#or even necessarily that Someone Else Was Making Money Off The Potential To Do It

[postmakerkiwi]

I mean they (=film studios) did also try to kill Sony over that. that was a pretty significant thing that happened.

I understand where you’re coming from here but they (=Universal) (& Disney) (& et. al) very much tried to make it impossible and/or illegal to do that.

“To protect their copyright, streaming sites do not allow for screenshotting of any kind.”

Hey remember VHS where you bought a box to plug into your tv and you could legally record whatever was playing and then own it for free forever

[doomtrooper77]

Put on a Show

You were feeling pretty good about the fight your buddy got set up for you tonight. You’d made pretty good money on the last 3-4 fights. People were asking for you. Mind you, these are underground fights, and they didn’t show them on cable or anything, but there were pretty good crowds, and now they were being streamed on the dark web. Even with Bare Knuckle Boxing and Dirty Boxing becoming mainstream on the internet, these fights were a bit darker. It was more like pit fighting than anything else. No ref, the only rule was pretty much not to kill the other guy.

Ricky had set this one up for you. He said he had heard of this underground group making and offering big money for fighters. Everybody got paid something up front, and if you won, you got 3-5 times as much, and you were allowed to bet on yourself. Ricky got 3 grand up front. You jumped at the chance. Ricky said the promoters like you to put on a show. Not to make it too quick. I could do that.

Ricky told you to meet him at this old factory around 9 pm. When you got there, there were some rough-looking dudes at the door. Big fuckers who you could see was packing heat. You told them who you were, said that Ricky was already there, and pointed you to an old workers' locker room where he and other fighters were waiting. When you get there, Ricky is all smiles. There are 4 fights tonight. You look around and see the 6 other guys.

You ask Ricky which of them is your opponent, and that’s when he tells you it’s a random pick. The promoter comes in with a hat with poker chips out, and whoever has matching poker chips fights each other. You look around again, and while a few of these guys look competent, none of them look like they couldn’t handle it. Hell, a couple of them you’d have to hold back a lot to make it look good. That’s when you told Ricky to bet all of your potential winnings on your fight. Ricky grinned and went off to do so.

You start changing your gear when the seventh guy walks into the locker room. The chatter stops, and you can hear the heavy boot steps. You turn and see a wall of muscle walking through the room.  He had to be 6’2 or 6’3, which isn’t necessarily extraordinary, however, his shoulders were wide as a fucking doorway. He wore blue jeans, harness boots, a black tank top, and a black leather jacket. The jacket was stretched, fitting over his massive frame. One of the other fighters said what the rest of them were thinking, Fuck.  Another guy, a bit smaller than him, followed behind with a duffle bag.

They walked over to another bench and started to get ready. Ricky came back and said, “Who is that fucking bull?” I told him the seventh fighter, counting me, you get eight. We both looked at each other like, FUCK! Ricky then proceeded to give me the pep talk. That guy was all muscle, no go. He’s probably slow as hell. If you ended up fighting him, I would have to keep away and gas him out. I had fought guys like that before.

Ricky was tapping up your hands as the guy started to change. He started by taking off all his heavy biker jewelry. Rings, necklace, bracelet.  When he stripped down to skin, he looked even bigger, everywhere. Fucker had a cock like a damn horse. He was covered in biker ink all over. Arms, back, shoulder, neck, chest, legs.  I watched as he slipped into a torn jock strap that could barely hod him. Watched as he adjusted that leg straps around his massive muscular thighs and ass, then reaching in and adjusting baseball cock of his.  He slipped into some black trunks and sat down as the guy with him proceeded to tape his massive hands and feet.

When that guy was done, he stood up and started warming up like the other fighters. He stretched first. Bending and twisting at what should be impossible angles for someone that freaking huge. The pops and snaps of his joints echoed across the room as he limbered up. Which exactly what it was, you could see his movements becoming more fluid and smoother. The more you watch, the more you get a really bad feeling in the pit of your stomach.

It was when he walked over to the big punching bag hanging from an overhead beam, a big leather unit meant to take a pounding for a couple of decades. When the guy using it saw him swaggering over, he quickly turned and returned to the bench where his stuff was. The room got quiet again as the big guy approached the bag. Rolling his neck, he snapped a couple of jabs into the bag. Fast and based on the bag’s movement, strong. His shoulders swayed, and his feet began to move, and hooks, crosses, uppercuts, and body shots soon joined those jabs. His punches were not only fast, but they were also powerful. That big swung left and right and jumped up and down, depending on the blow. He started letting these growling barks as he hit especially hard. Fast, strong, fluid. He was up on his toes, moving side to side, back and forth, diagonally. While not Muhammad Ali, he was professionally fast. The whole room gasped when he suddenly spun and that massive, tapped foot came around in a blinding arc and smashed into the bag, sending it swing damn near horizontal with force. You can see a guy shaking their head, all beginning to rethink their participation. This wasn’t a fight with refs and rules. This was No Hold Barred. Again, the only rule was not to kill anyone.

One guy picked up his bag to leave, but he was met by two big bruisers at the door who told him it was too late. He tried to argue, but one showed him the holster with a big silver gun. I looked at Ricky, and he had a similarly shocked look on his face. The massive guy in the corner kept warming up. A sheen of sweat started shining on his massive upper body.

The “promoter” came in with three goons. They looked like they were straight out of a mob movie. He explained how the pairing for the fights would work. He had a leather bag with 8 poker chips. Red, Blue, Green, and Gold. Everything but gold was the preliminary matches. Gold was the main event. The main event paid more, but you also needed to put on a show. He explained again that these were No-Hold-Barred fights. No refs, one rule. Try not to kill your opponent. There were bonuses for those who put on the best show. Everybody knew what that meant.

He shook the bag and put it in front of you. You reached in and pulled out the Gold poker chip. Ricky clapped his hands because he knew the pay for that match could be good. I also know I could put on a show without really hurting someone. However, I didn’t want to try to do that with the Beast. There was a 1 in 7 chance he could be my opponent. The next three guys pulled. Red, Blue.  Blue.  1 in 4 chances. Green. Red. Only two guys left, the Beast and a wiry middleweight-looking guy. Everyone watched as the promoter shook the bag and put it before the Beast.  You and the guy with the green chip look at each other. You can see both of you hoping for the opposite color to be picked. The beast reached his massive hand into the bag, and the glint of gold flashed as he pulled the chip out. The Beast looked up at you; his eyes were hard and cold. The promoter grinned at you and then at the Beast. He said the fights start in 15 minutes. Red up first.

The Beast kept staring at you.  Part of you knew it was a psychological ploy to scare you. But there was something dangerous behind those eyes. Ricky came up and pulled you away. There was no backing out of this fight. You and Ricky strategized on different ways to take him down.

The two guys went out to the first fight. You could hear the crowd cheer and roar. 10 minutes later, one guy comes in with a bloody nose and mouth, and the other is being carried in holding his arm that is at the wrong angle. Fight two happens, and again, one guy comes in with a bloodied face and a swollen eye, his opponent comes in on a stretcher, knocked out, and with a brace around his neck.  

When the third fight starts, the Beast starts to warm up. He stretches his arms and legs, pulling those massive limbs at angles someone that big isn’t supposed to be able to do. Then he lay flat on his back and arched his entire body so that just the soles of his feet and the top of his head were on the rough concrete floor. Ricky and you watch as he starts doing neck rolls on the floor. That massive pillar of flesh his head sat on flexed and twisted like rubber. Back and forth, side to side. He kipped up and the guy who was with him had a bottle of water and a towel, ready for him but, he pushed him aside roughly and walked back over to the punching bag. His fist started flying, and you can tell he wasn’t holding back. The bag thumped and swung wildly. His barks and growls as he hit it were sharp and aggressive.

He kept this up for 3-4 minutes, his blows growing harder and faster. You should have been warming up yourself, but you couldn’t take your eyes off of him.

Suddenly you can hear boos and angry shouts coming from the crowd. Minutes later, both fighters were roughly escorted past the locker room to somewhere else deeper into the old factory by 4 big bruisers.

The promoter came into the locker room and spoke.  “Those to pussy had not heart. Now I’ve got an angry crowd asking for their money back. So, I expect you two to give me one hell of a show.”  He said, looking from me to the Beast. The promoter grinned as the beast turned to him, and he was covered in sweat, and his massive, tattooed arms and shoulders were pumped and crawling with veins. He turned back to me and said, “Kid if you get a chance to put on a show, you better give him all you’ve got. But I have a feeling…..” he trailed off looking at the Beast.

10 minutes later, you’re standing in a literal chain-link cage surrounded by a hungry crowd. They announced it was the night's final fight and that all bets had been made and were final. They announce your height and weight, 6’1 and 275. They announced his height, 6’4 and 398 pounds. There is an excited murmur from the crowd as someone rings the bell.

He plods forward flatfooted.  His eyes boring into you.  You have a few options; you’ve got to get him off his feet. The knee.  Upon your toes, and moving back and forth. You snap a kick at his knee, and it connects. A solid thunk, but his leg does collapse. Ok, it's gonna take more than one. A few more jabs, and you snap another one, and it connects. Another solid thunk. It still doesn’t collapse, but the crowd can see your strategy and cheer you on. He throws a few slow jabs and a roundhouse, far slower than back in the locker room, and they miss. You can feel your confidence building. If you can get him down or limping, you might be able to take him apart.

You throw a jab and a left cross, just as he moves slightly away, you whip around and, using your momentum, you aim at that knee again. Putting all of your speed and weight behind it. If it connects, that knee is going to snap.  Just as your foot is coming around, you can see his face. The blank, plodding look is gone, and that hungry, intimidating look is back. Just about when that kick is going to connect, he lifts his knee straight up, and your foot flies right under where his knee was a microsecond before.  Your momentum starts to take you half around again when that knee he has lifted damn near to his chest extends and that big foot lands squarely on you right pec and you find yourself flying backwards into the cage.

You see the cage and crowd spin around as you fly through the air, hit the chain-link cage wall, and fall to the mat. You feel like you were hit by a truck. The crowd roars. Sucking in air and trying to orient yourself you manage to turn around and see him walking toward you. At first, he plodded flat-footed, but with each step, he began to rise on his toes. By the time you have your breath, he is moving with a smooth bouncing gait to easily match your own.

He moved blindingly fast, the last two steps toward you, and brought his knee up. You manage to move out of the way, and that knee hits the chain-link cage.  He had so much weight and power that the cage shifted a foot toward the crowd. You could hear the intake of breath from the crowd, then a roar. You take advantage and throw a hook into his back and ribs as he bounces off the cage. Then another. Enough power in those punches to put a man down. But to your surprise, he spins and raises his arm with a back fist. You manage to turn away enough that it glazes your cheek, but it is enough to send you stumbling.

When you look up, he’s on you. Jabs, lefts, and rights. You cover up, but the blows that hit your arms hurt, and when he sees you covering your face, the blows come to your midsection. Your breath is literally taken away. Fire blossoms on your side. The next blow that lands there, you can hear the snap.

You find yourself on your knees on the ground.  Holding your side.  You’re looking for the next blow, but when you look up, he has stepped back and looks down at you with disdain. He makes a gesture for you to get up. You have no choice, no referee to stop the fight.

He arrogantly holds his arms extended out from his body, inviting you for a free shot. The crowd is jeering at you. They are eating it up. You stand up, and now you are getting angry. He gestures again for you to take your shot. Squaring up, walking up to him, and nodding your head, you wind back and give him a full power shot to the jaw. His head barely turns. He grins and says again.  You do it again and take squarely, and that pillar of flesh he calls a neck doesn’t bend. You follow it up with another punch, then a shot to the gut, then ribs, then back to the head. By the 7th blow, you were punching. The 8th blow, he caught your fist in his hand and held it like wood in a vice. Through your angry haze, you see his vicious smile and bloody lip say, “My turn.”

The world exploded into stars, and his head propels forward and smashes into you like a wrecking ball. The world goes white, and you barely feel as he pushes you back into the cage.  You can’t tell what happens because you're still in a daze from the headbutt, but those massive fists land repeatedly. When you start to focus again, you can hear the crowd roar.  You're on the concrete and he's standing over you. You can see him standing over you, massive,  pumped, and absorbing the crowd's hunger. You can also see that his trunks are tented.  He’s fucking hard.

Something in your brain says. NHB, No holds barred. As he reaches down for you, you gather what strength you have left and slam your fist right into his cock and balls. The low blow lands base of his cock and square into his balls.  You hear the crowd gasp as they see it, and you see his eyebrows begin to rise, and recognition of what happened in his eyes. He’s a man, and that pain is something every man feels.  You see him step back and are waiting for him to fall over.  You see him sway, but he doesn’t fall over.  He leans back, rolls his shoulders, and looks down at you. His eyes are different now. The fire of the fight has been joined by something else.

You watch as he balls up his fist and slams it into his junk, two, three, four times. The fire in his eyes gets brighter. As he does so, a hush comes over the crowd, and then they scream in raw approval. A dangerous smile comes over his face as he grabs you and pulls you from the ground. You try to struggle, but before you know it, he turns you around and wraps those massive arms of his around your head and neck and starts to squeeze. He could easily put you out, but where's the fun in that?

With his massive arms wrapped around your head and neck, he lifts you from the ground and carries you around the perimeter of the cage, showing you off to the roar of the crowd. Stopping in front of each section, squeezing tighter and loosening up so you don’t lose consciousness.  When you both reach the portion of the cage where the promoter is, he stops, leans in, pushing your body into the chain link cage wall, and leans all of his weight against you. The promoter has a huge grin on his face as the crowd and camera take it all in.

His mouth is just over our right ear, and you hear him say, “So you thought that cheap shot would work. Fucker, that’s fuckin foreplay for me.” He said and flexed his arms tightly, then loosened them again, allowing you to breathe. “Maybe when I’m done with you here I’ll drag you back to some corner of this fucking factory and show you what happens when you get me all worked up.” He said and then you could feel his hard cock grind against your ass through both your trunks. The crowd roared even louder as he did it, and his hip movement became more pronounced. The promoter looked shocked until he noticed how wild the crowd was getting as they watched. His smile grew bigger. “Maybe I’ll show you right here in front of everybody. That would be one hell of a show, wouldn’t it?”

It wasn’t until later that you woke up in a room with a guy in a suit and two guys in paramedic uniforms putting an IV in your arm. Ricky was there. He told you that these were the guys the promoter hired to take care of fighters after the matches. A doctor and two paramedics.  You could feel a neck brace around your neck, something on your arm, and something around your midsection. The doctor told me that I had multiple cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder, torn ligaments in my neck, and that they were pretty sure multiple fingers from a punch Best had been broken, if not my hand. You could feel a couple of teeth missing. They were going to take you to the hospital for X-rays and scans.

The promoter came in and said, “Great show, kid. The crowd loves it. You earned your bonus. The doctor here says you’ll live and recover. Make sure you tell the hospital you were in a car accident. We’ll ensure it’s taken care of as long as you do that.”  The bonus was 20 grand.

Just as they were wheeling you out to the paramedics' truck, the Beast was walking out, and he turned and stopped the paramedics. Everyone's eyes widened as the man pushed past guards and the doctor. Dressed back in his street clothes, he leaned down and said, “Good fight, buddy. They say you’re gonna be okay in a few months or so. I tried not to bust you up to bad; you got heart fucker. I can respect that. Let me know when you want a rematch.“ he said grinning, his eyes shining with humor and challenge.

As they wheeled me away, I said, “When pigs fly.” I heard him laugh as they slid me into the van.

[dnalt-d2]

So we've got a new update on the Admin Situation, and this one's…A little complicated, to say the least.

Basically, Quackity has stated that he is opening the server tomorrow to welcome the new Korean Creators, but for the time being, there will be no NPCs, including the Eggs. He's also temporarily laid off nearly, if not all the workers he has, including the people doing the Twitter Updates.

And apparently many of them found this out through the stream, much like we did. This seems to be the biggest point of contention for many people, and I'll admit I'm not happy about it either. The only justification I can think of for this is that he didn't want people to find this all out second-hand from people who potentially don't have the all the information. But even with that, I think they should have been made aware before us, even if it was just by a few minutes. That wouldn't have been ideal either, but it would've been better than not knowing at all

The person who brought this forward initially, Lea, has stated that she knows for sure that "Jay" (The person who made the unauthorized update before) was fired, but to her knowledge, some of the other Admins who caused the problems are still employed. I think this might be one of those things that she doesn't have the full scope of information on, since we were also just informed that pretty much all the Admins aren't currently employed. We do have to keep in mind that she's getting this information from someone else who is apparently still in contact with the team. However, it's obvious that even some of the Admins who weren't initially fired aren't entirely in the loop, which means she wouldn't have been getting all the information either. So I think we need to take some of the things she says moving forward with a grain of salt

I'm not saying she's lying by any means, but when you have limited information to work with, playing a game of telephone to get that information isn't always gonna be that reliable

On top of all that, a lot of people seem to be in agreement that Quackity may have implied that money was being embezzled from him and Quackity Studios. I'm not going to say much on that, since it's TECHNICALLY speculation. However I will at least say that it doesn't seem entirely out of the question, and I wouldn't be even slightly surprised to learn that this was the case

Regardless of how it happened, there was a loss of funds, and this loss of funds means that the server has to start slower than before. Hence the absence of the NPCs on the server, and the current stop on Twitter Updates. It sounded to me like he's planning on bringing people back slowly, making sure they're paid for their roles from here on out. And as the financial situation stabilizes, we'll likely see more Admins return to their roles

I want to believe as of now that things are improving. If they weren't, I believe we would have heard about it by now, from the other Admins. We've already seen an Admins in charge of one of the Twitter Accounts say something, and I'm sure we'll get more news like that soon. But we would have DEFINITELY heard if absolutely nothing was going on. I don't think it's fair for the Admins to have not been notified beforehand, and I think that should be the next problem to fix for sure. But the way I see it, what's happening now is a step in the right direction. It's only the first of many, and not even necessarily a big step, but it's a step nonetheless

Once again, I want to remind people that we aren't going to see these changes being made until we're shown them. People can try to tell us what they know as they find it out themselves, but for all we know, they're only showing the bad parts of what's going on. We should really take any future information, good or bad, with a grain of salt as well. It's easy to say things are getting better or worse, but I think we should wait until we see the changes for ourselves and go from there

(I also wanna say that I've seen speculation from a few people, mostly on Twitter, that "Jay" is probably just Quackity trying to cover his tracks and make a scapegoat for what's happening. But with the information we have, that seems incredibly unlikely. Lea didn't know who he was when he first made his unofficial statement, but her recent tweets imply that she knows who he is now. And considering that she's the one who brought all this up to begin with, I HIGHLY doubt she'd keep quiet if he was actually Quackity)

So now, again, all we can do is wait, and continue giving our support to the people who need it. I want to believe that things can get better. I want to believe that Quackity is trying his best to improve things

Try and stay positive, everyone. Even if the server isn't the same as before, we'll be fine. Even if QSMP shuts down entirely, we'll be fine. At the end of the day, people's health and mental health is more important than a Minecraft Server, and if you feel like your mental health is being impacted by what's going on, please take some time for yourself. Worrying constantly over something we have zero control in isn't going to help anyone. If you need to take a step back, please do so. And when you're ready to come back, we'll still be here, even if the QSMP isn't. We've built a great community, and it's been incredibly fun being a part of it. And I sincerely doubt it's going away, regardless of what happens next

So make sure you take care of yourselves

[bigtreefest]

Which of your beloved men do you think has the greatest potential of actually annoying you the longer you are together?

Oh, Eva. This is a good question. Because I get annoyed with people so easily sometimes, but a big issue is, the longer we’re together, the more I force myself to deal with it 😅 so, it’s an issue, but I think there are a few options. So I’m gonna rank them from most annoying to least:

Lloyd: What a fucking know it all bitch. I bet you every. single. thing. that I do would have some sort of correction, but he believes he walks on water. Probably mansplains. Won’t take no for an answer, never gives up, which could be admirable, but he wants it to go his way. Everything is manipulated to serve him and I’d lose myself as I grow resentment.

Ransom: Unconsciously selfish and totally alright with it. Never willing to learn something outside his worldview. People have other experiences!! And guess what, buddy, you can survive on less money than you do. The mix of wealth and closed-mindedness would be terrible, bc why have all that you do and not use it to broaden your horizons some. And I mean as a learner, someone who experiences things, not necessarily a patron or observer like everyone else is a museum piece.

Andy: Definitely discounts my feelings. Huge victim of confirmation bias and I just can’t live with that sort of dismissal for my very valuable opinions.

Steve: Altruistic to a fault at the expense of me. But also just do goddamn admirable and respected, it kinda makes me jealous. That’s on me. People would probably think I’m lucky I’m with him and fail to see all I do and it would drive me nuts. And then he would just brush it off and I would hate that I have to work 10x harder to even get a tenth of the credit he does. I don’t think he would ever get it…

Ari: So caught up in helping others that there’s no time for me, but it’s not as bad as Steve because I think Ari would listen when I said I felt I wasn’t listened to, and then would switch up.

Jake: probably misreads the room here and there but is receptive to criticism. Gone a lot which leads to fights and he just walks away instead of confronting it.

Curtis is a shelter guard dog angel😌

[pynkhues]

https://www.tumblr.com/pynkhues/785589149650550784/havent-bugged-you-in-a-couple-weeks-so-okay?source=share

This is such a great discussion of Lestat and Gabrielle's dynamic. In light of all this though, what do you think Sam Reid meant by Lestat's power coming from other people's desire at a formative age (paraphrasing)? One potential interpretation is Magnus, but I don't know if I'd call that power, or if 34 counts as a "formative age" -- though it definitely was a formative experience)? Maybe he just meant the enmeshment that you described, or the fact that his looks were a bargaining chip with many people when he had nothing else. But it does kind of make it sound like Gabrielle (or someone else?) sexualized him from an early age in a way in a way he could distinctly perceive. Do you think this could reflect on the writing choices for the show? Maybe it is accurate to say that the little sway he had in life came from Gabrielle's desire for him, but it just seems a little off, especially since I don't know what power he gained from that....

I'm glad it's interesting for others too, anon! I always find the dynamics in both Lestat and Louis' childhood homes to be really fascinating, and Lestat's relationship with Gabrielle really does feel like the most complex in many ways.

Just to quickly clarify - I do think Sam was referring to Gabrielle when he talked about Lestat being hypersexualised at a formative age, and I think she did sexualise him, I just don't think that necessarily involved physical sexual abuse, nor do I think Gabrielle was simply predatory towards her son. I talked about it a bit in this post, but she pretty explicitly feels a degree of ownership over Lestat's body - again, she basically claims his penis as her own - and while I personally think that the enmeshment trauma (which is a form of incest) there is the primary Thing Going On, so to speak, there is also a really complex question of whether or not it's about sex or gender for Gabrielle.

Again, she chooses to dress as a man after her turning - hell, more than that, she chooses to hunt young men and wear their clothing specifically - and I think that there is so much to unpack in that generally, but I think the fixation on young men does seem to start with Lestat. In some ways, it feels like the 'do I want to be you or be with you' question, which you could almost argue is reciprocated in Lestat, and - again - can actually be symptomatic of enmeshment where those distinctions between identity and relationships effectively don't exist.

In that sense, I think Gabrielle will probably, as she is in the books, be very conscious of the fact that she has a beautiful son, and I think that his appearance will factor into how she feels about him and maybe even his status as her favourite child. How that interacts with her feeling she can live through him too is a question, and I think there is an inherent sexualisation and an objectification of him that's tangled up in all of that. In terms of power - - I don't know, but I think he probably views intimacy as something that his looks can buy him, and I think there's space for the show to play around with the fact that Gabrielle does spend the last of her family money to buy his freedom as the rest of the family rots. How much that's about her feeling personal escape in that as she uses him as a sort of avatar versus how much of it is her freeing her golden child from the opulent squalor of the de Lioncourt family chateau as she stares down death is anyone's guess right now.

[hpowellsmith]

Saturday question: what do you think about NPCs making romantic advances to the PC [...]?

My gut answer is that I like NPCs being able to take initiative with regard to romance, but I'm also very opinionated about how that happens. In particular, if I'm not feeling the vibe, I like to be able to ask them to stop/tone down the flirting - but also ideally in a way that doesn't block off potential for me to respond later.

So in that way, it very much depends on the character, and at times I've been disappointed to find I've "ace"d my way out of romance for that particular character - or at all! - by not responding to the vibes of that particular moment. And if that's a thing that can happen, I like it to be explicitly clear, and without secondary implications. (i.e. Declining to hook up with someone I just met shouldn't necessarily prevent me from developing feelings later on, and shouldn't be worded in such a way that I am able to accidentally pick the "insult everything about them" option while thinking it just means "No thanks" or "Not tonight.")

this is in response to the question:

what do you think about NPCs making romantic advances to the PC - making the very first move (rather than making advances once you're dating/romancing)? Do you prefer to control when initial flirting or asking-out happens, do you like them to initiate something, a combination, or does it depend on something else (eg how much you like the character)?

Ooh yes, I do very much appreciate the distinction between "can you not right in front of people" / "I want to focus on our quest" / "I need some space" and "I don't want you doing that at all, nor do I want to romance you". And I totally feel the not wanting to completely shoot them down rudely where all you want to say is "no thanks but I'm happy being friends", haha!

One thing I really appreciated about the Dragon Age: Inquisition romances was the "broken-heart" option that made it clear that if I chose other options, even if they're argumentative etc, I'll still be able to continue the romance.

So much of writing interactive romance is making sure there are lots of different starting points for the relationship! I remember when I did my Blood Money update, I realised that it was pretty difficult to start some of the romances so I added more. In Honor Bound there are... Very Many chances to tell an NPC that you'd like to date them, and even more where you can express it silently; it's frustrating to realise that you've gone past the point of no return and lock yourself out of a romance unintentionally!

(fun fact, when my wife playtested the full draft of Honor Bound for the first time, her MC was so emotionally-reserved and slow-burn with the Savarel romance that she found a number of bugs in which it sort-of triggered but sort-of didn't... it was very funny and a cautionary tale for any writers doing slow-burn options - sometimes it's SO slow that it breaks the game!)

[adamsvanrhijn]

More O/J shoe game questions that will hopefully cheer you up a bit!

1. Who is a better Cook? (In a modern setting)

2. Who's more into animals?

3. Who's more creative?

4. Who's more short-tempered?

5. Who's closer with his family?

6. Who's able to run faster?

7. Who's more likely to win at chess?

1. Who is a better Cook? (In a modern setting)

in a modern setting i personally think that oscar didn't know how to boil water until one of the token 99% boys in his frat taught him whereas we all know what my john and food headcanon is and that surely kicked off with fancy independent school athletics at like, the latest. so in terms of technical skill it's john. but also i think john is a boring eater for that reason, and oscar is fairly indiscriminate about what he puts in his mouth in a way that means he has a better mind for how to make food taste good than just how to make it? but it's like, backseat driving, he's not going to get his hands dirty he will just tell john what to make and unashamedly pluck food off the cutting board while he makes it

i bet he slowly figures out how to actually cook though and it's fun. especially since he can pay someone else to do the dishes

2. Who's more into animals?

hmmm. oscar as long as he doesn't have to be responsible for them. oscar pumpkin interaction When. but i don't think john Isn't into animals, i've said they're both dog people and i stand by that until canonical proof otherwise. (modern setting they potentially would be those people who get a dog during covid and then it isn't sustainable because they don't know how to take care of a dog and their yuppie lifestyles do not accommodate a dog when pandemic precautions are over.)

3. Who's more creative?

oh they are both SO good at making things up in their minds but i bet they would both say oscar because oscar's creativity is more straightforward / obvious. he's artsy you know

4. Who's more short-tempered?

oooooooooh that is a tough one. i'm going to reframe this as Has A Shorter Temper because i don't think either of them are short-tempered, adjective, necessarily. but. i think they both think it's the other one? and i think it's Probably oscar because john prefers to be longsuffering and Then cause problems on purpose.

5. Who's closer with his family?

oscar. but if they were actually playing which obviously they are not they would nix this from the wedding shoe game question list i think. for the optics.

6. Who's able to run faster?

hmmmm. i think they would both think they are the faster runner... bet if they are like, sprinting, it's a tossup, and if it's a marathon john is winning

7. Who's more likely to win at chess?

i THINK it's john because john is better at paying attention to what is happening and connecting current decisions with future results. though being better at that than oscar is an EXTREMELY low bar.

but they're both pretty good at it... i think if oscar Really wants to win which is a lot of the time he will play dirty though because he doesn't necessarily trust himself to win on skill alone. "how do you play dirty at chess in the 1880s" you know your opponent thinks you are the hottest man alive and you capitalize on that, is how.

in sims 4 universe it would be john because john's logic skill is higher because i cheated oscar in the business career because i decided nepotism has greater weight than logic skill in sims banking, just like in all 1880s banking. in a modern setting i don't really think oscar plays chess at all? but john probably does because that feels like the kind of thing old money new england rich people with like five kids would make sure their kids do well even in the 1990s or whatever time we say they are children.

[wenamedthedogkylo]

All good points, thank you for sharing. But I would like to more closely consider one of the squares in the right hand image. Specifically, the square where unethical creation meets ethical use. And this is just my two cents as an observer in all this, so if people much more knowledgeable about all of this could weigh in, I know I’d appreciate it.

To me, the unethical creation status automatically precludes and negates any sort of ethical use. Take the examples cited:

Using an AI art generator trained on a database of stolen art for fun/nonprofit

Using an AI voice sampled without consent from its voicers for fun/nonprofit

In these instances, I feel like we would have to ensure the level of crediting and acknowledgement that we expect from fanworks in order for the usage to still actually be ethical. Disclaimers of “I am not profiting off this” and “I did not obtain permission for this so this is just for fun” and so on, like how we used to do on fanfiction. And if the art samples were all stolen, that makes it very hard to apply the necessary credit, doesn’t it? Otherwise we cannot reasonably protect against people who will still only see the fact that their work/voices were stolen, and won’t distinguish between good-natured fun and profiteering.

Some people might say “well that stuff is implied obviously” but unfortunately, it really isn’t these days. Monetization happens in ways that a lot of us casual internet users don’t see directly. There’s a reason we had to put disclaimers on fanfiction for years: authors like Anne Rice saw fanfic as theft of their art, their livelihood, their ideas, even when the fan wasn’t making a dime off that. And they retaliated accordingly. We have since managed to gain legal ground and prove that fanworks should be protected, but that also hinges on those works being exactly that: fanworks. A pre-established, copyrighted work that many people recognize and love being reused for fun/nonprofit. You can see outright that it is based off of something else, and the legal protection around it hinges on the fact that you are not ever intending to profit off of it.

But in the examples above, we’re not necessarily talking about fanworks. You can’t see the original work that an AI painting done in a certain style is based off of. People in those scenarios can create original art completely for fun and not make money off it, but it’s truly harder to justify that as harmless to the creators whose works were stolen to feed the AI in the first place.

And it gets (in my mind) more complicated when you get into voices/voice acting. Yeah, someone using AI to make Frank Sinatra sing Baby Got Back probably is just doing it for a laugh. Frank Sinatra is dead, there’s no confusion as to whether or not this cover is made with AI. But there are still people who hold rights to his music, to his posthumous image. Family who, potentially, would be very offended by the idea of hearing their deceased relative saying his anaconda don’t want none. Are they wrong to assert that people shouldn’t and can’t use his voice for such things, even if their intentions were basically harmless?

And what about people who are still alive? VAs whose voices get sampled for a silly little sketch to not make a dime, but they’re still alive and very uncomfortable with some stranger taking their voice and playing with it like a toy? Obviously I can’t speak for everyone, but my voice isn’t just a drawing or something I created and shared online—it’s a biological part of me, and the idea of someone playing with that without my consent in ANY capacity is deeply unsettling.

Like I said, I would love to see more discussion around this, to help myself and others better inform our opinions. As it stands, I personally feel that the moment consent of the originator/creator is denied and their work is stolen, then any use of it is completely unethical regardless of whether you’re just doing it for fun. And framing it as in the above graphic is misleading imo, because it could cause some people to think “well the data was stolen, but I’m not doing anything bad with it or making money off of it so it’s fine”. I’m not anyone famous or popular, but I wouldn’t be fine with that at all, were it my art or my voice. Because I don’t think we can reasonably call this sort of thing a fanwork—if you’re making something original with my work/voice without my consent, it would feel deeply violating. Like someone stealing my hand off my arm and painting something with it. Like… that’s fucked up, right?

Again, I’m a pleb with all this, just someone deeply concerned for artists and how AI is changing the creative landscape. So please, if you know more about this stuff and think I’m overreacting, please explain as much! I think we all need all the reassurance we can get that AI isn’t gonna destroy creativity forever.

Some of y'all will see the word "AI" and freak out without actually processing anything that's being said like a conservative reading the word "pronouns"

[face-palming-fox]

fun fact. every time y'all tell me how to act or think, i delete the post you reblogged and change my username cos fuck off.

i KNOW it's not my fault, it's greedy companies fault. it's not my problem? you're right, this only affects something that is my lifelong hobby and content. and even if it WASN'T something i was that into, pardon me for having empathy for all the people it does affect who is now scrambling to figure out how to save their projects, their livelihoods, wondering what to do with their blemished resumes (as someone posted saying they're about to graduate school who had hopes of immigrating for job opportunities that their skills in a game engine would have brought, that is now no longer a reputable thing to have).

just because I'M not a game dev myself does not mean that i don't get to feel upset and mad for all the people who ARE affected, who now have to try and fight a stupid giant company to either get them to fucking change this completely back to something more similar to what they were offering before while they also decide if they want to move their stuff away from the engine and spend many man hours retraining people on different engine/s and doing the move while also wondering if bigger companies are gonna step in and actually do what they should to move this back or just pay it bc they can.

AND NO DUH. PEOPLE AREN'T EXPECTED TO BUY AND NEVER INSTALL. I'M SAYING THAT'S WHAT IT SEEMS LIKE ALL THESE BIG EXEC PEOPLE EXPECT IS JUST PEOPLE TO DUMP MONEY INTO THEIR POCKETS AND NOT CONSUME CONTENT. DISNEY'S DELETING EVERYTHING IF PEOPLE DON'T WATCH IT FAST ENOUGH, NETFLIX DOESN'T RENEW SOMETHING IF IT DOESN'T DO WELL IMMEDIATELY, GAME ENGINES ARE GONNA CAUSE LOTS OF GAME TO BE LOST AND POTENTIAL COMPANIES TO SHUT DOWN. IT'S AS IF, THEY DON'T WANT PEOPLE TO CONSUME CONTENT.

'don't make up guilt' what the fuck does that even mean. gosh sorry i would feel guilt for potentially being a cause of inconvenience for someone. i'll just put away my trauma trained people pleasing bc you felt i shouldn't feel some type of way about yet another fucking bullshit thing to happen this year.

and yes, the unity thing will most likely not end well for them, they will most likely put something else in place that is not what they have out right now. but we don't know that currently. we thought the same things about twitter. surely he won't do this or that but he has and is actively ruining one of the biggest social hot spots not only for socialization but people's jobs are tied into and now are less certain of where their next paycheck is gonna come from because he's changed how people maintain business as a whole on there.

again. stop telling people how to feel. i am not you. my brain DOES catastrophisize and i'm not necessarily in crisis mode over this, i'm just SPECULATING how other people with emotional disorders, like myself, feel because I am sensitive to feeling some type of way about things and also knowing how exhausted i feel after 3 years of pandemic, personal trauma, platforms being destroyed and changed, media getting deleted or stolen left and right, capitalism getting worse and worse,..

i already don't like subtle change as it is and having to wake up every fucking day to this or that platform nuking itself, that one stealing art of every form with gen ai shit, this streaming platform deleting 20 movies and shows forever with no physical media to preserve it.. etcetcetc

don't fucking tell me how to feel. SORRY I CARE ABOUT THINGS PEOPLE WORK HARD ON AND FOR AND ARE CONSTANTLY BEING PUT IN JEOPARDY BY DUMB RICH PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SQUEEZE EVERY DIME FROM EVERY PERSON THEY CAN AND MAKE CREATIVES OBSOLETE.

[cardwellthaxton]

5 Ways to Get Out of Your Mortgage in New Jersey

By Cardwell Thaxton

There are 5 Ways to Get Out of Your Mortgage in New Jersey. People will often buy a house only to have their needs change as the years go by. Paying a mortgage on an unwanted house can be incredibly stressful and frustrating. In this post, we offer 5 ways to get out of your mortgage in New Jersey so you can move on with your life! 

Paying an expensive mortgage month in and month out can take its toll. Especially if you have grown out of the house and are looking for something different. Below, we offer information to help you get out of your mortgage fast, without having to worry about excessive fees or penalties. If you have any questions about getting out of your mortgage in New Jersey, we want to hear from you!

Sell It Fast

The easiest and most convenient way to get out of your mortgage in New Jersey is to sell your house to a direct buyer. The Cardwell Thaxton Group buys houses directly from local homeowners and can close in only a matter of days. Selling your house fast in New Jersey will save you a fortune on holding costs including continued utilities, property maintenance, taxes, homeowners’ insurance premiums, and more. A traditional listing can be effective, but the process can end up taking several months while costing you a lot of money. For those who are looking to sell right away, a direct sale to The Cardwell Thaxton Group  will help to save time and money, giving you the peace of mind you need!

Hire An Agent

Many people choose to hire a New Jersey real estate agent when it is time to sell their home. While an agent can be beneficial in some transactions, in others, the costs and fees aren’t worth it. If you do not mind paying agent commissions, making repairs, or waiting around for a buyer, hiring a New Jersey real estate agent may be the best option for you. If you need to get out of your mortgage right away in New Jersey, you may be better off with selling your house directly. An agent can end up being very expensive, working with our team will help you get out of the mortgage for your unwanted house in New Jersey without any cost or hassle.

Rent It Out

While technically you will still be on the hook for the mortgage payment each month, you will be able to have your tenants pay it for you. Finding the right tenants can not only help to pay off your mortgage, but you may be able to collect passive income this way too. Keep in mind that not all properties make great rentals and not everyone is cut out to be a landlord. Even still, if you find the right property management company, you can find great tenants, rent out your property, and have someone else pay your mortgage for you.

Gift It

You don’t necessarily have to give the property away, but you can give it so someone else and have them assume the mortgage. Maybe you have children or another family member who would be interested in having the house. You can either have them assume the mortgage if possible, or you can sell it to them for what you owe, ensuring your debt gets paid off, without any further penalties or fees. You will benefit by cutting your ties with the house, whereas your friend or family member will score a great deal by taking the property off of your hands. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Rent To Own

Selling your house via rent to own works great for those who want to sell for market value and who don’t mind waiting a while before the home is sold outright and they have collected the full sale price. A rent to own agreement will open the door to numerous potential buyers, giving you better odds of a fast sale at a great price. While you won’t see the entirety of the sale price right away, you will be able to collect higher than average rent, a deposit, and guaranteed income for the next 1-2 years. Once the rental term is up, your tenant will have the option to buy the house outright. If they are unable to, the house will remain in your name, and you can either choose to sell it or rent it out to another individual.

Are you ready to get out of your mortgage in New Jersey? Working with The Cardwell Thaxton Group will help you get the price you want for your house while saving you a fortune along the way. We can help you get out of your mortgage, so you don’t have to feel stuck with your unwanted property any longer! If you need to sell your house fast, our team is here to support you!

If you want to learn more about how to get out of your mortgage in New Jersey, reach out to our team! We have answers to all of your selling questions! (908) 456-1593

The Cardwell Thaxton Group Cardwell Thaxton, New Jersey 📲(908) 456-1593 📧CardwellThaxton@gmail.com https://www.sellmyhousefastnewjersey.org/

[humansun]

SUCCESSFUL BRAIN DRAIN!

Written Friday, August 11th, 2023 at 4:23AM

Good morning! Hello brain drain. I have plenty to write about today.

A few thoughts are:

Tanya + another aunt’s birthday is coming up, sweet!

There’s a million things running through my mind this morning

How do humans handle having so much stimuli in their life and head?

I was just thinking of something but it left me

Oh yeah sleeping an adequate amount of time every night actually affects my day and mood completely

Getting out of bullet points for a second to retrieve myself. I had an ample amount of sleep last night and I feel for the most part, very recovered from an exhausting day yesterday. Working out on less than 6 hours of sleep does not work for me and I have to accept that if I sleep late, I won’t be working out at 5am, because I won’t even put in my best for the workout. Plus, I’m lucky enough to have Fuzzy’s place as a backup gym!

Some thoughts that came into my mind this morning and crystallized in my mind was whether I genuinely like the person my partner is. The answer after all that thinking is yes, because he is a kind, integrity-based, and considerate human being, that cares about me and the people around him. 

As for the other traits that I’m not the hugest fan about - him sometimes being on his phone for long periods of time, his downtime is watching TV, his mealtimes are watching TV, he doesn’t really enjoy going to museums as much as I do, and he’s a super duper homebody. There are pros and cons to all of these traits like I get to be the person who travels while he holds down the house or something, but at the same time it would be nice to be with someone who’s on the same page about deep convos, living life relentlessly, etc.

However, I also recognize that he’s a Ravenclaw, and for that I am grateful. There are many traits he has that I don’t have, and the love he gives me is beyond what I could ever ask any human being for. I am hoping we grow together and build a world that makes us both happy and excited to continue to live and be great humans!

These mosquito bites and/or eczema are killing me! I don’t have enough self-control to not scratch. Anyways, that’s a little bit of what I was thinking about lately. Oh! I had LinkedIn Learning for the past month and didn’t use it except for 1 ⅓ of courses and now I am regretting my time not using it, since there was a lot of free information in there that would cost me $20 a month.

I guess it’s not the end of the world to pay $20 for usable knowledge, but it’s okay because I can potentially finesse to get that education somewhere else! I also am so proud that I’m now spreading my awareness of high-yields savings accounts with my friends and family. Let’s go! Let’s grow our moneys!

I’m really grateful I get to spend time with people that I love whether in the household, in my workplace, in my daily life, etc. I’m determined to continue to find ways to make my life sustainable because I deserve to live a colorful life, I do.

Jesus, there were a million and one things I was thinking about but now they all fled my mind. I guess another thing is my creative practice at this moment. It looks like its off as I’m applying to some programs that require written application materials, so I’m only exerting my energy towards that direction adn not necessarily towards storytelling or character building. I’m not going to lie, my life does feel a bit empty not practicing those things and I want to figure out how I can do it a little bit everyday.

Living a logistics filled life honestly feels boring, and I never thought I’d say this after years of doing logistics work in all of my event management jobs. I’m proud to have come this far and I wouldn’t be sure I’d think these thoughts had I not quit my normal 9-5 and questioned my life a little harder. I know I took a leap and it comes with its own challenges, but learning how to invest in myself time and energy wise is something I wouldn’t take back for the world.

At this time, perhaps I’m not the most financially free person in the world, but I’m also deeply aware that I want to live a normal person life and do normal people things like take vacations throughout the year and have trips to look forward to. I’ve never spent more than probably $500 on one person, but I’m learning that there is a gift of giving and surprising someone you love with something they would appreciate immensely.

Speaking of someone that I love, back on the topic of my partner because it’s important. He got a health screening and his health is alright, but I can’t help but think that I want my partner to take care of their own health so it doesn’t become a burden on me. I believe I could be thinking this way because I take my mom to the doctor pretty often and I almost feel like I’m parenting her.

I wouldn’t be parenting my partner, because obviously, he could handle his own doctor’s appointments, but in the case that anything sudden were to happen, I would take the grief and all the hits for another human’s lack of proactivity.

Perhaps its because I know how to take care of myself healthwise that I’m also projecting these feelings onto my partner. But - at the same time, my partner could also say the exact same about me and where I’m putting my money and how I’m not really working a full-time job, getting health benefits, etc. Thinking about the future is a really tough thing and how its going to pan out, but I’m hoping things continue to change in a way that is amazing and difficult and growth-oriented!

There were two things that were sitting in my mind yesterday that I wanted to massage out. The first one I’d say is how being grateful for people, even if what they do isn’t the greatest thing (to a certain extent, this thought) can be helpful. For example, my grandma’s crappy behavior may fuel a plotline in my story. Of course, I’m never grateful for the trauma we experience at all. But, I realized that all stories and characters experience conflict, and that conflict is usually inspired by our lives. It’s really interesting realizing that because it’s a very zoomed in thought.

Another thing, I was thinking about how there really is no way I can’t get to where I want to be when I’m this young, determined, excited, and pumped about what is to come in the future. There is no way I can’t. Especially if I keep trying. If I keep trying, then people will know about me, my path, and who I am. Even if I tried and things never worked out, something would eventually work out, even if it wasn’t what I thought it was going to be.

Like, I realized that I doubt myself alot and my work ethic and who I am. Like I think people hate me or dislike me, but I realized that a lot of people think I’m a cool cat and want to spend more time with me (although I don’t allow it because I’m busy and have a bajillion things to do). Realizing this gave me the confidence at least for yesterday to keep moving through and knowing that at some point all of this would pay off. Like there would be fruit to my labor. And I’m not super confident that I have faith, but I’m confident based on my experience, who I am, what I do to make people feel what they feel, etc.

I have a huge desire to use my Knott’s season pass like crazy right now. I think because when Fall and Winter come, it’ll cool down, and I’ll be able to go as often without worrying about the heat, and also to get our money’s worth! For some reason, I feel like we didn’t go that much this year and that bothers me. Why did they put time restrictions and meal limits to the season pass meal options? Why! It would be such a steal to come in and out without buying any food for a whole year - I could just sit there and do my work while eating some good junk!

Calorie deficit update - dude. The weight fluctuation is insane. Maybe 1270 or whatever the number is supposed to be is way too crazy for me. I still was able to weigh 129 about two times this week, which is surely a good sign. But I’m not entirely sure about how the progress will pan out for the rest of this month. Regardless, I’m proud of myself and think I’ve come very far since starting! Hopefully, I don’t burn out later.

Mom. She’s doing good. There is no point in my life that I am not grateful for her. Even if I’m mad, crying, or frustrated, I still feel grateful or her and I love her very, very much. Grandma is a different story but I still love her. It’s a lot of weight I’m holding, but I am happy to help as much as I can, even if I get mad.

The Artist’s Way is a next level book. It’s like reading a introductory wall text in an art museum that I’ve been waiting to go to for a long time. And I’m finally here, and I’m savoring every word. I think I could feel the intentionality that went behind this book and I feel that if there is a significant amount of intention behind any creative project, that viewers and people will recognize and relate to that intention. Jeez, finding intention behind all of my own projects is difficult. Even formatting a screenplay without the appropriate tools is hard too.

At the end of the day, I still feel like I’m at the very beginning of perfecting my craft and I’m okay with that. I think I’m okay because I got started and starting on anything is better than not starting at all. I’m curious to know if I could shoot something next week. That would be really fun! It’s really easy for me to get distracted when I type on the laptop, but I think using a bit of mindfulness and discipline will make it work.

Last thing, (wow, morning pages really work. I just want to keep writing because I keep thinking about things!) mindfulness was another thing that was sitting in my mind that I really am grateful for. Mindfulness keeps me grateful, in control, happy, content, etc in my life and without it, I think we would all go a little crazy. To spend more of my life being mindful means I will be living a more rich and happy life. Wow, so many things I wrote about today and I finally let out my brain drain. That was fun and I’m definitely coming back for more! 

P.S. Waking up at 4am is incredible because of the silence in the house and I highly recommend it to myself and others. 

[chocoqtelle]

pac,, which people should you cut off now and why?

(i randomly felt like I had to do this reading for some reason)

pile one,,

this is most likely an ex partner or crush. you're holding on to this. I'm not sure if you're doing this because you still love them but you have to let this person go. they've already done you wrong in the past. there's no reason you should allow them to do it again. they most likely had problems with infidelity in the past. you keep just thinking about the feelings you've had towards them in the past and how they could make you feel. potential means nothing if it's not taking into action. this person would not put their energy into giving you what you want and deserve. you shouldn't give your energy into them either. you need to stop carrying any burdens they made you carry. they aren't your responsibility and they need to care for themselves.

pile two,,

this person/these people made you feel owned and weak. not necessarily weak but like you're under someone else's control. this was most likely a group of people. friends or family. you could have recently already cut them off. this left you feeling much more free but you still have healing left to do. the song for this reading is the fine print. i forgot which game it was based on but it could be significant as well. now the only thing stopping you from being as free as you want it yourself. you let their words stay in your mind. it's not your fault that they couldn't recognize your worth but you don't have to forget your own worth too. you need to cut them off completely, including their words and what they "taught" you about your own self.

pile three,,

you have workplace issues. it's not that you can't do your job. it's just that people at your job put so much work and stress on you. you're trapping yourself here because you're scared you won't find another job and you'll sink into poverty. you're putting up with this because of your fears. you have to trust that you'll be protected even if you quit. you're overworking yourself here and it's unhealthy for you. your health is more important than your money and job. even if you're scared and don't feel like just quitting would be the right choice, you can always look for a job first. none of the excuses you can make are anything besides fear. just take a deep breath. you need a break or a better workplace. you'll make the right choice. stop stressing over it. take a moment to relax now or as soon as possible.

[marsintheeighth]

✨notes on the Venus signs✨

🍓Fixed Venus signs tend to do best when with a sign of a different modality. Their fixed nature can lead to falling into ruts due to stubbornness. Two fixed signs together might struggle to overcome obstacles because their ideas are set.

🍓Mutable Venuses are the ones who can easily lead people on. Their mutable nature makes them easily adapt to other people- which makes people feel like they’ve found a kindred spirit.

🍓Capricorn and Aries Venus gravitate towards each other. It’s like they recognize the passion in the other. While Capricorn is more subtle and patient, they have the same drive and determination as Aries. Aries sees the power (and intimidation) that Capricorn holds and consciously or unconsciously wishes to have that same edge.

🍓Aquarius Venus will put in the work to be your best friend before anything else. For being ruled by Uranus, they can become interested in surprisingly wholesome individuals. They value friendship and appreciate those who deeply and love and take care of their loved ones. After all, Aquarius is also a fixed sign. Even if they go against the grain, they will have strong morals and beliefs. They want to surround themselves with people who support the greater good.

🍓Taurus Venus are quick to seek loyalty in their connections. Once they decide they like someone they want all the focus and attention of their partner.

🍓When Venus in an Aries degree the initial s*xual attraction is very important in a potential partner. Very possible that they develop feels after getting to know someone’s personality, but are definitely the type to be interested in someone for only superficial reasons. (They’re not necessarily shallow, just prone to lust and seeing through rose colored glasses)

🍓Libra Venuses are sweet souls but can be prone to flakiness. They’re usually just so charming that people can’t even get mad at them for this.

🍓Venus square Saturn natives are attracted to people who are good with money. Their partner doesn’t have to be wealthy, but they have to be smart about money. They’ll get worried if they notice their partner is frivolous with money and doesn’t save. They are usually frugal and want someone who knows understands the importance of financial security.

🍓Venus in harsh aspects to Mars can cause someone to be very direct and somewhat aggressive when it comes to going after who they want. Oppositions tend to be very blunt and sometimes even offensive, while squares can cause a person to be unaware of how strong they come off.

~by Alice

[thecarnivorousmuffinmeta]

Your posts about an older Bella who was in therapy and got over Edward made me think: do you think a mentally stable Bella would still want vampirism? Do you in generally think that someone who wants vampirism is mentally stable? Aro of course searched it out, but Aro is also truly an extraodinary person

I beleive anon's referring to this post.

Interesting question though. I think we'll do the latter first.

Do You Have to Be Mentally Unstable to Want Vampirism?

No.

It depends on what your priorities are.

The Twilight vampires are not the Buffy vampires. Yes, you subsist on a diet of bloodshed and murder and lose everything you have, but you do not lose your soul/your very self.

In the Buffy world, if you become a vampire, it's not you. It's a demon driving your body who has access to your memories and aspects of your personality, but it's not you. You, as a person, left the building ages ago.

This is why the only people we see in the series who want to become vampires are poorly informed (Lily/Anne and Spike if we count his very brief seduction and sudden turn into a vampire out of nowhere as being informed at all) or else dying of cancer and so terrified of death that they will lose their very selves so their husk of a body can go on.

In the Buffy world, you either have no idea what vampirism is or you're telling yourself it's not what it is, if you want to become a vampire.

In the Twilight world, that isn't the case.

From what we see of Bella, even with what Edward fears, she remains herself. Her priorities are still her priorities, in her case she can control herself, and she proceeds to get everything she ever wanted. It's not a demon driving Bella Swan's body around.

But, again, to choose to be a vampire depends on your priorities and how informed you truly are.

Taking out people who don't know what they're agreeing to or signing up for and putting in the caveat that they wouldn't be told "oh, you can be like this weird hippie coven and live off animals rather than people" we have someone who has to weigh the pros and cons of a few things.

They're going to have to eat a person a fortnight. They may live a life with no companionship, if they never join a coven and they never have the control to turn someone. If they do turn someone, they'll be tearing them from their lives and futures. They will lose their society. They will lose their employment, their education, their families, everything and everyone they had before. They will likely have to fight other vampires to secure territory and could very well be killed.

On the other hand, they'll be near invulnerable, beautiful, strong, fast. They'll never need to worry about shelter, money, bills of any kind ever again. If they find a companion, then that companion will be young, beautiful forever, never age. They'll have a perfect memory, great emotional highs, and potentially some supernatural ability.

I personally believe the cons outweigh the pros but there are people who I believe would be very tempted by not having to live in a society and being gifted with immortality and youth.

That doesn't necessarily make them mentally unwell or even myopic, it just means different priorities in life.

Would a Non-Depressed Bella Still Want Vampirism?

I believe she'd likely still be very tempted.

Bella may no longer be depressed, may have patched her self-esteem issues, but she is at heart a romantic.

If she's granted a beautiful, immortal, lover that she can spend the rest of eternity with, who lives in wealth and splendor and is like a prince in a fairy tale, and she herself would transcend humanity and become beautiful with him...

Even as an adult, I can see that being very hard for Bella to say no to.

She may spend more time justifying this decision to herself, grieving losing her parents versus assuming they won't even miss her, and seriously consider what it means to leave the human world behind (though this latter is her dependent on realizing that being a vampire in university and high school is different than being a human and what continually pretending to be a teenager who has no friends will do to her).

I just don't see her being into Edward specifically, as he'd be too young emotionally and physically by that point. Edward is described as having the face made for boybands, the idol of all tweens and some late teenagers. Adult women? Makes you feel kind of gross inside. Especially when Edward opens his mouth and says... the most seventeen things to ever seventeen.

Add onto that the alarming shit Edward says and a stable, non-depressed, Bella will likely say "no me gusta" to the red flags Edward flies with reckless abandon.

"I'll murder you in the woods and eat your corpse" sounds much less sexy when you're 25 versus when you're 17.

But vampirism presented by the right person? I imagine Bella would still be very tempted if not no holds barred interested.

[tarotnoob]

PAC: Your Career Path

1: Magician

2: Star

3. World

Pile 1

Your strengths: So, your core universal strengths are that you have integrity and you tend to want to help those in need. These are the qualities that could be applied to a career that would be an ideal match for you. You aren't in it for the money necessarily, you're in it for the passion or desire to help others or create something of value. This would make you a great candidate for careers that involve social equality, nursing, artists, social worker, teachers, caregivers, etc...

How to apply your strengths: Make time for self love; Attend to the details: Virgo to Libra season may be an important time in regard to career, especially if you're in the process of looking for a job, it would also signify going back to school for the fall semester. These seem to be closely tied to your obstacle cards. Before you can do this type of work without burning yourself, you have to acknowledge and work on some personal things, such as learning boundaries and learning to say no. With the "prostitute" card and doing things without expectation of rewards - this makes it seem you're a contender for having people walk all over you. So, when you go into a field where there's high emotional investment that could drain you, or you needing to help a lot of people at once, you have to make sure that you 1. have boundaries and can say no 2. are doing what you do for your own desire/sake and not just trying to make others happy

So, when you are ready to go out there into a career with these skills, you won't have as many issues in an emotionally high-maintenance or driven career. An example being, okay you want to help out in other countries, but you end up seeing tons of horrible things and sleep about 4 hours a night. It's great that you want to help people and are putting it into action BUT you also have to put yourself first before you can help others - and that's okay!

Short-term/career start: Ace of cups; luck. There seems to be a deeply (pure) emotional component or creative element that starts your career off. At the start of your career, you may receive an offer out of the blue just by being at the right place at the right time. It also may be that some of you are particularly drawn to working with animals, especially veterinarians or even biologists, etc... I think this is another sign that whatever work you're drawn to requires a strong emotional investment on your part.

Long-term career: Knight of Wands, Queen of Pentacles, Layers. Layers is a card that also mentions paying attention to details, but what this card brings to long-term is that the long-term goals or journey of your career may be more than you expected at the start. As the cards were already pointing to, you might have picked a field out of "pure" intentions or even simple ones, but as you progress in your career, you find it's a lot more difficult or more emotionally impactful than you thought, that your idea of what you were meant to do is going to be... more complicated in some way. I do see you as being very self-sufficient, creative, capable. There's the potential for travel in this job, or still being highly creative (but you're making money doing it). It feels like someone who might have multiple responsibilities. You could be in charge of others and have to delegate or lead them, you could have expanded your network, you could be in charge of communicating with a lot of people, you could be juggling multiple tasks that are quite intricate and complex. It feels like you're running this way and that. It might even be that people give you a lot of tasks because you're so reliable (or because you always say yes?). But, from where you begin to where you end up, it goes from like 0 to 80... it could be, too, that you start in one area of a field and end up somewhere else, as in start at the bottom and move more into a management position.

Potential obstacles: 8 of swords, 10 of cups R, Invitation. As was mentioned, 8 of swords is a lot about mental traps... negative thinking or... having limiting beliefs, a sense of being trapped. I should point out, too, that when I was shuffling for pile one I felt levels of frustration that were really annoying. So, part of your 8 of swords journey might be that frustration with progress or the people around you. 10 of cups is that emotional fulfillment/joy/happiness. I think this harkens back to the allowing too many people to take advantage of your high work ethic and good heart. People will constantly be asking you to do stuff or asking for your help, and you may struggle to say no or feel trapped in this type of responsibility. For some of you, it's going to be that your family doesn't approve of your career choice for whatever reason and so you feel stuck. There may be times you doubt whether this is your path or think it's so hard and draining. People think you're constantly "open" and will ask you for a lot - so again you really need to make sure you know how to create boundaries. You, even at a demanding job, have the right to assert boundaries! I think you're a good person who will try to do a lot to help others, and it may not always be appreciated or you may get taken advantage of, or you may try to do more than you're capable because it seems the "right" thing to do, but... well, that's not okay. So, just make sure you're aware of this before you dive in!

---

Pile 2

Strengths: Goddess/Advocate. So, in terms of universal core strengths, you seem to have a lot of divine feminine powers or traits and then also a desire to advocate for others, perhaps particularly around social justice. This doesn't mean this is the career you go into BUT these are your "universe-given" soul trait strengths. I feel like this could be any career in which there's a level of patience, nurturing, quiet but strong guidance, leading people in a particular direction that could empower them, whether it's through teaching them things or acting as a role model through your actions. But there's a very soft component here to your energy. It wouldn't be someone who jumps blindly into a riot or something, but would be more calm or strategic or empathetic in how they help others. Careers that come to mind are teachers, scientists, business or inventors who create things that HELP others in need or empower others to live their best life. All types of social or psychological jobs, politics, etc...

How to apply these strengths: Be proud of yourself. So, be true to who you are, be your authentic self, believe in who you are, know you're worth. Taurus energy could suggest to stick to what you believe in or know is right. Also, that you deserve good things and a good life. Don't compare yourself to others; don't do something one way because others have done it that way - do it the way you feel is right for you because probably your choices and how you make them with confidence are going to affect others in a positive way, too! You can lead by example!

Short-term/start of career: 7 of pentacles, ascension, patience, agreement. So, a double point to having patience or to investing in something for the long-term. Maybe what you want to go into is going to require more years than the average degree, more tests, more skills that have to be learned. If you want to be on a higher level in your job, it does seem like extra training or learning is required, as if there are multiple steps to the job. Agreement may actually be "commitment" so some of you may want to be professors or doctors or get multiple degrees, lawyers, psychologists, etc... but the profession seems to have some type of ladder toward success, but it will take time and investing your time (into your self/skills) before you achieve a higher level in that field. It may definitely point to folks going into fields where law is involved or having to work closely with others in ways where you must find a consensus or agreement - likely you won't be just an individual/freelance type, you'll probably often be working as a team or having to communicate with others, having to make deals, trying to keep things fair and equal.

Long-term: Wheel of Fortune, King of Pentacles, Ask. This seems to repeat the short-term, in that there's continuing expansion of your knowledge or education, in particular to a job or some type of material skills. I think you've also acquired enough education/skills at this point that people are coming to you for answers on how to do things. Your connections regarding this job have also expanded, so have responsibilities. What you have been doing has started impacting the world for the better. Things in your career are changing for the better. You are definitely beginning to impart the things you've learned on others but also making physical changes in the world. As in, you are seeing the effects of your life of work. You seem very well respected. You may even travel around to give lectures or do research or receive education abroad. But you seem to be someone well respected in your field. Your position will probably be more fixed at present and there won't be a lot of disruptive, unexpected changes unless it's for the better. I think also at this point you're very spiritually aligned with your purpose. As in your career will suit your spiritual strengths and your reason you're on this planet!

Potential career obstacles: 8 of cups, listen. Before 8 of cups fell out there were like four and I don't remember them except 10 of swords, 8 of swords, page of wands... and I don't know. So, there is a sense of a point where you might have to leave something behind that you've outgrown. This could be changing a job or going abroad for education. What listen is about is making sure your intuition is paying attention to signs from the universe or patterns in life. When you start noticing a pattern... and it feels like you're stuck... or if you've reached a point in a position or in learning a new subject... and you've learned everything you can there, making sure you realize when it's time to move on. This could apply to anything in life though whether it's career or personal... but there will come a time when something needs to end, you feel stuck or trapped, there's a new journey to be had that's more fulfilling. When your gut is telling you it's time to move on and move forward, listen to it!

---

Pile 3

Strengths: Teacher/Lover. Well, that makes it easy. Definitely a good pile for teachers of any sort, but this is also about having the ability or desire to communicate about a passion you love/are devoted to. So, this could include artists, writers, journalists, researchers, scientists, people interested in nature/environment - spreading information about a thing you are passionate in (in any way/form)

How to apply those strengths in your career: Make Time for Self-Love, Trust All Will Be Well. There may be some who were also drawn to Pile 1, so if so, check that out. Because Virgo-Libra may be significant in terms of signs or timing for you. As I pointed out in Pile 1, it might have to do with studies beginning in the fall, but it could be the start of a job, as well. Self-Love will be an important component in your career, relating to confidence, worth, or boundaries. Also, keeping a positive mindset, being patient while your career unfolds or goals manifest, that divine timing may have something to do with your career and then while you're waiting for a certain goal, keep yourself distracted by helping others in some way to build up karma. Just having and keeping the faith, especially when you start new phases in your career - but I get the feeling that there won't be some rapid ascension to success. It may be... a more long and winding progression from when you start or discover what you want to achieve long-term. I feel like along the route, you may have side jobs or side hustles or projects to work on before you... really get into the groove of the most ideal career or job for you.

Short-term/start of career: Your first offer may be something you take because of the money you're offered more than anything, which could be just fine, no worries. Your first job may also offer a sense of financial independence you haven't experienced before. Your first job offer might feel like it came out of nowhere, as well. It might be that your first job will give you a better idea of what you want or don't want to do in a career, but it does seem that you learn something important that also gives you a feeling of independence or empowerment. There could be an element of luck involved in how you start your career or receive an offer; focus and determination, bold action may be needed to get in to where you want to go.

Long-term: Queen of Cups clarified by Chariot, Magic, Unplugged, Survival. Lots of nature imagery for those who really are interested in nature/environmental jobs. So, there seems to be something here about being very focused and in control, especially when it comes to emotions or being very skilled at using your intuition when it comes to career judgments or decisions. There are 3 cards here that indicate to me about moon/spirituality here, so perhaps there's a spiritual element to your work or your empathy/intuition are big players later on in your career. It's like you've honed your intuition to a fine point, you're able to read people, you seem to have developed strong boundaries. Life experiences have taught you a lot, maybe even how to survive or discern when it comes to people or what you want. There's also an element of "detachment" of... being off the grid... maybe your career in the later years is unusual or a niche but you seem to be extremely reliable or experienced and focused and disciplined. You are strong but empathetic, you'd be a compassionate leader, you seem ambitious and driven to make some type of difference, but it's related to... your heart or emotions or a passion project. It could even be a leader in a creative field, but you are respected for your work/talent but also for your... sense or being a good person or having good instincts. I definitely see having learned things from hard times that come into play later on. But maybe it brought you some type of clarity about the world?

Potential obstacles: 9 of swords, Moon (R?), undulation (R?) - there's some anxiety or fear around a lack of clarity or just double the anxiety or a sense of feeling stuck, uncertain. Life or career may experience some highs and lows that are significant and mess with your self worth or confidence... it could be a fear of never achieving what you want or a lot of self doubt about you, the world, your career, things you were meant to do... maybe that's why the self love card came out and all will be well because you worry so much about what's going to happen and are really hard on yourself. I mean it's easy to say "just keep a positive mindset" but when you have ups and downs... sometimes you go: is it ever going to work out? So, yeah this will be part of your journey but it seems to be... well I won't say necessary, but it leads to you being highly empathetic toward others, to maybe being driven to help others because of your own struggles, to a tendency to be strong for other's sake as opposed to for your own... you may be more focused on others' needs wants than your own (like pile 1 again). I do think at the start or middle I should say - maybe there's a lack of focus or something that changes/altars your career path in some way... but at the end... I guess in my mind I'm imagining someone with strong spiritual/emotional instincts and has now taken a path more toward that and probably quite different than where they started? Maybe at first, you're more moved by freedom or money but then you go on this journey to discover what really makes you happy or what you really would prefer to do... but that could be for specific folks. I do see a high amount of... emotional/spiritual uncertainty at some point... but it's... mostly coming from self-doubt or 8 of swords type limiting beliefs... but you have to keep in mind your potential is queen of cups/chariot and that you've been through a lot, are very strong, very capable, and able to help people with your psychic or mental or emotional sense... at the end, again, a very high level of discernment and better boundaries and more in touch with who you are and less comparing yourself to others... it's like either it's necessary or it's how you end up but... you've unplugged from social media/common social... constructs.... you've risen above that... so I can't say like your path will be easy (for some of you) because sure some of you may be successful at start but there's def a feel of... rising to a whole new spiritual level by the end... that... is because of... hard experiences or lessons and... going into the spiritual side of life. Being more open to universal theories/spiritual law.... but yeah in general there's also a lot of moon/cancer/pisces/water energy here... but sure also libra/virgo. also i feel like a lot of you are very unique in the way you think or view things, even when you're young. granted if you're very young and reading this, there's a lot of life for you to live with ups and downs... but that may always be because you tend to think outside of the box and have strong principles... being an independent thinker can sometimes... put you on the outskirts of stuff or make things difficult... but i mean we all were made the way we are for a reason... so just make sure you learn all the self-love tools necessary to protect yourself along the way so not too much gets you down!

[flickeringart]

Uranus in the houses

Descriptions could be relevant for houses with the cusp in Aquarius or houses that contain Aquarius

1st house: This house is related to self-image, persona and outwardly projected identity. It represents the point of entrance into the world, the point of birth and emergence from the undifferentiated source as a singular entity. Uranus here points to someone that is not very happy with the denseness of physicality. The person is restless and fidgety, running on high voltage. It’s almost as if there’s more energy to the person than is able to integrate into their being. The person could be impulsive and might give off a vibe of wanting to “level up”, get out of the old and jump on board with the new. Coming into life might’ve been particularly jarring for the individual in one way or another. Perhaps the birth was abrupt and unexpected, fast and overwhelming. Since the 1sthouse represents beginnings, this person might find himself or herself thrown into new contexts and situations rapidly without much time to lean into things slowly. There’s something within that can’t stand how things are and must uproot and move on but it’s questionable if there ever was any rootedness to begin with. The energy of the person runs high, but it’s unpredictable and unreliable. It can prove difficult for this person to follow conventional norms, not necessarily because the motivation is lacking but because there’s an inexplicable urge to switch things up and change gear. Changing gear is a good metaphor for Uranus in general because once you’ve changed you’re on a completely different level of experience. This kind of person is in their own lane, going at their own pace in their own way. While “in the mode” one can accomplish a lot of things by virtue of being in a certain mind frame but once the mind frame changes the behavior and patterns of action are conducive to something else. The person is predictable to an extent, but there’s no way of knowing how long that “mode” will last. One is showing up in life from a certain standpoint but that standpoint might alter and then there’s nothing anyone can do about it – conforming is not something that is easily done for this type of individual. No amount of pushing or coercing from others will get the person out of their state. It’s a little bit like trying to reach an airplane by stretching one’s arms up and shouting. Once the person has “switched” there’s little connection to the previous context. It can be exciting to be around these individuals because they have the ability to switch the way they present themselves to the world by getting into completely different states of being on the flip of a dime. Needless to say it can also be unnerving. They come off as charming, a bit distant, quirky, somewhat irrational but stubbornly determined, completely unique and original. They can come off as detached from reality and fixed in their own perspectives. They are distinctly more open and easy to be oneself with than most.

2nd house: This house is related to value, safety and control on a tangible level. It has to do with one’s talents and one’s ability to generate wealth, to acquire money and possessions. Uranus in this house can make a person experience unpredictability when it comes to their income. It might be difficult for this person to create stability because of the inexplicable urge to break out of limiting structures regardless of the safety they provide. The person might find themselves in circumstances where it’s impossible to find a foothold in the world; there might be constant ambivalence around how things are going to work out financially and materially. This is the type of person that could have a lot going for them one month and then suddenly everything is switched up and there’s no longer any desire to produce or put innate abilities to use. The person probably has great potential for living a life that is on the edge, waiting for sudden bursts of energy or insight to kick in in order to be able to have it all under control again. The annoying thing is, that one can’t predict when the impulse comes or when the light bulb goes off. There’s no way of knowing how things are going to work out over time because Uranus is an extremely erratic and disruptive planet. There’s a risk of not being the least bit practical with this placement, seeing as Uranus operates on a higher plane of thought progression rather than personal security and stability in the material realm. The risk is to be too ahead of oneself, acting on premature convictions and causing unnecessary unease because one can’t stand to keep doing the same thing. “Isn’t money an outdated concept already?” Uranus in the 2nd might be too progressive in their thought patterns and too concerned with the possibility of a better system of doing things in order to align with conventional structure. These types may be the first one’s to subscribe to new ways of earning a living, more exciting and evolved methods of putting one’s skills to use. Doing things the same way for years, working in the same place, saving money or playing it safe might not be in the cards for this person. In the extreme case, this person might get rid of all their personal possessions only because they felt bored and deemed them outdated and boring. There could be perpetual dissatisfaction with the material situation since Uranus is about potential more then manifested reality. Once everything imagined is actualized, it no longer holds any value in the person’s mind. Uranus certainly keeps the person in constant pursuit of the future, but the future never comes, as we all know. Visualizing the perfect meal or getting an idea for the perfect way to decorate the living room might be very satisfying but when seen in the “flesh” it all seems very unappealing. It’s difficult to satisfy Uranus in the 2nd, but it’s a positive thing in the sense that it keeps the person reaching for the ultimate physical translation of the perfect thought version. One could be prone to be unintentionally careless with material objects, causing breakage easily and wearing things out because of the unrealistic expectations on the physical objects somehow survive despite themselves and their frailty.

3rd house: This house relates to communication, interaction with the environment, siblings, neighbors, as well as learning and early education. It’s basically the house of everyone and everything that one relates to mentally on a daily basis. Uranus makes for quite a highly charged mental sphere being placed here. There’s potentially a lot of changes and disruptions of the way one is interacting from day to day – it’s difficult to fit in or mold oneself to the pace and jargon of one’s close circle. The person might have a lot of unusual or unconventional methods of relating and is prone to bewilder and stir people up. It might be difficult to make friends, or rather, keep them, because of the unreliable pattern of relating. However, there’s the promise of being very exciting and surprising. Because Uranus is so characteristic of creative freedom this type of person might be a bit of a loner. One needs to be or do whatever one wants even if it means disrupting the status quo. The mold that conventional education forces on individuals might not work well with this kind of person. There needs to be more freedom and openness for originality and rapid changes of pace. This is the kind of person that is rebellious without trying to be, unable to relate in a consistent manner. One lacks boundaries for how to be in and conceive of the environment, which makes for potentially genius ways of operating and thinking. Albert Einstein had this placement (according to astrotheme.com) and his observation and ability to step out of the boundaries of conditioned thinking led him to great discoveries. Learning is done through lightning speed in bursts of insight with this placement. Lightning strikes from above and an idea has hatched that other people have a hard time understanding. These people might prefer being observers of people and the environment rather than actively engaging. They might relate to things with a cold and seemingly uncaring energy. This is because the mind is very far up in the sky of potentials and ideas, far removed from the fixed and permanent reality of the earth plane. Other people might feel as if they’re being related to as concepts rather than physically manifested beings. The very thing that makes these people revolutionary thinkers (and creative odd balls) will perhaps get them into difficulties when trying to adapt and fit into the environment they find themselves in. Since the 3rd house is about communication, these people might dress contrary or despite of the norm, use body language that is a bit eye-catching, and appear in a way that’s considered to be shocking and provocative. It’s not necessarily that they’re trying to be different; it’s just that they have very open minds and doesn’t see the purpose of performing within limits. If an idea and concept appeals, it’s not any less valid than the preexisting set of unspoken rules of conformity. Blending in is too boring and dull, it doesn’t allow for free thinking and free living.

4th house: This house relates to roots, family, home and the ancestral past. It’s the place at the bottom of the chart, hidden from view, constituting relational foundation, our emotional base, our heritage and sense of deep belonging. When Uranus is here, home is potentially something distant, something that is more conceptual and abstract rather than concrete. The sense of belonging isn’t very stable. Although it can be captured every now and then it is very ambivalent. Usually one’s sense of home is anywhere and everywhere or perhaps so far removed from reality that it doesn’t seem to exist at all. The people of one’s family and family past are experienced as individuals, not as inextricable marks on one’s soul. In a sense, the universe is these people’s home, they might feel unusually connected to the people of the world and deriving their sense of containment from larger movements and units rather than the family of origin. They’re children of the universe first and foremost – perhaps very much inclined to find people they really feel connected to and make them their base rather than focusing too much on the blood relatives. These people might change residence often, feeling too restless to settle anywhere or with anyone for too long. It’s likely that the people of one’s family were never truly present even they were in close proximity physically during the formative years. The family is never “had” in the real world, but ever present in the realm of potential. It can make for a dissatisfaction to never be able to be in the same space or feel any real emotional closeness to one’s family. Unpredictability and disruption might’ve been characteristic of the familial sphere. On a more positive note there could’ve been a space of high openness and room for unconventional and highly original streaks. Independence might be deeply rooted in this type of person who might be trying to find a connection to a deeper identity through going against the grain. Again, being a “rebel” is not necessarily intentionally pursued; it’s just a consequence of needing to be whatever one feels to constitute the path forward. Conforming is not an option, it’s deeply important to ride the wave of one’s own convictions and insights no matter how risky or unsettling it might be. “Breaking the rules” is not done out of aggression per se, it’s done because being a game changer establishes a connection with one’s soul, the archetypal father and hero myth. The 4th house is where legacies are born and carried out. Uranus is the legacy of the sky god, the creator of the universe, the maker of the blueprint, which makes these people extremely invested in progression and tuned in to the winds of change. They might be keen to generate large movements toward a cause, more in love with the expectancy than the actual manifestation of the results.

5th house: This house relates to entertainment, leisure activities, uninhibited self-expression, creativity, play, romance and children. Basically, it’s the domain of anything that is done purely to have fun and enjoy life. When Uranus is active in this sphere, there’s detachment and innovative genius in approach to play. The person might have unusual ways of finding pleasure and enjoyment that is quite different from the norm. It’s also done with an urge to construct something of novelty, something fresh and exciting that hasn’t been experienced before. Playing around with the potential of doing something or exploring possibilities mentally might be a real thrill for these types. Ideas make these people excited, especially if it’s advanced and revolutionary and can be applied universally. These people are creative thinkers and have fun when catching some wind and can elevate above the ground for a while in their minds. When they can get to a place that feels elevated in terms of concept and ideas they are having the time of their lives. There’s an urge of wanting to express something profound and precious in the mental realm – to arrive at a conceptual point of perfection. Having children could be a very appealing idea, but one would do well to remember that the idea is more appealing than the actuality – especially when it comes to Uranus. The person might take an intellectual approach to having kids, insistent on doing things as properly as possible according to modern scientific discoveries – or simply according to one’s own “elevated” objective perspective. One aims to be progressive, not only with one’s children but also in romantic pursuits. These people might have a slightly odd style of courting their love interests, certainly well thought-through but a bit special in the sense that it has an unexpected element to it. There might be a feeling of not being seen in the present “here-and-now” by these people, being treated as a component in their mental narrative of the ultimate romantic situation. In any case, Uranus in the 5th certainly takes the experience of “having fun” to the next level in terms of planning and visualizing something unique and new. One might shock a few people in the process, some may like it and some may recoil from the strangeness of it all. It is possible to completely revolutionize entertainment with this placement, coming up with something that people haven’t experienced before, going a little overboard or testing the waters of what is acceptable. If it’s paired with enough finesse and good -will, one might be warmly received as someone who can be perform something that wouldn’t seem to belong on this plane of existence. That being said, it that which is foreign and unfamiliar is not always welcomed with open arms. It’s scary – and people might want to censor one’s self-expression.

6th house: This house relates to work, employment, the practical daily activities that needs to be performed in order to sustain health and well-being over time. This house is where one manages the technicalities and details of living in order to make the expression of life more pure, clean and organized. Uranus here can’t stand routine, which might cause the individual to be unable to stick to any routine or prior commitment. There’s a deep urge to break free from that which has become tedious and unexciting and one has no way of knowing when that famous restlessness is going to kick in. The person might go a long time doing the same things, keeping the same job or sticking to a set routine but it’s never because one does so consciously, it just happens to be the “mode” one is in for the time being. It could switch at any time and the individual might find it impossible to keep doing things the same way. One has to follow the spark of inspiration because it literally goes off like lightning and won’t be denied. This might not be comfortable for the conscious self that might be adamant about sticking to a set plan and operating out of reason. There’s not much to do than to trust and hope for the best with this placement. What one should do on a given day is not set in stone, even if one attempts to be very structured and conscious of what is being done. There’s a stronger push-and-pull force that dictates the daily activities. Some days there’s a lot of energy to put into projects and chores and work and some days are void of electric charge all together. Some days one is on fire and on others there’s no energy left at all. It’s wise to take advantage of the spurs when they come and work with the erratic pattern of energetic bursts because they might prove very useful. On a more negative note, the high productivity that can be generated by Uranus in this house might lead to burn out because of the high voltage of the planet. Exhaustion might be a high risk and all the related physical symptoms that come with it, since the 6th house rules physical (and mental) health. There might be temporary ills and pains that come and go – sickness might come from “out of the blue” and then disappear without apparent reason. The body might require very specific and unexpected nourishment and one might do well to yield to the impulses and insights received in the name of health. Keeping up unconventional dietary habits could be a thing, experimentation and change in the way one manages necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising would be typical of this placement. Employment might also be irregular and unconventional in some way – working odd shifts and hours, having no set schedule, having undefined and unspecified tasks, not being able to go by anyone else’s guidance etc. Uranus in the 6th would have a hard time working “for” someone because of the strong emphasis on freedom and space, it can only be done if there’s complete integrity in the subordinate position, in which case one is really not subordinate at all. There’s no such thing as obligation, there’s only modes of being, which are set and carried out. These people could be very concerned with health and daily life as an experiment, like observers studying phenomena in order to get a grip of all the intricacies and details in order to change and explore potential. The boldness of experimentation can of course get out of hand and turn destructive, so one ought to be careful.

7th house: This house relates to other people, cooperation, union and commitment. Usually that which is in the 7th in the chart is projected onto other people and sought after through engagement with “that which is other”. It’s through looking to other people that the planet is discovered in one’s own life. When Uranus is here, innovation, change and genius is encountered through cooperation and deals, whether it’s marriage, business or any other social declaration of entanglement. Uranus is discovered through the consideration of other people and their perspectives. This type of person has a very liberal and open attitude to other people and is focused on progress and change as to make things better for the sake of social well-being and harmony. It’s no wonder that successful politicians have this placement such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Angela Merkel (as found on astrotheme.com). One is inclined to be open and insightful in relationships, detached, rational and impersonal. Emotional bonds could be difficult to form and stability in relationships could be hard to come by for these people. Somehow, other people might get up and leave for no reason and there’s no way of being sure that anyone will stay, especially not out of dependence. This kind of person is going to have to be in partnerships that allows for a lot of freedom of expression, to the point of there not being any ties that bind at all. Uranus has such force and charge that nothing is going to go according to convention. Everything is going to be a bit odd and erratic in relationships, for better or for worse. Saying “I love you” is never a guarantee for life-long commitment because the next day Uranus might’ve switched gears and the person has fallen out of love – not by choice of course, but because the feeling is gone and the mental frame is completely different suddenly. These people crave excitement and looks for it in others. They would find people who strictly lives inside the “box” of convention to be extremely boring and painfully narrow minded. If cooperation and engagement with others doesn’t bring some kind of fresh and new perspective, if it doesn’t feel exhilarating and revolutionary, one might not be able to stick around for too long. In the case of Uranus being projected on other people and not realized as part of oneself, one might be shook by other’s unpredictable and jerky behavior. One might see potential, genius and originality in others but fail to recognize it in oneself. The great ideas and insights that come from engaging with others might add a lot to the person’s life, but one might also feel sad that these qualities are absent outside of a social context. There’s no need for this of course, because Uranus will always have to be accessed through the house that it’s placed in. On a more negative note, people with this placement might scorn and reject others for being so “up in the clouds”, inconsiderate and individualistic. “Other people are so unpredictable and unreliable” might be the narrative, when in reality one is failing to recognize the same tendencies within oneself.

8th house: This house relates to the deep end of experience, death of all kinds and transformative yet traumatic experiences. It’s related to everything that is hidden, the most private, intimate and vulnerable dimensions of life, which includes shared finances and sex as byproducts of strong emotional attachment. Uranus here makes for potentially shocking discoveries of grim, taboo or soul-shattering realities about oneself or other people. Death of loved ones, random inheritances or unforeseen debt could surface from seemingly out of nowhere in the strangest of ways. However, one might be able to deal with it in an objective and detached manner without getting too drenched and sunk by the whole experience. A lot of things related to the most intimate sphere could change very quickly without a moments notice. The most personal and deep dimensions of life are never stable for this person - but the transformation is not that severe since there’s a simultaneous distance and objectivity in one’s way of relating to death and crises. Uranus here is a bit of a contra-intuitive placement because there’s coolness in the face of the most soul-shattering experiences. It’s as if this person is looking at everything but is never completely enmeshed in the emotions surrounding it all. Objectivity and rationality is sought in order to keep things light and up in the mental realm of clarity. The transformations this person goes through are quick and life altering, at the speed of light everything is turned upside down. There’s openness and fascination for everything occult and one might have quite an alarming universal perspective in personal and deep emotional matters. Death is related to primarily as a concept – and so is intimacy. Tying oneself to another can be done, but the risk of doing so is understood from a higher perspective. It’s easy to get into states of paranoia, fearing that important attachment will be broken because there’s a push for change from below the surface. When Uranus is in the 8th, socially/societally divergent behavior might lurk in the basement of the psyche and carefully kept out of sight from the conscious self and the rest of the world. Certain impulses and urges that don’t fit into a preconceived framework might be suppressed because of early conditioning and fear of losing something or someone. These people have the capacity to get a broad and clear view of the darkest facets of life and humanity with revolutionary insights into the depths of the psyche. There’s excitement in probing deeper and uncovering more and more through personal experience but also from looking into other people’s lives, what they invest in, support and might hide from view in order to stay in control and protect their interests. These people look for the unexpected and can therefore spot things that others don’t because they’re not blinded by the veil of convention.

9th house: This house relates to knowledge that is gained through experience and exploration. It’s the house of higher learning and the intuitive search for truth. It’s the house of exploring themes and patterns through life; in essence it’s the house of studying the archetypal realm. With Uranus here, there are bound to be life-altering discoveries and insights into the themes of life, how energies express themselves through the collective and what they ultimately mean in the context of life as a whole. There might be a strong push to discover the meaning behind things in order to change it and work with it to elevate humanity in the process – especially as it relates to the mental framework of people. One might be inclined to share one’s progressive perspective and insight in order to educate people and have them get more out of life that way. Belief systems and innate knowing can be thrown out the window with this placement and replaced in a heartbeat. Other people might be confused as to what one really thinks because it depends on what gear one is driving on at the moment but it could change at any time. There’s restlessness and a strong urge to look to the future for answers and reject the “old”. Openness to experience the strangest things could be characteristic of this placement – if one is in the right “mode” or mind frame to go along with it. Stubbornness and rigidity when it comes to certain opinions and insights could be typical, although it might change very quickly and won’t stick over time. Something the person is thoroughly convinced of today might seem foolish to them tomorrow. There would be strong push to go out of one’s way to discover things, no matter how impractical and inconvenient the pursuit. There’s electricity and charge to the person’s mental pursuits, to one’s observation and efforts to extract value out of experience. Although there’s force and intensity to the process of learning about life as a whole, there’s also a peculiar detachment to the whole thing as if one isn’t part of what one is learning about. In contrast to someone with say, Moon in the 9th, Uranus in the 9th doesn’t experience the overwhelm that it means to learn and experience existence because one is the “observer” not a living and breathing merged component of the experience. With this placement one might have an unusual outlook of life and a very rare and interesting life philosophy. In fact, one would not really subscribe to any one outlook and might identify solely as the observer because one has switched perspective so many times that one knows that none are ultimately real. This doesn’t make the person discouraged, it only confirms that life is complex and multi-dimensional and that truth is nowhere to be found within the hologram of existence.

10th house: This house relates to public image, career and our personal contribution to society. It’s represents worldly purpose and outward persona. When Uranus is here, the person has a certain protruding electricity and charge – there’s a lot of energy put towards moving forward into the future in revolutionary ways. The person could have a reputation for being unpredictable, eccentric and a bit irrational as a byproduct of only seeing potential and not taking note of the limitations. The person exist “outside of the box” and is somewhat of a stranger in society, presenting far-reaching ideas that might be difficult for the average person to digest. There’s probably great openness to all kinds of people and experiences, but the person is extremely jerky and fidgety, so it’s impossible to really know when there’s going to be resistance and when there’s going to be acceptance. More than any other placement, Uranus in the 10th is an indicator of someone to catch people’s attention because it’s so potent and forceful in an electric way – it’s so unsettling and unconventional that people can’t help but turn their heads. “I’m not like everyone else” is the kind of message these people convey, consciously or unconsciously. These are extremely flighty individuals – they can be miles away, seemingly living in their own fantasy world, except that they know that everyone else is doing the same thing and they’re just not aware of it. These people are likely pinned as the odd person that has a lot of energy and unusual opinions and modes of being. They can switch gears or “roles” frequently, unable to be bound by any standardized career path and pushed to carve their own lives, take risks and live on mental impulse. They probably have no idea what they’re doing most of the time, or at least it seems like it when taking the most contra intuitive paths and moving into unpaved territory in terms of vocation and worldly achievement. Some force of the unconscious is seemingly moving these people, pushing them and compelling them to take mental leaps. The curious thing is, that once the leap is made, there’s absolute certainty because one is not merely hoping to level up, one has switched gears and is now operating on a completely different level of existence that is just as real as the previous one. These people are really the pioneers and revolutionaries of society because they radiate a collective urge for change; they shake things up, perhaps even negatively in some people’s eyes. They are symbolizing the urge to break free from old shackles and to reinvent the ways of society. People might feel uncomfortable and put up a lot of resistance to this kind of energy, because it’s disruptive and destabilizing. These people might have “weirdo” painted all over their forehead, being misunderstood and taken for extreme creative individualists with no anchoring in the norm – or they might become the “hook” for collective unconscious forces as the leader of a collective movement. In the case of the latter, the individual becomes a public image for the winds of change for better or for worse. The career might be paved with unforeseen events sudden blessings and curses, as well as unpredictable turns of the road.

11th house: This house relates to collective movements, common goals, friends and shared interests, societal change and progression. Uranus is very much at home in this house, seeing as it is the planet of large-scale revolution and change. When Uranus is here, there’s a strong awareness of the differences and commonalities of human beings and a capacity to switch between groups of people and finding a common ground with all of them. This is the type of person to jump in between social groups – not belonging to any one group but open enough to partake in all of them. The humanitarian and liberal perspective is protruding and very strong – there’s no one more open and willing to find friendship with people from all walks of life than Uranus in the 11th. It’s likely that one views the self to not belong to any specific group or class of society, but to them all simultaneously. All people are part of the human family and this is profoundly clear to this person – religion, political opinion, ethnicity, sexuality or any other factor comes second to the fact that everyone depends on one another. This person might have great ideas about how humanity should organize itself in order to benefit everyone without the blood thirsty uncivilized game that is “survival of the fittest”. Of course, primitiveness is not innately bad, but the person with Uranus here aims to view things objectively and find new ways to make everyone live in a way that benefits the whole rather than merely themselves. That being said, this person could have some unconventional ideas and highly creative solutions to certain collective issues. One might be associated with various groups of people and have great insight into their way of viewing things, their needs and convictions, their character traits and innate disposition. More than anything, this person is an observer of humanity, a person of mental understanding of the inner workings of social systems and groupings. Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry all have Uranus in this house (according to astrotheme.com), which makes sense considering that they are people who are supposed to have a connection to the people – they are essentially symbolic “agents of the divine”, supposedly anchored in Christian values of brotherhood, love, compassion and respect. They are involved in various social projects and aim to improve that quality of people’s lives through their work and presence. Whether it’s successful or impactful can be up for debate but it’s certainly their intention. People with this placement will likely seek to offer guidance or insight to the masses in some way, whether it’s through expressing certain values or bringing an objective perspective to the situation that equalizes the charge within people. This type of person would be phenomenal at reminding everyone of the commonalities and shared quirks, reminding people of their basic humanity and all the problems and gifts that come with it. By being radically open and honest, other people are allowed to show their weaknesses and strengths as they are without feeling the need to fit into a box.

12th house: This house relates to the collective unconscious, undifferentiated reality and the absence of separate self. It is a house that is related to universal feeling, the truth of everything being one. This house is essentially the enemy of individuality and at the same time is the birthing place for it. The 12th is dual and paradoxical, the place where “reality” and dreams blend. With Uranus here, the person would feel as if collective forces govern his or her life to a large extent. Changes in the collective unconscious affect these people personally more than others, for better or for worse. They live in a perpetual atmosphere of Uranus, which means that mental impulses and insights flood them daily of the most new and jarring kind. The inner world is potentially absurd and strange and completely different from the mundane everyday life. In fact, these people might not find that there’s anything mundane about life because everything is a fascinating phenomena to them. There can be hidden feeling of not being of this world, of feeling things more objectively and from a standpoint of universal reality. These can be very creative individuals, able to channel some genius ideas through letting go of the defenses put up by the ego. This could potentially be done through sleep, drugs or any other method of releasing resistance. Since this house is related to hidden enemies, it might be that certain original ideas are detrimental to the separate self and to other people in one’s surroundings. Because the 12thhouse is the realm of no boundaries, doing the most destructive and weird things might come easier to these people. There’s a disruptive quality to these people that shines through their subtle aura – they’re not trying to act out of the norm but little twitches and pushes make them do things that they ultimately can’t control. In a sense, these people are sponges for collective energies and pushes for change. Adolf Hitler had this placement (according to astrotheme.com), which expressed itself extremely destructively. Uranus in the 12th reaches for the heavens and might end up in hell because ecstasy is only felt through complete disregard for the preservation of the individual even though one might argue that it is in the individual’s best interest. In a sense Uranus in the 12th is a push for societal structure and progression that comes the closest to ecstatic bliss and one might take the most insane actions to get there. On a more positive note, this placement can express itself as a positive force for changing group consciousness, and communicating a vision of a civilized and peaceful society based on humanitarian values, mutual respect and love. Whether the ideas are realistic and applicable might be another question, however, the dream of redemption can inspire people and instill hope in the darkest of times.