and capture it into a lasting existence. Their mind can be whimsical but disciplined. They know how to apply rules and methods to ground an idea.

Jokes and laughter are important to them. They like mental games, various kinds of entertainment. They probably have some interesting hobbies that you will want to learn and explore them yourself. Watching them doing something will be inspirational. You will want to encourage them to show themselves more to the world to see, to shine brighter than they already are.

★Possible astrology placements: Aries, Leo, Scorpio placements, 5th house stellium, Pluto in 7th house, Mars in 1st house, Mars in Aries, Aries ASC, Pisces Venus/ Mercury, Capricorn Mercury

AMBER

This new friend could be your future travel buddy. I see one person is leading another to go on a trip. Travel and learning will be the centre of your connection with this person.

The first thing you will notice about this person is that they have a glibness to them. They could talk fast, walk fast, change subjects mid sentence, rambling on and on. But it will be fascinating to watch and listen to them. They could be younger than you, more playful, less care about the mundane, practical world around them. This person will be a bag of infinite fun to you. With them, you will be more relaxed and enjoy yourself more, you guys would think up mischievous bets and games to entertain each other. I keep seeing the image of two kids having fun everywhere they go.

But don't mistake this for their lack of depth. In fact, they are a lot more mysterious and spiritual than meet the eyes. Their approach to life is carefree but philosophical, they believe that doing good deeds will be rewarded. They believe in serendipity, in life's goodness and abundance, this makes them lucky, it's like a team of spirits is having their back. You would think this person is free of worry. They even think so, too, but they're haunted by dreams and nightmares, their worries and fears lie deep down in their psyche. You have to probe carefully to get a glimpse of that. But they likely won't let you do it, they will dazzle you with stories, with adventures that make you forget the elusive nagging feeling of something is amiss.

They're lucky but they're not lazy. They're actually a very hard worker and you will admire their work ethics. Financial security is very important to them. Sometimes to the point of obsession. They work hard and play hard. There could be an over indulgence of some kind. They can be a spendthrift one moment, then make a completely random purchase (and regret about it later). This person probably like to buy little trinkets or bathroom products (they will gift you a lot of that too). They take good care of their hygiene and are very neat. Their house might be swamped with little things, but they will be well organised and aesthetically pleasing.

You might meet them when you go for a vacation, a trip. I see a large body of water so it could be a lake, a river, the beach, the aquarium.

★Possible astrology placements: Gemini, Libra placements with strong Jupiter and 9th house influence, Mars in Taurus/Mars in 2nd house, Sagittarius ASC, Moon in Sagittarius, Venus in Virgo/Venus in 6th house, Sun in 3rd house

LILAC

You would meet this new friend when you travel back to somewhere you had lived there before or the place where you were born. Also you could meet them through a female figure, likely your mum or your sister, a close female friend. They might introduce you to each other or you will meet this person when you're travelling with that female figure. This could be a surprise encounter for you. You might have travelled to this place often but this will be the first time you see them there. Another scenario is a business trip, but the presence of a female figure will still be there.

This person could have an intimidating reputation. They could be a boss, or in charge of an important position in their workplace. Whatever they do, people notice them easily. They could look a little scary at first sight. Their features are sharp, and they favour a darker style. Fierce and confident. You will probably feel nervous when meeting them for the first time, being subjected to their gaze. You would feel your capability and proficiency are being assessed silently. You might have to work with this person, the connection would be strictly professional at first. They can be strict, demand a lot and don't like to talk about trivial matters. They're probably a person of few words.

But strangely, I don't think you will feel uncomfortable in their presence later, when you're friend with each other. If any, they could even make you feel more confident and more carefree. Even though they prize capability and have a high standard, they are also benevolent and can be quite forgiving. They might only act like this with a few people, those that have passed their assessments. You guys could remind each other of someone close, there's a sense of familiarity, being at ease with each other, as if you've been friends for a long time. This connection could happen suddenly, but it has the potential to remain strong and long-lived.

You might notice that they have some trouble voicing their thoughts. There is a pain hidden deep inside them, and you will feel compassionate for it. Sometimes you could even act as their spokesperson, helping them communicate better. You guys will become the unlikely sanctuary for each other, no matter how much different you look outside.

★Possible astrology placements: Capricorn, Scorpio placements, Mercury in 8th house, Mercury-Saturn aspect, Sun/Mars in 10th house/ in Capricorn, Sagittarius Venus, Mars-Pluto conjunction, Sun-Moon conjunction

[lilislegacy]

Are you aware of the hate you are getting right now for defending percabeth in that one cotg post? I’m sorry :(

Why yes, yes I am. I've received some lovely asks over the past few hours (not that it's anything new)

It's okay though because I deserve it, on some level. I started it by responding critically to an individual's post. That is not something I have ever done before, and I knew that by doing it, I could receive some serious backlash. I signed up for it. So don't be sorry! I need to learn to to work through comments like these.

Hear me when I say this: People who don't like percabeth and don't like Annabeth are NOT bad people. Oftentimes, I find the reasons how they justify it to be quite problematic, which I have talked a lot about, but that is just my own personal perspective. I'm not ashamed to post my opinions on here and point out things that I find problematic, but my intention is never to hurt, offend, or criticize individuals.

So, I don't regret what I posted and I stand by it. That said, I was a bit aggressive, and the way they all responded to me could have been a lot worse. At the end of the day, we are discussing fictional characters from children's books. It's not that deep, and I refuse to get into an online battle over it. I'm pretty sure that we all mean well. So nobody—I repeat, nobody—respond to them negatively, and especially not in my defense. Quite honestly, I'm very embarrassed that there's even an ounce of drama surrounding my name, because that is so not my intention or who I am as a person.

I love you all very much. And to the anti-percabeth and anti-annabeth fans who read this, even though we disagree on viewpoints, my intention is never to hurt any of you. I am truly sorry if I have. I try and bring different perspectives to the conversation, and sometimes I get too passionate about it and get myself in trouble lol. I am sure @fate-of-the-envious and the other posters who responded to my post are lovely people. Maybe we'd even be friends in real life. But I'm not perfect and they're not perfect and when we disagree this hard on something, there tends to be some tension. Like I said in the original post, I appreciate where they are coming from and understand what they are saying. I only hope that they can understand what I am saying, too.

I think there is so much good and so much beauty in Percy and Annabeth's relationsip. It's definitely flawed, just like the two of them are—and I think I have been pretty good about acknowledging their flaws. However, I think their ability to overcome those flaws and continue to love and protect each other, as best friends and as partners, is such a beautiful narrative. I'll never shut up about that or stop defending them. But it's okay that people disagree and I refuse to make enemies over it. So even though I have and will call Percy and Annabeth out for their downfalls, I love them and I'm gonna keep posting about why I love them. And the other side will keep posting critically about them. But overall, I'm really proud that we as a fandom can have discussions like these and listen to different perspectives, while also being passionate about how we feel.

Also, whichever side you're on, we can all agree on two things, right?

1) We love PJO, and 2) Rick needs to get it together LOL

[nabi-unveiled]

Hiii!

Several times lately you've said my personal weatherman is a comfort show.

You do realize it's an abusive relationship don't you?

I'm not sure why you would find comfort in abuse, but it may be something to reflect on or talk about with someone.

I say that with the upmost kindness.

Hello Anon!

I do love My Personal Weatherman. I take GREAT comfort in that show. It's not flawless by any means, but it makes my synapses buzz in the best possible way.

That doesn't mean it's a comfort show for everyone.

I am fully aware that many find Segasaki/Yoh's dynamic to be problematic or consider it an abusive relationship. If you see it that way, I can certainly understand why you wouldn't find it a comfort show. It's a valid response to that interpretation.

Before I go further, please know that I do not want to negate anyone's personal experiences or opinions in this post. You are more than welcome to disagree!

But on MY blog - I will defend these characters with everything in my being.

In short - I do NOT see it as an abusive relationship. I see it as two people figuring out how their life together is going to work. Which is HARD and ONGOING. Especially for two introverts who keep a lot of their thoughts in their heads. I feel that struggle in the core of my being.

Thanks to some of the subtitle/scripting issues, many people misinterpret how long they've "lived together". (That post has a pretty great timeline if you're interested.) They didn't start living together until Yoh graduated, and they've only been living together a few months. They are still learning a lot about each other and their relationship. Even if they'd been living together a long time, figuring life out together is a process. It's not an easy one.

Do I think either character is a green flag? ABSOLUTELY NOT.

Are they very flawed people? Yes.

Are they crap communicators? Yes.

Is there a power imbalance? Yes, but only when Yoh allows it. Yoh enjoys the power play. Yoh IS allowing it. No question in my mind on that score.

It's VERY important to realize that Yoh is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and partial viewpoints/perspectives are in play. For anyone not familiar with it, that means Yoh's perspective is misleading us to a degree in the early episodes. His words in particular cannot be trusted. Before someone comes at me about dismissing a character's words or belittling their feelings, this is an actual literary and narrative tool.

I love Yoh. He's processing best he can. He doesn't know the best words to use. He struggles to figure out what his emotions mean and how to read other people. Like most of us in life, he's figuring crap out.

And Segasaki is figuring his crap out too. But they're TRYING.

Now do I think their relationship is a role model for "BDSM" as it sometimes gets labeled? Please. Dear God. No. Just no. That requires GOOD communication and clear negotiation. See earlier point. They're crap at that...so very human.

However, I do think this is a lifestyle dominant/submissive relationship. By that I mean they have naturally fallen into these roles based on their personalities and preferences. It's more common than you might think, but that's probably an entirely different post.

Actually, if you're interested in the dominant/submissive aspect, LutaWolf had a whole series of posts about this show.

There is also a fabulous amount of language analysis for this show that dives into what the language usage says/depicts about their relationship.

And yes, I've read every one of those posts. Most of them multiple times. I read them when they were WROTE. I have an entire folder of posts about this show BOOKMARKED on my computer, because I didn't even have a Tumblr account at the time.

Where was I? Oh right - why I find comfort in it. Like many things I like or love, I don't really know. Why do I find pangolins adorable? Why do I love sweaters? Why do I enjoy asymmetrical earrings? I don't stress over it. I just accept that I love them.

Is it because I think the sexuality embedded and a rain soaked Yoh are BEAUTIFUL? I'm sure that is 100% part of it. It's a valid reason to indulge.

Is it possibly a result of me growing up in a hierarchical community with a heavy amount of toxic masculinity that I enjoy seeing dominant/submissive interactions? Maybe. That would not make my enjoyment of the show less valid.

Is it possibly a manifestation of untreated trauma or personal struggles of some kind? Maybe. That would not make my enjoyment of the show less valid.

Is it possible that I see either myself or my own relationship in their relationship at times? Yes, that is absolutely true. Still a valid reason to enjoy it.

Regardless, here's what I know without a doubt.

🍛

Segasaki eats the curry. Every. damn. time. And Yoh makes it. Every. damn. time.

There's an entire essay in why that's so very very important for both of them.

🔆

Yoh wants this relationship. Badly.

There's an entire essay in why I think that too.

🌀

Segasaki NEEDS Yoh. Yoh is his safe space. The one place he can relax and be himself.

There's an entire essay in that one too.

I haven't thought about this show just a little. I've lived and breathed in this show. I could write books on this show.

But frankly, feel free to worry about me if you want. If that's what you want to spend your energy on, have at it. I won't be stressing though. Because as much as I enjoy this show, Segasaki is not who I want.

I know the real dream when I see it.

It's Manju's husband. If only. Manju is the one living my dream here. Fully accepted for her nerdy, kinky, fangirl self.

[marsprincess889]

Uttara Phalguni ☀️

Part 2

Here is part 1, read it before you read this.

Other traits of Uttara Phalguni women, spiritual reasons behind their traits, overview.

The smart mouth/girl next door

To deviate a little from the royalty theme, Uttara Phalguni women in a more mundane story and context share the personality traits with the privileged characters who I've just discussed. And although the circumstances change, many of the thematic patterns stay the same.

Hermione Granger from the "Harry Potter" movies, played by Uttara Phalguni ascendant Emma Watson, is an archetype of the Uttara Phalguni girl in her fragile youth. She does not mind talking back, she's smart, she's capable, she's fierce but sensitive, and she feels a little awkward because she does not feel desirable or "womanly" enough for the boys around her (that's all before Krum takes her to prom, I know, but I felt like she went through a journey to get there. That does continue the theme of people/men around her taking her for granted).

Hermione was the one student out of the main characters who was born in a completely muggle family (both of her parents are humans without magical abilities), that might a nice representation of the "Earthy" nature Uttara Phalguni women. But Hermione herself always defended her heritage fiercely, trying to not let any bullying get to her.

Rory Gilmore from "Gilmore Girls" is another example of the smart girl-next-door archetype, who is played by Uttara Phalguni Sun Alexis Bledel. The whole bookish "not like other girls" trope can be traced back to Uttara Phalguni and more prominently, to Ketu nakshatras ( both Emma Watson and Alexis Bledel also have Ketu primary placements).

"Gilmore Girls" is a show about a family (Uttara Phalguni's theme) and it focuses on the three generations of women in that family (again, the focus on females relates to Uttara Phalguni). I have not watched the show but I have seen a few scenes and I know the characters a little. Anyways, I know enough to include an interesting observation.

I was inspired to include this example after seeing an IG post about Rory and identity diffusion, which was not related to astrology at all. I think it refreshed or my phone died and I lost the post so if any of you know the user I'd love to credit them.

Note: I think that identity diffusion relates to Ketu prominence (especially having a prominent Ashwini nakshatra) more but I thought that it was interesting within the context of Uttara Phalguni's patterns regardless.

Identity diffusion is not a medical condition, but a psychological term used to describe a state of indecisiveness and passivity, where it's hard for the individual to forge a clear path ahead (I think everyone has experienced this, it's common and even normal among young adults). From what I've learned, it has less to do with identity and more to do with the stability and the clear visibility of that identity, since what's I've read described it from an external viewpoint. The Sun, ruler of Uttara Phalguni, is the natural indicator of the soul, and the sign of Leo, in which it begins, has to do with identity. It then moves into the sign of Virgo, the natural ruler of the sixth house, which deals with enemies, challenges, hurdles, people meddling in your business left and right. Virgo is a practical sign that does not have time to be concerned with emotions, which feels restrictive and unfair to the big-hearted Uttara Phalguni. Bridging those two different signs, Uttara Phalguni has to manage the difficult task of balancing their personal integrity with the practical reality, enough for their soul (the Sun) to shine through. The key is to stop overcompensating and adjusting constantly to other people, no matter how much peer pressure they experience through it all (the other side of the coin of the cow yonis: in Uttara Bhadrapada, the individual has to work and submit to their soul in order to save it and gain material safety, while in Uttara Phalguni, the individual has to find a way to adjust the practical reality to the truth of their soul).

Uttara Phalguni, being eager to please and compromise, often ultimately gets underappreciated for their efforts and sometimes hated for "trying too hard", which ties into many of these stories, especially this one.

Another example would be Elle Fanning as Lily_ a young girl living on a farm eith her older relatives in "We Bought A Zoo" (which is an Uttara Phalguni movie), who also conveniently works there (the Uttara Phalguni theme of getting work from relations). spoilers

She's sweet and helpful to the new owners of the place, always being friendly with a boy her age, bringing a sandwich to him every day. They get attached to each other, but she gets hurt because when he thought his family would go back to the city, he was happy and eager to leave right in front of her, taking her affection and care for granted. She stops bringing sandwiches and ignores him after that day, only then he realizes that he's hurt her with his unnappreciative behaviot and goes to apologize and make up. (That storyline was unbelievably cute, that movie overall is so wholesome, I can't...)

The "big city" girl

In the 1980 Italian film "The Taming of the Scoundrel", Uttara Phalguni moon and ascendant Ornella Muti plays Lisa_ a beautiful socialite from the city who gets herself stuck in the house of a farmer after a rainstorm. Saturn, the planet often paired with the Sun, is related to agriculture. Seeing that she was treated nicely, and the because the farmer caught her attention, she fakes an illness to prolong her stay, but the farmer is onto her, and does outageous things to send her away or to get under her skin. They have an iconic push and pull dynamic that you see in many couples involving Sun women and both of the cow yonis too.

She's also seen as pure, highly privileged and "too proper" for the village life at first but she proves that she can do more than what others think she's capable of, including some of the more physically demanding tasks that are considered masculine.

The way Lisa demands princess treatment and is eventually denied it makes for a nice comedy. A similar dynamic occurs with the last movie example you'll see later. Uttara Phalguni is "the princess" in many stories, as we have seen.

I just realized that in these pictures she's chilling on the bed and talking to her friend on the phone(Uttara Phalguni's symbol. It represents the back legs of the bed, reminding us of leisure while also doing something else/multitasking, because Uttara Phalguni connects Leo and Virgo/5th and 6th houses/Sun and Mercury. Purva Phalguni is the front legs, representing Venusian passion and procreation) while pretending to be sick to get princess treatment. If that is not Uttara Phalguni idk what is. Also, she might seem dishonest and manipulative but she wants to stay because she actually likes the farmer who took her in and enjoys their dynamic. Also, if I remember correctly, her boyfriend from Milan was not great soo... (she never cheated though).

I also want to mention Sandy from "Grease", played by Uttara Phalguni native Olivia Newton John, as the iconic "good girl" who has more to her than it looks. She's basically the perfect example of the archetype. The interplay between her and John Travlota's (Purva Phalguni native) character Danny describes the purpose and the dynamic of the Phalguni pair, which is to attract, form bonds and procreate (procreation is more directly tied to Rat yonis, especially Purva Phalguni). John Travolta also has Pushya_ a Saturnian nakshatra, so this couple is another iconic example of the Sun-Saturn pair. Saturn represents the lower class, and Danny is apart of the 50s Greasers, who were made up of the lower class, while Sandy is a privileged girl.

A nice element in the story is that Sandy's transformation occured from the influence/help that she received from the community that she found herself in. Uttara Phalguni women always feel tied to their communities and even if they feel out of place or like the odd one out (which was definitely the case in previous examples), the pressure or need to adjust and compromise for the benefit of the tribe is still strong. As we saw before, even if they a adopt a different persona or behaviors (which are often edgy), their true personalities never change, as they always had more in them than what it seemed like, and their souls always find a way to shine through, no matter how much the outer circumstances test them.

This also might manifest as Uttara Phalguni women confidently embracing their "good girl" persona (if that is indeed true to her), because they know that it does not mean that they are "weak", "bland" or "uninteresting". When the Sun is healthy, there's no need to adjust to outer projections, it can just shine through in its radiance and stability, and then it's easier to see the material reality adjust to the soul's truth.

Notable examples of this are iconic characters portrayed by Uttara Phalguni ascendant Julie Andrews: Maria from "The Sound of Music" and Marry Poppins.

To close out on-screen examples, I want to talk about the movie "Leap Year" (2010).

"Leap Year" is a great example overall to understand Uttara Phalguni women, for many reasons.

The main character, Anna (played by Uttara Phalguni moon Amy Adams) is a hardworking woman living in Boston, US. She finds out that her long-term boyfriend was in a jewelry shop, and afterwards he invites her to a date. Naturally, she thinks she's getting proposed to, but the box turns out to contain earrings.

Dissapointed, she finds out about an old Irish tradition: woman can propose to their boyfriends on every February 29th and men cannot refuse. Since her partner had to fly there, she plans to follow and surprise him with a visit and an engagement.

Nothing goes according to plan, as she has severe difficulties getting to Ireland and during a rainstorm, she gets stuck in the village of Dingle, when she in fact needed to get to Dublin.

As soon as she arrives, locals make fun of her "big city girl" persona, which from their view is much more privileged. Despite this, she turns out to be more strong-willed, resilient and, perhaps, stubborn than what they anticipated.

I don't want to spoil everything, but this movie is about what makes a truly great bond and what we should really value in connections. An interesting detail is that Anna expresses that she felt that she could not rely on her father, which perfectly explained her micro-managing and stubborn personality. This is her dialogue with Declan, who promised to take her to Dublin after they met in the village:

Declan: Why don't you stop trying to control everything in the known universe? It's dinner. Have a little faith. It'll all work out.

Anna: Heard that one before.

Declan: Well, maybe you should have listened.

Anna: Really? You think? It'll all work out. My dad was the king of "it'll all work out." Time shares in the Bahamas, mobile video stores, whatever the next big nothing was, all our money went right after it. But don't worry, it'll all work out. Cut to me working two part-time jobs after school and us getting our house repossessed on Christmas Eve. Ho, ho, ho. So you will forgive me if l don't listen. I'm sorry.

Declan: No, I'm sorry. A father's someone you should be able to rely on, you know?

I was planning on reviewing this movie thoroughly as I rewatched it recently and was astonished by how perfectly it told the story Uttara Phalguni women and the events and feelings that they deal with in their lives, but I just don't want to spoil anything and I think it might be better if you guys watch it yourselves. It's a great and wholesome film, I think you'll love it 🙂.

Here's a great clip from earlier in the film, but I'd advise to watch the whole film.

With Uttara Phalguni women, it's common to feel like you cannot completely rely on your father or other men in your life. I made a public post here, asking people with Uttara Phalguni primary placements to shortly describe their relationships with their fathers or father figures. It was not nice, you can see the comments yourselves, and the vast majority of them are women.

The wounding of Virgo

Much like its opposite on the axis_ Pisces, Virgo is a nakshatra that has connection to vulnerability. Pisces heralds a time of completion_ the full-circle moment and the feeling of peace that comes with it. Virgo is a place where the "workload" is at its highest_ it's right in the middle (alongside Libra_ both being opposite to the end and the beginning of Pisces and Aries). Pisces is a place of unity (Ketuvian) but Virgo is a place of division (Rahu) and the vulnerability of Virgo is not like how it is in Pisces, although they're interlinked: Virgo feels vulnerable because it feels like it cannot rely on anyone.

The sign of Virgo is named after the Virgin, symbolic of feminine energy that "has not been penetrated by the masculine". Virgin goddesses in many mythologies were really just goddesses who were unmarried and independent, although some embodied the word "virgin" literally. The unwillingness of Virgo women to submit to masculine energies comes from their inner wound of feeling abandoned by the masculine energy that they craved and/or having the masculine energy imposed on them (in any way) that they deemed unworthy. They are the ones who see masculine distortions clearly or the ones who have felt those energies naturally since early childhood. As a consequence, many Virgo women feel a deep need to free themselves from unworthy masculine energies and protect themselves from them (as they see other women in their receptivity and rarely have the kind of masculine support that they want, they put that responsibility on themselves). At the same time, they protect their inner softness and femininity by putting their best foot forward/rarely showing weakness, especially to men. This often manifests the most directly in the nakshatra that is fully in Virgo_ Hasta, but as Hasta is ruled by the moon and it knows how to utilize the lunar femininity, it's, in a way, more comfortable in that position.

Uttara Phalguni is the first nakshatra that is introduced to the sign of Virgo and coming out of the extravagant Leo (and also being ruled by Leo's ruler_ Sun), it has trouble staying big-hearted once it meets the meticulous and critical energies of Virgo, where people are not there to be their friends. Uttara Phalguni women are too honest and respectful towards themselves to play dirty in a way that goes against their natural generosity and kind hearts. This often means that the ones who do, walk over them, mistaking the kindness of Uttara Phalgunis as weakness. Uttara Phalgunis often push back with stubbornness and/or pure force of their will, they try to never ever give up their spiritual high ground (just like Uttara Bhadrapada). Since in women this is seen as less feminine by others, and since they're the most open with their energy, they are the ones, out of three nakshatras of Virgo, who struggle with embodying their true femininity the most.

Unlike Hasta and Chitra (other Virgo nakshatras), who are way more comfortable with manipulation, Uttara Phalguni needs honest, loving and supportive connections, because it's the nakshatra of families and bonds, and manipulation goes against their morals and integrity (Solar). So, they try to utilize their Mercurial cunning that only serves the tribe and strengthents the necessary bonds.

This emotional/spiritual/psychological wound of Virgo women is hidden, out of necessity, so that nobody takes advantage of it. And so it's unseen. This is why Virgo is related to passivity, because it cannot say that it's weak or hurt, it can't explain itself because that would be another way to extend their energy to others and risk being siphoned of it. Virgo women wait for people who see them for who they are, despite their concious or unconcious, willing or unwilling attempts to cover it up.

And the loving Uttara Phalguni might just be the one who needs it the most. That is why I think that Uttara Phalguni women are often "used" and need to be extremely discerning about their bonds. The running theme among them is a journey towards settling into their true and natural femininity and balancing it with weeding out unworthy masculine energies and utilizing their desired ones that are given to them.

Uttara Phalguni's yoni animal is also associated with service and fertility.

This is a little sadder and maybe even tragic side to Uttara Phalguni: sacrificing your wishes/boundaries/time for the good of the community or the people you love, because there's no other choice, and being taken for granted or sometimes even hated for it. The lack of true love from partners, friends or family is a sad theme among these people, as they try to "earn" love or work for support by supporting other ten times more, but that only makes them viewed as people to walk over.

"The Giving Tree"_ a classic children's picture book, written and illustrated by Uttara Phalguni Sun Shel Silverstein, tells a story of a tree and a boy. It starts with a "tree who loved a boy" as the boy would sit under it and use it to play, pluck fruit or shirld from sunlight. As the poem progresses, the boy grows and goes through many phases and his relationship with the tree does too. Many have interpreted it as a metaphor for a relationship where one of the partners get used. I think that it is also about the female as the giving tree, since the feminine already represents nature, and Uttara Phalguni represents the "giving" aspect of it.

Here's the link for the online version of the book.

To end on a much better note, in all the other stories, Uttara Phalguni women manage to break free from their self-opressive and overgiving tendencies and take their true place in the community. The key was choosing yourself day by day, every day, and nourishing only those relationships which make you feel like yourself, which truly make you feel like you. Easier said than done, I know, but when you enter the sign of Virgo, the nitty-gritty is the rule, you have to deal with it, without neglecting your soul.

Uttara Phalgunis understand the importance of family and community: they are needed for individuals as well as for the society at large. The theme of serving the family/the tribe is strong in here. Just like the auduence learns in these stories, serving the family and following your own heart is one and the same, even if at first, to the Uttara Phalguni native, it's an incredibly painful choice. No relationship can flourish without true love, support and respect of both indoviduals towards both themselves and the other and no community can exist without those relationships.  Uttara Phalguni relates to the empowerment of the individual within the family, how every member deserves to follow their heart, despite what duties are imposed on them. Every kingdom starts with a strong and true individual at first.

You don't have to choose between family and self, because true family already supports and values you. The kingdoms are built on tribes and communities, tribes are born from connections between two people bound by marriage and all of those relationships should be built on real love, loyalty and support, because otherwise, they'll fail.

Uttara Phalgunis have that inner knowing of how all of those relationships should function, they are always ready to fight for what they know to be right within their hearts and they are the ones who have both the power and the resilience to defend what's worth defending, resulting in a truly powerful, supportive and abundant unit that they can proudly call their kingdom. ☀️👑

...

I did go over almost all of these myself but it is much better to watch them and see the Uttara Phalguni themes yourself, because I still feel like I have not fully said everything that I wanted to say in the way that I wanted to.

So, here are some series and films to watch: "The Mask of Zorro", "Downton Abbey" (Sybil, Cora and Violet), "Outer Banks" (Sarah), "Grease", "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story", "The Great", "The Princess Diaries" (Queen Clarisse), "The Sound of Music (Maria)", the "Harry Potter" franchise (Hermione and professor McGonagall), "Tuck Everlasting" (for Winnie, the larger theme of this film is connected to Bharani), "The Taming of the Scoundrel", "Riverdale" (Betty), "Braveheart", "Gilmore Girls", "We Bought a Zoo".

Ketu is currently in Uttara Phalguni until later this year, so it is quite a good time to understand these energies.

...

Thank you for reading 🤍 I've spent two months on gathering all the information and then writing this into a digestible text, so I'd appreciate feedback a lot. I know that this is not a video but so far, this is the format I'm the most comfortable with. It is free for everyone to read and share as long as you credit me.

[readerattheend]

Wisdom in the Holy Trinity of Light Novels/Manhwa

I took part in a conversation about wisdom and the evidence of it, and the conclusion we came to at the time was that wisdom is evidenced as a kind of understanding of how to live.

I've seen conversation on this website and elsewhere where people talk about how we often don't know what to do because it is our first time being alive. Wisdom is the learning and experience we obtain as we continue to work and struggle through our 'first time being alive.'

In Lout of the Count's Family, My S-Class Hunters, and Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint, the protagonists have been brought up in significantly similar circumstances and they end up taking significantly similar actions. Kim Roksoo, Han Yoojin, and Kim Dokja grew up essentially parentless, or at least abandoned, and through their life experiences they learned extreme hardiness and kindness, not shying away from pain for the sake of the people who are important to them.

However, their wisdom, their maturity, is on different levels. I think we partially see the differences in the amount of pain their sometimes-selfish selfless actions cause their loved ones as a consequence. I would love to hear dissent to reevaluate and deepen my understanding of the characters, but as I understand it right now, here's my analysis of the maturity of each protagonist starting from least wisdom:

Kim Dokja: He collects a family on the pretense of usefulness. He knows that adults should not hurt children, and someone has to stand in the way of the blade pointed at a helpless person's heart. Ultimately, he understands the desire of others to be understood, and he seeks to fill that void because he has seen the decay of his own life in which people constantly misunderstood him with no room for change. However, he cannot hope in anyone understanding him anymore because he hasn't had room to heal, so he fundamentally misunderstands (and therefore hurts) his loved ones, who are so desperate to reciprocate his love. They see that he has given them everything they need except one thing: the need to connect back. Instead, they are left reaching into the empty space he leaves behind, trying their hardest to squint and see the face behind the wall, because Dokja hasn't yet matured in wisdom to understand them.

Han Yoojin: He's only a little better than Dokja, honestly. Yoojin actually gets that his loved ones love him and want to make sure he lives a comfortable life. He is 30 years old and has become an expert at yearning for love, so he recognizes joy when his loved ones care for him. He loves them so much that he wants to keep being with them and continue letting them enjoy his care, too, to the degree that he does not want to die for them. He recognizes death and absence as absolute last-resorts, not as viable solutions like Dokja. However, he's still self-deprecative, still struggles with hating himself enough that even if death isn't an option, extreme agony and mental breakdowns are always on the table. He has spent a lot of time building up resentment against the people who hurt him, but when the people who hurt him were his loved ones, he redirected that resentment at himself. His lack of wisdom comes in that he can't share discomfort with others. He can't delegate agonies. He's willing to subject himself to hellfire, he hasn't developed enough security in his value to ask others to do the same. It stems from extreme outward-facing love, but lacks wisdom in that it is not sustainable with his F-rank self.

Kim Roksoo: He's got to be the best of the three. Although he's in denial about his affection for all of his dear ones, he can't help but show his love in every move and thought. He takes them in, gives them a place and a purpose, showers them in the good he never got while growing up, and reviles anything that would cause them harm. Although he lives in denial, it comes through more as an old wound that he has learned to live with rather than an actively bleeding knife wound that keeps getting stabbed like Yoojin's and Dokja's hurts. Unlike Yoojin and Dokja, he values his own comfort. He is repulsed by death and pain and only undertakes projects that will be uncomfortable for him if he perceives that the reward gets him back 100Xs the value. Because he understands that his discomfort hurts his dear ones, he avoids exposing them to it by avoiding letting it happen in the first place. A lot of accidental pain happens for them because he's living in the denial mindset where he doesn't think to tell them about things, but his choices are not made out of low self-worth like Yoojin's and Dokja's. Out of the three, he is the best at taking his lived experiences and learning how to pursue a life that makes him and his dear ones happy. He's not perfect, but he is the wisest of Holy Trinity.

[princesssarisa]

I think in Wicked (the musical at least – not sure about the novel), there's a bit of an uneasiness between the theme of "everyone is morally gray, no one is all bad or all good" and the fact that Elphaba is a freedom fighter against a fascist government that commits atrocities against a minority group.

Yes, the Wizard has some sympathetic qualities, Elphaba has some flaws and briefly turns to villainy toward the end, and Glinda is a mass of moral grayness under her perky pink facade. But for the most part it's clear who the villains are (the Wizard and Madame Morrible), Elphaba's stance against them is clearly heroic, and Glinda's choice to work for them is clearly a moral sell-out, with which she struggles and from which she eventually redeems herself. When the Animals' treatment parallels the treatment of Jews in Nazi Germany, you can't take a "both sides" view of the situation. But every now and then, the show seems to do just that – whether in the song "Wonderful" with the Wizard's talk of "moral ambiguities" (though of course in that song, he's trying to justify his actions and manipulate Elphaba into joining him), or Elphaba and Glinda's reconciliation in "For Good," where they paint themselves as having been equally at fault. And again, and again, I've heard people say "There are no real villains in Wicked: the whole point is that there are two sides to every story and neither side is all good or all bad." But if that's the intended message, does it honestly fit with a plot that involves fascism and racial persecution?

Another work of fiction that I think has some uneasiness between its themes is Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Namely between "the Beast as a suffering, misunderstood outcast" and "the Beast as a powerful bully who needs to be humbled and change." I think a lot of the controversy about that movie stems from the uneasiness between those two themes.

On the one hand, the Beast is a spoiled, selfish prince, who was cursed as punishment for shutting out a poor beggar woman, who has a terrifying temper, and who orders others around and throws tantrums when he doesn't get his own way. His beastly appearance and mannerisms can be seen as outward symbols of his bad behavior, which is based in toxic class privilege and masculinity. From this perspective, Gaston is his kindred spirit, which is emphasized by visual cues: e.g. their similar striking blue eyes, or Gaston's pelt-covered, horned chair in the tavern that looks like the Beast's silhouette. The difference between them is that the Beast finally realizes he was wrong and changes his ways, while Gaston only becomes more beastly. But on the other hand, the Beast is also an "other", who hides from the world, who struggles with basic social skills, who is full of insecurity and self-loathing, whom Belle bonds with because they're both misfits, whose bestial mannerisms and overpowering rages are at least partly because the spell is warping his mind (in other words, a magical mental illness), and whom a mob tries to murder just because he looks scary. Analogies have rightly been drawn between the Beast and victims of racism, homophobia, or other prejudice. From this viewpoint, Gaston is his opposite: the type of privileged boor who receives undeserved hero-worship just because he's handsome and charismatic, and who persecutes "others" like the Beast.

When people view it chiefly as a story about the taming of a powerful bully, you hear accusations of "Stockholm Syndrome" and of the dangerous fantasies of changing an abuser. Viewing the Beast as a misunderstood outcast, who finds acceptance in a fellow outcast and who overcomes his mental health struggles and bad coping mechanisms as a result, reduces those accusations. But if you view the Beast chiefly as a misunderstood outcast, then his character arc can feel disempowering: so much of it consists of learning to be more people-pleasing and self-effacing, not to mention re-learning "normal" human manners and behavior (as an autistic person, I know I've sometimes felt "He needs to mask to be loved"), and he becomes fully "normal" by becoming human again in the end.

Maybe there is no uneasiness between these different themes: maybe it's just complexity. Maybe my feelings on the subject shows that I'm autistic and struggle with things that aren't black-and-white. But in both of these works of fiction, I do sometimes feel as if the writers were trying to tell two different stories at once, which sometimes fit together, sometimes not.

Does anyone else feel that way about other works of fiction? Can you name any other stories with multiple themes that seem slightly opposed and uneasy together?

[inbabylontheywept]

Following back on the recent fusionposting to run a very technically unqualified intuition I have by you

When talking about baseload power generation, the conversation inevitably turns to nuclear, with a common narrative that certain countries are irrationally afraid of nuclear for not copying the successful policies of their neighbours (usually it's about Germany or Austria needing to emulate France)

What I've wanted to run by you is this viewpoint I've had for a while - that the economics of nuclear power are different from other sources, and that that may better explain the choices of policymakers:

The procurement of nuclear power seems much closer to military procurement in my eyes, with costs stemming from the management of standards, supply chains being inflexible and project/nation-dependent, and the costs of maintaining regional expertise overshadowing the costs that build physical capital.

Can you confirm/disconfirm any of these impressions?

I'm only slightly more qualified than you, unfortunately. I haven't work in the nuclear power sector. I have coworkers that have, and their stories do seem to check out with your descriptions.

Like, in a military style contract, parts might cost 4 times as much as a civilian part, because the military tests the parts much, much more stringently. You don't test the screws at home depot to make sure they match the metal composition, or that their sheer strength matches X, or on and on. You have a baseline level of trust that comes from market forces. But military supplies don't have market forces to work with - there isn't exactly a market for, say, F-35s. So they have to try and catch this manually instead of via crowdsourcing, and the results are painful.

That's military procurement, and I work with that enough to know why it exists. Even if it hurts.

Now, that sound very similar to nuclear power, which also analyzes everything to the T because the cost of failure is so ridiculously high. The coworker I mentioned before that worked for reactor said her first year learn-the-ropes project was doing a report on the safety consequences of swapping the lights from fluorescent to LED in the main office buildings. It was a 200+ page thing going over how the new lights would affect the backup power duration stats, hazards of the new lights vs the old ones (LEDs are less tolereant of undervoltage than fluorescents), things like that. I would imagine that in that case, they probably spent at least 4 or 5 times as much analyzing the impact of the lighting than they actually spent on the lighting.

This drives efficiency oriented people kind of crazy, but the whole point of these systems is not to be efficient. It is to be extremely resistant to failure. Ludicrously, insanely, painfully resistant. Because in the military case, a bad batch of bolts normally worth $40 could make a $35 million plane crash, and in the nuclear case, a meltdown could literally cause trillions of dollars of damage. The Fukushima meltdown is estimated to have caused $200 billion worth of damage, and it was not even close to a worst case scenario.

Anyway, I'm rambling a little, but your intuition seems good to me. I love nuclear power, but people suggesting that we "slash all the red tape around it" scare the shit out of me. They have no idea what they're fucking with, and if we're all very, very lucky, they never will.

[sphacelating]

bro you have NO IDEA how many lines in my latest essay that I edited out because I wanted to try to reach people and not put them on the defensive.

It's really, REALLY hard to not be a catty, vindictive bitch when I'm so incensed over how people interpret these characters!!!

believe me, this is a struggle i know all too well. a huge chunk of my degree was focused on communication. giving criticism that’s actually constructive is a delicate art and learned skill, the message you want to convey will be lost if it isn’t digestible, and if you don’t take care to make the audience you want to reach receptive to it. without the right approach, it doesn’t matter how much time you put into writing careful explanations and breaking something down into clear talking points. you’re miles ahead if you have good people skills and understand the potential obstacles in communication and writing and how to avoid them, but i am always trying to improve where i’m lacking.

and i do often shoot myself in the foot because my anger and frustration when people are so fucking offensively wrong gets the better of me. i used to have a far worse hairpin trigger temper, i’ve learned to regulate it, but i wouldn’t waste my time writing these long ass posts about something i wasn’t extremely passionate about, and there’s no passion without emotional investment. i’m gritting my teeth through it so that i can stay civil. i have a tendency to be an asshole, especially so when i get annoyed, sure, though i wouldn’t necessarily consider that a bad thing— some topics should not be sugarcoated, sometimes you need to be harsh and blunt to get a message across. most call for balance, however, and it’s especially important in an analytical thinkpiece. piss people off and they’ll be instantly unreceptive and unapproachable. now you’re trying to make sense to an argumentative defensive brick wall rather than having a mutually respectful conversation.

why the hell are we here writing these long thinkpieces if the goal isn’t change? i know we’re both adamant about this because we want to see change in our chosen fucked up corner of the internet, make it suck less, however slightly. i want to encourage people to explore different perspectives, and the key word is encourage. shoving your opinions down people’s throats is only a tactic that’s well received by someone who already agrees.

i’m often told i have an off-putting superiority complex, but my confidence in my well-formed opinions is always going to be off-putting to some. it isn’t a refusal to change my mind by any means— in fact, i find great enjoyment in exploring alternate points of view that make sense to me. if i’m presented with a different viewpoint that makes logical sense, more so than mine, i have no problem changing my mind once i’ve given it some thought. you’ll never see me argue for long in the face of overwhelming evidence that i was wrong when i can see the flaws in my own reasoning.

this is especially true when analyzing tcoaal.

i pay very close attention and i’m extremely perceptive, but i am well aware of that there are many details i’ve missed, seemingly trivial bits of dialogue that i failed to catch the importance of during my playthrough, a lot of things i didn’t commit to memory or that have slipped my mind over time. hell, there’s even entire scenes i’ve never seen and then discover the existence of later on because i haven’t had the time to play the game to 100% completion. if i rejected new information when it’s brought to my attention because of a refusal to admit i’ve been wrong, that would be fucking embarrassing.

unfortunately, people on here are often that exact kind of embarrassing, and that’s when all i can say is “are you fucking stupid?”, and i do. but in the end, what i really aim to do around here is inspire people to be more open-minded and learn where they lack knowledge and experience.

[miraculouslbcnreactions]

Having the statue scene be what caused Adrien to fall in love with Marinette feel like one of many spite moves from Astruc. Like once again, he saw how much people hated that scene but instead of addressing the criticisms he instead just point blank tries to force us to like the scene.

I'd go with arrogance over spite. I don't know much about the man, but the quotes I've seen and my limited knowledge of the industry are why my standard take is that he and the writing staff are genuinely trying to tell a good story. While we think they're failing at it, they don't. They think it's good. You're not going to sway me to their point of view, but I do understand how they could get into that mindset.

It's incredibly rare to get professional writers who want to punish the audience. It's incredibly common to get writers who are so far up their own ass that they think they shit gold and anyone who disagrees is just a hater who can't understand their vision. While that viewpoint isn't ideal, it's not a terrible trait for a creative. You're unlikely to succeed in a creative field if you can't get into some version of that mindset.

Speaking as a writer, if you want to succeed in a creative field, then you do genuinely need to be your own biggest fan and learn to ignore criticism. Not because you're above criticism, but because:

Issue 1: A lot of people struggle with the difference between personal taste and actual flaws, leading to some really shitty "criticism". That doesn't mean that it's bad to talk about a thing in terms of personal taste, it just means that your criticisms maybe be highly subjective opinions and not objective flaws that the creator needs to know about. It's why things like book reviews are for the audience and not the author. I know people who have found great reads based on negative reviews because those reviews talked about the book in question in an objective enough way for those people to realize it had things that they loved. That means that those were excellent reviews, they let people know if they'd like the book or not, which is what a review is meant to do! It also means that the reviews were pretty worthless to the authors because there was nothing that needed changing. It was all a matter of personal taste.

Issue 2: Taking point one a step further: more objective, "good" criticism isn't necessarily valuable to a creator. Sometimes creators are willing to include "flaws" because their creation doesn't fit their vision without those "flaws". Creators can get away with that because different audiences will care about different things and you're never going to be able to appeal to everyone. This is not the greatest example, but I think it gets my point across, so I'll use it here anyway. As someone who prefers reasonably healthy couples, if I were to read a story with an awful romance, then I'd probably hate it and have very clear, logical reasons why. But if the author is totally aware that the couple is awful and needed them to be such for the story they wanted to tell? Then my critique has no value to them. It's why good critique is so hard to get and give. Good critique is not about shaping a story into what you'd call good, it's about shaping the story the writer wants to tell into its best form. It's super hard, but also fun and a good learning experience.

Issue 3: A lot of criticism is highly situational and public feedback will only ever come after a work is done and available to the public. That makes it questionable how much value you'd get from reading feedback at that point. For an ongoing work where only a part is done, you might get something useful, but for a finished one? It's questionable if there's any point in reading negative comments. For example, I've received unsolicited critical feedback on fics that are several years old. I have no idea what the goal of those comments is. Even if I agree with them, I'm not going to rewrite the fic for them. I even asked one of them what their goal was and they couldn't tell me. They just wanted me to know and the button said "comments" not "positive comments."

Issue 4: You're never going to be perfect, so even a great work will have flaws, but it's unhealthy to dwell on them. Listening to a thousand people point out what you got wrong is not going to help anyone improve. That's why good creatives are open to feedback, but they tend to have a select group that they go to for feedback during the creative process. They then ignore most other feedback. In most cases, that is the healthy way to approach the creative process. It's why I don't agree with those who complain about someone blocking critics on twitter. Block and move on isn't just advice for the plebs. Successful creatives are allowed to prioritize their mental health, too.

Of course, there is a double edged sword in action here. Because creatives need to be their own fans and develop that ability to ignore criticism, they are always at risk of forming echo chambers that lead them to create lesser works because everyone in their core team thinks the same way they do. They may not even have a core team! It takes a lot of humility and luck to find people who give you good feedback.

The echo chamber issue is especially true when creatives are successful as it's hard to want to change when you're making money off of whatever crap you put out. Once you reach a certain level of success, there will be a whole lot less push back on your terrible ideas. If it's going to make money either way, then why worry if it's total crap? (This is a major problem in the publishing industry, btw. People with large social media followings can get a book deal with relative ease and publish almost anything they want because the publisher knows it will sell and it's not their name that's going to be looked down on.)

Generally speaking, this is what I think happened with Miraculous. The show is incredibly successful so there's no reason to listen to criticism or expand the creative team. Until the show stops making money, it doesn't matter how bad it is, so there's no reason for the writers to question if they've become blind to their own flaws. And by the time the show goes too far and stops making money? It will probably be too late to fix the problems so the show will just die. That's just how this trend works.

In summary, I would not be shocked if the writers genuinely think they're writing wonderful stories and that the critics just can't see it because we're the spiteful ones, not them. People can develop really weird standards for what is good, especially when they're immersed in the industry. For example, it's not like Disney wanted to ruin the Star Wars brand or have their 100th anniversary film - Wish - be universally panned. Studios want to make money. Writers want to tell stories people like. Spite it's rarely the answer when they fail to do those things.

The one caveat I will give to the above is if you're referring to the kind of spiteful arrogance where someone creates a thing, people criticize said thing, and so the person makes more of said thing in retaliation because that's 100% spite. But it's not the kind of spite where they're making a thing bad on purpose. It's them saying, "no, this was good and I'm gonna make more of it because you're wrong and I'm right." People do that shit all the time and, once again, it's not an inherently bad thing. Like all emotions, spite is a neutral force and a powerful motivator. It can lead to great things and terrible things. I can think of spite projects that were wildly successful and spite projects that totally flopped. (Relevant Tumblr post)

If that's the argument you're making when you say "spite", then I could totally see the statue scene choice happening because the writers heard people dunking on it and they went, "No, you're wrong, that scene was awesome! In fact, to show you how awesome, we're going to have that be when Adrien's crush started!" Spite? Yes. Ruining the show on purpose to get back at haters? No.

[thesensteawitch]

🩷🌹🩷🌹🩷🌹🩷🌹Yours And Your Future Spouse's Energy Check!🌹🩷🌹🩷🌹🩷🌹🩷

Pick A Pile Reading

(Left to Right- Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Hey, Senstea Souls!

I am back with another collective tarot reading for you all. Choose a pile intuitively and if you are not sure you can read your energy check. If it doesn't resonate then feel free to choose another pile.😊

At the end of each pile, I have also mentioned a spread that can help you FIND YOUR TRUE LOVE.🫶🏼

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🩷Happy Reading🩷

Pile 1

Your energy check:

Cards: Strength, 8 of Cups, 9 of Swords, 6 of Pentacles

Spirit animal: Lizard

You are a very strong individual pile 1. You have learned a lot through heartbreaks and every kind of relationship in your life. People around you teach you a lot. You know that with pain comes wisdom. You stick to people or situations longer than you should. You are very passionate. Some of you even want to be the center of attention. I sense Leo's energy. But unfortunately, those around you somehow disappoint you. You try your best to walk away from toxic relations but you haven't completely let go of them. You carry the baggage and think of them when the moon takes over the sky. Your mind wanders to every place that has caused you pain. Pile 1, this way you'll sabotage the happy moments of your life. Give your thoughts a redirection. You're very giving. But your lesson in this lifetime is to live within limits because the receiver knows no limit. You have to keep your balance in life. Deep down you know that crowd overwhelms you. You have a strong perception of people's energy. You can sense their true intentions but you don't know how to move past that. You don't know how to handle all that sensory information. You don't need to worry about pile 1. The answer is simple. Take a step back. Do not get yourself involved in everything. Take time for yourself. You'll be fine. God bless you!

Your future spouse's energy:

Cards: 7 of Cups, Page of Swords, Ace of Wands, King of Wands

Spirit animal: Zebra

Well, pile 1 your future spouse will be somebody who will have too many interests. They may appear naive but deep down they won't be. They will have an abundance of knowledge. They will love traveling. Everything about this world will fascinate them. Magic is something they will truly believe in. They will have a balanced masculine and feminine energy. New ideas keep popping into their head. They will be emotional, witty, and passionate about what they love but they might lack stability. They may struggle to settle. They may have strong Sagittarius placement. Nothing will satisfy them so easily. They would want something extraordinary in life. They can be of a different nationality. They will be artistic. They would like to have an intellectually stimulating conversation with you. If you are with them you'll never feel bored. They will have so much to talk about. You'll travel with them a lot. Their magic and spontaneity will be contagious. Also, they would be someone who loves to teach and guide others. They will have a philosophical viewpoint on life. They may also be stubborn. It will be difficult for you to change their mind. You will be the one following their lead. Their presence will pull you out of the emotional rut you have been in. They will always be a reason for the smile on your face. They will bring the sun with them. They will challenge you in life which might make you a bit uncomfortable at first but there will be a greater purpose behind you both coming together.

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Pile 2

Your energy check:

Cards: The Hermit, Emperor, The Hierophant, Queen of Pentacles

Spirit Animal: Firefly

You're an old soul, pile 2. You work so hard for the betterment of the world. You are a fair person and that's inspiring. You may seem intimidating to a lot of people. But at the same time, they come to you for advice because they know that no one else can guide them better than you. You are the light people search for in their darkest of times. You empathize with others because you have seen the polarities of life. Deep down you have the skill, talent, and whatever it takes to create a stable and abundant life for yourself. You may face a lot of hardships during your lifetime but the result is always going to be massive because of your just and honest nature. You may have strong Saturn or Pluto placements. You may be a Libra or an Aquarius. You may feel burnout pretty often. It's very important for you, pile 2, to give yourself time to relax. Allow yourself to take a break. Don't feel guilty about doing nothing. Sometimes that's all we are supposed to do in fact just be and stay in the moment. Your hard work will give you such profound wisdom that one day you'll be sharing it with the world. You'll be looking up to in life. God bless you!

Your future spouse's energy:

Cards: Two of Wands, 3 of Swords, Queen of Cups, Magician

Spirit Animal: Lion

Your future spouse will be somebody who gets trapped in their ego. They will have great plans and huge wishes but they will remain in their mind for longer than they should. When it comes to action they might run away. They will be afraid to be vulnerable. They will not want the world to see their soft side or true side. Deep down they will be like a magician. They can manifest anything they want. They will have the resources to create a wonderful life for themselves but they won't have enough faith in themselves. It will be difficult for them to move on from their past hurt. They may hide themselves from the world but you will be the key to finally helping them release those emotions out of their system. They can be a writer and their creativity will be affected due to the baggage they have been carrying. You will be their key to unlock the door and set them free. They will need to see the world beyond the four walls. They will know that they are in their head but they won't do anything about coming out of it unless someone shows them the way. I hear, “I can't escape this now unless you show me how.” Your future spouse more likely will have their own business. They may seem withdrawn and too serious at first but gradually as you will give them reasons to trust them they may be interested in being your friend. Because you will be their strength which they have lost. I hear the song ‘Strong’ by One Direction. Maybe listen to it. There can be a message for you.

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Pile 3

Your energy check:

Cards: Knight of Wands, 7 of Swords, 3 of Wands, The Sun

Spirit Animal: Camel, Tarantula

You are always on the lookout for something more. You may have noticed this in your past relationships as well. You always feel that there's something better out there. But it's not true. At times you fool yourself into believing that what good is in front of you is never going to be good enough for you. You are not afraid to take risks in relationships. You are a bit naive when it comes to love. You are carefree like a child. You think that it's okay if you make mistakes. You may have been forgiven many times in the past. Are you the younger child in your family? Perhaps some of you are! The idea of love is very much intellectual for you rather than emotional. You think of love but you don't know how to feel it within you. Especially for someone else. You know what receiving love feels like but you don't know what loving someone feels like. And I think that is what your soul craves. To love someone else truly and deeply. Some of you may also think that you're going to find your lover while traveling. Perhaps, that's what you need. You need to travel. Maybe just like the Before trilogy, you may find your person on a train and may have some cool talk with them. And if nothing of that sort happens then also you'll learn a lot in solitude. I sense strong fire energy (Leo, Sagittarius, Aries). God bless you, pile 3.

Your future spouse's energy:

Cards: Page of Swords, 9 of Wands, 7 of Cups, Temperance

Spirit Animal: Starfish

Your future spouse is going to be everything that you are not. They will be filling the gaps. They will be attuned to their emotions. They will be a package of everything. The emotions that you run from they will make you confront them. They will be involved in a lot of pursuits. You'll be surprised how a single person can do so many things. They may have a high temper but deep down they will be trying to control it and balance their emotions in front of you. They will not like to burst out in front of you so don't test their patience. They may appear an amateur but believe me they won't be. Self-doubt is something they may struggle with and you'll have to be patient with them. They may be somebody who gossips a lot. You'll be mesmerized by looking at them. They'll have beautiful facial features. As per the current energies I see that you two may not seem comparatible at first but you both are going to mirror each other. This can be a karmic relationship. The person will appear to be the complete opposite of yours. There will be a lot of passion and emotions involved from your Spouse's side. This quality can overwhelm you. It may also be difficult for you to handle their emotions. They may daydream a lot. Their life may lack focus. Deep down they think they know how to remain focused but in reality, they will be sabotaging their emotions until they all come out like an emotional breakdown. So many interests can easily distract them in life. You'll need to help them concentrate on one thing at a time.

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[synergysilhouette]

Everyone keeps talking about "traditional villains," but in retrospect, I wish Disney had gone in a different direction for the Revival Era. Hear me out...

King Magnifico's failed characterization and poor writing in "Wish" really bummed me out. I was looking forward to a complex villain who was kinda right. I was hoping it could usher in a new age of Disney villains who were more grey than black and white, who made the characer grow as a person because they challenged their perspective. But then I realized that the opportunity existed in earlier revival-era villains:

Dr. Facilier is a villain first and foremost, though thinking back on it, I do think he is kinda proto-Magnifico, granting people's wishes, only for them to find that what they wanted isn't what they expected. I do wish he tied a bit of truth in with his scams, mentioning (similar to Magnifico) how people's dreams are very difficult to achieve--especially in the post-WWI American South, particularly POC. Naveen is generally assumed to be a POC himself, so he could juxtapose this viewpoint as someone who's never really had to experience such hardships. Dr. Facilier could still be 100% villainous, but further emphasis on dreams, wishes, and hard work would be part of his character. However, this is the reverse of "Wish"; Tiana has already worked hard, but she's lost a lot of her innocence and light-heartedness trying to achieve it, thus causing her to reevaluate how important love is and how she may not have realized it, being more practical about her dreams. It all starts with a wish.

Mother Gothel was already right; the world can be dark and cruel, and will destroy any light it finds. However, similar to Magnifico, since she's completely evil, the protagonist she goes against doesn't really change to understand what she's saying. Rapunzel doesn't see the world as dark or dangerous anymore; it's the opposite, thanks to her experiences. Because of this, I do wish Rapunzel did have a bit more negative experiences independent of Gothel to prove Gothel's point rather than it being "hey, she's just saying that because she's the villain." Maybe Rapunzel tries healing someone and people start lusting after her hair.

Hans is DEFINITELY a missed opportunity. He was the anti-Anna; isolated and alone, and he became bitter and cruel because of it. It's mentioned that the deleted song "More than Just the Spare" was removed because it made Anna too much like Hans. I don't think that, and if anything, it furthers my point: Hans gave up on his brothers, who he felt overlooked by and pestered by (he doesn't even mention his parents). Maybe give Hans less brothers and feature them a little in the movie so we can see how they interact with Hans and how it's a "what could be" for Anna and Elsa. His evil character is exactly what Anna is trying to avoid, but she understands how he became this way rather than it simply being for shock value.

Yokai was a great villain to me, but the reveal happened too late. I'd have loved seeing a more thorough exploration of his character and parallels to Hiro (which were done great in the film; I just wish it was expanded on). Highlight how people quickly forget about the dead and don't always learn from history, how there's this cycle of loss and hatred that you have to break.

Bellweather was on a power trip, but I do wish she had a storyline similar to Judy and Nick, since--in an interesting twist--they come off as more interesting and complex than the villain. She doesn't really say what made her act like this, and comments that "fear always works." I wish we got more of that, especially to play the two sides card; Zootopia is mainly predator-phobic, and challenges to this, ie predators playing down predator-related crimes in order to get people to look past their identity (and the fact that many predators are in positions of power) may have caused Bellweather's abuse by predators to be overlooked, causing her to want them all gone.

Te Ka is interesting. Despite "Moana" being a great film, I do feel like Te Ka and Maui's storyline was underutilized. It's revealed Maui stole Te Ka's heart for humans, but from what we see, Moana lives in this ideal community where their heritage, culture, and nature is loved and respected. Maybe embrace the fact that Tala is the only one who tells the story of the ancestors and how being they became "comfortable" since they were no longer voyagers, being used to the hierarchy and their stagnant society. Highlighting some humans' selfish natures would've been nice rather than Maui just telling us about it, with Te Ka being a metaphor for the destruction and disregard for nature and love.

Namaari is such a missed opportunity. Despite caring about her community, she comes off as more villainous than an antihero since she doesn't show any sympathy or care for Raya--in fact, she seems rather smug about hurting her. By making her a villain burdened by expectations and love for Fang while slowly being redeemed would've been better to me, shifting her POV slowly, making Raya angry with Namaari but understanding her motives. Having some regret about her choices--even if she believed they were the right ones--would've gone a long way for Namaari's characterization.

Magnifico...well, you already know he could've been one of Disney's most complex villains. Horrifying backstory and powers that are the result of hardwork left him with a jaded view on wish granting. He wants to help others, but has MANY reservations about it.

This is just my POV, of course; some of you may disagree (or feel like the aforementioned villains already achieved what I ask for), but I do hope future Disney villains have that "they're kinda right, even if they're wrong" characterization. It'd be a nice new era as the successor to traditional villains and twist villains--though just like twist villains, this trope requires VERY good writing.

[inconveniently-discorporated]

Season 2 thoughts on character growth, and whether there was any...

I respectfully disagree with some of the viewpoints that the choices made at the end of s2 brought the characters right back to where they were, or that it undid all the growth they went through during s1.

The MAIN reason I say that, is this:

The final scene mirrors the bandstand scene SO much.

Crowley is asking them to run away together, and Aziraphale is saying they can't. Or, he won't.

Crowley is not tied to either side, he is tied to "us". Aziraphale is tied to Heaven.

But it's not the SAME argument. At the bandstand, Aziraphale is pushing Crowley away. Crowley WON'T and CAN'T join him in Heaven, but Aziraphale cannot find it within him to leave. Heaven is the source of good! It is godly! It is everything just and right in the world! He has to do a lot of gaslighting to himself to believe that, but that's where he's coming from.

He's telling Crowley it's over, they're not on the same side, they can't be together.

The argument in the bookshop is very, very similar, but fundamentally different.

This time, they are both screaming their love for one another. They are not TRYING to push the other away, they are both pulling on opposite ends of the rope trying to pull the other one back to them.

Aziraphale still has not let go of Heaven, but this time he makes it clear: Heaven is BROKEN. Heaven SHOULD be all of those things that Aziraphale thought it was, but it isn't. But maybe he could fix it. And he doesn't want to fix it alone -- he WANTS Crowley, he NEEDS Crowley.

In season 1, Aziraphale's mindset was, "I just have to talk to the right people, and THEY will fix everything."

In season 2, Aziraphale's mindset is, "There are no right people, we have to BE the right people. I can fix Crowley, and then WE can fix everything and Crowley and I could be happy together."

That's not to say there aren't things that have stayed the same, things that they haven't learned yet and still need to.

I think one of the things that Aziraphale doesn't understand yet though -- and one thing that he STILL needs to realize -- is that the problem isn't in the labels. One thing that has remained the same is that Aziraphale still sees them as an angel and a demon, and if only he could "fix" this for Crowley, everything would be better, all of that demonic trauma will go away, and Crowley can be the joyous angel he was.

Crowley's side of the argument is very similar, but also different. He hears everything Aziraphale has to say about Heaven, and still opens up to him. He still pours his heart out about his feelings and how they should be together. He doesn't put the walls up until the very end, and even then, even then -- he doesn't just leave immediately like he did before. He kisses Aziraphale, he shows him just what exactly is on the line, and then he watches Aziraphale go.

He isn't going to let Aziraphale just make this decision without having to look him in the face as he does it. He stands by the Bentley, and makes it clear that HE is not the one walking away this time -- Aziraphale is. He can't be in the bookshop anymore -- and what kind of sanctuary is it now anyway -- but he hasn't gone anywhere.

What he still doesn't understand is Aziraphale's point of view. He understands his own point of view, having presumably seen a high-level view of Heaven, one in which he was asked to create, but never told "oh no not like that" until it was too late. Aziraphale was evidently told that. From the very beginning, Aziraphale understands that one mustn't ask questions, he understands that it is not HIS position to create.

Crowley says that extreme sanctions were something they just joked about to scare the cherubs. He has access to high-level material. He clearly has seen Heaven from a privileged vantage point, and he fell from that high place. Aziraphale's demeanor tells me his position was closer to Muriel's -- respect the higher authorities. What Heaven is now, was what Heaven has ALWAYS been for Aziraphale.

Heaven is flawed to Aziraphale, but as a whole it is not that different from the Heaven that was, when Crowley was happy there. I don't think that Crowley understands why Aziraphale doesn't understand why he can never go back. I don't think he understands why Aziraphale can't see that it isn't just the fall that hurt him, because Aziraphale doesn't feel the enormity of what Crowley lost.

What is interesting is that now Aziraphale will get to see, when he's "in charge". I think that season 3 will see that growth in both of them -- I think Aziraphale will finally understand that perspective.

And I could also see that maybe Aziraphale will find a way to make a difference. Maybe it irrevocably changes Heaven and Hell forever. Either way, I bet it will take both of their perspectives together to make it work, and both of their perspectives will change for the better so they can finally let go of everything that happened and finally be fully free together.

[theweeklydiscourse]

tw: mention of CSA and abuse

just saw your recent reblog about Nosferatu and idk what is your actual take on it but i've to disagree with the op saying <this is not a story about grooming nor abuse... it can be,> the movie is very obviously and directly concerned about sexual abuse and the uncomfortable eroticism only enhances the horror of the whole situation. i just find posts that constantly need to mention "it's not about abuse it really isn't!" entirely dishonest and intentionally denying the very obvious theme of the movie just so they don't have to face the fact that they liked a ship that is as noncon as it gets. it is essentially a grooming rapist/victim relationship which obviously makes people uncomfortable to admit which is why they don't want to acknowledge that. and that explains the vehement push back against the SA narrative (which isn't a simple interpretation but very much what literally happens in the movie). i just think that people need to just start being honest with themselves like there's nothing wrong if you end up liking an absolutely fucked up dynamic and the whole “death and the maiden” of it all but please stop with the "this isn't a story of abuse" takes because that is actually harmful. not the shipping but denying the fact that this is a movie about abuse because it has led to some very horrible takes of rape apologism with people saying "it's not abuse because she called to him so it can't be" like... no. just no.

There are a few issues at play in the current discourses surrounding Nosferatu. First, one side makes sweeping generalizations about what the film is definitively about, and then the other side counters it with its own sweeping statements. This predictably gives way to certain over-corrections in the discourse that try to find an absolute answer to subject matter that is up for audience interpretation. I actually had a similar thought occur to me when I read that quote in that particular post, and I say that as someone who is really into the "Death and the Maiden" dynamic. We're talking about a film that provides more than enough support for multiple interpretations and it's frustrating that people reject other people's ideas so they can have the *one ultimate correct* take on it.

This issue is exacerbated by the current internet climate of moralizing textual interpretations and the lack of understanding surrounding the genre Nosferatu belongs to. Gothic fiction often features taboo subject matter that is considered by many to be off-putting and disturbing, and usually, that leads to the judgement of those who enjoy it. The reason that people are overcorrecting by saying that it's not about abuse is responding to the denial of the existence of themes of repression, desire and love in the film. It's a phenomenon I also find irritating. Viewers who are totally unfamiliar with the kinds of themes and subject matter gothic fiction deals with seem to be imposing only one possible interpretation of the text while acting like people are immoral for thinking otherwise.

I also consider Robert Eggers's words in my own reading of the film. In an interview, Eggers noted that his approach to the film was informed by the trope of the "demon lover" and even referred to the relationship between Ellen, Orlok, and Thomas as a love triangle. The film is explicitly erotically charged in a manner that can be taken either way, and I believe that both interpretations are valid ones. Outright denial of interpretations of Ellen and Orlok's relationship as abusive seems foolish to me. But I also get why people might be uncomfortable fully acknowledging the more twisted nature of their dynamic. Nobody wants to get labelled as an abuse apologist over fictional matters or shipping, and there are times when merely engaging with darker subject matter gets people labelled as such. However, people need to stop being so absolutist about these things and learn to substantively engage with differing viewpoints.

I think that the online tendency to moralize fictional preferences plays a large role in people's resistance to being honest with themselves about liking taboo subjects or twisted dynamics. There's nothing wrong with liking it, but it's hard to do so openly without incurring some form of criticism and contempt. Denial gets us nowhere.

[iamnmbr3]

Any chance of another excerpt of the drarry letter writing fic? hope you post it soon

Oh. Sure. He's a bit that takes place a little after the first excerpt. At this rate I'll end up posting the whole thing on tumblr lol. Anon is referencing this.

Potter,

Yes, yes, how very devious and Slytherin of me. I’m sure no noble and chivalrous Gryffindor would ever dream of doing something so convoluted and scheming. 

I know what a telephone is. I even know what to do when it starts making noise (now). I talk to muggles quite a lot, actually, as I live in a muggle neighborhood. They all seem to think I’m a refugee from some foreign country where we did things very differently. I’ve received many compliments on my English, which is, I’m told, nearly perfect. 

I’ve told them there was a war, that bad people tried to seize power and do terrible things, so I suppose they all think I was very brave and clever to have escaped and hidden myself here since they don’t know I was on the wrong side. Much of the wizarding world doesn’t want to have anything to do with me so it’s rather nice to be around people who do not know who I really am. 

I have also been trying to learn more about the groups and viewpoints I was raised to despise. I wonder now whether much of the hatred of muggles was born, not out of a sense of superiority, but out of fear. What they have accomplished without magic is truly incredible, though I still don’t understand half of it. And I’ve gotten much better at blending in, though they do still look at me strangely sometimes. How was I to know cars aren’t pulled by invisible animals? What makes them go then? 

Did you really get into trouble that often when you were growing up? I should have known, given all the detentions you got when we were at school (though not as many as you should have – I still don’t know how you managed to get out of half of them). I suppose I always imagined your family had been fairly indulgent with you, given your background. 

Most of my detentions were because of you. My parents were not pleased. (You never even thanked me for not saying anything about that stupid dragon in first year by the way).  And for the last time, letters should be written on a clean piece of parchment. Not on the back of someone else’s note. You’re supposed to save correspondence for future reference. Not send it back like it’s worthless. 

Yours,

Draco 

P.S. I don’t think your single mistake quite matches the magnitude of my own grievous errors. Especially as I had tried to use an Unforgivable on you at the time. And I’d nearly poisoned you and two others not that long before. I think about that a lot. If you’d all drunk at once, all three of you could have died. And what would have happened then? There would have been no one left to stop Him. Because of me. 

***

Draco,

You might be surprised. I was actually nearly sorted into Slytherin. The Sorting Hat only put me in Gryffindor because I asked it not to put me in Slytherin.   

I like walking around muggle London too. Nobody stares at me. It’s nice. But it’s also a little strange that no one knows about the war. It’s like it never happened for them. Do you get out into the wizarding world much anymore? What have you been doing with your time these days?

Auror training is hard, but I like it more than school in some ways. All the classes are practical and I can see the use of everything I’m doing. I never much enjoyed essays or theory lessons in school when I couldn’t see how they connected to my life. 

You asked about my childhood before Hogwarts. I was brought up by my Aunt and Uncle; they didn’t like magic - or me - very much. It’s not something I talk about that often. 

 More importantly though, you did say something about the dragon. And then Ron and I got blamed for making it up in order to try and get you into trouble. McGonagal took so many points off Gryffindor that no one would talk to us for weeks. (Snape would never have taken points off of Slytherin like that.)

I hope you like this parchment. I bought it specially today in Diagon Alley just for you. 

Harry 

P. S. Sometimes I think about all the things that could have gone so much worse during the War too. And all the things that could have gone better. I meant what I said at your trial though. I think you wouldn’t make the same choices today. And I think you deserve a chance to prove that. I know Dumbledore thought so too. 

P. P. S. I liked your story about the muggle cars. For future reference there is a special liquid inside them called petrol that makes them work. I don’t really know how either. I do know they have to add more regularly or the car stops working. My Uncle used to complain a lot about how expensive it was. 

***

Harry,

The Hat nearly put you into Slytherin?! That would doubtless have been a disaster. Though you are certainly cunning enough. I never worked out how you were cheating at potions in sixth year. I’m curious though. If you didn’t grow up knowing much about our world, what made you ask not to be sorted into Slytherin?

I know what you mean. The muggle world feels very refreshing but there is so much they don’t know about that I never fully feel a part of it. Of course, these days I don’t feel that I really belong in our world either. But maybe that’s good and means our world is changing for the better.

What have I been doing with my time? Not as much as I would like to be honest. Shockingly, proudly espousing abhorrent views and having been associated with a fanatical cult of bigoted murderers does not improve one’s job prospects. You’ll probably laugh but I actually thought about becoming a Healer. I passed all the required N.E.W.T.s last year but of course who in their right mind would ever hire me? 

You’ll definitely laugh at this but I’ve opened up a specialty repair shop for complex magical artifacts. Even in Knockturn alley there are people who don’t want to be seen talking with a (former) Death Eater so I take commissions by owl and floo call about half the time. The work itself is surprisingly interesting. (I was actually quite good at Charms in school. I probably would have gotten an O on my Charms O.W.L. if you hadn’t sabotaged it.) Do you like Auror training?

Of course Snape would never have taken points off Slytherin if he could help it. That’s why he was clearly the superior Head of House. I read the interview you gave about his role in the war. I suppose his dislike of you was just an act then, to throw us all off? I should have known. No one could know you and dislike you that much. And there I was thinking he actually favored me. 

As for the dragon, I had to give some excuse for being out that late at night when I got caught by the scariest Professor in the school. And the truth was the first thing I thought of. However, I would like to remind you that Ron Weasley left a rather imprudently specific letter from his brother in a book I borrowed from him. That’s how I knew where to find you. And I never showed it to anyone. So really I think thanks are in order. 

Draco

P.S. Your aunt and uncle sound like they held the muggle equivalent of my own family’s attitudes. You deserved better.

P.P.S. Using thestrals sounds a lot more practical. 

[peoplesrazor]

Lily has a habit of talking about things she hasn't seen and giving opinions based on fan sites, wikis and what people in her orbit say about it. Obviously, this is not a good way to interact with a piece of art. Even in this example, Mikaila is unsure how Lily came to her conclusions.

This is a problem, because Lily's job as a youtuber who discusses media gives her a veneer of authority on the subject. Her lap-dog fan base then parrots her viewpoints as if they are the only true interpretation and go after anyone who thinks differently. Again, it's dangerous and anti-intellectualism at it's heart.

Trying to interpret media this way handicaps reviews because there is often subtle nuances, smaller plot points, and character development that is overlooked. As above.

Mikaila doesn't like Cait and finds her boring. That's fine. I don't agree, but that's fine. Mikalia watched and has talked about the show and she's entitled to her opinion. Lily, however, jumps to one of the other few things she knows about the show, Cait's design, as the reason. I have no idea what the Vi needs therapy because of this stuff is about.

There is a better example of this that I'll be discussing in another post. I just want to research something first.

Lily, researching something is another way to learn things about it.