#it has some elements of romantic relationships and some elements of friendships and which ones are for the individuals to decide

[thegroundhogdidit]

to this day i still don't know what's confusing about queerplatonic relationships

[aroaessidhe]

2024 reads / storygraph

Migration

YA sci-fi

an upper class girl joins a military boarding school to avoiding her domineering mother and community that may go bankrupt and become lower class

as an intuitive, she’s paired with a fighter - trained in high tech simulations and games to predict seconds in the future

when she’s finally managing to settle in, and get along with her partner, the school is attacked by unknown forces and she starts experiencing strange things - and they have to question what they know to save their people

[appleshy-king]

with few exceptions i don't ship any of the m6 with any of the princesses but I wanted to challenge myself and do exactly that; I combined a bodyguard au and an arranged marriage au and came up with this! - an au where bearing an element of harmony comes with a union to one of the princesses, and serves functionally as both a spouse and/or adviser, and a bodyguard.

been calling this either the harmony marriage au, or the elements of marriage lol

Rainbow immediately addresses the elephant in the room and all but volunteers to form a union with Luna; something she does partly to prove she isn't afraid of anyone or anything, but also because… look man she said she was sorry and she's gonna start her new rule with everyone against her - someone has to be there for her. Celestia especially approves of this union, as, even if these marriages are largely political, the element of Loyalty would make a true companion for a pony like Luna. Despite that, I think their start would be difficult, given all the ways the two are opposites… but ultimately flying by moonlight is just as nice as flying during the day, and the long stretches of peaceful nights give them plenty of time to get to know each other.

Cadance solves the unbalanced issue and forms a union with both Pinkie and Fluttershy. There's no limit to virtues that are compatible with Love, but Laughter and Kindness just have that little something extra that catches her attention, nevermind how stinkin cute they are. All three take to their new marriage well. It’s especially helpful that Pinkie and Fluttershy have a pre-established friendship that could easily remain platonic, or turn romantic or queer-platonic; there’s also the fact that Cadance herself was once a humble pegasus raised by earth ponies before being thrust into this royal life, which could be why they caught her eye in the first place. 

(Shining is still here, as someone needs to train these girls in the art of guarding, and their relationship is still active (although PinkieShy would not be considered his wives); bc if there’s one thing I’m going to do with the princess of love, it's show off some poly pride!)

Twilight would, at this point, ““have her choice”” between Generous Rarity or Honest Applejack; either would be fitting for her new title as the princess of Friendship, and both are good ponies who she could rely on. However, given just how much Twilight’s life is about to be upended with new, well, everything - ultimately Rarity turns out to be her best match. She’s generous with her patience and tact in a way AJ isn’t quite, and more importantly she understands the ins and outs of the high class, making her a real asset in Twilight’s transition to royalty. Nevermind that the two were maybe already a little smitten before their union even took place…

This leaves Applejack sort of “auto-paired” with Celestia. At first Applejack seems like a horrible choice for a princess who is practically a queen, given how very little she knows about this life, and the way the upper class look down on her, but it ends up that her more open/harsh honesty that would have maybe been too much for Twilight in her new role is actually perfect against Celestia. It takes Applejack a bit to learn how to hold her tongue in royal public but she learns to play the game in her own way, and her willingness to speak openly and bluntly with Celestia - in private - is so refreshing to Celestia, who hasn't had a pony tell her like it is in ages. That said, i think this learning curve takes quite some time to even itself out, and in the beginning they spend a lot of their marriage clashing with each other, though ultimately i see Applejack as a respectful enough horse that her southern charm does just that, charming the princess in a way she couldn’t expect.

The six are still all friends with each other, although given the sister pairs some of them see each other more often; Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are a bit closer in that sense, while Applejack and Rainbow consider each other best friends. I’d be willing to say maybe something is going on between them, if i didn’t think that went against what the element of loyalty stands for, but there’s definitely rumors…

[casscainmainly]

Gender and Sexuality in Batgirl (2000)

While Kelley Puckett's opening run on Batgirl (2000) deals with Cass experiencing human connections and human life outside of fighting, issue 37 onwards takes a hard turn into gendered experiences. For sure there's some problematic elements (Cass gets sexualised a LOT more), but Horrocks' run does explore Cass' view on gender and romance in an interesting way. I'll be focusing on issues 37 - 57, essentially Horrocks' run but including guest writers (Gabrych, for instance, is our starting point). By the way I'm not a gender studies expert so feel free to disagree with any of these readings.

Riot Girls

Issue #38 (written by Gabrych) opens with this Batman conversation, which sets up Horrocks' run perfectly. Cass has never experienced a close female friendship (Babs is more mother/daughter) until Stephanie. Yet Bruce strikes a nerve here: she's not like you, and she never will be. He tells Cass something she already suspects - there's something she lacks that Stephanie has. (Bruce is, ironically, trying to say that Stephanie's the one lacking, but that's not what Cass hears).

This leads into the iconic Steph-Cass conversation:

Steph reveals she's had a baby, and this is Cass' reaction. She realises how much she doesn't understand about her body, romance, and gender in general. Stephanie has "finally beat [her] at something." She has experienced 'girlhood' in ways Cass can only dream of.

At the end of the issue, Stephanie asks if Cass thinks "he's right" (referring to Bruce), and Cass says yes. By siding with the male perspective (Bruce, or the he), Cass falls out with Stephanie, losing her first female friend. The whole of Horrocks' run should be understood in the context of this issue, with Cass searching for an understanding of her gender/sexuality.

The Superboy Saga

When Babs takes her on vacation, she makes Cass put on a bikini. Cass ends up meeting Superboy, getting grossed out, and delivering this excellent speech. It's Cass' first proper encounter with the male gaze, and it's especially disquieting for her because a) she knows the power of vision and b) she's brushing up against sexism and systemic injustice, something she hasn't really experienced before. She's encountering a power that can't be defeated with fists, and she is struggling to understand it.

She eventually does kiss Conner, and decides to take a trip to Metropolis. The decision occurs after this panel. Cass' desire to be with Conner stems from her desire to understand these feelings of passion, to want/need and be wanted/needed by others. The top panel here is interesting, too; she sees sexism playing out with other people ("check me out, girls!" / "Jerk."). Her anguished expression indicates she's having trouble reconciling the harmful forms of passion (top panel) with the sweeter forms of love (bottom panel).

At the end of the Superboy saga, Cass learns to distinguish between her romantic and platonic feelings. This taking place after the fallout with Stephanie (who explicitly repudiated her friendship) makes this extra intriguing - Cass calls the creature they're fighting "lonely," clearly meant to show insight into herself. Without Steph, she felt 'lonely', thus sort of falling into this relationship with Conner. Conner, however, is unable to fulfil that loneliness. Which leads us to...

Bruce Wayne Strikes Again

I noted in my other post how Bruce is super disapproving of Cass' love life. While it's hilarious, it genuinely impacts Cass' ability to express her sexuality freely. Here, Bruce pits Cass' sexuality against Batgirl; he implies that these attempts to understand herself harm her vigilante career. The way Cass responds ("I want to. I need to") is strikingly similar to the passions panel ("I want you. I need you"). Instead of being directed to another person, Cass directs her passions to Batgirl as a career. She's sliding back into her early mindset where Batgirl was all she was.

Again, another contrast between her and Stephanie: Stephanie fought for recognition in the suit, but Cass has to fight for an identity outside of it.

The Tai'Darshan Tale

But the real motivator for Cass' sexual awakening is, of course, Tai'Darshan, the semi-racist-caricature metahuman terrorist from Tarakstan. He flirts with Cass constantly, and makes a lot of gendered references ("easy, girl," "I don't understand why a woman like you," he calls her "beautiful") (#39, #40). He is the first significant character to take an interest in Cass as a girl, and without his flirting Cass probably wouldn't have kissed Conner (she kisses him after fighting Tai'Darshan twice).

Tai'Darshan does a big tornado thing and Bruce, intent on not letting him kill, knocks him aside, killing him. I'm low-key mad about this plot point, but that's okay 'cause so is Cass! In an echo of the Steph-Cass situation above, Bruce entirely disapproves of Tai'Darshan, but Cass likes him. Unlike with Stephanie, however, Cass doesn't side with Bruce. Instead, she keeps her feelings "secret" from Batman. It's the start of their relationship fracturing, as well as the start of Cass prioritising her own feelings and self-development over Bruce's perception of her.

No Soul

After all of this boy drama Cass understands romance a bit better, but is still in the dark about her gender. When a woman tells her she has "no soul," Cass goes to Barbara, who tells her the following:

Barbara connects 'soul' with Batgirl and femininity. Cass believes her, putting on Barbara's old suit (which one panel associates with "girl power!") and heading into the streets. What's interesting is that to achieve girlhood, Cass discards her suit in favour of Barbara's. Once again, there's this belief she's not 'feminine enough'; she's not like other girls, and she never will be.

But the suit obviously doesn't match Cass' fighting style, and in the end Cass returns to her old one. We get this great speech from Babs:

Cass is asleep here, but I do think she's learning that there's no 'right way' to be a girl - that she doesn't have to be Stephanie or Conner's girlfriend or Batgirl or Barbara, but just Cass.

The Dick Debacle

Cass gets hit with a drug called 'Soul' and has these hallucinations. This mostly male group sexualises her, criticises her for being sexual, calls her ugly, calls her hot; Cass is visualising the overwhelming contradictory standards applied to women everywhere, a compression of all her experiences thus far. Even Babs has fallen victim to pushing Cass towards stereotypically feminine experiences, and Cass' anguish is not so much at these people but at the patriarchy she's finally beginning to understand.

Dick, in particular, seems to represent this anger:

Finding out Dick broke Babs' heart seems to be the final straw. Here, her hallucinations paint her rage as feminine; the devil repeatedly calls her "girl," and Soul is being peddled by an all-female group who were 'tired of being girlfriends'. Then Cass kicks Dick out a window.

The Dick incident represents a culmination of her negative gendered experiences, beginning from her fallout with Steph and ending with another one of her close female companions (Babs) being hurt by a man.

Fallout

In the final issue before War Games, Cass essentially loses both Barbara and Steph (after making up with her and seeing her as Robin). I just like the parallel between Cass looking at Barbara as she leaves, and Stephanie looking at Cass - in a way, this is the most 'like' Stephanie Cass ever gets.

There isn't really a satisfactory conclusion to the explorations of gender or sexuality in Horrocks' run, or even in Gabrych's after. I think there's a lot to explore and I hope whenever Cass gets her next solo they look into all this a little further!

[thatsherastro]

Random Astro Notes Part 3 :

Air Sign Edition

If you are sensitive, then this post/page may not be for you. These are general observations, houses and aspects matter. XOXO.

Which element should I do next? Fire or Earth ?

Chiron in Aquarius can really take a toll on a persons self esteem and need to fit in with friends/ groups. Many people with this placement sometimes feel overlooked by their peers and yearn for true community

Libra mars & rising has the tendency to compare themselves alot to other people. Pay attention to yourself all you’re doing is making yourself insecure. You’ll never get anything done if you keep making yourself feel inadequate

Jupiter in Gemini is a great placement for a student. They have a thirst for knowledge

Yes Libras can be a little shallow. A lot of them like to keep up with the trends. Sometimes they don’t even care if you’re a good friend or not as long as you match the aesthetic. Remember this the only sign represented by an object.

gemini placements in a chart negatively aspecting planets like neptune & chiron can cause one to have some learning disability/ difficulties.

Venus in Aquarius prioritize friendship and convenience over actual romantic partnerships

Libra men are so charming. They can be really hard to resist.

Aquarius are so good at manifesting what they want. Why? Because aquarius are VERY ENTITLED. They truly believe they deserve & can get everything that they want in this world. Doesn’t matter if they are qualified for it or not ( this is a compliment btw)

Geminis can be selfish. They have the tendency to treat people like toys. Playing with ppl when they feel like it and then dropping them when they are bored. Your relationship with a gemini can sometimes be dependent on how entertaining you are & how much attention you can give them. You’ll think you are building a deep connection w a gemini, whole time you’re just the flavor of the week.

Gemini is Bi-sexuality while Aquarius is the entire LGBTQ+ community as a whole.

Aquarius Mercuries are so smart. I’ve met some who didn’t even attend college or finish HS but are still well versed in education.

Gemini men are here for a good time not a long time babe, enjoy your time

Thank you for reading 🫶🏾 follow for more

[miwiheroes]

Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love + Stranger Things Couples

This is very different from my other posts on here, but I was inspired by @hawkinsschoolcounselor to make this. Just wanted to give this tag some of my own insight from a Psychology student's perspective, specifically talking about the Triangular Theory of Love (TTL) in relation to couples (whether they are platonic or romantic or not) on Stranger Things. I'm not here to say that the Duffer Brothers specifically took inspiration for their couples from this theoretical model, just that this is one of the many theoretical models of relationships that can be applied to how people view love. Therefore, a writer would have written real life people's experiences of love into the show.

(Just want to quickly add -- this theory was made in the 80s. The most common criticism of this model is that it is made on the basis of westernised ideals of love. It also does not take asexuality or aromanticism into account.)

First of all, an Introduction to the TTL:

Imagine yourself a triangle. Every triangle has three sides. Each side of this triangle is an essential component to love. It’s the combination of these elements that creates the different types of love we experience.

First, we have Intimacy, which isn't your classic physical intimacy that you know (e.g. hugging, kissing). It's basically the emotional side of love. Can you tell this person your deepest secrets? Can you trust them? Do you two have similar interests? Can you have a laugh? Intimacy is what makes us feel understood and accepted for who we are.

Next, is Passion, which is the fire, the spark, the physical attraction that ignites the magnetic pull between two people. The chemistry, the electricity, you could say. We feel this at the beginning of most relationships, that intense desire to be with someone, emotionally and physically.

Lastly is Commitment. This is the decision to stay, to continue even if something changes. This can be for various reasons like investments you've made in the relationship, the promises you've made to someone.

Each of these components are associated with a certain type of love.

Nonlove -- This relationship has neither intimacy, commitment, or passion. You are acquaintances with this person.

Liking -- This relationship has intimacy only. This is a friendship, without commitment or passion that a romantic relationship has.

Infatuation -- Only has passion. It's exciting, overwhelming, but there's no emotional connection, trust, or commitment.

Empty -- Only has commitment. The relationship is stable and safe, but has no real connection or passion that it may once have had or never had.

Companionate -- This relationship his intimacy and commitment, but it does not have passion. This could be a very close friend, or a couple that may be in love but do not have physical attraction to one another.

Romantic -- You are intimate with this person and have passion with them, but you are not yet committed. For example, a partner that you've been dating for a short time.

Fatuous -- The presence of passion and commitment, but without intimacy. For example, two people who barely know each other can get married super quick on a whim.

Consummate -- Is the 'ideal' love. This is the complete, balanced love we all strive for. It’s a mix of deep emotional connection, physical attraction, and a strong, lasting commitment.

So how does this relate to Stranger Things?

I do believe we can sort of apply these definitions of love to many different duos in ST, and see what this means for them in the future. Love can also be different on either side, for example, on side of the duo may see passion in their love, while the other side sees none.

BTW you may notice that I'm not going to include Byler or Mileven in this first list, I will diagnose them after all the other duos in the show. So scroll down if you want to only see them.

Nonlove

This would be a duo from ST that really has no interaction with each other. No commitment, no emotional connection, no physical connection. I guess we can just pick people who've barely had an interaction, like Steve and Will. Eddie and Hopper. Mike and Robin (not yet anyways).

Liking

E.g. Joyce and Murray, Mike and Lucas. Just friends, but they are friends enough that they have believable closeness and an understanding of one another. More examples include all the party's friendships with each other (except Mike and Will). I don't want to really dumb them down into not being committed toward each other, but we can see that they're not dependent on each other in a way that's got more emotional depth than some other platonic duos in the show.

Infatuation

The only notable one that I can think of here is Stancy, more specifically on Nancy's side. This means she only has passion with him, aka, physical attraction. She's not intimate with him (in this model's definition at least). This model's definition of intimate means sharing deep secrets and trusting each other. During S1, Nancy's reason for being with Steve was because he was popular and she was just excited to be with the most desire guy in high school. She didn't confide in him about her emotional turmoil, she didn't understand his decisions and he didn't understand hers. In S2, this is the same. The only time that she confronted him was when she was drunk, other times she didn't feel he understood her enough like Jonathan did.

She also wasn't committed to him, which makes sense, because she had a far more emotional intimacy with Jonathan.

Empty

The first one that comes to mind ^. Obviously, this isn't necessarily fully in line with the psychological definition of 'Empty love', because Karen is not fully committed to Ted in S2 or S3, but ultimately she does make the decision not to cheat on her husband because of her commitment to her family. They have no intimacy and no passion (Ted's bed is literally downstairs). This is one of those relationships where people don't even have to ask why they don't get a divorce -- because they're too committed, which is their downfall.

Companionate

I believe Steve and Robin are different to those friendships in the 'Liking' category. They have intimacy, because they confide in each other and understand each other on a deeper level. But they're also committed to each other in a way that the other platonic duos don't have. They go where the other goes -- (they always need to have the same job together), and other people already think they are a couple (based on heteronormativity but also because they're seen together so often). They obviously have no passion, because uh well, their physical attractions lie elsewhere.

Romantic

I couldn't think of anything that just fitted only intimacy and passion and no commitment, most of the couples on ST basically have commitment if they also have the other two.

Fatuous

Without intimacy, but only commitment and passion, this is a super rare kind of love, and probably not represented in Stranger Things. If anyone has any idea of what could be in this section, please let me know.

Consummate

The ideal love, with intimacy, passion and commitment, is luckily represented by most of the canon couples in Stranger Things. This is how you know that the writers are good at writing believable romances -- you don't need the characters to explicitly state that they are in love for you to know, because they have all three of the staples for an ideal love.

Jancy has intimacy because they can tell each other secrets and they understand each other's emotional traumas (Jonathan understands Nancy's trauma surrounding Barb, for example. As a wise man once said, they have shared trauma). The biggest reason why they definitely have this love to me, though, is because the moments that they have the most trouble in their relationship is when one of these sections breaks down. AKA -- intimacy was broken down in S3 when they 'don't understand each other' anymore, and they were able to come back from this, showing their commitment. Season 4 also shows their commitment, because while Nancy was being sweet talked to by Steve (ugh sorry), she still stayed committed to Jonathan, same on Jonathan's side. Despite being in a different state, he still made all his decisions based on her future as well as his, showing they were committed.

Jopper has intimacy because she feels that he understands her more than anyone -- he met her in high school and clearly have both shared memories and shared trauma. They trust each other with sensitive information about each other's lives, and are able to confide in each other when the other is going through something. The commitment is shown deeply in Season 4. Joyce's commitment is quite literally shown in almost crashing in a plane for him and trying to break him out of prison. Hopper's is the plan he makes to break out and go see her. Their passion well.... that is also shown in the way Hopper continues to pine for her in S3, giving her longing looks, but also in S4 because this desire has a pay off.

Okay so now we can talk about which categories Mileven and Byler fit into:

Mileven and Byler

Lets' start by looking at each of the three components:

Mileven's Intimacy:  In the beginning of Season 1, Mike has emotional understanding with El, but this is gone by the time Season 4 rolls around. She explicitly states to him "No. You don't." He also finds no time to express his insecurities about his relationship with her actually with her, instead choosing to confide in Will about his insecurities. On El's side, she chooses to lie to Mike about having a really hard time in California, because she does not have the intimacy with him to feel like she can confide in him. There is a reason for this, obviously, and that is because she feels insecure about their relationship. But instead of communicating that, she chooses to ignore it. When Mike finally chooses to tell El about his 'feelings', even if they are true, he is only spurred on by Will alone, not by his own desire to do it. Whenever Mike tries to actually tell El what he's feeling, he ends up trying to do it in other ways in order to avoid it. Their scenes where they're about to open up to each other are either interrupted or extremely frustrating.

Byler's Intimacy: Will has always chosen Mike to talk about his problems with. He says to him in the 'crazy together' scene that Mike can't tell the others because they won't understand, showing that they have a unique kind of intimacy. Will also chooses to confide only with Mike about his problem with D'art in S2, because the situation is slightly icky (because D'art was literally inside him ig) and trusts only Mike with this situation. This is the same as the situation at the end of S4, where Will knows it would be scary for anyone else to hear, but he's happy to tell Mike about Vecna being alive. Luckily, Mike is ready to jump into action at the drop of a hat in both situations. Mike's intimacy with Will is the sheer amount of heart-to-heart scenes they have in S4. He's always ready to tell Will about his relationship problems, but not El (and no, not just because she's in the lab). He's more comfortable around him than El. All Mike and El do is make out (in S3), have some slight banter, but they don't actually have any shared interests. Mike and Will both have the shared interest of all things nerdy, and Mike finds Will's artwork moving and amazing. Mike has been shown to have an appreciation for what Will creates.

Mileven's Passion: I guess it's slightly awkward to talk about this kind of stuff with either Mileven or Byler, because they are teenagers. But teenagers obviously experience physical attraction and desire. The reason we can see this desire in other couples is because they have a lot of build up. Jancy have desire because they've been kept from each other because of Steve and Nancy being together. Jopper have been kept from each other because of Joyce's relationship with Bob and her grief, then Hopper being kept in jail (though that's not to do with romance). Lumax have been kept from one another because of Max refusing to get help from others. There was no pining, desiring moment with Mileven. And I know what people might say: Season 2 and Season 3 had moments where they were kept from each other and it was shown that Mike wanted her back. Oh? You mean the Mike that gave up on calling her and focused on Will until El reappeared again? You mean the Mike that joked around with Lucas after El broke up with him and played himself as the victim? It's not the same, because it has no pay off like the others. The maybe-pay off is the 'passion' of them making out in S3, constantly getting interrupted by some funny old guy haha!. As Hopper said, too much passion is 'not normal, not healthy'. This passion has Mike pulling her hands away from him and is just presented as humour/puberty-ridden teens figuring themselves out. Idk man

Byler's Passion:  Ignoring the fact I feel so weird talking about this, let's just reiterate some of the points I brought up to you in the last paragraph. All other main couples in ST have had a moment of unambiguous pining. Jopper, Jancy and Lumax. This is also the case with Byler, clearly, from S4, Will's pining for Mike can be seen as him wanting something. Have you seen those longing looks, marked by sweet, pining music? Those scream attraction, even though some of you might be allergic to two teen boys showing attraction to each other but are totally fine with 13 year olds making out. Those are just Will's pining moments. I mean, I can talk at length about Mike's slip ups. The triple take? The amount of lip glances on this man? It's hard to say at the moment whether they have passion in this relationship, but the thing is. We don't need to have it right now. All we need to know is that there is potential for it, potential for an amazing pay off where Will confesses his feelings. And from the amount of pining Will's shown (and Mike in a lot of ways), there definitely is potential.

Mileven's commitment: So this is where they actually have something. But that's not necessarily a good thing. Mike is the first person that treats El well after being stuck in an abusive lab for the first 12 years of her life. He made a promise to her that he would take care of her, and they both stress that Friends Don't Lie. They don't want to lose each other. Mike tells Will and El that he doesn't want to lose her and wants her to need him. This is not the same as romantically loving somebody. Mike's feelings shift during S2 and S4, but his commitment to El overrides everything. El wants to break up with him because of various reasons, and says that he is her 'first boyfriend' during S3. But they still stay together despite the troubles in their relationship, showing that the commitment is not something they want but something they need in order to feel secure. We have established they have no intimacy, we have established they have no passion. So why do they stay together? Because of the security, or some other reason. We have seen that Mike doesn't love El during S4 because he describes 'explaining himself' to her, while also not knowing what to say when she spells it out for him. We have seen how Mike treats El poorly, and the other way around. They lie to each other, they don't confide in the other. But they stay together because... they've made a promise, a commitment. Mike says I love you because she's going to die and believes it's what she wants. Even if this commitment was supposed to be genuine and pure, it can't be worth rooting for without intimacy and passion.

Byler's commitment: Will states many times that he will always be Mike's friend, always need him, wants to be with him for the rest of his life, playing games in his basement. That is the most obvious sign of commitment I have ever seen. He is so committed that he is willing to sacrifice his own feelings in order to make Mike happy, effectively tying himself to his love forever. Mike is committed to Will in his own way. He is always the one to apologise and take the fall in their arguments, while with El he is not committed in that way. When Will is away from Mike, he's worried that he's lost him. Basically this means Mike is afraid that Will isn't as committed as he is to their friendship. It's funny because Will has the exact same worries during the Rink o Mania fight. But that's the irony. They are both committed. Mike's commitment despite the distance is shown through his fear of losing Will. Will's commitment to him despite the distance is through his painting. No matter what, Mike is always ready to be a team with Will and work with him. Even while they were supposed to be fighting, Mike confides in Will. And Will? A huge part of Will's arc is his undying commitment towards Mike, which makes his scenes with Mileven so upsetting -- because we know his love will never end, meaning his sadness won't end unless Mileven break up.

So what's the diagnosis?

Mileven: Empty Love (Only commitment to each other. There is no show of emotional understanding and connection. The passion and pining for each other is not shown like with other ST couples.)

Byler: Consummate Love (Has all three elements. Both have a mutual understanding to each other's needs, both have a mutual pining, even though it's much easier to see on Will's side. Both have a commitment to the other in their own way. All other popular ST couples have this love and would fit in with Byler's)

Im so scared to post this because it's so different from my other posts. But hopefully you see that even if Byler is not endgame, Mileven being endgame would not be a true show of 'love defeats all' -- because it is not a healthy love. 

[countbarov]

long post tldr hansry gay

I think there's a very important element of Hans and Henry's relationship that I don't see discussed much, and it's the simple fact that they're a gay couple. Unambiguously, unabashedly, thoroughly gay. And while this may not sound revolutionary, it actually is

Hans and Henry are far from the first gay romance in videogames, let alone media at large; but they're one of the very few I can think of where the character's gender and sexuality matter to the point it can't be divorced from the story. Swap any of their genders, and the romance won't make sense. Why? Because they're a gay couple

This stands in stark contrast with other wonderfully queer games and stories, where everyone is free to romance anyone, and there's nary a mention of who you prefer to bed. And it's nice to see such fantasies from time to time; Baldur's Gate 3, for one, is the best example for this approach, and I love it quite so very much. But none of the romances hit the same way. They're clean, perfect, and neatly wrapped up -- their character conflicts have more to do with their personal circumstances than with their sexual identities. Some characters are made explicitly bisexual, like Gale and Astarion, both of whom have past lovers with confirmed gender identities. But that's not enough. They still fall for the traps of playersexual characters, never making a single gendered comment towards you in any capacity. Your identity is meaningless here

This also leads to perfectly pure, idealised romantic relationships. The only conflict we can expect from these characters is to be displeased by our altruism or selfishness, or some pivotal moments in their personal quests which might lead to a breakup or, in extreme cases, their permanent departure. They're very well crafted, but they can't reach the depths of a truly gay or queer relationship

The only other example I can think of where a character is explicitly and purely gay is Steve Cortez from Mass Effect. His story is linked to his late husband, a pilot who died in battle. His story, should a male Shephard romance him, repeats itself at the end of the third game. But for all the good his inclusion does to the series, there's nothing about their love that can't be replaced with a woman. If Steve had been originally implemented as a woman in a lesbian relationship, nothing would be different save their names

Enter Hans and Henry, who are gay, and to whom being gay matters

Their romance flourishes in darkness, shrouded by respectability. And it doesn't flourish naturally, either, because it can't. Henry has never thought of Hans that way because he doesn't know how to. Unlike people in modern day, who have the luxury of exploring their sexuality whenever they want, Henry hasn't been afforded the possibility of a gay relationship. He expresses his love and care for Hans, which might not be entirely straight, openly -- because that's who Henry is. He wants to spend time with Hans, and cares about Hans far deeper than other squires do for their lords, but he doesn't think twice on it. Hans is his close friend, no? Shouldn't friends care for each other? And so Henry continues, developing strong feelings he doesn't have the language for, loving someone in ways he didn't know he could yet knows he shouldn't

Hans, by contrast, is a far more educated and worldly man. He's been exposed to courtly affairs and the kinds of excess nobility sometimes indulges. He knows that deep love between men is possible because he's heard of it, and we can only guess has seen it once or twice. Like Henry, he never examined it much, preferring the company of women. But then Henry, sincere to a fault, expresses dangerous sentiments to Hans. Hans then realises that, maybe, he doesn't just find Henry's company agreeable. That, perhaps, he doesn't feel just friendship and kinship. That, perchance, he could be falling in love with a man. A thing he knows is possible, a thing he knows is taboo, and a thing he can't express

Hans develops feelings for Henry whether you romance him or not. His poetry book is proof that, at the very least, he lusts for Henry, and at worst yearns for the man. The only thing that changes here is whether Hans has the courage to express his feelings to Henry, or not

And the romance scene is powerful for this very reason. When Hans thinks Henry has understood his story, shared his feelings, and placed a hand near Hans' thigh, he's emboldened. High on grief, hope, love, lust, desire, and fear. He reaches for a kiss that risks it all. Henry's initial reaction is confusion, if not a tinge of disgust, because he still hasn't seen the possibility of loving Hans beyond friendship until that point. But when he stops to consider how he feels about Hans, he closes the door and gives in to what he's been carrying without knowing

And this is gay. A GAY story about two men who slowly fall in love without trying to. Two men whose love is marked by their society, and whose circumstances lead to an explosion of passion otherwise impossible. Vávra confirms they wouldn't have gotten together in this particular way were it not for Henry's mission. Would they have gotten together regardless? Would they never have otherwise?

Their identities as bisexual men simply can't be erased from the narrative. And they are bisexual, mind you, whether your character chooses to interact with it or not. Hans always falls in love with Henry -- Henry always has the option of hooking up with Black Bartosh. They're bisexual, medieval, men

And I love that idk

[bluemoonpunch]

🌟A Soul Mate Reading for Park Jimin - Tarot & Oracle Reading

[Performed: May 22, 2025 / Posted: June 2, 2025]

VOTING RESULTS!

Soul Mate Reading — 66.1%

Past, Present Future — 22.2%

Soul Map Reading — 19.4%

Crystal Garden — 19.4%

*Just a reminder! For this reading, I’m focusing on energy signatures and projections, meaning, NO, I can not see exactly who this person is that is connected to Jimin, and even if I could, would that be my business to share? No! So, please, just enjoy the vibes, it’s a really great one! :D

NOTES

I’m quite excited to do this reading because something about Jimin just makes me so gushy when I think about him getting all loved up by someone he loves just as much. I really can’t stop smiling about it. Maybe it’s just his Libra energy coming through, but as soon as I started tapping into the romantic connections, focusing on the most prominent romantic soul mate connection he will have, or already has in this lifetime, so much stuff started coming through in big warm waves. The biggest theme? BIRDS! So many birds! All kinds of birds!

The first thing I saw for this connection were two swans, huddled together, chest to chest, heads coming together to form a heart out of their necks. I wrote down, “old school romance.“ It feels quite classic, like the high school sweethearts that would share their first kiss while riding through “the tunnel of love,” on one of those wooden swan boats. There’s something so youthful and playful about this connection, but it’s wrapped up in this feeling of two people who are 100 years old and have been together forever, softened and blended into their relationship to the point where there’s no accurate label — dating? Married? Soul bonded? None of it fits! They’re just together in every way and there’s no question to it, no insecurity, no doubt. I just see everything fusing together into a new form that becomes something natural, something that always was and will be. A very strong and clear soul connection that ripples out through the body and mind. Genuinely delightful.

I then saw flashes of a bunch of other birds. Flamingos, penguins, owls, cranes, and parakeets were the ones I could recognize. With this I heard, “mate for life,” which was laying out the obvious one-and-done type of relationship, but I was also seeing it go in a couple of other directions with “mate” referring to a friend, and referring to a shipmate, like a partner on a pirate ship. There are levels to this connection where the loyalty of friendship and the trust of a “partner in crime” are integral elements to the life-long romantic dedication that this relationship is swimming in. If we think about these two being the swans, this trust and loyalty is the water they’re floating on, it’s the foundation of the whole thing. This can imply that this person would be friends with Jimin first, or even if the romantic elements of this relationship do not last, the friendship would persist even after the romantic relationship ended — although, at this point, I don’t see that being a possibility with the way they seem to just get fused together once the relationship begins!

Doubling down on that, I also heard, “this commitment knows no other,” which came with the sound of bells or some kind of chimes, which made me think of a wedding, as well as the 100 year olds who have been together forever, sitting outside listening to the windchimes sings. There’s a very strong desire on both sides to establish commitment, but it goes so deep in each individual it’s hard to even wrap my mind around it in order to put it into words. It’s like, in my mind, the idea of being deeply in love with someone begins with a 50/50 kind of projection and reciprocation, like when two people come together they create 100% of love… these two feel more like they’re overflowing as individuals, like they��re just so unbelievably in love with each other that they’re spilling out oceans worth of love that could drown out the whole world, and perhaps that’s exactly what this love does.

They really do seem to have a “no one else exists in the whole Universe when I look at you,” type of vibe going on because I kept seeing their energies sitting under a glass dome, them being in their own little world, away from everyone and everything else. It’s not literal, they’re not isolated or hidden away, but this is how they would make each other feel. There’s a big emphasis on both sides feeling incredibly safe with each other, wrapped up, tucked away in each other's energy. This safety is for both of them, but this other person takes it to another level by, on a conscious level, really seeking to protect Jimin. Mentally, emotionally, and physically this person is amplifying this safe energy, grabbing onto it, and wrapping Jimin up in it in any and every way they possibly can. It’s so strict as well, like a literal line of security guards modeled after this one person — “You will NOT be sad! You will NOT be in pain! You will NOT hate yourself! You will NOT doubt yourself! No harm will come to you! Not on my watch!”

I was so overwhelmed by this energy when I really stepped into it and like, damn, you really need to be BUILT to handle that kind of love. You need to be able to actually accept it, hold it, and carry it, and thankfully, Jimin and this other person were clearly designed for each other because, good lord, if someone tried to love me like that, I think I’d just explode into a big puff of confetti. Couldn’t handle it.

I wanted to focus a bit more on this other person to see how they see Jimin, to get a better feel for things on their end specifically. I was getting more birds, but what was being highlighted was the idea that this person sees Jimin as a “rare bird,” as someone who is incredibly unique and special, and also a little hard to catch, pin down, or hold onto. I was seeing this as another version of that glass dome where, rather than seeing them both inside, this other person was capturing Jimin and sticking him under the dome in an effort to hold onto him and protect him. It was quite funny actually because I felt like I could hear this person sighing while I was looking at this image being like, “you have no idea how hard it was to even get him in the house!”

With this, I was seeing a situation, perhaps demonstrating the beginnings of this relationship, where this person was sitting on the front porch of a house in a little chair while bird watching. They admired birds from afar all the time, mostly just admiring their songs, but then, one day, the wildest sound hit their ears. This shook them out of their relaxed state and had them looking all around the trees for whatever bird was making this sound. They eventually find him, the little Jimin bird, the most beautiful bird this person has ever seen with the most glorious song this person has ever heard. For days and days, this person takes their chair out into the yard to sit right underneath Jimin’s tree, to admire him and listen to his song. This person gets quite comfortable with the idea that this lovely bird will just always be there, until one day, uh-oh, Jimin flew away! And apparently this person didn’t know that was a thing that could happen. (I’m actually laughing so hard though, they really seem so flabbergasted that Jimin would step out and start flirting with someone else if he’s not in a committed relationship. Honey, that’s a Libra you’re dealing with!)

After this incident, which apparently was quite earth-shattering for this poor soul, they went on a mission to capture the little Jimin bird. There seems to have been just a wee bit of lemon juice in that little Jimin bird because apparently he was up in that tree singing and dancing for this person the whole time, and after days and days (possibly years, oh my god) of just being STARED AT, he figured that person didn’t want him. So he took off. Now, obviously, I’m not gonna be privy to all the details here, but golly gee, it sure does seem like Jimin never had any intention of actually flying away for good and very possibly could have just flown away because he knew this person would step up if he put the fear of god in them by reminding them that he does in fact have other options. That Libra Sun and Scorpio Mars were BEAMING I’m sure.

I really feel like Jimin was such a little shit about this too, because I’m seeing this whole “taming and domesticating” the bird as a fight that didn’t need to be a fight, like it’s giving brat vibes and I just really need to let you know that because there’s something so adorably hilarious about this whole thing. But sure enough, this other person does in fact get Jimin in the house and they put him under the glass dome to keep him extra safe. The big kicker here is that this person then puts themself under the same dome. This is a major turning point in the connection as it was demonstrating some kind of sacrifice that was recognized on both sides from the other — essentially, they were both willfully sacrificing their freedom to enter a deeply committed relationship.

Now, we’re moving away from the humorous bird bit and moving into a space of quite serious back and forth affirmation of commitment and security. This is a love rooted in youth, it’s a connection found early in life, and there is quite a lot to say about people who willfully dedicate themselves to someone so early on in their life. To intend that the majority of your existence be spent with just one person, especially if you consider the mindset of our generation toward relationships, this is quite a serious thing.

Again, I dare not try to speak too much for them here, but the way it looked (as nothing was really being said out loud) made it seem like Jimin wasn’t expecting it entirely. There was a playfulness to the way he danced and sang, a playfulness to the way he “fought” being domesticated and brought inside, and there was a playfulness to the way he continued to dance and sing under the dome. But then, he just kind of froze when, all of the sudden, this person was under the dome with him, just as under lock and key as he was.

Just as an example to try and explain this, imagine the type of person who really wants to be wanted, wants the constant affirmation that they are desired and needed by the person they love. In a relationship, especially at the beginning, they tease and play around, perhaps play hard to get in some ways in order to get that chase from the other person. It’s subtle though, periodic, but ultimately it’s not something that is majorly pushed because part of the reason this person wants to be wanted is because they think no one wants them at all. There’s an underlying issue where, like the bird, they know they can dance, they know they can sing, they can put on a good show, but they feel that when they speak, when they become human, people leave. There’s no clear reason as to why, and it becomes internalized as “there’s just something wrong with me.”

So, imagine such a situation where this person is persuaded by someone they wanted, someone they had fallen in love with, and they put on the show, sang and danced, played the games, and was happily captured with the underlying expectation that this would all be temporary, only for them to one day turn around and see their person standing there with a chain around their wrist and a key held out to them, happily saying, “lock me up! I’m yours!”

I can see Jimin sort of frozen in this state of shock, of a sudden realization that, oh, wait, me? Wait, what? Huh? And the funniest thing is, this other person seems to be able to read minds because even without saying anything, this other person just started “reciting vows,” making promises, confessing their undying love, the whole thing. But it’s like this person never stopped, never stopped speaking these “vows,” never giving Jimin a chance to question it, deny it, or push it away. They just started flooding the dome with all that love and it kept going and going, and then we wrap back around to the images of the swans.

It’s very healing. This kind of love is literally designed for Jimin the way Jimin’s love is designed for this other person. It just fills in all the gaps, clears all the fog, soothes all the pain, blocks out all the noise, and fuses them together. Once they are together, there is no desire at all to be separated, no desire to leave the dome, leave the house, leave the yard. It really makes me want to cry because how many lifetimes do you gotta live before getting to a love like this?? I can’t even get love from family and these two are out here drowning themselves in love that has the potential to flood the entire Universe if they were to take that dome off. I’m jealous!

But I mean, really, with all the shit that Jimin has to deal with, all the hate that unnecessarily gets thrown his way, who else in this world deserves this kind of love more than him?

Side note: I could not get the song Love Like This by Natasha Bedingfield out of my head after doing this reading. Literally, for days I’ve been singing this damn song that I probably haven't listened to in well over ten years. If you’ve never heard it, you need to:

GUIDELINE

For the guideline reading, I wanted to focus on more concrete projections of this connection, the foundational pieces of it as well as anything that I may have missed while observing the signatures. This layout seems to have a bit of everything, a bit of Jimin, a bit of the other person, and a bit of the connection overall.

Starting with The Unseen, there is a veil put over this connection right away. It doesn’t feel like the glass dome but rather a sheer curtain cast over the glass dome from the outside. Just given the career Jimin has and the general idol culture around dating, I’m pretty sure this has to do with necessary secrecy, however, I’m very focused on the eye and the idea that, if you look closely, you can see them in the dome, but it can be easy to miss if you’re not actually trying to see them. This then blends a bit into the Earth card where I was seeing The Unseen being buried in the ground, but lots of flowers blooming on top of them. It’s like a funny little thing suggesting that you can’t actually hide them, there would be some kind of evidence fluttering around like a big neon sign saying THE LOVERS ARE HERE!

This element of consideration for the public display and possibly necessary filtration of this connection is shown with Poised and Fork In The Road. However, I do feel this to be way more on Jimin’s side. There is an effort to navigate within the confines of what would appear the most “poised” or appropriate in the public eye. I’m also seeing a kind of “stripping down” to some degree where in Fork In The Road, there are multiple figures while there is only one in Poised, implying the effort to appear single or simply unattached or unconfirmed to some degree.

Now, this bit certainly had me giggling because it seems there are only a couple of ways these two clash or don’t see eye-to-eye, and here it comes down to how they view and treat people who are awful to them, who treat them bad. Jimin’s energy is sitting over there in Forgiveness, and I was hearing something along the lines of, “just pray for them.” Like, don’t engage, don’t get mad, just wish them well and forget they exist. This other person, however, is in that Aries card… they want to take revenge. They want to fight, yell, and throw stones back in the face of anyone who treats them badly, and this only gets amplified when it comes to someone treating Jimin poorly.

In the center card, the charge of Aries is there with Mars while that deep underbelly of a wounded or bruised ego comes through the Scorpio energy. I was seeing the little figure on the right as Jimin, carrying incense and on his way over to the Forgiveness card where he’s going to “pray” for the person who has just done him wrong. The big figure is the other person, holding a sword in one hand and the head of a person in the other. Jimin’s like, “I’m on my way to pray!” and this other person is like, “oh, that’s nice. Here’s the head of the person who called you ugly.”

The clashing energy between Forgiveness and Aries does or has over time settled into a place where Aries, or this other person, keeps Forgiveness, or Jimin, from becoming too complacent or allowing other people’s words to have too much of an effect on him. Just the same, Forgiveness keeps Aries from… actually trying to kill people. Which is good.

And just as an added bonus, the image up in the top right corner of Revenge shows a pair of lovers who seem to be encased in stone or buried underground, going back to how I was seeing The Unseen and Earth. With this, it could be that this energy becomes amplified, the energy of Forgiveness and Aries spike on both sides whenever there is a threat or criticism toward their relationship, or this is showing how they both spike when it comes to the other person being treated badly.

This set reflects exactly what I was seeing with the two of them living under a glass dome inside a house on private property. The energy of the connection is rooted in stability and security that both sides provide for each other, and just as the Immersion card shows, they’re literally swimming in this love that they have.

They got all Light cards from this deck which implies a mostly very positive and healthy connection, not a lot of shadows or spaces for toxicity between them. A New High and Mutual Respect came out together and I was really feeling this on Jimin’s side where the love and respect that this person shows them just hits different. The kind of love and respect Jimin gets from this person was a key factor in him being able to demand respect for himself from other people, to not tolerate negativity put toward him, and with that there is an incredible boost to self-confidence.

Light As A Feather and Amplification is more on the other person’s side where Jimin’s energy, mindset, personality, or general mode of operation lifts them up as well. It amplifies them, gives them a strong foundation that allows them to build on themself, expand, and become more of who or what they are.

Both A New High and Light As A Feather carry a weightlessness to them, and what comes to mind the most is the idea of the 10 of Swords and the 10 of Wands being reversed for both of them — Jimin once having the 10 of Swords and this other person once having the 10 of Wands:

The 10 of Swords is more in the mental space, and I was seeing this as Jimin being pinned down and nearly killed by the words of other people, a deeply troubling idea, but one that is definitely in the past. The 10 of Wands is more energetic or in the physical space, but I’m really focused on the idea that the wands there are like antennas. The swords are words spoken directly to Jimin or about Jimin, and the wands are more like implications, expectations, something more subtle that this other person carried with them from other people that caused them to “keep their head down.” It forced them to submit on some level.

These two reverse these cards for each other, remove the burdens and pain, heal each other, and then they just start floating.

Following the previous set, Dream Weaver and Erratic come together in an odd way where I was seeing something that could be attributed to alchemy where elements of chaos in their life, of things that put them in the 10 of Swords and the 10 of Wands, are turned into something etheric. It’s hard to explain it, but it’s just coming through like they can kind of convince each other that it’s not real. The things people say or do to them, or have done to them just aren’t real. It doesn’t exist. This may go back to the idea of them being under that dome together, in their own little world. Nothing outside of it exists unless they both agree that it does. It’s very interesting.

At the end, there’s a wide-sweeping energy here that starts on a higher level with The Lovers, or the union of their souls, which then generates the energy of The Sun, which shines down on The Fool and ignites the Ace of Wands. As I’m seeing it, The Lovers is for both of them, it’s them as one solid piece, souls fused together. The Sun is their individual higher unconscious mind suddenly being illuminated, a deep knowing that this is their person, reflected through the amount of joy and youthful energy they feel with each other. The Fool connects to their subconscious minds where, once they are together, those deeper shadowy places become illuminated (so things can be worked on) and the water in the background, connecting to their love flood, washes away anything heavy, dark, or painful, giving way to a sky made of gold.

The Ace of Wands connects to their conscious level selves where both are really standing in their power, are in control of themselves and what they do, and seem to carry a very strong sense of authority, but in the way a demigod holds authority. They transcend through each other and the way they act, express, build, and develop on the outside as individuals is directly connected to their higher soul union. They complete each other and in doing that, they amplify and empower each other.

Lastly, the keywords that came out for this connection are Abuse, Pain, Time Jumping, and Joy. It was pretty straight forward with Abuse and Pain going back to the 10 of Swords and the 10 of Wands, and Joy connecting to The Sun/The Fool/Ace of Wands. The Time Jumping implies a reality shift which is connecting back to The Lovers, or the union of their souls. Their reality will change or has changed as a result of their union.

GUIDELINE WITH SPRINKLES!

At the very front, laying directly over the eye in The Unseen, is “time of misery.” As it blocks out the "visible" part of the image, or blocks the only eye looking in, this seems to exaggerate or express the element of misery or sadness connected to secrecy. Both sides may feel quite uncomfortable or even very against the necessary secrecy their connection may need to remain in. It spreads out in a few different directions where the element of secrecy builds frustration, anxiety, and even hatred for people who set out to not just believe but prove to others that they are either not together or they are with other people. They’re very protective of their connection and the need to hide or keep secrets in the public space creates a lot of tension within them. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to affect the relationship overall, it just leads to frustration towards others.

Connecting The Unseen to Earth, there is “something is moving,” which, with the yellow color, seems to be the covered eye opening, or representing the people who can see these two, see the connection. They can see them “moving around,” or can pick up on signals. Going back to the image I had of them being buried under ground and flowers growing over them — this is referring to people who can see the flowers and can infer what is below the surface.

Over The Fork In The Road, the first Sprinkle says, “lots of books for that,” which feels more connected to Jimin, who I was seeing as being the main person to actually choose Poised, choose to restrict expression or hide the connection to a degree. It feels a bit sarcastic, like someone saying, “they have self-help books for that.” It’s implying that this issue around necessary secrecy isn’t uncommon, the need to make these decisions isn’t a new thing or unique to them, but it’s pushing the idea that, just the same, revealing the truth or breaking out of that veiled state is also common enough that you could follow the experience of other people like a manual.

Over the same card, there are also three other Sprinkles that say “did you have a chance?” “confirmation,” and “your friends are here.” This came together as “did you have a chance to confirm things yet? Your friends are here, they’re waiting for you. They’re waiting to support you.” As these lie over the figures in the image who are actually standing at the crossroad and choosing which way to go, it feels like there’s an effort to break the cycle or pattern of choosing, or allowing themselves to be buried. Again, I feel this choice is mainly on Jimin’s side, but this conversation is hitting both of them.

Connecting downward from the Poised card to Light As A Feather, “really blown away,” seems to represent that element of breaking a cycle. As I was seeing it, it’s like the fairy that is jumping on the platform in Poised is suddenly made to be even lighter after removing the elements of secrecy or subtlety, which causes her to then be blown away from the platform when she jumps. The platform, and the Poised card in general, represented public performance and the purposeful, self-inflicted veiling of the connection. To be blown away from it shows that, on many levels, the reveal or confirmation of this connection would move them, especially Jimin, away from performance and secrecy in many ways. As Light As A Feather is alongside Amplification, it shows that the confirmation of the connection has the potential to amplify both people to where they can share more of themselves, or live more honestly and openly in more ways than one.

Over Forgiveness there is “not another one…” while Revenge has “world figures,” and “never alone.” As Forgiveness is representing Jimin, the “not another one…” really feels exhausted with the idea that there is endless praying, endless forgiving, to go along with the endless hatred or harassment that he is the recipient of. This element of being exhausted with it was in Jimin’s Elemental Alignment as well, especially within his soul.

The other person is very active in this space, charged up and observing this issue. If this person receives their own hate like Jimin does, they really seem to not notice it at all because they’re more focused on what is happening to Jimin, what is being said about Jimin. With “Gemini” over the Aries card, it’s showing this person to be observing things, observing patterns in others, and there’s a very clear cut off in their own emotional state. They’re not being directly hurt by what is being said or what they are observing, but they are getting very angry on Jimin’s behalf.

Going back to the Revenge card, “world figures,” is more in the upper half of the card, where this other person has held the head of an enemy, and “never alone,” is in the lower half where I was seeing the smaller figures as Jimin himself. This other person is observing people in the world, possibly through social media with that connection to Gemini, and is just like… creating a mental hitlist while also just calmly standing by Jimin, making sure that this doesn’t become too much.

On another level, I also feel a degree of necessary distraction. Jimin seems to be taking a lot in, seeing a lot more than people would think since a lot of people seem to assume that because he doesn’t post online a lot that must mean he’s literally never online at all. This person is trying to block things out, which could be literal in the sense of this person literally filtering or blocking things for Jimin, blocking and blacklisting words and people so that Jimin doesn’t see them.

Overall, this other person is very proactive about this and seems to do a lot of “heavy lifting” when it comes to trying to curate a safer environment for Jimin where he doesn’t feel alone, isolated, or directly targeted.

Over A New High and Mutual Respect, there is “Lenses + Pictures” which I was seeing as being very straight forward with the idea of “mutual obsession.” It seems more complex with the way I’m seeing it, but it’s coming through as literally just taking pictures of each other, watching each other. There’s an element of watching through admiration as well as surveillance — watching out of love and a desire to protect. This also seems to be a root for confidence and higher self-esteem, especially on Jimin’s side, where the admiring eye of this other person, their desire to take pictures of him, or commit him to memory in some way really helps or has helped his self-image become more positive.

Over Dream Weaver and Erratic, there is “Lover + Power” and “a green man.” Going back to what I was saying about these two cards feeling like a space where alchemy occurs, where negativity is transformed into something positive, or is blocked out by something positive, “Love + Power” feels like the tool or the potion that is created that transforms, heals, or cures the ailment of negative influence. “A green man,” is meant to refer to a man made out of Earth, or a man who is an Earth Sign, but this can also refer to someone who is very stable and reliable. This seems to be putting a highlight on the other person here, suggesting that the element of alchemy belongs to them, they are the one actively transforming or flushing out the negativity that comes toward them, or just toward Jimin. Again, they seem very proactive when it comes to helping and protecting Jimin.

In the last set of cards, over The Lovers specifically, are the runes “wunjo” and “ingwaz.” The Wunjo rune is associated with pleasure, joy, peace, comfort, success, and community, while the Ingwaz rune is associated with peace, harmony, fertility, inner growth, and virtue. These energies are connected to The Lovers, the space of union for their souls. There’s a feeling of amplification or stimulation here where it feels like the energy of The Lovers is vibrating faster and starting to spread out more. In my mind, I’m seeing it like the buried lovers in the Revenge card, or as I was seeing them in The Unseen, are being shaken loose from the dirt, or more things are growing outside of the dirt that is lending to a reveal or more exposure. I’m seeing it as more sprouts breaking the surface and touching The Sun card, generating a new state or new energies connected to The Fool, which initiate something through the Ace of Wands. Something new is definitely getting stirred up there.

With that, “the last train,” lays over those last three cards. “The last train,” is in reference to the idea of the last wave of opportunity one has to meet the marker for a specific level of soul development, the last chance to upgrade or advance in some way. It implies the final open door, helping hand, or opportunity given to move forward on a designated path. I started seeing this Sprinkle bounce off of the other light blue Sprinkles in the set, bringing focus to “time of misery,” “confirmation,” “world figures,” “a green man,” and “the last train” all together. They ran together as, “this is the last chance to end the time of misery by confirming to the world the presence of or connection to the green man.”

Lastly, the “Water” element was signified over the keyword Abuse, which took me back to Jimin’s Elemental Alignment where he had the Panther in his Water Alignment that was locked in on “intended hurt” or the abuse and harassment that is sent Jimin’s way, the emotional upset and distortion of identity that comes from it. This seems to be confirming that Abuse is connected to Jimin while Pain is connected to the other person, but the abuse that Jimin receives is still ongoing while the Pain of the other person has already been dealt with and they no longer take in that damage or upset, which is probably why they are so focused on helping, supporting, and distracting Jimin.

MAIN READING

This is the first chunk of the reading here, which covers Jimin and his soul mate as individuals on the levels of the soul, higher unconscious, subconscious, and conscious mind. Keep in mind, we’re viewing them through the lens of this connection, what and who they are/become when they are together.

JIMIN’S SOUL: THE ETERNAL CHILD

JIMIN’S CONSCIOUS MIND: THE MOON + 2 OF CUPS

THE OTHER’S SOUL: THE TEMPLE

THE OTHER’S CONSCIOUS MIND: THE HIGH PRIESTESS + ACE OF CUPS

Right away, I’m seeing The Temple as that glass dome I was talking about earlier, a structure that Jimin is placed inside for protection by the other person, but on this level, it registers as a divine protection through worship. It’s coming off as this person worshiping (loving on an extreme level) Jimin to the point where their own soul becomes a temple for him, a safe place for him. This might be why I was feeling it as them being wrapped up in each other’s energy — This person literally has their soul wrapped around Jimin, and Jimin’s energy or light radiates through the other person because of it. This would also express that fused feeling. I’m also seeing all that green in The Temple connecting back to “a green man,” further expressing that stable Earth energy and solid foundation that they may hold for Jimin, or that they create specifically for Jimin.

Jimin’s soul, as The Eternal Child, is so lovely to see because there’s such a special kind of release that I feel here, one where Jimin is not at all performing or hiding in any way. There’s such a sense of freedom that comes off of this energy that allows Jimin to become a child again, allows him to be playful and carefree, joke around, jump around, dance around, without any concern at all. This person, I would assume, really enjoys these elements of Jimin because this energy is what is held within The Temple the most, it’s what fills the air. The element of safety is a huge thing here. Jimin needs to feel safe in order to let his guard down, to not have his defenses up in any way in order to let his inner child out.

This is showing a really nice dynamic where, when together, Jimin gains a lot of personal freedom and ease while this other person gains a certain kind of strength and fierceness that is used to protect and support Jimin. All of this other person’s energy is quite dedicated to Jimin on some level, one way or another, and that’s another way the element of worship seems to play out here.

On a conscious level, these two continue to mirror each other with Jimin’s Moon card reflecting into the other person’s High Priestess. Playing off of The Temple and The Eternal Child, The High Priestess looks to The Moon for that higher connection, dictates her life by The Moon, and on some level, worships The Moon. Then, with Jimin’s 2 of Cups and the other person’s Ace of Cups, we have further mirroring, but we’re seeing something happen here where Jimin is the one giving this other person that Ace of Cups. It’s hard to describe it exactly, but it’s like Jimin was holding onto two cups, one was for himself and one was for another. They represented the kind of love he wanted to give and the kind of love he wanted to receive. There’s a timidness to the way he holds out the other cup, the one he wants someone else to love him through, but this other person, through The Temple, took that Ace of Cups from Jimin as if it was a gift from God. This other person does not take this request for love as an assignment, challenge, or a favor, they treat it like a blessing, a divine right, on some level feeling like “the chosen one” inside The Temple who was picked out by the God of that temple to be the one to worship him.

Even how they view it is so striking with Jimin, like in the 2 of Cups, just seeing a cup, a simple request, one he’s perhaps thinking or once thought was too much to ask, too much to expect, nothing more than a fantasy, but this other person… The Ace of Cups, like all Aces, is being handed over by “the hand of God,” it’s a cosmic gift, an opportunity that will ignite an entirely new state of being, a new state of progression, it can completely shift a person’s reality from the inside out. On Jimin’s side, he may not have expected or anticipated another person being able to SEE as much in him, or in that cup, as this person sees when they hold the Ace of Cups. It’s beyond comprehension, and that may go back to Jimin looking shocked and frozen when this other person showed up inside that glass dome, asking to be locked up with him.

It’s so funny to think about because they way these energies go back and forth, it really does seem like Jimin didn’t think he could ever be loved by anyone — he thought it would be hard to love him as he is, and then also thought it would be completely impossible for anyone to love him in the way he wanted to be loved… and this person just completely showed up without any command or direction. Again, once that Jimin bird flew away, this person sprang into action and was like, yeah, no, can’t be messing around like this anymore. It’s very sweet though, that underlying confusion in The Moon where the other person, as The High Priestess, is there worshiping, communing with The Moon, and Jimin’s like “am I reading too much into this, or do you like… actually really like me?” and the other person being like “UM???? You are literally my God! My whole soul belongs to you! Why do you keep asking that?!”

WHAT JIMIN’S SOUL IS AIMING FOR: SOUL HEALING + NEW LIFE

WHAT THE OTHER’S SOUL IS AIMING FOR: TRUTH + NEVER-ENDING STORY + SOUL MATES

Right away, I’m seeing the image of Soul Healing reflecting that of The Eternal Child, the light at the chest, as well as the youthful energy that comes with New Life. It’s this feeling of Jimin’s soul trying to break him out of a shell where he may have been quite regulated or curated to come off a certain way to other people. It makes me think very specifically about neurodivergent people masking, and how it can be quite common for neurodivergent people to come off a lot younger than they really are, and this being something that people are very critical of, causing them to mask and mirror certain kinds of strict ideas of what “being mature” or “grown up” is supposed to be or look like. There’s an effort being put towards allowing the inner child to shine through freely without any resistance or sense of shame, and this other person is someone that really brings that out of Jimin. Then they double down on it by worshiping and protecting that energy all the way through.

On the other person’s side, the image of Truth, with the scales weighing the Water and Fire, which was registering as the Moon energy matching up with the Sun energy, reaching a space of equilibrium between energies, feels like a lining up of mirrors. Again, it’s hard to explain it, but I’m seeing this very spiritual thing play out where, when the scales line up between the Water and Fire, or between the Moon and the Sun, it is equivalent to these two seeing each other eye-to-eye, and in that moment seeing themselves. There’s something about there being a moment where they’ve come to love each other so much, hold each other in such high regard, can see the other doing no wrong, and then suddenly, they see themselves inside each other and this causes a very dramatic shift in how they perceive themselves — “How could there be anything wrong with me when you love me the same way that I love you?”

Never-Ending Story with Soul Mates holds a bit of frustration in the other person’s soul, fueling somewhat of a desperation to be with Jimin, to connect and have that deep relationship with him. This is most likely stemming from separation or limitation in past lives where, even though their souls held a certain commitment, it was not able to play out within certain incarnations, most likely the last few before this one, and therefore, this other person’s soul is very dedicated to getting it as soon as possible, holding onto it for as long as possible, and most likely doesn’t want to experience any kind of separation going forward. The other person’s soul is entirely dedicated to ensuring this connection happens and is sustained, with a focus on Jimin’s healing alongside their own. It’s an aspect of self-empowerment and self-realization that would occur simultaneously through each other.

JIMIN’S LIGHT ASPECTS: A NEW HIGH + POSITIVE AFFIRMATIONS + RENEWAL

JIMIN’S SHADOW ASPECTS: CRUSHED BY ROCKS + PARASITE + THE TRENCH

THE OTHER’S LIGHT ASPECTS: ANGEL + PROCESSING + A LIVED EXPERIENCE

THE OTHER’S SHADOW ASPECTS: WALL BUILDING + DISSOCIATION + PROJECTION

This set is really interesting, especially in their Light aspects because I can see them reaching across to each other where this other person is present in Jimin’s A New High and Positive Affirmations while Jimin is present in their Angel and Processing cards. A New High and Angel seem to represent the first step to elevating up and away from their own Shadows, which they have rooted in the other — this other person is Jimin’s “new high” and Jimin is this other person’s “angel.” Jimin receives Positive Affirmations from this other person, while something within Jimin allows this other person to process and work through elements of themselves that have been stuck or stagnant, which I was seeing as elements of maturing and solidifying their own identity.

For Jimin, Renewal seems to be connected to New Life, and the aspect of him being able to shed some skin and allow his inner child to be the main essence of what he drives himself through, what he sees the world through, how he expresses himself. It’s a very refreshed and easy-going energy with a lot of wonder and excitement for life and everything that is to come in his future. For this other person, A Lived Experience connects back to Never-Ending Story and Soul Mates where they are very dedicated to actually getting to experience this connection fully, to build up themselves and Jimin together at the same time, to have that hands-on experience and evolve alongside Jimin.

Their Shadows are very isolated, showing that they make quite an effort to hold onto their own shadows, keep them from each other, and most likely aim to deal with these troubles alone so as not to burden each other. Luckily, their presence in each other’s lives, as shown with A New High and Angel, automatically helps them deal with them and move past them regardless.

Jimin’s Shadows are expressed through Crushed By Rocks, Parasite, and The Trench. The Trench refers to the absolute lowest level of the subconscious mind, the heaviest, darkest place where the worst of the worst is kept from both the individual and the people around them. It’s a space where deep repression occurs and it can be quite a difficult place to navigate. Matters of The Trench do not bubble up into the subconscious or conscious mind, the only way to engage with it is to go down into The Trench deliberately. This implies that one of Jimin’s shadows, one of his personal troubles is the willful reflection and observation of the worst of the worst — the worst things he sees in himself, the worst things other people have ever said or done to him, and the worst of his fears that are rooted in the ways of the world overall. It feels a little like self-torture.

Crushed By Rocks refers to entrapment, coming from an intrusive thought/hallucination that I used to have a long time ago where I would get stuck inside the image in my mind where I was taped to the floor of the living room and people came through in a big line and took turns placing big rocks on me, slowly crushing me, suffocating me, but never killing me. It reflected this feeling of painful restriction that I was having at that time, being unable to leave the house, unable to talk to anyone for years, and slowly feeling as if my own existence was fading away while my body continued to breathe and take up space. This is something intrusive for Jimin as well, which feels like a heavy place his mind can drift to when he’s alone. On some level, it feels like the weight of the rocks, if left unchecked, is what sinks Jimin down into The Trench. When the weight of everything is on him and no one is around to distract him or pull him out of it, he’ll sink into the worst imaginable places in his own mind.

Parasite is connected to people who are energetically feeding on Jimin, which immediately is registering as people who claim to hate him so much, yet can’t seem to stop talking about him. They’re obsessively monitoring him, waiting for any chance at all to “bite into him,” criticize, harass, abuse, and mutilate him on any and every level they can, all to fill up on the blood they think/hope they are causing him to lose.

I’m seeing it very clearly in my mind as people who genuinely get off on seeing Jimin be negatively affected by things. What comes to mind is that one clip of Jimin where he’s clearly seeing bad things being said about him in the chat during that group livestream — that’s their favorite thing, actually getting to see him wither down and sink into himself. They’re draining his energy out of him and they’re filling up on the image of him “dying.” Awful people, the worst people, and Jimin is very aware of them, his mind goes to them when he is alone.

With the other person, their Shadows are Wall Building, Dissociation, and Projection. This is very interesting because all of these imply some level of disconnect from the self and the surrounding environment. This gives me the feeling of a person who can get quite lost in themselves just as easily as they can get lost in the noise and motion of their surroundings. They seem to be a bit at the mercy of their own mind regarding stimulation, stress, and overloading the nervous system.

Dissociation is a complete pull-in of the mind, a disconnect from the surroundings, while Projection is a disconnect from the self or self-awareness by way of casting their own energy over the environment. I see this as being something that can be good, but here it’s mostly registering as an issue where their own insecurities become the judgements and critiques of other people, even without anyone saying anything. They just assume that the things they hate about themself are hated ten times worse by everyone around them, getting some kind of backwards validation from it that pushes them to be more or do more than they should or can to try and “satisfy others” when they’re really trying to satisfy themselves. It becomes an issue because they’re not going to receive that positive validation from others to cancel out the negative validation because, again, technically no one actually said anything. No one can take back what they didn’t say, so this person can get quite stuck in trying to appease people who were never upset with them to begin with.

The Wall Building is interesting because it was reflecting that element of them putting a dome around Jimin and then joining Jimin inside the dome. There’s a knee-jerk kind of reaction to this where when things get a bit too much, which could connect to Dissociation, they just throw the walls up and hide. It registers a bit like the masculine container of emotion where a man can feel just as much as anyone, but they’re more likely to get overwhelmed by it faster so they’re quick to hide the tears, quick to make a joke, quick to turn around and start punching the wall. There’s something in it like that around frustration and humiliation specifically, where the walls go up and that surge of emotion spikes the nervous system and then has no where to go, no outlet, which then settles into the body as stress and possibly pain.

Again, it’s an interesting thing where when they do this for themself, they have the potential of doing damage and causing a lot of pain within themself, but when they apply it externally and wrap Jimin up in it, it becomes something positive for both of them. I think it comes down to the fact that when this person builds a wall around themself, they are trying to block things out and push things down, but when they put a wall around Jimin, it is specifically to allow him to get things out, express everything he wants to, and to be his truest self. This goes back to Truth a bit where this person can kind of start to do the same thing in that space, under that dome, with Jimin. This is probably where Angel and Processing come in.

THE SOULS COMBINED: THE RIDDLE

PURPOSE OF CONNECTION: REALIZATION + ORIGINALITY

ELEMENTS OF SHARED DEVELOPMENT: ALCHEMY + LOSS

When their souls come together, they create the energy of The Riddle, which felt a lot like what I was getting earlier where it's difficult to put a label on the connection that fits because it’s so vast and multi-faceted on multiple levels. I’m seeing the element of fusion with the knot in the center, as well as alignment of the layers of consciousness with the three lights shown. We can also see two hands reaching out at the top and a pair of hands clasping at the bottom, showing the aspect of physical separation (two separate bodies) with the underlying inherent connection occurring in the mind always. Essentially, it’s like their souls are waltzing together all the time, connected and in sync, and willfully fused together, no desire to let go. The only separation they allow is held within the fact that they are occupying two different bodies.

The purpose of the connection, represented with Realization and Originality, seems pretty straight forward where they are each other’s keys that unlock their full potential. They are each other's backbones when it comes to their truest identities. They love each other so much, so deeply, they want nothing more than for the whole world to see the other the way they do, and in that there is praise and even worship placed toward their personalities, ways of thinking, talents, and traits that encourage them both to bring those to the forefront and live authentically to themselves. This is set toward their ability to self-actualize which is most likely registering as very significant or connected to the purpose of this connection because this is something required for both of them to fulfill their own personal missions or soul purpose in this lifetime. They have to show up as their truest selves in order to achieve what they are meant to do, and they hold each other up to do just that.

The elements of their shared development, their mirrored progression that occurs when they’ve come into union with each other, is shown with Alchemy and Loss. This immediately registers as major healing in the lower subconscious which lends to an emotional purge or a stripping of insecurity, masking, and self-denial. The Loss card is that connection to the subconscious, insecurities, fears, and what would have been seen at one point as a necessary facade or costume for the world, being pecked out, slowly stripped of the skin in order to reveal the bones underneath.

I’m seeing this as a very intimate process, one that they really could not have done with anyone but each other, as I’m seeing this lining up with the idea of two people getting naked in front of each other for the first time. It’s a bit embarrassing and there’s an urge to hide or cover up, but they have such a deep trust and admiration for each other, both projecting undying and unconditional love that they can actually see and feel, which allows them to very easily strip themselves and begin expressing their truests aspects.

Something in this feels quite exciting as well with the idea that they were the first to ever witness each other's “truest self,” and it’s coming off as someone discovering gold and diamonds while mining. It’s a grand discovery with a lot of value that contributes to status and development going forward. Very specifically, I was seeing Jimin being represented by the diamonds and being expanded upon in the space of value, beauty, and love, both of others and the self. The other person is connected to the gold, and registers as an element of function with how gold is used in computers and technology as a conduit. It amplifies functionality and progress. This suggests that when they are together, Jimin becomes more beautiful, more successful, more loved, and this other person becomes more mature, physically and mentally developed, and more efficient and productive within the work that they do.

Alchemy is there on all levels, both within the union and within them as individuals. They change each other's perspective of themselves, their perception of themselves change when they start to become so fused together that they can only see themselves through the eye of the other person. Their highest point would be a time in which they love themselves the same way they love each other, see themselves the way they see each other, and express themselves the same way they encourage each other to do so.

This next chunk gets more into the conscious level reflections of Jimin and his soul mate, separating things out into a few different categories to compare and contrast levels of connection and compatibility.

JIMIN’S MAIN CONSCIOUS PROJECTIONS: SECOND HOUSE — OWNING + HUMMINGBIRD + PANTHER

THE OTHER’S MAIN CONSCIOUS PROJECTIONS: TENTH HOUSE — THE WORLD + OWL

Jimin had the Panther and the Hummingbird in his Elemental Alignment, and they feel to be reflecting the exact same energies they were there. The Hummingbird is this more outward facing element of Jimin that is always “singing and dancing,” putting on a show to some degree, and putting effort into being a light for others in hopes that that same light will be reflected back to him. The Panther was in his Water Alignment, coming off as the aspect of his subconscious being “employed” or assigned the task of tracking down triggers and other shadows in order to rip them apart and get rid of them. This is showing Jimin’s duality quite strongly, a “light sun/dark sun” situation where the Hummingbird is pushed out while the Panther stays deep in the back of the mind.

Their projections being the 2nd and 10th Houses are pretty interesting as they’re basically laying out the same kind of externalized, earthy energy, big focus on work, money, status, and the curation of stability and beauty, both very concerned with the future, but there is a level of separation here that seems to simply be something that could lend to their dynamic on a conscious level.

The 2nd House is like a smaller version of the 10th House, in relation to work and money, but with Taurus, the 2nd House’s connection to Venus prioritizes comfort and beauty, very similar to what I was getting for Jimin in his Elemental Alignment reading when it comes to curating beauty in his environment. With the 10th House, there’s more focus on long-term stability, protection, and securing foundations that can be sustained. It’s more clinical and structured both in time, money, and energy.

Basically, I’m seeing it as the other person being in charge of building/buying the house, and Jimin would be in charge of curating, decorating, and actually making it a home. This seems to reflect that higher soul element as well where the other person creates The Temple and Jimin’s energy as The Eternal Child is what fills The Temple. Just the same, this person has the house and the glass dome and puts Jimin in the glass dome where he continues to sing and dance.

The other person having the Owl also really shows a very clear and calculated mind, very future-oriented when it comes to their relationship with Jimin, or how they plan out their life with Jimin in mind. The Owl has a bird’s-eye-view of everything, and is the one that navigates things the most, makes the plans, designs the blueprints, and essentially leads the action overall. There’s a bit more of a stillness presented alongside Jimin’s fluttering Hummingbird.

My favorite part about this, however, is that I was brought to focus on the numbers on the 2nd and 10th House cards, with the 2nd House being number 26, and the 10th House being 34. In the same way we can see the Owl leading the Hummingbird, we see number 34 and the 10th House as being greater than 26 and the 2nd House. But the frequency of these numbers reduces to 2/8 with the 2nd House and 1/7 for the 10th House. This other person isn’t just in charge of everything because they come in and demand that control or power, they are granted that power by Jimin.

It’s one of those relationships where, from the outside, there’s clearly one person who’s leading the situation most of the time, there’s a leader there making the plans, signing things, paying for things, but the other person is the real boss, the one who gives the final word. Jimin gives the final word. There’s enough mutual respect here that there is no issue with this dynamic, no one is really sitting in a submissive state, there’s just permission and responsibility floating from one to the other.

JIMIN’S MANNER OF COMMUNICATION: QUEEN OF SWORDS + THE SUN

THE OTHER’S MANNER OF COMMUNICATION: QUEEN OF PENTACLES

Jimin, the Libra, of course, is steeped in Air energy with his communication, while the other is more in the Earth energy, a bit more passive in the communication. As I’m seeing it, Jimin, as the Queen of Swords, is talking, talking, talking all the time, expressing all the time, but the brightest and most potent energy comes with what he expresses with excitement from the inner child, or The Eternal Child, as represented by The Sun. This other person, as the Queen of Pentacles, receives this communication and holds it, as if they’re literally holding The Sun in their lap, admiring everything and anything Jimin has to say. There’s even an element here coming through implying that, as Jimin speaks, from this person’s perspective, the sun starts to shine and it causes things to grow around them, everything starts to blossom and there’s a liveliness that takes over. They feel quite giddy when Jimin talks to them.

It’s giving, “Barbie has a great day every day. Ken only has a great day if Barbie looks at him.”

Jimin’s an open space for a lot of people, so I’m not seeing this other person’s expression or communication coming through on Jimin’s side specifically. That doesn't mean the other person isn’t talking or that Jimin isn’t listening, it just means that Jimin’s appreciation for this person comes through the fact that they actually listen to him.

Jimin is the type to listen to everyone else, ask everyone else how they are feeling, what they’re thinking, and will listen, listen, listen. He could be unintentionally left out in the sense that people can feel so open with him that they forget to ask him anything. This person, Jimin’s soul mate, does not and could not ever forget to ask Jimin, and could never not appreciate every little word that comes out of his mouth. Jimin feels that it is a gift from this person to be heard, and this other person feels that it is a blessing to have Jimin speak directly to them.

I’m pretty sure that this person would literally throw themselves on the floor and start squealing if they think too much about the fact that they probably know secrets about Jimin that he’s never told to anyone else in the entire world. They feel so special when Jimin talks just to them.

JIMIN’S PHYSICAL PROJECTION: TEMPERANCE

THE OTHER’S PHYSICAL PROJECTION: THE MAGICIAN

If we were to ball up all the layers of consciousness and blend them into the soul, and then allow them to develop in the physical world, that is what these cards represent for the two of them. You could also look at it as a reflection of their souls fully integrated into the physical form and how they would or do show up for each other on a physical level.

Immediately, I was taken back to the Truth card as I was registering these energies as Water and Fire, but coming together so perfectly that it started to register as lightning, or very high frequency energy and illumination that is traded back and forth. Jimin’s energy is a bit more passive and at ease, a bit more in the Yin or Divine Feminine flow, while the other’s is more active, pushing outward with more of that Yang or Divine Masculine energy. It shows a lovely balance between their modalities, as well as a kind of support or assurance that goes both ways.

Essentially, Temperance can keep The Magician from becoming mad with power or getting into the habit of forcing things too much, reminding them the importance of the feminine flow, flexibility, and receptivity, giving things a chance to come to you rather than reaching out and grabbing all the time. Just the same, The Magician keeps Temperance from becoming too passive, ensures that they will not get to a point where they simply get pulled away by the flow of the water, finding themself at the mercy of the currents, and ensures that they stay in control of those cups and how that water flows. This is sort of giving me a similar feeling to Forgiveness and Aries and how they met in the middle with Revenge. It’s the same kind of dynamic where one side can encourage the other to not let things go and fight back, while the other encourages the other to relax and not go around murdering people on their behalf.

They are both registering, even on a physical level, as being very high up and very connected to their souls when they are together. This is evidence of them very literally bringing the best out of each other, operating at their best when they are together, and things feeling quite small or easy when they are dealing with them together.

JIMIN’S EMOTIONAL PROJECTION: 4 OF PENTACLES

THE OTHER’S EMOTIONAL PROJECTION: THE EMPRESS + 5 OF CUPS

Now, what the heck is this? This is such an odd set up, I don’t even understand how it works. Their emotional states, with the 4 of Pentacles and the 5 of Cups are them when they are alone, showing Jimin quite locked up and sort of repressing things while the other is drowning in the focus on their own perceived failures or losses. They’re completely separated in these energies, and they feel quite small because of it. It’s like the energies are whispering. They come together in The Empress, opening up, emotional Water flowing through stable Earth energy, amplified with reflected communication, connecting to Libra/Venus/Air energy, but all of that is in the other person’s space. The space of emotional connection is entirely held by the other person.

With Jimin’s emotional projection being locked up by default, a kind of pulled back and filtered expression, I suppose it makes sense that he wouldn’t be the first to really open up or lay those foundations. This other person, however, there’s a certain shame involved in their emotional upsets, something they would want to hide, hide themselves if they start to express it, pull it back, but for some reason they can’t. I would assume that, in general, the other person is just a bit more emotional overall and therefore never really had the option of completely hiding their feelings. I’m seeing the water in the background of the 5 of Cups being the “unintentionally expressed” emotions flowing out of their space and into the intersecting area of The Empress. Jimin’s energy is that open space for others to express into, as well as his energy of The Sun when he talks back, all of that comes together to create The Empress. They both become The Empress when they are expressing emotionally to each other, which would imply that their feelings become something that develops, seeds that get planted, perhaps inspiration for creative work as Jimin is an artist.

For both, The Empress becomes an illuminated place, a very healing place, and it’s something they can only create with each other. This person’s Water or unyielding emotion meeting Jimin’s Fire or illuminating Sun and expression, mixes in with the other person’s foundational Earth energy and Jimin’s foundational Air energy, and they just… create a whole world? Create a garden?? It’s a garden of personal manifestation fueled by their emotional expression and alchemical processing of their own feelings through each other. It’s their world, where reality can literally be altered at their command, but it's held within the other person. Like what the fuck??

JIMIN’S ENERGETIC PROJECTION: THE FOOL

THE OTHER’S ENERGETIC PROJECTION: 5 OF PENTACLES

They’re so annoying. Jimin’s energetic projection is The Fool, which is playing into The Sun as well as The Eternal Child. The other person’s energetic projection has nothing to do with the meaning of the 5 of Pentacles, but has everything to do with the imagery where we can see the golden light shining through a window in the wall that appears to be separating The Fool, in his bright and warm environment, from the cold darkness outside.

This is showing Jimin’s energy and the other person’s energy surrounding him. It's that wall-building shenanigans, but here it is for the sake of protection, however, there is a bit of a heavier sense to it where it feels a bit over-protective which is what I’m getting when focusing on the people passing by the window in the image. When I look at them, it’s like the wall gets darker, it gets heavier, more intimidating. It’s making me feel a bit like that little white dog in the image of The Fool turns into a vicious Rottweiler and starts barking at them — “You’re too close! Get away!” This other person may just be a wee bit territorial in general, and a bit overprotective when it comes to Jimin actually stepping out and expressing himself through his inner child or sharing more personal elements in his artistry.

HOW JIMIN SEES THE OTHER PERSON: EXCHANGING GIFTS + QUEEN OF WANDS

HOW THE OTHER PERSON SEES JIMIN: SERENDIPITY + TEN OF CUPS

HOW JIMIN RECEIVES THE OTHER PERSON: ORGANIZATION

HOW THE OTHER PERSON RECEIVES JIMIN: EXTREMISM

With Exchanging Gifts, Jimin sees this other person very clearly as an equal, as a counterpart, but one where, as he is very aware, the other completes him, fills in gaps, or makes up for what he lacks within himself. He sees himself as offering the same sort of fillers or compensating elements. In this way, he sees and appreciates the elements of advancement, expansion, and development that this person has brought to him. I’m seeing it quite literally playing out in the image of Exchanging Gifts where Jimin is the fairy being brought out of the box, the cat being the other person who took the lid off in the first place, was the first to show Jimin that he is a gift, a prize, something special to be admired. Jimin holds onto this image or sense of self through this other person.

With the Queen of Wands, Jimin sees this person as quite a commanding energy, just a little bit softer than the King of Wands. Very in charge, maybe a bit temperamental or stubborn, but very clean with their actions and words, very deliberate. I think this is the energy of The Magician coming through here, but personified more and attached to other elements of this person’s personality.

The other person sees Jimin as Serendipity, and just the same as Exchanging Gifts, I’m seeing the image play out in an interesting and overlapping way. The other person is the fairy in the image and Jimin is the four-leaf clover and the wind that carries this person up and away. This seems to be representing rapid development, advancement, and progress that this person would attribute to Jimin’s influence or guidance.

With the 10 of Cups, this person is seeing Jimin as “the one” completely and totally. The 10 of Cups is deep emotional fulfilment, something that is registering here as the moment when all the pieces fall into place and everything feels right. It’s connecting back to this person’s soul’s focus on Never-Ending Story and Soul Mates — the 10 of Cups is signifying the end of that story, the end of their separation, the complete state of their union.

It’s showing that this person sees Jimin as the final piece of everything, the final piece of every area of their life. It’s quite overwhelming, honestly. Like, when I focus in on this energy, it feels a bit suffocating with a certain level of anxiety, which may connect over to the Extremism card, where it feels like this person will not be fully at ease until they’re married and the whole world knows about it. There’s always a chance of something happening or Jimin slipping away until the whole world can see that Jimin belongs to them. Everything will feel just a bit unstable until they can have that last piece that would solidify their union.

Jimin receives the other person through Organization, which is associated with Mercury in Capricorn, while the other person receives Jimin through Extremism, which is associated with Mercury in Scorpio. So, obviously, first and foremost, they receive each other through the mind, through communication, with Mercury, which makes sense. Their open doorway to each other begins at their mouths and how they choose to speak to each other.

Jimin’s reception, however, is a bit more methodical, careful, almost like he is or at one point was questioning or very careful about how he took things in from this other person. That may go back to the element of shock or confusion when the other person started to show up inside the glass dome, and started to reciprocate his feelings. It’s just more careful and, going back to things like Poised and Fork In The Road, Organization does seem to have room for concern regarding other people. There’s a carefulness to it because Jimin is more aware of people watching or paying attention to how they talk to each other, or how they express themselves. This is making me think of something where Jimin is very careful about what he SAYS but he could slip up when it comes to what he does, especially when you consider that body language starts to scream when someone is very focused on what’s coming out of their own mouth.

The other person receiving Jimin through Extremism is so funny, because they’re not receiving Jimin, they’re running across the line and establishing connection with him constantly. It’s like this person does NOT sit around and wait for Jimin to come to them, they already did that during the “Jimin is a bird singing in a tree” era, and now they’re like constantly plugging in. They’re constantly trying to talk to Jimin, trying to get Jimin’s attention. Like, if this was anyone else in the world, any other situation, I’d be like, this is TOXIC, this person is OBSESSED, this person is trying to HOARD Jimin and keep him all to themself… but then I think about how Jimin is sooooo into that, and then I’m like, no yeah, this is obviously one of his favorite things about this person, their OBSESSION with him.

I think Jimin is more than happy to be constantly engaged with this person, and the only bit of frustration that could come out of this is if this person were to do or say something that throws off his own effort to keep things filtered or secret.

As a side note, there’s a pattern between the cards where, on Jimin’s side, the Queen of Wands and the Exchanging Gifts cards feature a cat, and on the other person’s side, the Extremism card and the 10 of Cups feature birds. As I’m seeing it, the other person’s energy is with the cats while Jimin’s energy is with the birds. I have no idea what that is actually supposed to mean, but it kept coming up as I was looking at the cards. It doesn’t seem to be anything significant, but it’s prominent enough that I want to mention it.

WHERE AND HOW THEY COME INTO UNION IN THE PHYSICAL SPACE:

THE RING + 10 OF PENTACLES + PERCEPTION + LOVE + THE MAGICIAN + ACE OF WANDS + WHEEL OF FORTUNE

This is centered as the most physical aspect of the reading, connecting to where and how these two will come together, and what has the potential to stem from that union. There is a big highlight on The Ring with the 10 of Pentacles, which goes back to the other person’s 10 of Cups, suggesting that they will not consider themselves “complete” until they are able to get married and have some kind of externalized symbol of their commitment to each other. Their words and their emotions are deeply connected, they are very secure within this connection, however, they both (but especially the other person) really want to be able to show it, for it to be confirmed outside. The same way they don’t question their connection, they don’t want anyone else to be able to question it either.

On the surface, it can register as being territorial and just wanting to put a ring on it so everyone knows they’re both taken, but deep down, it’s way more than that. It validates for them something that goes well beyond a superficial claim over each other. It’s a confirmation, a demonstration of their love for each other. And with the 10 of Pentacles, it is suggesting that one-and-done deal, they want it locked in, and they both want it to last forever, they want to grow old together.

The elements of Perception and Love seem to ring true to that consideration for the outside world, for people around them, for the public — the perception of their love through the eyes of other people. It’s not 100% perfect for either of them until EVERYONE is on the same page. I feel so scrambled with this, like my brain is getting pulled in a bunch of directions because they both have the same thoughts and feelings about it, but it’s sort of like they split in how it is delivered. Like, Jimin’s energy comes up from the ground, like he’s offering or suggesting this connection to the world, it’s quieter. Then the other person is coming down from the sky, dropping things in a very loud and heavy way. Jimin is asking a question, asking for permission to make this connection known, while the other person is stomping around demanding that it be known, drawing as much attention as they can to it.

Finally, at the very bottom, there is an interesting progression where we see The Magician become the Ace of Wands, or acquire the Ace of Wands, through the Wheel of Fortune. There is something there about acquiring a certain level of power, or authority, something that feels very much like an element of soul integration where the conscious level has done so much or progressed so much that the soul steps in, integrates, and suddenly even more blessings, more joy, more positive progression occurs.

I’m seeing it as The Magician working, putting things together, trying to make this happen, and then something finally clicks when The Ring is brought in, when that final element of union is made visible and known. Things progress rapidly, and the Ace of Wands suggests a whole new level of power, a whole new level of expression, and just something that is somewhat incomprehensible to me right now. It’s something that “goes off the charts,” it’s beyond the imagination what this would mean for them and what it would turn into going forward.

That’s all I have for this one, thanks for reading! :)

XXXX

Website Links!

A Soul Mate Reading for Park Jimin Post

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[osleeplessflowero]

Oneshot Masterpost

A collection of my oneshots! Series gradually being updated. These links are specific to Tumblr, BUT I have also posted quite a few of these on my Ao3! I also have fics on there, which I will also be making a masterpost for!.

Neighborhood Series

A timeline where the skeleton duos all live in their own houses in a singular neighborhood, after being pulled into the timeline by a strange anomaly..

Contains skeleharem elements, as well as individual oneshots for equal screentime.

🪓Scares and a Sudden Friendship🎃

A fic/series mainly themed for Halloween where Reader has a chance encounter with Horror while going to a Haunted House with their partner. Takes place in a Post-Pacifist Horrortale timeline, so Horror goes by Sans.

📖Fairytale Series🪄

A series of miscellaneous fairytale-based scenarios featuring your favorite skeletons. Some may have connections to others!

Cowboy!Stretch/Reader🐎

An AU where Stretch and Blue live on a ranch and work as cowboys. The other skeletons ARE present in other areas, but this mainly just focuses on Stretch and his growing relationship with Reader. Could be considered Farmtale inspired.

💚Nightmare/Multiverse Traveler!Reader✨

A seemingly endless game of Cat and Mouse, where Nightmare chases Reader across the Multiverse in order to finally be with them, meeting various universal variants of them in his quest to find the true one he'd fallen for. Mutual pining, we love to see it!!

AmalgaMATE

A scenario where Reader is an amalgamate of several different Reader souls, and is hopelessly in love with an interpretation of Science Sans.

🖤Bad Sanses🔪

A collection of scenarios with everybody's favorite villains.

🎃Pumpkin Carving! (was originally a part of a now cancelled Halloween writing challenge series.)

☃️Snow Day! (Christmas Special)🌨

🛌Sleepover!

🛝i'm here. (Dust Comfort)💜

🔪"Knife" To Meet'cha (Killer/Reader #1)🍻

🌹Falling For Ya (Killer/Reader #2(?) ) 🌃

🔒Cornered (Dust/Reader) (Kinda steamy)💜

🌌Alone With You (Dust/Reader)💕

📚Tired (Nightmare/Reader, Reverse Comfort)🍵

Standalone Oneshots

Oneshots that haven't been made into series yet/are intended to be by themselves.

☔️Chance Encounter (Dream/Reader)🚍

🎶Dream/Fem Reader (Requested)🌳

💌Messages + Confessions (Error/Reader)📄

🛍First Meeting (Fell Papyrus/Edge!/Fem Reader)🐾 (Requested)

🫧Into The Sea (Merman!Blue/Reader)🌊

☕Home (Cross/Reader)🏠 (Requested)

Star Sanses HQ Shenanigans(Star Sanses & Reader [Platonic]) (Requested)

Flirting With Death (Reaper/Immune!Reader) (Requested)

🎡Carnival Date (Classic!Papyrus/Reader) (Requested)🧣

😱Frightening New Friend (Horror!Papyrus & Reader)🎃 [Halloween Special]

🌊A Light In The Depths (Mer!Nightmare/Reader)🤿

😳Crushing (Cross x Swap Universe!Reader) (Requested)💜

🛞Immune (Siren!Nightmare/Reader)⛵

🩹(Platonic)Fell Sans & Reader Hurt/Comfort (Requested)❤️‍🩹

🌑Bittersweet (Flirty Vampire!Nightmare x Vampire Hunter!Reader)🗡️

Pocky Game (Error/Reader) (Requested)

Muse (Ink/Reader) (Mainly Romantic Implied but can be viewed as Platonic)

My oneshot requests are currently closed, but I will let all of you know when/if they're open again! Feel free to send in Asks otherwise :]

[ryan-the-dark]

Keep in mind this is a fan of ToBecky speaking here about Tobey's... more negative traits and how toxic things can get:

Honestly rewatching WordGirl for about 4 years now I discovered why I don't like some of the ToBecky content in which is supposed to be depicted as a healthy relationship. The relationship is cute on concept but can go too far at times. I used to ship them like a crazy before I knew about Go Gadget Go. Even without it, episodes like Cherish is the Word shows very negative sides to Tobey.

Keep in mind, Scoops is one of Becky's friends. He cares about her a lot as shown multiple times in the show despite it not being romantic, and Tobey gets a pass in most of these stories for threatening him? No. He shouldn't. That means even with Tobey being nicer to Becky, he could still cross a line when it comes to her friends. When it comes to someone in a relationship, you have to respect your significant other and his/her friends. To put it bluntly, Tobey challenged Scoops and intended to go for the kill. He didn't show any reservations. Scoops logically should be scarred and hold Tobey in a darker light for that. Who wouldn't be? I know I would. If anything else, Scoops finding out about the gadget incident should be the final straw for his belief in Tobey's Redemption shattering, and it all bottles up. Furthermore, just think about what he would do if Becky continues communicating with Scoops and he doesn't change as a person?

Honestly, I like the few fics that deconstruct ToBecky and shows his negative sides before rebuilding it and allowing him to grow. He is usually on the offensive or defensive, barely ever in a reliant state when socializing with unknown variants. Tobey isn't really that big with relationships in general.

Many writers do have Becky become the element of force for Tobey's path to redemption because that is apparently what love is. While its nice for her to consider it and help guide him, this is dangerous for Becky, and Tobey will still likely treat everyone else around them badly. In short, Becky is not and should never be obligated to redeem Tobey or help him. As WordGirl, she is obligated to prevent crime as it happens, not infiltrate and improve their lives.

Honestly, if anyone is more needed for help, it's Steven Boxleitner who literally is being controlled more than Tobey who makes more or less his own decisions but I digress.

In school, Becky merely tolerates him, but will joke around and have fun if he's acting normal. Tobey's own road to self improvement and redemption needs to be his own. He has to make these decisions. He needs to make the choice to apologize to WordGirl for that "Go Gadget Go" stunt and other incidents, Scoops for that challenge, and anyone else he threatened throughout the years. He needs to do it, not Becky. It's unfair to Becky that she's not able to be her own person because she has to enable him and help him when she already has so many things to worry about. That's where many fanfictions fail to mention, I should add. Characters have to make their own decisions.

I'm not saying ToBecky can't and shouldn't happen. I still ship them but I don't defer to that type of mindset where people pretend Becky has to pull a Luke Skywalker on him. In my opinion, Tobey's Redemption Arc should be like Prince Zuko's. I'm not saying his mother is evil and he needs to stand up to her but his arc should be about standing up to his inner demons. First, he should accept friendships. Second, he should still have temptations and struggle sometimes. It's a natural part of being a human who went down a dark path and is trying to make right. Third, he should right his past wrongs in one way or another. This is true for everyone, even Two Brains. Fourth, his whole world shouldn't be about WordGirl only. He should have friends, people who he is willing to let in. Fifth, he needs to love both sides of Becky, not just WordGirl. He needs to embrace her as a individual and understand that she also has positive and negative traits. Even if you going for a ToWordGirl angle which is perfectly okay then you have to make sure he still loves and accept Becky. He needs to see her as a person, not a thing. And then, finally, in my opinion, Tobey should get with her when she sees how he changed and the improvement he made and that he isn't the same boy who trapped her in a robot.

Redemption is mishandled so much imo. A redeeming character should not feel obliged for forgiveness. It should be an obligation given to them by those who they wronged. People all over the world have tragic pasts yet use it to better themselves. Justifying and rationalizing your actions as an excuse for why you did what you did isn't a good motivator. You have to take accountability for what you have done, seek to correct said errors, and forgiveness comes in time.

As said here:

[novlr]

I’m going to be honest to the point of embarrassment: I’ve always wanted to write books for children in the style of Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House Books. How do you write in a way that will connect with younger readers?

First of all, there is nothing to be embarrassed about! Middle-grade fiction holds a special place in many readers’ hearts. They’re the books we read when we first really find our joy of reading. When we discover our tastes, and become passionate about the stories we consume.

While typically aimed at children, usually aged 8-12, middle-grade fiction speaks to a wide audience because it captures the magic, challenges, and wonder of our transformative pre-teen years. They explore themes like friendship, family dynamics, self-discovery, and growing independence, while keeping content age-appropriate, but those themes of self-discover are evergreen.

Unlike young adult fiction, middle-grade books generally avoid romantic subplots, graphic violence, and complex adult themes. They’re fast-paced books with a writing style is clear and engaging, making them accessible for younger readers while maintaining depth and narrative sophistication.

But writing effectively for this age group requires understanding their unique perspective and needs, combined with an effort not to talk down to your readers. There’s a reason why so many middle-grade books are popular with both children and adult-readers alike (one of my favourite book series of all time, for instance, is the Lockwood & Co. series by Jonathan Stroud, which falls firmly in the middle-grade camp).

Know your audience

Middle-grade readers are in a fascinating developmental stage. They’re old enough to tackle complex ideas but still firmly rooted in childhood. They’re beginning to question the world around them while developing stronger friendships and peer relationships than they may have had earlier in their education.

At this age, children start to form their own identities and can follow longer storylines. They will have started with chapter books a few years earlier, but by age 8-12 they’re often ready to tackle much more involved plots and stories. Many readers of middle-grade fiction, whether they’re younger or older than its target audience, appreciate the beautiful balance between reality and fantasy that makes middle-grade fiction so compelling.

What characterises middle-grade fiction?

Length and structure

Middle-grade novels typically range from 20,000 to 60,000 words, though some genres might stretch slightly longer, especially the longer an established series plays out. The plot structure should be clear and well-defined, with story arcs that young readers can follow without getting lost. Chapters should remain manageable, usually around 2,000-2,500 words, and your opening needs to grab attention quickly. Young readers won’t wait long to be hooked.

Character and point of view

For all middle-grade fiction, your protagonist should typically be around the age of your target audience. Usually, protagonists are a little older than your target readers, which puts them around10-13 years old, but if there’s a broader cast of characters, then their age range will often include some younger, and some older.

The reason that middle-grade fiction has slightly older characters is that it allows your target readers to look up to the character while still relating to their experiences. But no matter the age of the characters, their voices must authentically reflect age-appropriate thoughts and feelings. Young readers are particularly adept at spotting artificial or condescending prose, which is why it can be a tricky age group to write for.

Content and themes

Middle-grade fiction excels when it focuses on the things that matter most to pre-teens, like friendship, family, school, and self-discovery. While you certainly can address serious issues, it’s still important to maintain age-appropriate content and always include elements of humour and hope. Even in darker stories, readers this age need to see light at the end of the tunnel. Avoid explicit violence, romance beyond first crushes, or overly mature themes.

Writing tips for middle-grade fiction

Language and dialogue

The key to writing for middle-grade readers lies in finding the sweet spot between accessibility and sophistication. Your language should be clear and interesting without talking down to your audience. Contemporary speech patterns help dialogue feel authentic, but be careful with it, as overuse of slang can quickly date your work. Think of your narrative voice as an older friend rather than a teacher or parent.

World-building

Whether your story takes place in a small-town middle school or on a distant planet, your setting needs to feel real to your readers. When creating fantastic elements, ground them in relatable emotions and experiences. Middle-grade readers can handle complex worlds, but they need clear rules to follow and connections to their own experiences to help them navigate new territories.

Plot development

Give your story forward-momentum with regular action or revelations. While internal character growth is important, middle-grade readers generally engage more with external conflicts. Focus on one main plot with perhaps one significant subplot. Any more than that can become confusing. End your chapters with eye-catching hooks that make it impossible not to turn the page.

Common pitfalls to avoid

One of the biggest mistakes in middle-grade writing is misjudging the audience’s maturity level, i.e. writing too young and simple or including themes more appropriate for young adult readers. Avoid lengthy adult perspectives or wisdom, too much description, or unnecessary philosophical meandering. Your story should stay focused and engaging, with complexity coming from character relationships and situations rather than convoluted plots.

The trad publishing journey

The path to traditionally publishing middle-grade fiction takes patience and persistence. The most important part is thoroughly researching literary agents who represent middle-grade fiction and studying their submission guidelines carefully. For younger readers especially, lots of writers look up agents based on genre, rather than age group, or don’t look at the age range that an agent represents expecting that a children’s literary agent will cover all age groups. This will only result in your manuscript being discarded. So if you want to trad publish, I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to vet your literary agents and make sure they’re the right fit for your manuscript.

When querying, your query letter should capture both the heart of your story and its appropriateness for the age group. As always, comp titles (comparative titles) are a must. Agents need to know you’re familiar with other books in both your age range and genre, with a working knowledge of current publishing trends.

Writing middle-grade fiction is uniquely rewarding. It gives you the chance to influence young readers at a pivotal time in their development. The books children read at this age can help them navigate their expanding world and imagine new possibilities. The best middle-grade fiction doesn’t just entertain. It helps young readers understand themselves and their place in the world. Write with honesty, humour, and heart, and you’ll be well on your way to writing great middle grade fiction.

[bitter-bats-cult-of-the-moon]

Spirit Work

Working with spirits was popularized and developed in the 1840’s to the 1920’s. Spirit work has also been known as “Necromancy.”

The term necromancy as defined by Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

1: Conjuration of the spirits of the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events

2: MAGIC, SORCERY

Some may define that any working, communication, or magic involving the dead (and therefore spirits) is a form of necromancy.

By necromancy, I don’t mean to physically raise the dead. If that was truly possible, then I believe there would be a lot of skeletons and rotting corpses lurking around.

A spirit is a being that does not exist in our physical world. Many spirits can project messages into our world, but they cannot manifest into a solid, physical form here. Most spirits will reside within the astral – which is a separate dimensional plane from our own.

When someone works with spirits it is called spirit work and can take many different forms. Some people want to learn, and keep it strictly business, while others want to be friends or even more in some scenarios.

Deities, Spirits, or Ghosts

Deities are spirits who are seen as divine. They draw their powers from faith and being worshipped in a particular religion.

Spirits generally are entities with many other subcategories, but they tend to draw their powers essentially from the elements of nature and from peoples’ beliefs.

Ghosts were once humans or animals who have died and sometimes, they can remain in our world.

Religion and Spirit Work

Lots of people use spirit work to become closer to their faith or desired path working.

Abrahamic religions use spirit work to commune with God. While there are other individuals who only commune with the Angels or even better, those that commune with the Demons.

Pagans, on the other hand, use spirit work to commune with the various deities and spirits alike. Some people are aligned to a sole practice of religion or single pathworking, while other people are not tied down to any particular practice.

Building Spiritual Connections

Everyone is different in their approach on building relationships. These relationships can be started by either you or the spirit. Some people keep things strictly as business while others build friendships. However, they should not be a direct replacement for mundane relationships, especially not romantic ones.

Remember that spirit work takes effort.

Do the research. Sharpen your mind. Trial and Error.

Don’t let people play translator. No one should be the dedicated “interpreter.” Sometimes it’s okay to use a third party, but do not make it a habit. People can lie. Your relationship is between you and the spirit.

You can say “No.” Spirits can be held accountable for their actions, and you don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with.

Spirits can say “No.” Spirits are like people, and they aren’t playthings. They’re autonomous beings capable of making their own decisions.

Incompatibility. Sometimes a personality, method, and antics might not work very well with you. Recognize when it happens. This may mean taking a break or going separate ways.

Discernment

The process of discernment is interpreting and vetting metaphysical experiences. It helps you build what’s known as UPG or Unverified Personal Gnosis.

UPG is your direct experiences with a spirit or deity. If someone else has the same UPG as you they got all by themselves without help, then that UPG can be considered SPG, or Shared Personal Gnosis.

Your experiences don’t have to match other people’s.

Don’t tailor your UPG to match others. Many people fall into this trap simply because they want to belong to a community or be recognized by authority figures or in some cases both.

Spirit Communications And Synchronicities

When spirits try to get your attention, they will do it in a way you will understand.

They’ll show rather than tell who they are. However, some aren’t as forthcoming because names can give power.

Sometimes the spirits will gauge you and wait for you to come to your own conclusions before giving away their name.

Sometimes the spirits will want to know more about you before giving away their name. Sometimes the give and take relationship must be further established before names are given.

For example, we had consistent communications with a certain Fae entity that did not give away any maliciousness, but at first, they failed to give a proper name. Instead of turning this spirit away we both decided to ask for the Fae to give a name we can call it, until trust could be further established.

The name they gave us was Charles the fox. So, we called him that, but we didn’t believe him to be a simple, ordinary fox. He’s a Fae after all, and it took us roughly one year or so for him to give us his names. Even now, I had to ask permission for this to be included within the writing itself.

… And people tend to forget that sometimes spirits are like this.

…And then there are those ones that aren’t forthcoming about showing much of anything at all because they probably may be imposters – and have malevolent intentions.

One half of this tricky puzzle includes examination of coincidences being too much of an experience to be just coincidences.

Omens

Omens are a sign that appears in the physical world, and they can be good or bad omens. Most often, omens will directly relate to the spirit’s associations. Omens tend to be “gut feeling” experiences and not every unique thing you see may be one. When you’re unsure about a spirit making contact, you can ask for signs. Don’t look everywhere for a sign, though. Not everything is.

Dreams

Spirits can send messages through dreams, and it’s up to you to determine whether a dream is significant based on what happened and why. Analyze things from a logical and psychological manner before delving into spiritual territory. Record whatever makes the most sense to you and any repeating dreams as necessary.

The Astral

The Astral is whenever you are communing with a spirit by projecting and speaking with them. This requires Clairaudience or Claircognizance to be able to recognize and comprehend messages being received. Many people also need to make sure that the experience is not your imagination. Learning the differences from internal thoughts and external thoughts outside your own can be a challenge.

The astral is a dimensional plane that exists outside the physical world. The only way to communicate there is by learning how to project your consciousness.

There are many different dimensional planes, and an infinite number of places and people. One of the astral planes corresponds to earth, however it is hard to discern this. One would have to do research and examine other peoples’ experiences, coming to a well-rounded conclusion. 

Divination Methods

Divination is whenever you are communing with a spirit through methods of divination, such as pendulum, cartomancy, scrying, etc.

However, not all forms of divination are guaranteed results. Pendulums are swayed easily by subconscious influence. It’s important to have an open mind and factor in repetitive results as a sign.

Telepath Linking

Telepathy is whenever you are directing thoughts towards the spirit in question. This method can be difficult to achieve due to the mind and imagination wanting the results. Sometimes, desired results will redirect your mind to fill in the result most wanted versus actual spirit communications taking place.

Rule of Three

Repetition is key to the rule of three, as it is a measurement that can help you decipher potential signs from everyday mundane activities. Most signs will show up in different ways around the same time if a spirit is eager to meet you. If you aren’t sure, ask for more before making any solid conclusions.

Confirmation Bias

“This is the tendency to search for, interpret, favor, and recall information that confirms or supports one’s prior personal beliefs or values.”

The more you work against this, the more authentic interactions will potentially be. Use different methods of discernment to help assist you. Don’t try to push things together, that just don’t stick and eventually fall apart.

[faelorelia]

If Byler isn't endgame, then why…

1. Why do they consistently emphasize the unique nature of Will and Mike's friendship within the party? Why highlight their deep bond and illustrate their special connection?

2. Why does Mike gaze at Will with expressions of fondness, affection, admiration, and longing? Not to mention the times he seemingly focuses on Will's lips…

3. Why do they exhibit strange behavior around each other in s4? If they're merely friends, why the nervousness and awkwardness? Their dynamic sharply contrasts with the rest of the party.

4. Why does Mike feel compelled to insist that "they're just friends" to Will if it's an obvious fact? Could it be that Mike senses something more in their relationship?

5. Why are some of their scenes so romantically coded? If you consider it typical best-friend behavior, try swapping Mike with, say, Dustin or Lucas. Byler's scenes, particularly in seasons 2 & 4, are remarkably moving and heart-felt.

6. Why do they share intimate moments they wouldn't with other friends? And say things that sound rather romantic, like "Crazy together," "Hawkins hasn't been the same without you," "I felt like I lost you," "You're the heart"…

7. Why are some of their scenes so intimate that when interrupted by other characters, Will and Mike look as if they were caught doing something "inappropriate"?

8. Why do many of their scenes include "tender, emotional music playing," reminiscent of scenes with other ST couples?

9. Why are Will and Mike consistently paired up and paralleled with other canon couples? And sometimes with gay characters from other films/shows? I recommend checking out this thread as well.

10. Why do Netflix and the ST cast & crew talk about Byler so extensively? Here's a great thread with all their mentions.

11. Why are there numerous queer references surrounding Mike and his relationship with Will? If unclear, you can check out this channel.

12. Why does it seem like Mike and El's romantic relationship is reaching its logical end? If they were intended to be endgame, why did Mike struggle to say he loved her until he felt forced to? And why didn't we get a passionate Mileven scene after his "love confession"?

13. Why was Will present in almost all Mileven scenes in s4? And why was he the one attempting to piece together the broken elements of Mike and El's relationship?

14. Why make Will fall in love with Mike (canonically!) and illustrate the depth of his love for Mike, only to reveal that Will's feelings are unrequited? This character has already endured so much. In the context of a fictional story, it makes sense for such a good character to have a well-deserved happy ending (including being with Mike).

15. And finally: why invest so much in the beginning, highlighting the unique bond between Will and Mike, creating tension with romantic undertones, only to leave it unresolved and without the exploration it seemed to promise?

I want to clarify that I'm not claiming Byler is a definite endgame. I'm fully aware of the unpredictability of ST. However, it seems like a narrative gap if Will and Mike's relationship doesn't find its logical conclusion, which, in my view, is them being romantically together.

[colonelmajorkepler]

Hey i started listening to Sherlock & Co but haven’t caught up for quite a while and I just saw a post by you that Sherlock is canon gay??

If you ever feel the urge to infodump about this podcast specifically is Sherlock gay/is there any johnlock in this (I thought not from the episodes I’ve listened to) I would LOVE some spoilers (:

(only if you feel like it obvi (: )

omg yes i am SO glad you asked!!!

(put it under the cut bc this ended up being longer than i expected LOL. and also has slight spoilers for charles augustus milverton part 2 for anyone else)

i’ll start off by prefacing the writer himself said there’s no plans to include any sort of romance in the series - he wanted to treat this as almost an anthology series where you can pick up any case and understand it, and an overarching romance would disturb that. obviously that doesn’t stop people (like me) from shipping johnlock but i honestly wouldn’t mind if johnlock isn’t even canon bc this podcast really embraces the platonic love between them in a way some adaptations sorely miss - idk what you’re up to but since you said you wouldn’t mind spoilers, it’s been made clear sherlock and john love each other platonically many times, through words (john’s mum telling him that “[sherlock] loves you so much … and you love him”), sherlock nearly KILLING a man bc he shot john, and just through their actions and clear understandings of the other and their needs. i think some adaptations make sherlock too aloof or don’t make his relationship with john strong enough but in the og stories the two are Very close (no matter how you interpret it) and clearly care for each other, which i think is very evident in sherlock & co and i rlly appreciate that it doesn’t shy away from it.

now in terms of gay sherlock, other than the writer himself saying he sees this sherlock as gay, there’s been a few instances where its implied and another where it’s more clear he is. the first was in the sign of four part four where sherlock berates john for getting romantically involved with their client, and john throws it back in his face by mentioning victor trevor, hinting that he and sherlock used to date. these specific lines also just kinda read as jealous sherlock which is very funny to me

and for the more clear implication, in the most recent episode (part 2 of charles augustus milverton), sherlock gets engaged to a woman (as he does in canon) and john is understandably like ?????? huh ???? and this is the resulting convo

obviously the specification of “straight man” implies he isn’t one but he thinks he CAN play one, with john just essentially saying “no one is believing your gay ass”😭😭

so yea there are many johnlock-coded moments that you totally could interpret as romantic regardless of the writers intention, i mentioned a few earlier but there’s so many others i can’t even name them off the top of my head (but if anyone else wants to reply/reblog with examples be my guest LOL) (that’s also just in the public episodes they’re somehow even gayer in the patreon exclusive mailbags. like half of them are just them essentially going on dates answering questions) but again even if it Doesn’t become canon in this podcast the inclusion of a canonically gay sherlock and a deep friendship between him and john is honestly enough for me. i also appreciate the fact they manage to do this WITHOUT any queerbaity elements to it (seeing as they did in fact confirm a gay sherlock). anyway hope you enjoy the rest of the podcast it’s very fun :))

[virgil-630]

How do I live with myself now

I am seeping through the ground

Shame pulls and I sink like a stone

I am nowhere, I am home

I decided this year to get my shit together and start dumping all my lore posts on the internet, so below are some rambling notes on Gabriel's childhood and his friendship with Laura

I have a couple more texts in my stash, which I will try to edit and post in the near future

Tip Commission info

So, Gabriel is 16 and it is the moment when he, together with his brother and mother, have to move from their hometown because of the aggravation of the situation on the border, near which they live at that time, and the divorce of his parents very "timely", actually partly provoked by the situation in the world

And they move to the other side of the border, to the north, because their mother's relatives live there.

The father of the family stays in the south and for obvious reasons the connection with him is cut off for a long time for the brothers. They will re-establish contact much later during the freezing of the conflict, but it will be mostly relevant for Michael than for Gabriel

I haven't written about this anywhere before, but a small note on how to understand the protagonist's homeland

All characters in the so-called north, the setting of the main events of the story, have Hungarian and sometimes German names. Gabriel and his brother have double names and, as you can see, quite an English surname. This is because, despite their mother's roots, she never planned to return to her homeland before the divorce with her husband, and her relationships with the family were always strained.

As I have already written religion played for her much more importance than the past life, which she sincerely hated, so she named the children in honor of the archangels, the father in turn chose the usual names for the area where they lived

All this led to the fact that when the brothers moved, they did not even know the local language, because no one taught them. Because of this, Gabriel still has an accent, but also due to the fact that he doesn't see much of it, and that he doesn't care to correct this issue.

Laura, Gabe's childhood friend. They met when they were both 12. Before the incident.

It's important to know that they were both odd kids, unspokenly excluded from the community. The Gabe's family's roots and religiosity, foreign to the South, also weighed in on the issue, as did Laura's transgender identity. Even though in the world of impressions it was treated much easier, but the girl's bad character scared away those few who wanted to socialize with her.

In this they are really similar. The only difference is that Laura perfectly solves the problems created by her sharp temperament and in principle likes to stay away from society, while Gab loves to create and increase these problems exponentially with her stubbornness. And this cocktail is perfectly combined with an incredible attraction to society and people, especially in his childhood years.

But in spite of this seemingly strange state of affairs the friendship was strong and a certain romantic element even began to flare up in it, but around that time everything went to the same place and the incident, the long recovery after it, and then the world situation together with the family situation became a strong obstacle to any development of these feelings.

[mrcarmenile]

Till’s “Love” for Mizi

i’ve been cooking up some thoughts on this for a while, and now that i’m riding an alien stage high might as well yap it up

if you know anything about my analysis habits, you know i have to talk about it. it’s a trope i eat up every time.

(this is kind of long i’m so sorry)

till’s attraction to mizi was idolization and infatuation. it was not a genuine love - i think she definitely meant a lot to him as a person, and that they did have a genuine friendship, but i think the extent of his attraction is idealization. the fact that the only reasons we get for him being “in love” with her is because she’s pretty (we’ve received this information multiple times now with this comic release) is incredibly telling.

i do think it’s not the sole reason he’s so infatuated with her - mizi, from a narrative perspective and the perspective of other characters in alien stage, represents hope. everyone is clinging to hope with every last drop of their being because it is their sole way to cope. sometimes it manifests in a genuine form of love, like we see in mizi and sua and ivan (even though there is still elements of unhealthy obsession as a coping mechanism in all of them), but it’s clear to me that in till’s case, he is not actually in love with her. she is beautiful physically and in what she represents - that is why he is obsessed with her. so far, we are given absolutely no reason to believe there is anything else to that. in fact, vivimeng keeps highlighting only those two things as reasons for till’s love for mizi.

textually, they have had till himself reference that he likes her because she’s pretty - he outright says that in this new comic and has also mentioned it in the art book (in the art book, he doesn’t say he likes her only because she’s pretty, but that’s the only thing he says about her). subtextually, we see how in till’s eyes, mizi is the embodiment of hope. this is primarily touched upon in rounds 6 & 7 - till starting to lose hope when mizi disappears, till seeing hallucinations of mizi and trying to reach out for her one last time before passing out (which is when he truly seems to lose all of his hope), till only regaining his will and determination when he sees mizi in the crowd in round 7… she is a symbol to him.

here is my main point:

till liking mizi because she’s pretty is as undeep as it gets, but i do think her being his manifestation of hope isn’t necessarily shallow - till narratively represents freedom, and conceptually speaking, freedom and hope are inherently intertwined - the idea of freedom fuels hope, and hope fuels the journey toward freedom. so i don’t think his feelings for mizi are completely shallow, but i do believe the way they ended up manifesting was not in the form of genuine love, at least not in a romantic sense. especially because he didn’t initially fall for her because she gave him hope; his obsession for her that started because of her physical appearance went on for so long that she became his hope, since he already had his mind set on her and latched onto her.

mizi representing hope is something that till “projected” (idk if that’s the right word) onto her, it was never anything she actually did that made her become that symbol. she wasn’t fighting for freedom, she isn’t even shown to be particularly hopeful herself. yes, she was bright and cheery and lovely (which we now know was partly a facade) but she doesn’t truly start becoming a symbol for hope with her own actions until she meets hyuna.

sua also viewed mizi as a manifestation of her hope, in a way that was also very much a coping mechanism and also a form of unhealthy obsession, but we know that they have a much deeper emotional bond that isn’t entirely built on idolization. for them, it was a mix of genuine love and infatuation/idolization (in which the latter causes a lot of issues in their relationship but you would have to be stupid not to see the actual bond they have.) in till and mizi’s case, they are lacking that emotional connection that would allow there to be genuine love mixed in there.

and since we’re getting the whole gang in here - ivan’s love for till also contrasts till’s love for mizi. ivan becomes obsessed with till because he gives ivan hope. he isn’t drawn to till until he sees till fighting for freedom, and when he does, he is starstruck. after being abused his whole life and just taking all the blows, he is so amazed to see someone actually fight back. ivan’s love for till starts blossoming because of something that is inherent to till as a person, and something that till shows through his own actions.

analyzing infatuation vs love is right up my alley - it is something i love to talk and think about, as it tends to be a common theme in the media and characters i enjoy (as well as a common theme in real life) and i feel as though people don’t talk about it enough. when i see it being talked about in this fandom, i see a lot of people tend to leave out the fact that mizi does mean so so much to till, as she is his token of hope, as unhealthy as it may be. and this sort of infatuation is literally present in all of the characters (except maybe hyuna?) so it’s not like till is the main offender here, the key thing that sets him apart is that he is also lacking the personal connection part (and therefore the genuine love part).

thank you for reading!