#A Great Conjunction

[depraveddame]

The last chapter of Planetesimals, part three of my professor AU Come Slowly, Eden, has been posted, and for now that marks this series as complete ✨

I’m deeply emotional about this. I wrote the majority of A Great Conjunction in two days last April and this AU immediately came to mean so much to me on so many levels. The response to this series has been so remarkable and generous and loving, and I can’t ever thank everyone enough for welcoming Professor Fell and his bratty darling student Anthony so warmly, and with such enthusiasm.

This last chapter of Planetesimals, like the other chapters, was originally a thread on Twitter I wrote last June, and I’m so happy I finally got around to editing and extending it a bit.

CWs: D/s, Dom Aziraphale, sub Crowley, brat Crowley, brat tamer Aziraphale, slight predator/prey, knife play (with a full edged letter opener), rough sex, chasing, ripped clothing, dirty talk, praise/degradation, manhandling, Daddy kink, sex against a wall and bent over stairs

Excerpt:

He smirks as Fell keeps walking, “you may be faster than me, yes, that’s true— but you know that once I find you, my bratty little demon, you’ll be reminded of how much stronger I am, and perhaps you’ll think twice about shoving me like a petulant—”

SLAM.

As Fell descends from the last step, Crowley lunges and slams him into the wall with whatever strength he has, he digs the heels of his hands into his professor’s bare shoulders and pins him there as best he can, their noses touching as their hips forcefully collide.

“Am I living up to your brat tamer expectations, Daddy?” Crowley tries to drawl, even aiming for a bit of sneer, but he kicks himself as his tone falters into something breathy by the end of that question when the glint of steel he can make out in the dim light flicks down to his mouth.

Fell says nothing at first, and he’s not touching Crowley at all, who is sure he’s merely being allowed to hold him against the wall like this, but then there’s a nearly inaudible, crackling purr against Crowley’s mouth that’s deliciously menacing:

“Exceeding them.”

[manguopudding]

finally got around to watching the anime 🥹 the teensy mithrun bait wugh!!!

[sifanjewel]

ANOTHER GREAT CON-JUNCTION IS HAPPENING NEXT YEAR!! 💜💎✨

[togetherness23]

gordon being initially weirded out and disapproving of his two oldest friends dating (edward and henry) but then immediately doing a 180 once he realizes that it means boco isn’t taken by edward

[spiribia]

he just used to name songs like this

[loganslowdown4]

I am back once again to post my 2 cents on Thomas’ most current playlist:

March’s Covers That Are Better Than The Originals (?)

I loved going through this because it might be one of his most polarizing playlists haha! What songs did you like? 😅

[saturniandevil]

April 2024 Important Dates

AKA my notes on The Astrology Podcast's April forecast, hosted by Chris Brennan and Diana Rose Harper (Austin is away on paternity leave). This is one of the most astrologically active months in the year. In addition to planetary movements, there's a comet that will be visible soon in the night sky and a nova.

We're going into the month right off the tail of a Libra lunar eclipse on March 25th. We're in "eclipse season," the time between eclipses, with much activity to report. Starting off, Baltimore's Key Bridge collapsed after a container ship crashed into it, which Austin called last forecast when he said that Mars's entry into Pisces (approaching a conjunction to Saturn) would involve a sudden halt in maritime trade. Astrologically it's quite on the nose, with a Libra (associated with trade/commerce) moon conjunct the South Node (symbolizing lack and decrease). We even have a chart for the opening of this bridge: it was an exact Mars return for this bridge, as well as its Uranus opposition and nodal opposition. Also on the Libra eclipse was the UN Security Council's vote for a ceasefire in Gaza. The April 8th eclipse will show us whether this resolution is successful, and a final Libra eclipse in October will tie these events together.

In celebrity news, we had obviously doctored photos of Kate Middleton prompting increasingly wild speculation on what the British royal family was hiding, culminating in Kate announcing her cancer diagnosis & chemotherapy plans on the March 22nd Venus(women, exalted in Pisces = royalty)-Saturn (slow illnesses) conjunction. She was also born on a lunar eclipse & announced this right before one. Just 3 days after the eclipse, on March 28th, Sam Bankman-Fried of FTX was sentenced to 25 years in prison, the newest development in a story that began on an eclipse when BitCoin crashed and revealed his role in one of the biggest instances of financial fraud in US history.

In smaller news, a nova in the T Coronae Borealis system will be visible as a new star in the night sky this year. This nova is visible every 76 years or so (the last time was 1946), and has been observed as far back as the Middle Ages. Add this to the eclipses and the comet, and Chris hasn't seen such an astrological buildup since forecasting 2020. As the eclipse hit his 3rd house Donald Trump published a book combining the Bible and the US Constitution, while in other news an orca was stranded in British Columbia, another dolphin & orca-related development in the (Mars-)Saturn in Pisces in cycle and Arizona announced Pluto as their state planet.

April Overview: with significant activity in Pisces, Aries, and Taurus simultaneously, we'll be getting hard aspects to every modality (and trines to every element)--everyone will be getting hit with some kind of change (but will have opportunities for growth as well). Chris makes a distinction between the challenging first half of the month, and a second half which will see more clarity.

April 1st - Mercury stations retrograde By time of posting this retrograde is in full swing: disruptions in communication, plans, travel and technology. Diana describes this as especially frustrating in Aries, trying to go one way but some huge miscommunication gets in the way. We may have to walk back on words spoken in anger and renegotiate situations where we identified the wrong target as our enemy. With the eclipse's ruler Mars conjoining Saturn on the 10th, anyone who travels for the eclipse and hangs around for a few days may run into blockages, likely due to rain and floods. Other general Mercury retrograde significations: people come back into your life, unfinished projects become relevant again, and situations from the past resurface. For example, Sagittarius risings often see the "duderang" effect where male lovers come back into their lives, as Mercury rules their Gemini 7th house. Mercury rx also brings delays and slowdowns, and is generally a good time for introspection and "emotional alchemy."

April 3rd - Venus conjoins Neptune This occurs right as she leaves the sign of Pisces. Venus-Neptune keywords: dreamy, fantastical, imaginative (especially with art), compassionate, and opportunities to find new avenues of enjoyment and pleasure. Saturn's copresence in Pisces can bring us some grounding and reality. This can also bring unclear boundaries, uncertain relationships, and idealizing one's lover--like using the soft lens. In events, AI images and videos and toxic synthetic dyes also fall under Venus-Neptune. Is the siren's call too good to be true?

April 4th - Venus enters Aries Chris hopes that Venus's copresence to the eclipse will mitigate some of its effects, but on the flipside this means she's left Mars and Saturn alone with each other in the Pisces chart of our house.

April 8th - Total Solar Eclipse in Aries This eclipse will be visible over much of the (particularly eastern) continental US:

Diana calls it a chiron eclipse, so here's the chart with chiron:

The Moon will eclipse the Sun at 19 Aries, which is where Chiron will be as well. Mythologically, Hercules brings back the head (North Node, Aries) of the hydra to Chiron, whose poison causes him incredible pain because he is immortal and cannot die from it. He eventually trades his immortality for Prometheus and Zeus puts him in the heavens as a constellation. Narratively, eclipses invert what we expect: it becomes dark in the middle of the day! Prominent people fall suddenly from grace and new rulers skyrocket to power during eclipses. Because the eclipse occurs in the sign of the Sun's exaltation, leaders and heads of state/organization/etc will be especially affected. A similar Chiron-influenced Aries solar eclipse occurred in 1968 when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. Nelson Mandela was sent to jail under an eclipse, but was also freed under another eclipse and elected to office under yet another eclipse.

For individuals, make note of what house this occurs in for you; this will be the end of one chapter and the opening of a new one in this area of life. Anything close to 19° of Aries will definitely feel it, as will any placements at that degree of Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn (hard aspects to the cardinal signs), while 19 Leo and Sagittarius (trine to fire signs) may feel some support. Generally, this series of events in Aries-Libra began a year ago, and will have its final eclipse on this axis in March of 2025.

This eclipse is ruled by a Mars (♓) who's just about conjunct with Saturn (♓), grinding things to a halt. Whatever's happening in the Aries and Pisces place is going to take some extra time. Other keywords: the end of a life cycle, matters of great importance & turning points in world history, major disasters as well as scientific discoveries. Eclipses highlight just how much is out of our control, like being on a teacup ride that's going too fast and being unable to stop unless something hits you. 6 months later, we'll get an eclipse that connects to some of these events:

Diana also points out that there will be an influx of tourists to rural areas of the US, advising travelers to stay courteous and noting that many local municipalities advise residents to stock up on basic supplies so they won't be lacking when a small area is flooded with new people & their needs. Generally, the eclipse will be a very creepy experience, with the Sun going completely dark, colors becoming muted, and stars may even be visible--some cultures have warnings against going outside during eclipses. Back to metaphors, Chris points out that the small seeds of much larger events are often planted during eclipses. Sometimes you don't know until later just how important this obscured implantation is because, like the Sun, our vision is occulted. Take notes, even of subtle things.

April 10th - Mars conjunct Saturn in Pisces We expect the two malefics to bring us challenges: their conjunctions in late Capricorn & early Aquarius heralded the first COVID lockdowns, and other hard aspects brought new variants and similar pandemic news. In 2022 a Mars-Saturn conjunction occurred with an epidemic of ebola. However, note that these are all airborne viruses, and these movements occurred with Saturn in the air sign of Aquarius. What will this look like in Pisces, a water sign? Chris predicts that existing Saturn-Pisces issues with water pollution and maritime trade/travel will have destructive moments as Mars comes in, while Diana thinks about water as a vector of disease, such as cholera & sewage treatment. Now that deep permafrost is melting due to climate change, we may also see new pathogens or substances released, as well as complications from farm water runoff. We'll definitely see the effects of this Baltimore bridge collapse, and, with the outbreak of dengue fever in Latin America, may see developments around diseases borne of insect bites. We may also hear about the ill effects of microplastics, lead, and asbestos as a result of this conjunction. More generally: pollution, ocean, liquids, extremes of hot and cold, feelings of constraint (and literal constraint), and spiritual or emotional burnout. Pisces is a sign of inescapable enmeshment with each other, so we'll likely deal with compassion fatigue and emotional isolation (especially involving social media). Questions of whether or not something is "real" remain relevant as ever.

On the positive side, Mars-Saturn brings discipline and self-control. Sometimes Mars and Saturn can temper each other to give us self-sustaining focus. We can combine hard-won wisdom with the drive we need to achieve it, like a martial arts training montage. Do we have the belief and conviction to achieve mastery? With determination we can reach heights we once only imagined. There's also stamina, resilience, and rigidity. Overlapping with the Mercury retrograde, we can also see delays and obstructions. If there are boundaries you've been meaning to enact, now is the time. We can see potential pitfalls, but beware of pessimism and not believing in yourself. Resentment and pent-up anger can also come into play as Mars's impulse butts up against Saturn's inaction, but incremental progress adds up.

April 11th - Sun conjunct retrograde Mercury (Cazimi) This marks a turning point in the retrograde. Diana uses a spelunking metaphor: during the retrograde we're diving into the cave, and at the cazimi we've found our treasure...but we still have to make our way back out. Our personal eclipse stories may become clearer during this time as well.

April 19th - Sun enters Taurus, Retrograde Mercury conjunct Venus Venus will help sweeten communications during the last week of Mercury's regression.

April 20th - Jupiter conjunct Uranus This brings freedom, liberation, and sudden rapid growth--completely different from the Mars-Saturn activity earlier this month. This may also set us up for the Jupiter-Mars conjunction later this summer. The Uranus in Taurus story has brought labor organizing and unions to prominence, so expect those stories to intensify during this conjunction. General keywords: technological breakthroughs and scientific discoveries, sudden revelations and growth, revolutions, rupture, and unexpected shifts. This conjunction takes place every 14 years, so Chris expects new discoveries, optimism and "quantum leaps" or new precedents in some fields. In Taurus this is related to food and agriculture--in addition to new technologies we'll likely see further developments with the farmer's protests in India and Europe. Finance and money is another Taurus signification, so disruptions in banks & questions about decentralizing currency may arise. Freedom, rebellion, and general eccentricity become important. We'll feel like anything is possible, but in disregarding the rules and refusing to compromise we may make rash decisions.

The comet Pons-Brooks may also start to become visible during this time. It comes by about every 80 years and is named for its 18th century discoverers. Ancient literature on comets is similar to that of eclipse: an ominous phenomenon heralding the deaths of rulers and falls of kingdoms. However, they note the color and appearance as indicating some positive effects when associated with Jupiter, and the planets whose path it crosses are relevant as well. Pons-Brooks passes closely by the Jupiter-Uranus conjunction, putting an exclamation point on the planetary significations.

April 23rd - Scorpio Full Moon

We're finally out of eclipse season, so things are starting to calm down. However, this lunation (04♏) squares Pluto (02♒), bringing some conflict in. It'll be stabilizing, but not necessarily comforting. Acceptance is bittersweet medicine. The full moon illuminates the deep transformative experiences Pluto brings to the early degrees of fixed signs in our charts. We're really getting to the bedrock of things. When Venus enters Taurus she'll square Pluto, and Mars will trine Pluto when he enters Aries. With those personal planets in domicile, it'll feel like coming home, but home is a little different. Pluto will retrograde soon and Chris predicts this station will bring major events in AI and related technologies. Mars is also quickly nearing his conjunction with Neptune, bringing the weaponization of these technologies.

April 25th - Mercury stations direct

April 28th - Mars conjunct Neptune (typo in image) Aside from weaponization of AI and social media, Mars-Neptune also connotes the manipulation of reality for political purposes. Revealing that a shocking news story was actually false wont necessarily diffuse the feelings it arose. Even if it didn't happen, you may still hold resentment towards the wrong target. Think the "fog of war" or shadowboxing. Other keywords include conflicts in or about water, idealism & ideologically-charged conflicts, confusion, acid, corrosion, lethargy, sapped vitality, and unnecessary martyrdom.

April 29th - Venus enters Taurus She immediately squares Pluto. Venus in domicile brings us to the election for the month:

April 29th - Selected auspicious election (not pictured)

Set the chart for about 12:55PM local time, which gets you Leo rising with the Ascendant ruler Sun in the 10th whole sign house in Taurus, where it's copresent with Jupiter, Uranus, and Venus. This chart is good for 10th house matters like career, reputation, social standing, overall life direction and accomplishing goals. The Moon is in Capricorn, applying to a trine with Jupiter, bringing support. Mercury has stationed direct, bringing us away from some of the delays and issues we experienced earlier. Even the Mars-Saturn conjunction is about as far away as we can get, and a day chart Jupiter conjunct Uranus brings creativity to our efforts. Diana associates the 10th house with the gestating parent and thus recommends doing something nice for your mom now.

April 30th - Mars enters Aries Entering firey and decisive Aries, Mars is no longer encumbered by slow Saturn and diffuse Neptune. This complete chapter change comes with a sextile to Pluto--the tone shift will feel like getting our oxygen back. This opens us up for a lot of quick movements through Aries and Gemini in May.

[misterradio]

i think factory pomo will always be my sweetheart aesthetic i just love the geometric stylings. i always used factory pomo style clip art in school projects i thought it was suuuch a cool style.

looking thru that website... memphis jr is also great, kind of similar geometric style with brighter colours. i even used to have the toy used as the example image, and for some reason images of LSD:DE are used as an example lol

[akkivee]

what like, really gets me about the hitojaku consultation scene was throughout the entire conversation, they were bathed in light as they bounced info back and forth between each other

the moment tho jakurai says he’s lost his lead, the sun sets and the scene darkens because they’ve hit a dead end and are enshrouded in the dark from all these unknowns and wow i can’t believe there’s background symbolism in my rhyme anima??????

[bunny-hare]

Silly Game Time: WRONG ANSWERS ONLY! Why does Saturn have rings?

It's because it's happily married to Jupiter 🥰💖💕💖💕💖💖

The cute couple💖💕💖💕💖

[stabknives]

I have two versions of my durge. Vykrum is always either a drow or a tiefling, and when he's a drow they're definitely milfy.

[sifanjewel]

Sing-along to the Podling Funeral Song at the Great Con-junction Podling Party!

[slusheeduck]

Fictober 2023 Day 27 - Prompt: "I don't know if they'll accept this." Fandom: Baldur's Gate 3

Just one rest more, and they would be in Baldur’s Gate.

Wyll leaned against the crumbling wall of the old fortress’s tower—he’d come here as a boy more than once with his friends, and they’d play soldier until sunset. He wondered how many of them had actually followed that path…or how many of them were still alive. Certainly no one else had gotten in a fool’s bargain like he had.

“Well, aren’t you the broody hero? Am I interrupting?”

Wyll jumped, and he turned around to look at Astarion. His hand was still on his horn—he’d found himself absently rubbing them when we thought in a new nervous habit. After a moment, he shook his head.

“Of course not, just thinking.” He sighed as he looked over the city again. “What a homecoming, right?”

“Mm, if you can call it that,” Astarion said dryly. “My Baldur’s Gate has been gone for centuries. Living in the shadows of the city as I did doesn’t make it feel much like home.” He lightly rested his arms on the tower’s wall, scanning over the lights below. “It’ll be interesting seeing what it looks like during the day. In-between the horrors that await us, of course.” He looked to Wyll. “It’s been a long time for you, though, hasn’t it? Well, relatively speaking.”

Wyll half-smiled. “Seven years.”

“And you’re only…twenty-three? Twenty-four? Gods, you’re a fetus.” Astarion sighed. “All the same, I hope this cesspool welcomes you home.” As Wyll shifted uncomfortably, Astarion’s brow furrowed. “What?”

“I…I’ve dreamt of this, you know. Ever since I was cast out.” He gave a small smile. “I always imagined a big fanfare—the Blade of Frontiers finally welcomed home, my father’s arms open, his pride at all I’d accomplished, all the good I’ve done.” His smile faded, and he let out a long sigh. “Being a devil hadn’t been part of those plans.”

“I think Baldur’s Gate has much bigger problems than your handsome pair of horns,” Astarion said. “And, if we’re being honest, I don’t think Gortash would have arranged anything nice for you either way.”

“I know, I know, I just…” Wyll pressed his lips together, gaze focused on the lights below. “I’ve worked so hard for this…for them. Even after all these years, part of me is…still that seventeen-year-old boy who wanted to be the city’s hero. My city’s hero. And I…I have that chance now, but…” He looked up at Astarion, looking lost as he gestured to his horns. “I don't know if they'll accept this."

“If they don't, then fuck the lot of them.”

Wyll startled. “What?”

Astarion met his gaze. “You’ve done more for the entire Sword Coast than most people would do for the people they love the most. You’re…disgustingly heroic and good, you know. If anything, the horns are a nice reminder that you’re real and not some fairy tale knight out of a storybook.” He sighed, looking back out to the city. “And if the people of Baldur’s Gate—your father included—can’t recognize that, then fuck them. You deserve better.”

Wyll stared at Astarion for a moment, then his mouth twitched up into a smile. “Thank you.”

Astarion waved his hand. “It’s the truth. Nothing to thank me for.”

Wyll puffed out a laugh at that and nodded. “Of course. You know, Astarion, I think you’re actually…”

“Do not say what I think you’re about to say.” Astarion glared at him, and Wyll held up his hands.

“All right, all right,” he said with a laugh. “You’re awful and evil and the worst.”

“Thank you.”

“…but I’m still fortunate to have a friend like you.”

The vampire looked caught off-guard by that, faux-affront softening before he could stop it. He looked over Wyll for a moment, then turned back to the city.

“You know,” he said after a moment, “Drizzt Do’Urden didn’t even leave Menzoberranzan until he was over thirty. You’ve got a headstart on him.” He tilted his head with a grimace. “You should probably stop posing when you do something heroic if you want to get to his level, though.”

Wyll barked out a laugh. “Noted. Make sure the biographers don’t mention I do that.”

“Oh, naturally, I will. Provided I’m depicted very flatteringly in accounts of your first big adventure, of course.”

 “Of course.”

Fictober 2023 Drabble Master Post

[ghosty-ghouls]

My mom really doesn’t understand what being disabled means which is hilarious because,,, she was disabled. she threw her back out a few years ago and it GREATLY impacted her ability to do things… but she didn’t realize that was her being disabled? So really no wonder she’s so weird about mine when she didn’t realize her own until a doctor told her

[halechief]

i am already not really here anymore anyways so this probably won’t come as a surprise but! it’s not super likely that i’ll be returning to writing on tumblr in any capacity comparable to how i used to. i definitely love and miss claire and all the WORK i put into her characterizations over the years lol, i miss all my partners and dynamics and seeing my faves of y’all’s dynamics and new interests and new blogs as they come across the dash, but. my life is just very much different these days and while for the most part that is a good thing, i do unfortunately struggle to find a good balance between what i have going on irl and channeling what little energy and time i have leftover into creative pursuits. i have felt in sort of a creative rut with this particular website many times, but this time i guess the best way of saying it is that it feels less like a rut than it does like an ending of a chapter. i could definitely be wrong and end up back here 6 months from now lmao but. i just thought after .. almost 11 years of writing claire and even longer writing with and getting to know some people from the very beginning of that, i wanted to at least say something, even if this does end up being a temporary hiatus and not a permanent one. regardless, it’s a goodbye for now, even if it’s not the last thing i’ll ever post here. thank you guys for everything! i hope for only the best things for all of you 🤍🤍🤍

[anorlondoarcheryclub]

👤+ Laurentius!

Yes, a heretic, but also a sweetest friend. Better a kind word and a stolen flame than ritual purity and a distant sneer.

Fearsome pyromancer, bearing the accents of the Great Swamp. Fear of him is diluted by fear of everything else: Hollows, the Dark itself, and the curse with its promise of a mindless end.

Whatever the Swamp made of Laurentius, he is now also undead. Now also trapped in Lordran. None of us asked to be here (all right, one of us asked to be here, but Laurentius, for all his fire, is not mad.)

But he is more than a fellow-traveler. His voice is kind. His hands are warm. He is utterly worth defending.

Laurentius may be seeking after a greater fire, but is not Ifsahan also?

In this hollowing place, we take every scrap of goodwill we can find, amplify it and return it, that it might survive.

That is, after all, only human.