#I know they’re only material objects but they were things that I loved that like I cherished and that I will never own again

[whimsyprinx]

I’m so like pissed about all the things I’ve lost because I’ve moved so much throughout my life, friendship bracelets, perfume bottles, ribbon, the few photos of me growing up that exists, dolls and stuffed animals that I loved, so so many things that I loved and that made me happy that I’ll never see again because of circumstances that were out of my control

[astrobydalia]

Astro knowledge

A short more educational post for y'all!

work by astrobydalia

Pisces/Neptune rules marketing while Gemini/Mercury is more about sales. They’re both deeply related but difference is Gemini is the salesman that appeals to your reason and resorts to mind games (Mercury) in a one-on-one to convince you why you should buy into something. Marketing on the other hand is ruled by Pisces because it appeals to the collective unconscious (Neptune). It’s all about crafting subliminal messages that make you see that product/idea as more appealing even when you know what you're seeing is not realistic. Very related to propaganda as well. This is also a field that requires a lot of creativity, they're constantly using metaphors, hyperboles or even making up little fictional stories to sell a product...

I've already said this but for anyone new, the planet that rules real love is moon not Venus. See the full explanation here

Where Sagittarius is in your chart will bring luck and happiness, but Taurus does give off expansive (or dare I say expensive) energy too. Where Taurus sits in your chart is an area of your life that will be more grandiose in nature cause Taurus rules over indulgence and pleasure. You could experience some sort of privilege when it comes to this house, the themes of this house come to you in abundance with little to no effort. Some examples:

Taurus 1st house: have a striking and bold appearance, gives off luxury and attractive vibes regardless of their looks. These people could come across as a "high value woman/man" without trying

Taurus 7th house: very active and abundant love life, lots of suitors and business partners landing on your lab, they want to provide for you and/or give you lucrative opportunities

Taurus 9th house: having access to high quality education or elevated knowledge. Probably attended a very exclusive or expensive collage, payed vacations vibes, easy and frequent relocations

Taurus 10th house: almost untouchable reputation, very respected and liked by others, is always seen as innocent or harmless, lots of success with their ventures

The 2nd house also talks about your roots and upbringing but in a more objective and material sense. This house and the position of its ruler can be very telling of how your actual social and economic context shaped your basic values. It can also talk about your house as the 2nd house rules over real state, lands, properties, etc. The 4th house is more about your home, how you were raised within that reality and how it impacted you emotionally at your core

Example: Libra risings could come from an environment that shaped their values around survival and money gains due to Scorpio 2nd house (I've seen very commonly they come from marginalized groups or humble beginnings or very financially competitive environments). So they have a family that is very demanding and expected them to work or be a boss from a young age (Capricorn 4th house)

Speaking of, 2nd house does not ONLY rule money!!! It rules RESOURCES and anything that you own that is highly valuable and you can put a price on!!!! And yes of course since these things are valuable they can be easily monetized, traded, used to make you money. This can be your skills, assets, real state, etc. The 2nd house is your piggy bank basically

There's a lot of talk about how 11th house is how you make money in your career while 2nd house is how you spend it. Well this is technically true but I'd like to add more explanation to this. In derivative astrology 11th house is 2nd (money) from the 10th (career) so it does show how you actually make money from your career. 2nd house is where you get money but 11th house is how you make money. Your 11th house is the multiplier (credits to @cosmicpuzzle for that fact) while 2nd house is where your financial stability lies on. In other words 11th house is indicative of how you generate more but 2nd house is all about what you already have, its about what you can make with what you OWN already, it deals with money that is already available through your resources' value (again, you piggy bank). This does 'make' you money in a way like if you lose your job and are lacking money your 2nd house where you turn to for example if you own a house you can rent it, you can buy a rare item that costs a lot, selling your art or any other natural skill, etc. The concept of value is important in this house bc it can increase or decrease (while 11th house increases and multiplies). The more valuable your resources are the more potential money you have available which means more financial stability and wealth. Anyways hope all that makes sense

We often refer to water signs when talking spirituality but truth is fire signs are very spiritual in nature as well. Fire symbolizes the spark of life itself, nothing could exist or be created without it. Aries deals with the basic ontological conception of 'I am, I exist', Leo is about how the self manifests and create itself and Sagittarius is about the purpose of the self. Living beings need heat to thrive/live and just like fire radiates heat your spirit radiates energy, creativity, passion, action, inspiration, purpose... and that's what fire signs represent. I'd say fire represents the fundamentality of spirit while water is more about the complexity of inner world.

Just like Aries is the "natural" ASC for a birth chart, Libra is the natural ASC for a composite chart cause a birth chart represents the chart of an individual (Aries) while composite represents the mutual relationship between two people (Libra)

When you develop the themes of a certain house in a healthy manner, you naturally start attracting the themes of the opposite house. This goes to show you that things in astrology aren't as compartmentalized as they seem, everything works together in certain way SPECIALLY axis'. Examples:

You need to focus on yourself first (1st house) to find the right partner (7th house)

You need to investigate and learn (3rd house) in order to find higher answers (9th house)

When you invest successfully (8th house) you earn more available resources (2nd house).

When you develop your hobbies and individuality (5th house) you find keen people (11th house)

When you heal spiritually (12th house) you find healthier habits (6th house)

There's this misconception that you have to disregard your South Node in order to develop you NN, but the thing is the SN is the starting point that can lead you towards developing your NN. This can happen as a harsh and painful lesson tho if you liger too much on your SN. For example NN in Libra need to learn to compromise in this life, there's a lot of focus on the self and independence, but eventually this placement teaches them that if you really wanna develop yourself in full potential (Aries) eventually you'll need others (Libra). If they linger too much on Aries SN they could experience a harsh lesson that forces them to count on others

work by astrobydalia

[littlecharmingenvy]

Diavolo Headcannons

Dia brainrot go brrrrrr (pls I love this man)

warnings: NSFW (MDNI), couple of kinks mentioned, Diavolo having a sub-par father, author not knowing how to take things seriously (aka, use of the phrase "dicked down crazy style"), uhhh I feel like I'm missing something but I can't think of it so if I am pls lmk

SFW

<3- He’s always been intrigued by humans; how such fragile creatures could have so much courage would never fail to amaze him. So when MC comes along, this sweet little thing who didn’t even know demons actually existed until a few weeks ago, he can’t help but be impressed on how little fear they show

<3- Immediately finds himself attracted to MC, but, of course, being the crowned Prince of the Devildom, he tries to keep things diplomatic. He didn’t want to risk a scandal, especially not now, since everything was finally working out to his liking

<3- MC recognizes Dia as the Prince, but because they didn’t grow up in the Devildom, they aren’t sure what that title exactly entails, so they stick to treating Dia like they would any other person, much to Lucifer’s chagrin and Diavolo’s delight

<3- With how casual MC is to Diavolo, he quickly finds himself falling for them, despite his best efforts not to. How could he be expected to not fall head over heels for them? Especially with their laugh when they’re caught off guard, or the side eye they give that seems especially reserved for Diavolo, when one of the brothers does something laughable. He feels special, as if their little silent conversations exist in a place no one can taint; its something just for them, and that’s something Diavolo has always yearned for

<3- As soon as he realized his feelings were something he couldn’t just brush over, he told MC. He’s a patient man, but he sees no point in hiding it from you, not when you two were already as close as you were. He swears his soul ascends to the Celestial Realm when you reveal that you feel the same

<3- Showers you in the finest jewels and gold (or silver if it matches your complexion better, cool toned shawtys gotta stick together FR). His father growing up only showed affection by gift giving, leaving Dia to lack any emotional warmth outside of material objects. While he tries to be better than his father, and is always praising you and showing love in any way he can, he especially loves giving you gifts, as that’s how he learned to show love

<3- He doesn’t mind receiving gifts from you, anything you give him he’ll cherish for the rest of his life, but he gets especially soft when you make him something. Little paper flowers? They’re the prettiest he’s ever seen. You bake him cookies? They’re the best he’s had in years (don’t worry, Barbs gets it). Give him origami you made in class when bored? He’s proposing then and there /j (/hj?). Just the idea that you thought about him and cared enough to make someone by hand makes him all soft and fuzzy inside. 

<3- Aside from handmade things, Diavolo adores quality time. Just having you sit near him while he’s doing paperwork or enjoying his tea send him over the moon

<3- Very protective. While he’s sweet with you, and would never let you see any other side, he is still a demon, and he would (and has) threatened or killed a few who wished harm on you, and he’d do it again without a second thought

<3- Loves loves loves pet names. Lover, My dear, Angel (ironic), Beloved, he hardly ever calls you by your name anymore

<3- Overall, very soft with his lover. He just wants them to know how much he loves and adores them

NSFW

<3- I know this is widely agreed upon fandom-wise, but I’ll say it again for good measure. Size. Kink. Seeing how small you are compared to him makes him want to rail you into next week. When you look up at him with those doe eyes of yours, having to crane your neck up to make eye contact? Done. He’s dead. He died. It’s over for him

<3- You know monster fuckers? That’s how he feels about humans. Human fucker? Idk, but his enamoration with humans doesn’t stop in the bedroom

<3- Tries to be soft with you, really, he does. But at some point he just breaks, and he needs to dick you down crazy style then and there

<3- Praise kink, going both ways. He’ll tell you how pretty you are and how good you’re being for him, and will nearly cum when you tell him how good he’s making you feel

<3- He’s open to a lot of kinks, but isn’t likely to bring them up. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t love experimenting though. Actually, it’s you who makes him realize he’s into a lot more than he thought he was

<3- Loves giving head. Really, good luck getting him off of you once he starts. He’ll be down there as long as you’ll let him, accidentally overstimulating you pretty much every time. But when he paws at your clothes and looks at you pleadingly, you can’t help but give him what he wants

<3- Generally, Dia’s just a big boy who wants to make his little human feel good. Boy’s absolutely whipped for you, and isn’t afraid to show it. Anyone who has a problem with it will be taken care of

[weirdmageddon]

why i think aradia and john work so well

(with some stuff i’ve been wanting to yap about for ages)

have you guys ever given arajohn / johnradia (idk if its popular enough to even have a standardized ship name) any thought …? i know it seems kind of out of left field. i’ve considered it and i think its. really really good. i have a bunch of thoughts to unpack. come join me. and maybe grab a snack or something because i didn’t realize how much i'd actually have to say about this

(fantastic art by skeletood)

the other day i made a tweet that did rather well where i said, “john and aradia shouldve talked more. its so simple but i like how she actually earnestly answers his questions. so many characters in this comic are so mean to john for just wanting to know more give him a break”

putting it out there now im not big about shipping for the sake of shipping. there needs to be real chemistry. i need to sense that as a reason why two characters would potentially be a good influence on each other. i never knew why i was always so obstinate about this because it’s fictional and not materially hurting anyone, but i think it might be because i’m not sure how to justify it or explain it if not.

i strongly believe john and aradia would have had it made out for them if circumstances allowed it. (what i mean by “ship” or “johnradia” extends to any kind of interpersonal dynamic, even if just a good friendship. it doesnt even have to be romantic, just some sort of dynamic with them.)

unfortunately aradia originally committed herself to staying out of trolling the kids over their timelines, so john and aradia never talked until year 3 on the ship in the dream bubbles but they never had a truly proper one-on-one without outside meddling. i think if john knew aradia better and her story beforehand, she had more time to explain herself and her history, he wouldnt have been unsettled. and also of course if his experience with the trolls didn’t suck so bad because he already had expectations for how antagonizing most of them were.

i found people’s sentiments about johnradia elsewhere too. i remembered that they were both on the song art for ascend, and searched ao3 to see how many fics have been written to gauge how substaintial it’s been in the homestuck fandom. only 17 of them turned up. but the people who do talk about it are either curious about it or really do like it, and that interested me.

clearly it’s pretty niche character relationship to be depicted in any fanwork and i can understand why. despite being so small, from what ive seen it seems universally agreed upon to be nice. i haven’t seen a single person object to it. what ive seen falls into two categories: “wow i didnt think about this before but i actually dig it” or “(starving) finally some good fucking food”

the pattern im seeing is that people think it’s “random”, but i disagree. there is something there substantiating it even if they’re unable to articulate it.

the fanfic these comments are from is chronology of wind. that fic is really, really good, and sadly unfinished. i have more abstract reasons to believe why aradia and john would be good in theory, so actually seeing someone else actually make something with them helped me read it in action, to get a more tangible feel of the dynamic beyond what we have in canon.

i wouldn’t normally make claims about a relationship with regard to homestuck canon by looking at their relationship in a fanfic, because i think you all know by now i am very nitpicky about accurate characterization, and it does not go unnoticed by me when people get it right because for some reason it feels like a one in a million thing (even though it really shouldn’t be?). so this was a special case. the tone was completely consistent with canon. this fic is so in-character i’d basically consider it an extension of canon. to me it’s like they took the same characters and plopped them into this scenario to see how they’d interact. guys… i love that stuff so much. i love fanfiction or fanworks that depict realistic extensions of canon and stays true to the energy and tone of the source, but deepens it. there isn’t enough of it imo. i want to see more of it.

anyway, what i read of their conversations in that fic basically aligned with what i was thinking in my head about what i’d expect it to be like. i was able to compare how aradia and john talked to how aradia and the other characters interacted, their comparative attitudes towards each other—how they’re treated by others compared to how they treat each other.

have you noticed john and aradia’s communication values are both based on sincerity, being in the proper know, treating people fairly, and thanklessly taking on the necessary work that “must be done” in order to have what they really want — a good time that feels meaningful? and they accomplish this without any adjustment in how they talk to each other.

john is always subtly (or not-so-subtly) asking the people around him to answer him soberly and to the point so he knows whats going on and what that means for what his options are. he needs to know to what end he will be applying his absurd energetic drive into making shit happen. aradia honors his time before john can even become uncomfortable with the amount of time being eaten up by conversation. contrast this with rose, who seems to go on for a while with prose-like conversational adornments. in dire situations that need rapid explanation and definitive answers so he knows what to do, this is really the last thing he needs. aradia doesnt waste john’s time. she answers all his questions, and does it politely to boot. his time talking to her doesn't feel wasted.

john's impatience with this sort of nonsense is also why i can’t see something like dirkjohn working out, for example. to me it feels like @entropicbias also deeply understands this on some level because i literally couldn’t have demonstrated what i mean by it any better myself than that. i'm gonna have to to hit him up about how much i genuinely respect that like tbh hes one of the few i absolutely trust to handle writing and depicting these characters in situations and their interpersonal dynamics. and also care about doing their characterization justice as much as me.

of course people are still entitled to like whatever they like, ship whatever they want to. i dont care. but i just don’t think it would work from the perspective of the minds of the canon characters, how they generally think and approach situations. and i can already tell people might ask me how do i know this? what makes me an expert? i’m not more than anyone else is (although i have been called a "characterization expert" from my friends), but i do know that i can pick up on the energetic chemistry between people, including characters, honestly precognitively, without even thinking? like if it’s stiff or tense or awkward, if people aren’t free to express themselves uninhibitedly, if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. i can sense this almost instantly. it’s something that’s a visceral feeling in my body i cant express and i have to rationalize it after the fact. like i’m doing now in fact writing this big analysis.

> listen to me talk about my special interest boy

for the next section to make sense, you probably want to read this post. i initially started writing it within this post to explain but there was so much brewing i had to explain the context that it turned into something i wanted to post on its own terms.

> okaaaaaayyyyy i read all that

thank you, really. my main point is using the conceptual tools provided by this system to expIain why aradia and john feel nice together and why i’ve seen people positively perceive the idea of a relationship between them even if it seems “random”.

framing them in this system, it wouldn’t be random! there’s a good reason they seem to fit nicely. this is because john and aradia have complementary forms of information metabolism. information metabolism is talked about in this section.

Jung’s psychic types are the types of cognition, or intelligence. But it would probably be easiest to call them types of IM [information metabolism], since the main difference between the types of people lies in their exchange of information with the external world.

Aushra Augusta, Commentary on Jung’s Typology and Introduction to Information Metabolism

aradia megido’s type of information metabolism (otherwise known as a TIM) is LII. john egbert’s TIM is ESE.

aradia and john’s types are duals. you can read more about what that entails here. in theory, their interactions would reflect the duality dynamic. reading chronology of wind, that one really in-character fic that explored their dynamic made me excited because they do!

michael pierce gave an overview of his impression of the characteristics of this intertype dynamic. despite only rough knowledge in socionics while he wrote this, his understanding of duality was spot on to me from my experience and others and i wanted to share it here. (fittingly, i believe he is also LII.)

Now we have the famous duality relationship: in a nutshell, this role is characterized by two traits: 1) a very close psychological distance or intimacy, and 2) a great ease of interacting with each other. It is sometimes described how meeting one's dual can be the event of a lifetime, because it inspires aspects in each party's character that they had never expressed before: the pair may even drop out of society for a time in order to focus on just each other, and to explore themselves through interaction with each other. The curious thing in this relationship is that these parties are rather different in outlook, and when they are not actually interacting as potential friends it's probably more likely for them to dislike or mistrust each other because of how different they are. […] However, when they are able to interact normally, it is a strange and wonderful discovery to realize that the interaction is unexpectedly smooth and invigorating. It's hard for people to describe, but as I understand it: while both parties recognize their differences on the surface, these differences are created by a root structure that coincides perfectly with each other, so that the differences on the surface are entirely complementary and cause no friction at all.

it’s also meaningful to consider that the structure of my own psyche is LII as well. so i’ve got a bit of a bias towards aradia and john.. not in the sense that what i actually say about them is personally biased, but that the bias is moreso my personal attention to people and characters of these two types in particular to see how my own experiences are reflected in them. i really do feel of a reflection of my own thought and work process in aradia and in the more abstract sense she is like an extension of myself. when people say they like aradia as a character i get secondhand joy from that because shares certain specific traits with me. of course i am still my own person though.

these are some of the most apt profiles i've found for these types at a glance. again, think about these characters as you read these descriptions. [from here (ESE / LII)]

ESE (Ethical-sensory extrovert) - john

The trademark quality of this type is a focus on socializing and guiding social situations and interactions so that the people involved can have fun and enjoy themselves. ESEs are typically in the middle of what is happening socially and know about the latest events and what people think and feel about them. They are skilled at bringing people together in fun and interesting ways and making everyone feel actively involved. Their friends know them as people who love life and feel most at home in social situations surrounded by other fun people. In their pursuit of fun-oriented and stimulating social interactions, ESEs typically neglect to structure their own thought processes and views in a way that would help them know exactly what they think and why. They are receptive to others’ attempts to help them introduce more structure and logical consistency in their life and thinking processes. They gravitate most to people who open up to fun and emotional interaction easily, yet are also skilled at systematizing thoughts and views and explaining ideological matters.

LII (Logical-intuitive introvert) - aradia

The trademark quality of this type is a focus on logical, structured thought and generating true assertions and views. LIIs are typically strict thinkers who are concerned that everything fits together in a logical way. They are skilled at understanding, generating, and criticizing logical arguments and instilling their views in the people around them. Their friends know them as people with well-organized thoughts and opinions who know what they think and can elucidate their ideas to others. In their pursuit of logical understanding, LIIs typically neglect their external social interactions and activities that would help them lighten up and experience a connection with other people. They are receptive to others’ attempts to create these fun and lighthearted situations for them. They gravitate most to people who are interested in their opinions and understanding of things, but are also skilled at organizing social interactions and creating a sense of emotional unity.

ive recently consciously experienced the feeling of duality for the first time since i've been communicating with my mom's high school classmate, and it is definitely a real thing. i even remember mom pointing out she noticed when we were all talking on the phone over a year ago that i perked up whenever he said stuff. here is how i explained it:

its bonkers how only once i experience something for myself i’m able to explain in detail what makes it so great based on what my impressions about it were because i tend to have a peculiar way of describing the qualities of an experience. my specialty is deep precision in my analogies for what it’s like. so now i can tell you how conversations with your dual feel… heres the status report. it’s weightless. its so strange. like the topic conversation stretches into infinity that you can pick right back up at any time. it’s hazy and unfocused but still pleasant (unless you’re particularly self-conscious and need to unlearn hiding your true self). but the best parts of it come when you have a specific issue or insecurity that comes with being your most natural self that the world seems to misunderstand about you, or just not give you what you don't even know you’ve been looking for. i think you might mutually intimidate each other at first because you're lowkey both expecting to be made fun of for your inadequacy with certain types of information that the other is nuanced with (and you’re not), but it never comes. you don't feel like what your dual wants in life is wrong. your dual seems so talented in all the ways you hope to shine but you’re always unsure of. for the introvert (me) wishing they felt their own active presence as an object (Se, Ne, Te, Fe) like the extravert does. for the extravert, wishing they felt their own relationships with other objects (Si, Ni, Ti, Fi) like the introvert does. any other intertype relationship (ITR) vs. duality is like the difference between 99% and 100% totality of a solar eclipse, except it’s the level of understanding with another person, like the eclipsing of your own information metabolism with theirs. of course there are other things that influence how well your relationship with this person goes, but i am talking strictly about when it comes to basic communication, the level of understanding you share. sometimes it might feel like you dont have much to talk about or the topic is unfocused, because you two ARE opposites in many ways after all, especially at a glance (domain of interests usually come with specific macroelements. theories about thought structures—like socionics, for instance—are in the domain of intuition, while physical interests and experiences are in the domain of sensorics.) i’m LII in the NT club (researchers) and my dual ESE in the SF club (social-communicative). so they’re constantly providing you with information from their own niche in life that you may be entirely unfamiliar with, but for some reason still interests and relaxes you to hear. you might not feel like you have a lot to say about the topic since but you are fully amazed by this person’s activity. it also makes you feel more sure of yourself and more confident that people truly appreciate and need your natural abilities.

> let’s break it down

here’s some lightly modified descriptions of the information blocks in LII and ESE's information metabolism models from pyatnitsky so you can get an overarching impression of how their type contributes to the informational sphere. i added some of my own adjustments and borrowed some sentences from stratiyevskaya's descriptions. additionally, you can click on the name of the block for an explanation of the role it plays.

i put about a week’s work into these collages but my goal with them was to actually show where i think these information blocks are most pertinent in these characters specifically and where they apply so it’s not just some abstract thing, just as supplementary examples as needed. (for the meaning of these information elements individually you can refer to cysia’s document.)

LII (Logical-intuitive introvert)

EGO (-Ti? -> -Ne!). Analytical thinking. They are well aware of the interrelationships of some objects or phenomena with others, and what laws are in effect or not in effect. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis, they put forward insights about the global essence of specific objects and phenomena, their possibilities. They acutely charge the situation with potential energy. For every situation, there is an archetype.

Super-EGO (-Fi? -> -Se!). Normative ideas about relationships between people and ways to get out of unpleasant ethical situations. Understands ethics as founded on the principles of fairness; to do to one side of the equation that you do to the other. Volitional manifestations in order to protect their living space are carried out only on the basis of personal experience. Because of the limited opportunities to fight back, they react painfully to attempts of any interference in his life. Does not respond to any arbitrary crudeness or volitional pressuring. Does not compromise goals, stubbornly clings to them. Avoids direct confrontation if possible, would rather talk civilly and earnestly. Uses their naturally strong sense of the conditioning of objects over time to avoid collisions with their material interests. Due to this, they may appear as someone with very little weaknesses.

Super-ID (+Fe -> +Si?) Attracts information about a good mood, a specific positive state, or a feeling. They would like to think that they can eliminate serious inconveniences, make the environment around them more comfortable. This skill needs to be evaluated. They are unconsciously activated when there is a need to make the environment more comfortable, which should lead to a better state, raise the mood at least in the immediate environment. In friendly, comfortable, and informal company, their cool exterior thaws and they start lighting up with joviality.

ID (+Te! → +Ni?). Has developed guidelines and methods that relate to specific practical activities, technological effectiveness, and resource use. Spontaneously feels the correct allocation of resources over time, which allows them to effectively solve tasks at an unhurried pace. This pace is deeply rational in nature.

ESE (Ethical-sensory extrovert)

EGO (+Fe! -> +Si?). Perception of the world is fundamentally emotional. Feels the emotional atmosphere well in any situation, knows the relevance of the way of expression, the place and weight (importance) of the internal state in each situation. Flexible approach to solving problems of managing and expressing emotions. They show bright emotionality both negative and positive. Creatively produces around themself comfort, coziness, conveniently arranges space, surrounds others with beautiful things, changing thereby the general condition and mood. Usually opinionated about their tastes.

(wow i really went all out on that this one that tumblr wont even display it in full resolution, so here. john just has so many more lines to choose from, sorry!)

Super-EGO (+Te! -> +Ni?). Practical and technological thinking is tightly based on acquired knowledge and patterns of solving similar problems. Methods of business activity in both general and specific areas are selected based on the opinion of reputable sources, or adjusted to one of the mastered templates. Predicting specific changes in the sphere of their interests is carried out only on the basis of personal experience. He is not able to compare his own method of forecasting with others, so he is sensitive to criticism of poor timing or deadlines, does not like situations that feel like a waste of his time; he is lost in connection with negative events. Guided by purely personal experience, he chooses specific times and deadlines for various tasks with a normative understanding of business activity in general.

Super-ID (-Ti? -> -Ne!). Attracts information about the order, specific logical relationships in the field of activity or interests. Needs someone to suggest specific ways to make connections between phenomena, patterns, and rules. Tries to be reasonable himself, even though he knows that this is not characteristic of him. Sometimes he openly talks of his actions that were poorly reasoned through, as if inviting other people to laugh at his thoughtlessness. The ordering and systematization of thought opens up a new way of understanding of events that are happening around him, as well as new prospects, potential, and capabilities. He likes to think that he understands the essence of a situation and lights up with new ideas. This skill needs to be evaluated. It is unconsciously activated when it is necessary to create order, clear consistency and clarity on a particular issue, especially if their abilities are recognized.

ID (-Fi? -> -Se!). Involuntarily keeps track of communications in their social circle. Without hesitation, they use a variety of ways to establish and maintain relationships that have been developed in his personal practice. Good relationships are important for personal inner confidence in a situation. To prevent unfavorable relationships, they are inclined, often without even realizing it, to act with pressure, forcing a showdown, forcing the partner to change the relationship for the better. Frequently demonstrates his resoluteness, persistence, and purposefulness, as if proposing his behavior as a model for imitation. Usually tells in much detail what obstacles were created before him, and how he overcame them, what he was told in response, and what he replied with, and so on and in the like.

(full res)

you might be able to see already how they would complement each other's thought process nicely. here are some descriptions of what the communication between these types is like:

+Fe! : program function of ESE and dual-seeking function of LII

The ESE periodically tells emotionally charged "program" function stories, telling of how somebody has acted and what they have done. The main orientation of ESE's leading ethical program is: "No one should be offended." The LII carefully listens to these statements, and, demonstrating a full understanding of these issues, develops logical basis for them, e.g. in calm persuasive voice he explains how the ESE has acted justly and fairly. The effusion of turbulent emotions coming from the ESE is counterbalanced by their absorption by the LII, who breaks them down into fragments by asking clarifying questions of the ESE.

-Ti? : dual-seeking function of ESE and program function of LII

The ESE is tuned to accepting information when it's relayed in clear logical form. He issues requests for logical explanations delivered from a point of view of generalized rules underpinning specific life events, which he receives from the LII, who delivers clear unambiguous interpretations, places the dots over all "i's", and demonstrates good understanding of problems that are of concern to the ESE. Not receiving information of this kind, the ESE begins making demands of those around him to be "intelligent" and understand the reasons of his actions.

-Ne! : activating function of ESE and creative function of LII

The ESE feels uncomfortable if he doesn't extend his help to people who are in need of it. His subconscious orientation is: "care and guard the talented", be kind and attentive towards other people. The LII usually meets such criteria by proving in action his aptitude at uncovering hidden capabilities, winning trust, passing on the knowledge. The ESE creates supportive conditions for people who are capable but lacking in assertive "push-through" qualities, among whom the LII finds himself, and a special work regime that protects such individuals from overloads on sensing functions. Newly discovered possibilities inspire and promote the pragmatic and business-oriented activities of the ESE. He can support a new undertaking or initiative with an enormous amount of energy and enthusiasm, light up by new ideas. Only the LII is able to, even having a vague general notion about the subject, construct a developed theory or idea of any issue. This theory shows to be promising in the process of its concrete application within its field.

+Si? : creative function of ESE and activating function of LII

LII tries to take care of their well-being, but may gravitate towards demonstrative asceticism, exhaust himself with work, studies, or exercise. The ESE periodically takes care of creating an environment that "charges" the LII with pleasant sensations: a reception of guests, a good meal, a visit to a theater or a concert, an interesting trip, and so on. At the same time the ESE takes pleasure in this himself.

+Te! : role function of ESE and observing function of LII

The role function of the ESE manifests as business-oriented activity and initiative, supplying interesting information, provision with material assistance to those who are in need, general restlessness and fussy busyness. This function is normative, i.e. the ESE seeks to comply with the norms and accepted ways of doing things. The nuancing of the understanding of these norms, i.e. introduction of activities that go beyond them, is possible only by considering LII's advice and recommendations. The LII serves as a director of this function, adjusting its workings by advocating the necessity of practical application of some beneficial ideas, rejection of useless though spectacular ideas, and the need to ensure standards of life not below average by rejection of equalization.

+Ni? : vulnerable function of ESE and demonstrative function of LII

The ESE poorly feels the flow of time, both physical, which manifests as running late and poor distribution of his strengths over time, and historical, which manifests as poor ability to anticipate consequences of actions and tendency for traditional ways of solving problems. The ESE finds it difficult to make radical choices. The LII fully takes this aspect onto his shoulders. He has an unconscious ability to distribute activities in time, thereby avoiding work stress and overloads, and is capable of making a radical choice. The LII is able to calmly wait and in the necessary moment get to work when the wasteful fussiness of the ESE reaches its critical point.

-Fi? : ignoring function of ESE and role function of LII

On this function the ESE gives advice and makes demands concerning the creation of appropriate psychological distances in form of proper behavior, courtesy and politeness, denouncing rudeness and boorishness. In this manner, the ESE adjusts LII's role function, which in itself contains a set of large psychological distances: a sullen stubborn look, unsociability, etc. With such fine-tuning it becomes easier for the LII to come into contact with people, whereby he becomes more animated, resolves many of his ethical problems that previously frightened him, gains greater insight into human relationships and a more accurate understanding as to whose side to take in situations of conflict.

-Se! : demonstrative function of ESE and vulnerable function of LII

The LII finds it very difficult to exert pressure on other people from his own will and initiative, especially in cases when he needs to attain something for himself. He finds this difficult to do - to press ahead in certain situations, to gather all the required paperwork, to stand in lines and queues, to petition for his own interests, even the ones that are of vital importance to him. He finds it difficult to push a person away, to sharply refuse someone, to quarrel loudly and defend his rights, to put an end to relations that have exhausted themselves. The ESE doesn't directly affect this function, i.e. he doesn't verbally criticize and teach the LII on this aspect, but takes over its functioning completely. The ESE exerts a constant, sometimes intrusive and imposing pressure on other people if there is a need to achieve something, to defend justice and demand fair treatment, to protect interests of those who are close and dear to him. The ESE goes to the right jurisdictions, inspires people around him and directs them towards work and purposeful activity, keeps up a high pace of life himself, and breaks off relations with those who don't deserve trust.

and some miscellaneous excerpts from literature i liked a lot. (i can't remember the sources i used since i've been working on this on and off, for the past week and i was just spilling things onto the post. i think stratiyevskaya?):

Mood - that’s what matters in this dyad - emotions and feelings. Anything that suppresses and overshadows good mood is considered unethical in this dyad and is strongly condemned.

The ESE does not allow the LII to limit him in the possibilities of consuming the amount of pleasures and joys, which he considers to be necessary and sufficient. Fortunately, both partners in the dyad - LII and ESE - are obstinate and unyielding. Both are demanding, unwilling (and not allowing anyone else) to lower the bar of their requirements, unable to give in and make concessions (especially in anything that is of principle for themselves). Both know how to make their partner reckon with their interests and insist on the fulfillment of their demands.

LII is impressed by the emotional generosity of ESE and his spiritual responsiveness. All this finds the deepest understanding in LII, since he is tuned to the same priorities and values. For his part, ESE admires the ability of LII to speak clearly and definitely on every issue. ESE is struck by the harmony of the reasoning of LII, the amazing clarity, accuracy and laconicism of his statements. To ESE it seems that for LII, there is nothing incomprehensible in this world; he can give a comprehensive explanation on every issue. And everything that ESE thought about before is gradually being built into a definite and clear system of views, which he can now very freely and naturally present. Confusion and chaos in his worldview gradually gives way to a stable logical order, as if someone patient and careful was sorting all his thoughts into shelves. Such clarity inspires and activates ESE; he begins to see some prospects for himself, new opportunities. His energy and activity, in addition to emotional and ethical expression, also receives sensory realization: ESE begins to take care of LII and carefully looks after him. If LII is a colleague with whom ESE is especially pleasant to communicate with, he begins to treat him with something tasty, homemade; will make some small, but beautiful and necessary gift (for example: new cologne or a warm scarf).

> okay that's great and all but when are we talking about john and aradia specifically?

yes, that was the point of this post. i just had to build all that up first so i could walk you through my thoughts in a fully substantiated way.

considering chronology of wind again, john doesnt realize it but he needs aradias frankness and insight. even if she’s unable to explicate on vague things, she states the reason why instead of making him feel stupid (it would create a doomed timeline) but thats all john needs to hear. she is self-effacing and only tells him the truth, and we know other people can take advantage of john’s suggestibility in this way. aradia tells john who is or isnt trustworthy, what actions would be useful/necessary and which ones wont, without any selfish personal motive a la vriska or terezi.

^ (juuuust the record my nitpicky ass doesn’t agree with the truth of the classpect interpretation on behalf of the author in the last bit BUT that is beside the point here. the point is that she is answering john’s question in a way that is meaningful for him)

aradia doesnt realize it but she needs john’s friendy goofiness to brighten her up because she is surrounded by people who antagonize her when she’s literally not even trying to get under anyones skin. everybody gets frustrated at her “spooky nonsense” because theyre afraid of their own mortality, basically telling her to put a lid on it because thinking about hard truths makes THEM personally uncomfortable. but to her it’s always just been a fact of life. plugging your ears to reality is ignorance, but at the same time that doesn’t mean there’s no meaning in anything. she wants to help people see this and she dedicates herself to becoming a psychopomp for the deceased and earnestly trying to make people feel emotionally and physically comfortable in their situation through exploring their memories.

john isn’t hostile towards her. by being herself she is immediately able to earn john’s trust when they initially talk. this is also true in canon; the one time they talked when john initially comes up to her, saying “can i ask you something? seem reasonable, and pretty nice.” unfortunately he asked her the one question she didn’t have much to say about, and i can’t blame him for expecting all the troll girls to be basically insane at that point. but i don’t think aradia is insane. yes she is odd, but i think it’s evident that she has a good head on her shoulders with knowledge of the way the universe around her works, and in the end wants to simply bask in watching it play out. i think she deserves to get childishly excited about it, especially considering she was dead for most of her developmental years.

aside from getting his answers answered, john shows curiosity about her and her species and even care about her well-being and state. this naturally comes from their conversation’s ebb and flow. aradia tells this straightforwardly, without bells and whistles and without trying to trick him, unlike the other trolls who seem keen on well..trolling him.. and providing him with unclear answers to those sorts things. maybe aside from vriska, but she did have a little bit of an attitude about it wherein her and john’s dynamic felt uneven or off-rhythm, with a large psychological distance. it’s a different feeling with aradia, however. they exchange information on the same rhythm and so are able to achieve a closer psychological distance in communication.

there are no judgments coming from aradia about john being “stupid”. she doesn’t underestimate him. it’s not just that john wants to understand (although he does), but he needs to understand what he is doing. aradia compliments john about the traits he possesses that allow him to be effective. i guess in a way i’m doing the same thing with john right now.

john is so mobile and strung along by being the action hero going from place to place as a can-do deliveryboy that he never has time to reflect on his losses, think through them, and accept them.

literally who else is more qualified in all of homestuck than aradia for talking to john about these things?

on top of all of this, they have objectively significant connections beyond just mutual self-realization in a way i think could've been fleshed out. there is potential here.

for a story, i can think of a way that a conversation between them could plausibly happen using the systems established in homestuck's mythology. in canon, we see that john never met aradia until year 3 on the golden battleship in the dream bubbles when he goes to sleep.

but john still dreamt out in the furthest ring. that means during those 3 years it was possible for john to have had a dream with her in it, or at least aradiabot. i know john didn't know aradia's name beforehand but let's just explore the possibility that they could have had met before that. remember that all these aradiabots were once this person.

aradia had obtained john's crosbytop, his dads hat, and his wallet quite a while before their sgrub session. theres your entry

imagine john seeing that

memories of dear old dad get stirred up through the link of seeing those items

the dream bubble transforms

john is forced to stand in his memories and explore grief and the meaning of life with aradia

physically being in the space around him would definitely help john reflect easier i think because it will force him to actually exist within the space and talk to someone, taking some time out for this. he wanted to know if anything could've been done or if he was just too late to save them. i know aradia would be able help him slow down and introspect. don't forget the opportunities created by the properties of these spaces that are glubbed out in the furthest ring by the horrorterrors that meld the labyrinthine time and space of their surroundings to the memories of the people and finding others through common points in memory. i would imagine that objects known by multiple people would provide a common point in memory to bring them together.

The bubbles allow the players of Sburb/Sgrub who have lost a life to continue dreaming. The reality constructed in the bubbles is a combination of the memories of everyone inside the bubble accessible to any who has learned the bubble's nature. According to Aradia, it would be quite difficult to exit a bubble to get into a new one, however someone inside a bubble can travel to another one through common points in memory, taking their own memories with them to be integrated into the new bubble. These memories mix and combine, but in general, no new memories are created. Additionally, the bubbles store the consciousness of a player who has lost their dream selves and their original selves, making them double as a form of afterlife; the player is then capable of accessing the memory of anyone else who has gained access to the bubbles. Living players, who have lost or become their dream selves, appear in the dream bubbles when they are asleep. It is in this fashion that the bubbles can be used as meeting places between the dead and the living; even those from alternate universes and doomed timelines can be found in a bubble. Furthermore, in addition to memories, the bubbles can to some extent reflect the thoughts of a player. Beyond that, the bubbles can also behave similarly to Skaia's clouds, showing things that are in some way relevant to the player - such as when coin-flip Dave saw alpha Dave grieving over Bro's corpse - something he was not aware of before being shown it by a bubble.

physically reflect the thoughts of the player…… rubs hands

john and aradia share points in memory related to those objects, and to top it all of they are directly related to john's dad on the same day he died, while aradia grew up with them as bizarre alien artifacts from an archeological dig. the memories are more emotionally charged for john, and i think that distinction would probably be relevant to them both.

to be honest i think after speaking with him for a bit she would readily tell john that she regrets not talking to the kids from the universe her team created sooner before she died, but is glad that she can in the afterlife. in canon, alpha aradia told a doomed dave, "i think its absurd i never introduced myself to you in all that time i spent moping around the lab. guess i wasnt in a very good mood".

now not all the aradiabots would know who john is, because the trolls only found out about the humans once they created the genesis frog and hid out in the lab in the veil from jack who infiltrated their session. the aradiabot in the lab was the last one that survived. so if any one of them would know who john is, it would be the aradiabot that exploded. aradia's dream self ascended to god tier in jack noir's rampage on trolls' derse and took those memories with her which we can assume is what made the last aradiabot explode. its known that any original copy that dies when another rises up becomes a ghost and lives on in the dream bubbles, which would include her. a doomed aradiabot we see in the comic, which was the one that originally landed to alternia in the past, becomes more lighthearted after she dies, a bit more like her alive counterpart.

oh yeah, and the more obvious surface-level connections to top it off? ghostbusters? john ain't afraid of no ghost girl. john would be genuinely interested in what aradia living as a ghost irl on her planet and not as a gaming abstraction in the furthest ring would be like. i imagine she would be able to explain the subjective experience and that she had to prototype herself into the kernelsprite order for her server player to see her. there's also no way john hasn't seen a movie as classic as indiana jones and judging from her poster i can imagine he probably thinks it's sweet that aradia's strife specibus whipkind is a reflection of her own personal tastes, interests and hobbies.

so yeah i've just been chewing on all of this and thinking about it but i know i needed to just get this out there somehow. obviously since i spent two weeks putting this post together i'd be happy to hear your thoughts

[heavencasteel420]

Okay. I’m gonna be a hater.

I’m not against St4ncy because of the association between their first time and Barb dying. If they were good together and she really wanted to be with him, then I wouldn’t be rooting for her survivor’s guilt to keep that from happening.

I’m also not against St4ncy because of the S1 graffiti, per se. From a writing perspective, I think the show over-egged the pudding by making both Jonathan and Steve do such shitty things to Nancy in S1. I believe the creators were mainly trying to make certain things happen plot-wise (there needs to be a photo of the demogorgon, the teen confrontation needs to be immediate and public so Jonathan and Nancy can end up at the police station) and trying to foreshadow Steve’s heel-face turn by making his objections to the photos more reasonable, and they did a clumsy job of it. And I think it’s basically fine for the creators, having realized that this was all too much, to quietly drop it. Such is the nature of multi-season TV. Realistically, it’s wild that Steve and Nancy would get back together a mere month after all of that, but, unless a shipper actually says stuff like “it’s not that bad that he would do that, because he was understandably upset” or “it was just vandalism,” I’m not going to assume that they’re chill with the graffiti.

That being said, the whole “Steve’s feelings were hurt because he thought he was being cheated on and he’s young and it was all Tommy’s fault anyway and he apologized” vs. “Jonathan had no motivations other than intrinsic badness and his youth is not a factor and his apology doesn’t count and his terrible home life is not only not an excuse but a justification for Steve’s tenuously connected shitty actions” thing has soured me on large swathes of Steve fans across the board. I’ve seen too much of the so-called real-life justice system to find this attitude anything other than disturbing. But this isn’t exclusively a St4ncy shipper problem. If anything, they at least usually like Nancy enough not to act like she’s somehow at fault for the photos because she forgave Jonathan later (???) or put her “cheating” on Steve on the same level as the guys’ worst S1 behavior.

My main reasons for disliking the ship (in an exclusive endgame kind of way; I’m cool with Stoncy most of the time and I think they canonically had some good times together) are way more subjective. The first reason is that Jonathan is my favorite and St4ncy shippers invariably don’t like or get him. This is predictable, although not inevitable; Jancy shippers don’t dislike Steve so uniformly, for example. So obviously that’s not gonna work out.

The second reason is that I just don’t find the things people like about their relationship very romantic or desirable. He’s protective of her, but that mainly seems to involve trying to keep her from doing things she believes she has to do or retaliating against others in ways she finds distasteful. There’s not a lot of awareness of her perspective. He wants to be with her “no matter what,” with no consideration for the obstacles, but those obstacles seem to include “what she wants” and “what they are both like as people.” I’d get it more if he was like “I don’t know what the future will bring, but I’d like to give this a chance in the short term” or “listen, I can figure out what to do with my life in Boston as well as anywhere else,” but instead he just does not seem to know her at all or be thinking about what they would do as a couple in the immediate future. After a point, that’s just being in love with the idea of being in love.

Also—and I am not trying to be catty here—I think it’s kind of silly to compare his romantic dreams with Jonathan having reservations due to trauma, poverty, and family obligations. That’s not so much a testament to Steve loving her more as it is an indication that he is relatively unburdened by material concerns. He may be broke, but he’s not dealing with entrenched multi-generational poverty. I’m not saying these things to suggest that Nancy would be wrong to break up with Jonathan—sometimes love isn’t enough—or that Steve is less deserving of love because his life is easier, but I am saying that Steve was kinda born on third base here.

I am not convinced that Steve would do “anything” for Nancy! Nor do I think that he should! That is not a good or sexy dynamic in an equal romantic partnership to me! They should both have other principles and goals of their own! (Also. Is the guy who wouldn’t revise his college essay in S2 really gonna move to Boston for her? I think he’s changed, sure, but not in that particular way.)

[acourtofthought]

I’ve been thinking about E/riels’s theories about a war breaking out over who Elain is going to be with (like Sarah isn’t aiming for peace across the lands lol). And I just can’t see it happening because Lucien and Azriel simply don’t have armies to back them up.

- Helion became a High Lord basically yesterday. What’s he gonna say? “Omg you guys I know I still haven’t proved myself as a High Lord but my son I just met can’t take no for an answer so off to war we go!!!”

- Beron will enjoy Lucien’s humiliation. He’s already disowned him.

- Spring is basically dying so Tamlin is out, too.

- Jurian and Vassa may care about Lucien, but they’re not sacrificing human lives over this bs.

- Azriel has spent his life looking down his nose at the Illyrians, they will absolutely not fight so he can keep his girlfriend. Same with Kier’s Darkbringers. So he’s empty-handed, too.

Only a fight between the two of them is possible. But then what? Elain is not an inanimate object to be “won”. She made it clear in ACOSF. Not to mention that if a fight happens, even if it’s not a Blood Duel, Gwynriel dies (I know that won’t bother E/riels lol). I doubt Gwyn will want to be with a guy who fought over another woman 2 days ago. Having feelings is one thing, entering a fight to the death is another.

I think some readers are so caught up in what they want to see happen they forget what actually happened in the book.

Az wanted to kiss Elain.........on Solstice.

Az was going to get "down on his knees for Elain"........on Solstice.

Az could not admit to Rhys that he was over Mor that same night.

Az told Elain they were a mistake that same night.

Elain whispered she was sorry to Az that same night and returned his gift hours later.

Az felt calm after spending time with Gwyn that same night.

Az felt something spark in his chest over the thought of Gwyn's happiness that same night.

Az and Elain share no further interactions for months after Solstice. MONTHS.

You know what did happen in the months after?

Az AND Elain (along with the others) nearly lost Feyre, Rhys, and Nyx during the birth scene.

Elain and Az (along with the others) nearly lost Nesta in the Rite.

Az watched Cassian taken by Briallyn.

The Az and Elain forbidden romance has no legs whatsoever.

First, we have ZERO evidence that Elain even entertains a crush on Az anymore. And why should she? He ignored her for a year because he couldn't handle her bond even though she could have used a friend while she recovered from trauma and fought with Nesta. He bought her a gift then called HER a mistake then never apologized. And he continued ignoring her for months after Solstice.

Super crush worthy material right there, am I right?

Also, why would Az turn around and betray Rhys's order after Rhys nearly died? I'd think nearly losing his brother would cause Az to be on better behavior, no? And he doesn't always disobey them "The High Lord and High Lady of the Night Court had faced off against the shadowsinger this after, and emerged triumphant. Perhaps triumphant wasn't the right word, but the argument had ended with AZRIEL GRUDGINGLY AGREEING NOT TO SPY ON BRIALLYN FOR THE TIME BEING -and brooding all through dinner."

Az may not have been happy about obeying orders but he obeyed orders regardless.

No one is starting a war over anyone. Lucien would walk away for good if Elain asked it of him and she would probably wash her hands of the entire lot of them if they were honestly trying to threaten the peace of the lands over her.

"I belong to no one"

"I am not a child to be fought over."

"You do not decide what I can and cannot do."

THAT is Elain Archeron and it's off-putting that anyone in the fandom would turn her into a simpering fool for the love of a male who avoided her because he's so sensitive to the smell of a bond that will always exist and who couldn't admit that he didn't just want to use her as substitute for a pleasure hall.

If she ends up with either male it's going to be because it's the right thing and not because they have to burn bridges in order to be together.

[fleetingvow]

‘ GHOST OF THE PAST .

Anthony Lockwood x Female Reader

SYNOPSIS. in which anthony recalls the tragedy of the only person who stirred his blood and thoughts. the girl who stayed young forever.

WARNINGS. heavy angst with a character’s death, specifically the reader’s. unproofread.

NOTE. anthony and the others are aged up by five years. lucy and george are vaguely mentioned in the story. this fic focuses more on anthony’s thoughts of how his romance started with the reader and his thoughts of when he lost her.

NAVIGATION. you can find more of my works about anthony lockwood and wednesday addams by clicking the link here! a fair warning, they’re all angsty!

NOTE. written in third person’s point of view. this fic is written by ©fleetingvow on tumblr. do not rewrite or repost on any other platforms without my permission. inspiration is lovely, but plagiarism by paraphrasing is not, as well as stealing someone’s idea and claiming it as your own which is exactly what plagiarism is.

𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗛𝗢𝗡𝗬 𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗗 uncomfortably in his seat. It was the very dreaded day for the celebration of love once again. He had avoided it for years that the only things he felt were either hollow screams of desire to turn back time or incessant pain of memories of who he lost.

“Anthony, it’s a gift specifically intended for you.” Lucy stood in front of his desk. The library was still quite the same as it was over the years, only the books in the shelf kept multiplying, and the papers continued to stack on the wooden material. She let out a sigh before resuming with a gulp, “We can’t turn it away. It was from your . . . old friend.”

It hurt so much, hearing the words used to address to the person who was once his very soul. The one who painted the universe for him to feast his eyes. How did Lucy even get ahold of these?

“Thank you, Luce.” His voice was strained, as if he was fighting back tears that were making his tie tighter and tighter as the room almost spun around with the stress he was obtaining just by looking at the objects set before his eyes. “But I think I might need a little solitude if I were to take a look at these.”

Knowing the vulnerability of the situation, Lucy decided to leave the library without a word, just a lump on her throat as she composed herself, trying to recover from the atmosphere in the room. The giver of those gifts was once her companion, and it pained her that it was only years later that they were able to look at her belongings without feeling the need to cry instantly.

Lockwood unwrapped the presents slowly and carefully, not wanting to be careless with the items that were the only closure he had to her. As the parchment slowly revealed the silver metal underneath, there it was, the letters that made up her name engraved as she was in his mind on the back of the mirror.

“Y/N.”

He couldn’t touch it. God, how could he? Anthony looked away, his breath shaky as he looked up at the ceiling, gathering all the composure he could muster with his eyes closed.

‘Just touch it.’ He thought to himself over and over again. His trembling fingers finally closed the gap between the object and his hand. Anthony opened his eyes and took the mirror, completely removing it from the parchment wrap. He then, carefully traced the embellisments on the back of the mirror.

Y/N loved the loops and details.

It took his every bit of energy and will to turn the mirror and see himself in it. It looked exactly like her when he would stare. He always saw himself in the reflection in her eyes, and the mirror was the vivid reminder of her.

She loved that mirror. She treasured it more than she treasured her life. It was her very own object. The thing that only she could possess while many people in the world owned the exact same thing for the sight of it will only remind him of her.

Anthony recalled. He laughed humourlessly. Of course, he recalled. It was the moment his life started. The moment where he realised he was an actual living human being. That he was a person with a purpose and freedom to love and admire. To cherish and to hold.

It was the night of the Fittes’ Annual Valentine’s Ball four years ago. The London air was cold even despite his coat already being thicker than it usually was. Lucy and George had gone to the library in search of any clue for the Fittes’ dirt. He was there to appear as smug and confident as he was to be recognised by such an elite agency.

But then,

Oh, but then,

All regrets of attending the party had done nothing but dissipated. Anthony Lockwood, for the first time, felt the core of his palms hurt in an intoxicating manner that sent electric waves through his veins that he himself couldn’t explain the phenomenon when he saw the one and only Y/N L/N amongst the crowd.

He didn’t know how or why, but God, he knew what. He was aware it was her eyes, the way they glinted under the stars when she stepped outside with him in the streets of London. They shone under the silver streaks of the moon. They said someone’s eyes were the windows of their soul, and he didn’t know what they meant.

Not until he got a glimpse and was trapped under some type of spell that when he looked, Lockwood witnessed the universe being painted around him, flushing colours in the void of his existence, and putting stars to keep him away from the dark.

So smitten he was that he forgot to check the placements of the stars. If they were aligned closely . . . or if they were aligned at all.

They weren’t.

Anthony was pulled back from his memories, turning the mirror away from his face as he put it back down to the wrappers. He couldn’t stop recalling now. Her eyes, her hair, her smile, her skin — Just — Just everything about her, he could all remember it so vividly that it was hurting every bone in his body, making every inch of his skin scream for her.

“Why now?” He whispered, putting his hand on his face to cover it frustratedly.

“Why not?” She whispered in his ear. It was the ghost of the past. It was yet another vision of her, a memory that he wished to relive. It was still four years ago, just two months after he met her. Her breath was hot on his skin as she stifled a laugh. “Be a dear, Lockwood, and help me put this on, will you please?” she asked in a mocking tone. How could he say no? It was a silver necklace. One he gifted for her.

“You’re not ashamed?”

“Of a good man?”

“Of me being in an agency below Fittes. It’s your domain, after all.”

“Anthony Lockwood, is this truly you? You’re- insecure? Your agency is the most prestigious agency in all of London, and you’re underestimating yourself? Besides, Fittes is . . . complicated. It’s bad business, and I would much rather trust the world in your hands.”

But the world in his hands were filled with her name. There was no corner that was safe from her essence. Every bits and pieces of the soil in his world contained his concern for her and her well-being.

“It looks lovely,” she mumbled, looking at the gift around her neck through the silver mirror with her name. “Thank you, Anthony.”

And again, he was pulled in another memory.

“I want to travel the world without everything we have now except for each other. We will move somewhere peaceful and quiet, and we’ll be sitting in front of a fire for comfort forever until we get sick of each other’s company. I want to go somewhere with you, anywhere but here.” She wanted him to run with her, but where? Every corner of the world was detectable to such an agency as Fittes’. She was the agency’s prodigy.

“You can’t throw all that away for me, Y/N. How could we live in hiding forever? What about George? Lucy?”

“I can’t accept his proposal. If I stay at Fittes, I’ll be stuck there forever.”

“Y/N,” it was an opportunity of a lifetime, but he couldn’t bear being the reason she’d throw away a life she’d been building since she was a child. Maybe it was wrong that she met him in the first place! Anthony was a mistake, or so he believed he was to her. She can’t just make a decision that will last a lifetime! What if she gets bored? What if she gets tired of him, and then regret it all? What if he couldn’t provide her everything she needed? She was used to a lavish life, and he lived in the same home he’s always lived in. “I can’t.”

Once he was back to reality, snapping out of his trance, Anthony noticed the envelope on the desk. He took it next and exhaled sharply, the butterflies locked in the cage of his chest and the wild heart of his swarmed around the organ as it pounded and raced into a fast rhythm that made the blood in his veins creep up to every parts of his body, making him feel more anxious than he should be.

The envelope opened, his eyes almost failing him before he could even read. But, he remembered his name, yet faltered once again when he caught sight of the handwriting he knew all too well.

“Anthony,

It must have come as a surprise for you that I still managed to pull something like this after years of my own possible demise—” No! He couldn’t read it. Anthony looked away, taking a sharp inhale to restrain the heartache he felt when he finally gathered the fact that Y/N knew about what was coming for her.

‘No, read.’ He had to be strong. It’s been years and there was no time for him to cower like a brutally tormented dog under a table. He shut his eyes, sparing himself a few more seconds before he turned his attention back to the paper.

“You’ve probably even solved the mystery by now. I knew you knew about the secrets of Fittes, and I was supposed to lure you in to keep track of you, but I couldn’t. Especially when I finally met you. You were nothing like they said. You weren’t arrogant or condescending. You were lovely, gentle, considerate, and smart. It was difficult to be anything but kind to you, Lockwood. The greatest mystery of my case is how I met someone like you.”

Lockwod shook his head. He is arrogant and condescending, but all of those traits of his would fade whenever he was around her. She calmed every nerve jilting him awake every single day. She’d always been the genius cure to the adrenaline rush that felt roo excessive he swore he could almost see the core of the Earth.

“I will wear your ring on my finger, forever until I rot and I will never take it off even if it’s the source you’ll find of me. I will forever march the world, waiting for you. I will be the fire on your hearth wherever you go, signalling that you’re always home, safe and sound as I defend you from anything who wants to destroy your peace. I will be the cold September air to accompany you during your dark cold days. I will be the sun that will peak through the clouds, watching as you smile and enjoy the warmth on your skin.”

A tear escaped his eye. One after the other, he sniffled and wuickly wiped them away to not leave a trace of his vulnerability to the only person that made him feel strong yet also weak in a way that he’d crumble down for her, and far better, kneel before her.

“As long as you walk the Earth for me, live your life for me, breathe the summer air for me. I will be there in every step of the way when you need me, and this mirror will always be a reminder of how I once saw you the night we met, how I’ll always see you — forever charming and gentle as you are, my intellectual bloody pain in the arse. Witness the moon in all its phases, feel the sun on your face, and touch the breeze that will creep up your bones. I will see to it that you will grow old with memories and the life you’re supposed to live.”

He took a shaky inhale and quickly covered his nose, resting the elbow of his hand that held the missive up for himself to read, on the desk.

“Find someone, Lockwood. Find someone who will make you happy, someone willing to spend their entire life with you with regards to your well-being, dreams, and feelings. You deserve someone who cares for you deeply. Put your arms around her waist delicately like you did mine, spin her around ever so gracefully like we once both have done. Dance in front of the hearth to your hearts’ desire. I will watch, and watch, and watch as I’ll sit and wait for you to come back to me when the time comes.

You, Anthony Lockwood, have become my reason to live, but now I must say goodbye. My farewell is dedicated to you and both Lucy and George. You have been a great family. My only treasure that I’m willing to die for.

It is not your fault though. It never was.

You have my ceaseless affections, Anthony. Always.

Yours,

Y/N L/N.”

A sound emitted from his lips as the letter ended that he felt like he needed to read more. Come on, there has to be more! This couldn’t be it! This couldn’t be the end of her moment where he felt like she was alive again! Just as she was starting to feel more real and closer, that’s when the letters had to end!

He put the letter down and ran his fingers through his hair, letting them settle on his dark locks and pulling them to create a pressure that will ease the starting headache. Lockwood couldn’t keep himself together anymore.

No matter how hard he tried.

The thoughts of her gone have always created such a tarnish on the crimsons of his heart. How could she just leave like that and never return? How could she leave him to his feelings? How could she claim he had her ceaseless affections if she left to too early?

Anthony Lockwood cried.

And cried.

And cried.

And cried once more.

She was gone forever, and the letters in ink on the parchment were the ghosts of the past. He still couldn’t accept it until now. No, Anthony will never find anyone like her. He’d already loved her completely and utterly that his heart has given out all the ardour it had, only for her. The ring she wore six feet under was the solid silver proof of his devotion.

But now, the words he uttered to her the night he held her in his arms could only be heard by the fading wind outside the windows of the library.

Y/N L/N was a bright ember that entered his life and warmed his heart during the cold February air at the Fittes ball. She was fierce and hot, brazen and red.

And oh, how she burned.

She was his dream.

His walking desire.

His waking moment.

His other half.

And what was once such a bright dancing little fiend was now the flame in the library hearth, keeping him steady as he lost himself to the messy art of creating rivers with his tears.

Anthony Lockwood had lost his person.

And he will never be able to bring her back again. The girl who stayed young forever as she wished for him to grow old without her.

[cursedmoon-doll13]

Based off conversations I’ve had in the server about the wizarding world and my thoughts/speculations as well as some headcanons regarding it.

Tl;dr overthinking world-building details

First of all: the living paintings. I have sooo many questions, like are there magical brushes that need to be used or do you simply enchant them with magic? What is the limit to this? If I doodle a stick man on a page and I enchant it does that mean it comes to life somehow? Also, there’s a lot of darker potential when it comes to this. Is there a black market dedicated to selling certain paintings? What about someone who will paint your deceased loved one for grieving purposes? Has someone ever fallen in love with a painting like we do AI? Are they fully sentient or are they similarly limited as an AI? And this isn’t even getting into photographs taken with a camera.

Speaking of black markets, while of course you have knockturn alley and your borgin and burkes, the real itching question in my mind isn’t on cursed or strange magical objects. It’s on drugs. Or specifically potions. Considering that basically mind-controlling love potions aren’t illegal, what sort of potions actually are? Or - I’ll do you even better - is there a muggle trade for the usual stuff (like say coke) which is made easier with owl post? Is there any sort of policing on non-Hogwarts owls? There must be a ministry force that cracks down on illicit trade with owls. Do they monitor the air for broom flyers as well? There must be some fine you have to pay if you reveal yourself on a broom to random muggles.

Yes we have the ‘are you a witch or not?’ Scene, but I also think for a lot of people who use magic, it would be interesting if they forget they can’t function without it. Someone who has been using magic their entire lives to do house chores suddenly not knowing what they’re doing if their wand snaps. Not even out of ignorance but just because it’s never how they’ve done things, like it’s their natural inclination towards magic. Since there seems to be a bit of anti-muggle bias in the books, I think it would be interesting to see how wizards struggle in comparison.

Also, while this is really more of a book thing, it seems that wizards don’t really know how to ‘dress like muggles.’ In the movies, Ron dresses exactly the same as Harry and Hermoine, but if we were following the books I wonder if he would dress very differently. Of course most of the time they would be wearing the uniform, but if you lined up a bunch of different kids from both pureblood and muggle backgrounds, I imagine they would have quite differing tastes in fashion.

Speaking of fashion. Are there wizarding fashion magazines? Specific trends exclusive only to wizards really? Like, obviously nothing is stopping a non-magical muggle from wearing a pointy hat, but given the history of it I would imagine all sorts of different styles of robes and hats emerged over the years. Even if it was simply minute details, we know from our own fashion history that it isn’t uncommon for wild trends to pop up. Maybe a craze for feathers or flowers or encrusted gemstones, or certain materials and fabrics that became popular.

We really don’t get a lot of information on clubs at Hogwarts from what I can see. Of course we have duelling club and quidditch and such, and I can imagine behind the scenes there must be wizard chess and gobstones clubs. What about music and drama clubs? Are there instruments only exclusive to the wizarding world? Can you enchant musical instruments to play themselves? Are there plays that are only known to the wizarding community or do they also do Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet sort of affairs? I imagine that certain Purebloods would look down on muggle playwrights, or really any sort of muggle artist in general. But still, you can’t tell me that the Malfoys or some other prestigious wizarding family don’t make visits to some magical opera house.

Also. Is quidditch the only big wizarding sport? We had duelling before yes, and again gobstones etc., but what about more physical sports? Aside from the more strenuous spells and flying (which tbh doesn’t seem that physically taxing anyway if you’re just going slow on a Cleansweep) I can’t help but wonder if many wizards are horribly unfit. I mean, given that they tend to live much longer on average compared to non-magical muggles, is it just the magic or is it also special wizarding yoga or pilates or something lol.

Quidditch itself is also an extremely dangerous pastime/sport I mean holy shit. While they do seem to have charms for cushioning, you’re often many, many feet up off the ground and if you fall off without one you could literally go splat and die. Just break your neck, snap and you’re dead.

We hear about certain bands that seem exclusive (or at least known) to the wizarding world e.g The Weird Sisters. There’s also Celestina Warbeck. Since the British wizarding community seems quite small compared to the wider population, it’s possible that there aren’t as many music groups around in it. There still seems to be radio frequencies though, in regards to the aforementioned Celestina scene and the rebel broadcast in Deathly Hallows.

Could there ever be an overlap? Like wizards who decided to break into the muggle musical industry and who are also enjoyed by the wizarding community? On the topic as well, since Arthur Weasley had his obsession with muggle technology, there must be others who are similar to him right? you can’t tell me there isn’t a wizard Ariel or something who tried to leave and integrate with muggle society. Not even a squib, but a wizard who just rejects it all. That’s a story that needs to be told.

All this just begs the question of how advanced is the technology in the wizarding world? Since apparently the modern stuff doesn’t do well in Hogwarts, where is the cutoff point? Maybe you can’t bring your gameboy into school, but what about a record player and vinyls? You just know muggle students in the past have tried to sneak all kinds of weird shit into Hogwarts with them.

Since we know that there are stories and tales exclusive to the wizarding community (Ron’s childhood stories in Deathly Hallows and Tales of Beedle the Bard I believe?) are there also popular wizard fiction authors outside of those who were penning school textbooks or autobiographies i.e good ol’ Gilderoy Lockhart?

I feel like there definitely must be. It makes me wonder how much genres such as sci-fi, (would it be a thing?) horror, romance & erotica etc. would differ in contrast to muggle novels. Especially historical fiction actually, since many of the notable figures may be different.

Getting into darker territory now. For an extremely skilled wizard, I think transfiguring someone in order to kidnap or kill them would be a likely move right? Or at least trying it. I mean if you turn someone into a bug you can squash them, or even into a small animal you can stuff them in a bag or something. Hell, transfigure a person into furniture if you’re feeling really nasty. I know this is fucked up but that’s the point lol.

I also wonder exactly how severe your crime has to be for you to get shut away in Azkaban? Like for petty theft and other minor charges. Of course if you commit a homicide then you get thrown in the slammer, that makes sense, and unfortunately so does Hagrid’s sentence to an extent since the Chamber was pretty dangerous. But do you just get a fine? Are there other holding cells in the ministry you get put in? Somewhere that isn’t Azkaban;;;

Also what about wizard serial killers? Not to be gruesome, but I imagine there are all sorts of options available to magical opportunists. Yes, you have the killing curse, but also you could literally just light someone on fire or leviosa them 50 feet off a tall building. It’s not that hard lol

Also are… Are there collectible cards for them…? I mean tell me there isn’t a true crime community in the wizarding world as well jekfkfktn

To reiterate my point with wizards all using magic for stuff, I wonder if any of them have considered like idk. Using a gun instead? Guns are most certainly not super advanced technology and they can’t be blocked really so… There’s a solution Tom and it’s called a glock

Basically all I’m saying is that there’s a missed opportunity to explore wizard crime bosses.

If any of this is explained in later books or spin-offs, I apologise. I’m only using the original books as reference, and even then it’s been a wee while lol.

[synthetickitsune]

you write a lot for soohyuk, i was wondering if you’d consider writing for park joongil? his mom was awful in that past life and i can imagine her wanting to marry him off again and that relationship with his second wife would be so painful and sad and your guidelines say you are open to writing angst so if you do consider this thank you very much!

Anon I love you for this idea?? I wish my writing skills were better to do it justice but this concept is the perfect angst material?

Park Joonggil (Tomorrow) | Married again angst | 0.7k TW: mentions of suicide

Watching your husband, separated only by a few steps as the cold air makes its way inside the house through the open door, there’s a tight feeling crushing your chest.

Standing right under the edge of the roof, only a breath away from the falling rain, Joonggil’s just a husk of his past self. You’ve heard about the fate of his late wife - who hasn’t. So many see it as the best thing that could happen, his own mother included. You’ve always wondered if they’re all blind. Because as tragic as death inevitably is, the loss of life before one passes is all the more painful.

Blind but not stupid, nobody expected your marriage to be easy. On the contrary, however, it’s been smooth sailing so far. Perhaps you’re sharing the last speck of fortune that you were given.

Anyway, the marriage works well. You were never suited to be a wife, to carry and care for a child, the household, and so when Joonggil approached you on your wedding night and as respectfully as he could expressed that he won’t be able to give you a child, nor the love you’re worthy of, it came as a bittersweet relief.

You care for each other, sure, but that’s about the extent of it. You’d be lying if you said you haven’t developed any feelings at all for the man. They’re a luxury you can’t afford, a guilty pleasure to indulge in whenever Joonggil brings you a gift from the travels duty sends him on. When he hands the objects to you, the smile never reaches his eyes. You’ve wondered more times than you can count whether there was ever an unspoken this made me think of you behind the gesture, or if they are just to keep appearances. 

You’re not naive enough to hope.

A part of you, one set on hurting you, wishes you could’ve met his previous wife. Joonggil never speaks of her, which is understandable, and you don’t push him, you don’t ask. Nonetheless, you’re curious. How unique that person must’ve been to capture Joonggil’s heart so? How wonderful she must've been that her death left behind a hollow shell of a man? You've only stopped doubting love is real after you've witnessed his devotion. How painful it is that you're not the object of it.

Sometimes you believe he wishes he'd have died with her. Other times you wonder whether, maybe, if you died people would believe him cursed and finally let him be alone and mourn the loss of the love of his life as he wishes. Even if that was the case, however, you could never take your life. You know that his mother would only push for another wedding. And more importantly, you could never do that to him. 

He still gets woken up by nightmares. Even tonight.

You know he can feel your eyes on him and so you get up. He's not stupid. You know he knows. But you have to keep up the charade. You're careful not to dirty your clothes as you step outside.

"y/n, go back to bed. The night is cold," he speaks without turning towards you.

Your name. Not wife like he used to call her - an information bestowed upon you by his mother. Apparently all that she does and says has to have a victim. Something to torment.

"Come back inside, Joonggil," you ignore his advice, "You're leaving tomorrow and you need strength."

He sighs.

"I'll be just a minute," he finally looks at you, giving you a slow nod. You return it, and just like that, you do as he’s told you.

Polite, short conversations, the usual. Come morning, he'll be gone before you can wake up. It hurts. Night seems to be the only time you can talk freely, without curious eyes and ears spying you. The rejection stings more for that.

Maybe it's for the best that he's leaving.

You’ll dutifully play the role of a wife missing her husband and you’ll play it well. It's the only role you play without pretending.

[tenpintsof-sundrop]

you have some of the best fics i’ve ever seen on this app, AND you always have correct takes. i love that people get pissed off over your takes bc it just proves that they’re in the wrong🫶

oh thank you so much!!

I have a feeling that you're talking about this post I made about Dick Grayson being 'over' sexualized

and to a point I do understand other people having different opinions than me - I think if everyone had 100% monolithic opinions, the world would be a boring, horrible place. and I don't necessarily think that anybody who disagrees with me is wrong

but I just hate it when people are hypocrites

like for one - the post I saw that caused me to make my post in the first place was someone who made this long ass post "examples of Dick being over-sexualized in the comics :(" and half the examples they used were people simply commenting on Dick's looks (which is NOT sexual in nature, just talking about the way he looks) or talking about him being charming/talking about him having a lot of girlfriends or being flirtatious.

and if this had been about a female character, all the comments about her looks would have been sexual in some way, and the comments about her past boyfriends would have been derogatory/calling her a slut in some way - when often, Dick is complimented for his sexual prowess and his ability to get a lot of women, and he will never experience the kind of sexism a female character would cause that's not how it fucking works

first of all - I fucking HATE the term 'over-sexualizing' because it implies that there is a line where sexualizing someone or something becomes too much**. and the second that you draw that line, you are moralizing sexual desire which is a fucking cop Christian Catholic thing to do. I do not care if sexualizing an object, idea, or character makes you 'uncomfortable' - there is no amount where it is morally wrong, and implying that there is a line where something is 'overly' sexual is rhetoric taken directly from Christianity. please kill the cop in your head that makes you think like this

**also - who gets to draw the boundary over what is considering 'too much' sexualizing? especially when it comes to a fictional character. fictional characters DO NOT HAVE a fucking consciousness. they cannot consent, they do not need to consent, so there is no one singular moral authority stating what is 'too much' sexualization upon them. fictional characters cannot have their feelings hurt by sexual trauma, so you cannot 'over' sexualize them

whenever I talk about sexualization in my posts (especially talking about fictional characters), I never state it as something evil or wrong. it's something fun

but anyway - saying that Dick Grayson is over-sexualized by the source material (especially when using examples such as him being called 'charming') is just fucking laughable to me. especially when there are dozens of female comic book characters wearing literal strings as their costumes and everything that has happened to Dick has never even come close to being the same

in my opinion, true equality would be for way, way more male comic book characters to be sexualized by the source material as much as the female characters are. and I stress 'by the source material' because I know so many people are gonna go "well, male characters are sexualized!!! have you seen how much smut is written about Jason Todd?" - male heroes being objects of desire for female fans is way different than every single female hero being drawn with giant boobs and being a one dimensional piece of eye candy in the actual comic.

people see Dick Grayson getting a fraction of the treatment that female characters get by being drawn in gratuitous ass shots and being talked about as being 'good in bed' before anything else, using his looks as a distraction, etc. - and they act like it's a fucking crime

this could lead me down a whole rabbit hole of ranting about how people only care about things when they happen to male characters and people literally only want to baby men (like the way every single fan talks about Spencer vs JJ or the fact that Hotch somehow became a victim of his divorce) - but I will be done with this for now.

my main point: sexualizing fictional characters is never morally wrong, even if it makes you uncomfortable. hell, neckbeard reddit bros drawing porn of my little ponys might be creepy, but it's not wrong. because those fictional characters don't need to give consent (because they are fucking fictional), and ultimately - you don't have to look at the weird porn that they draw.

[half-deadmagicperson]

HDBHFSP Chapter 2!

This is chapter two for my @ecto-implosion fic, 'How Danny Broke His Favorite Star Projector', based on art by the amazing @midnightectosnack (WHO HAS AMAZING ARTWORK THAT YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT!)

Rating: Teen (To Be Safe)

Crossover: Danny Phantom, Hades (Videogame)

Warnings: Non-graphic Temporary Death, Death Mentioned

Previous | Next

Link to The Amazing Artwork

       Danny awkwardly held his hand out to his opponent, half expecting him to not take it. The Greek lowered his weapon and grasped Danny’s arm in greeting.

   “Zagreus, Son of Hades and Persephone, Prince of the Underworld.”

   “It’s nice to meet you, Your Highness, and sorry about this whole mess.”

   “You said your mentor sent you. Who exactly is that?”

   “Oh right! In the Infinite Realms we call him Clockwork. He’s the Keeper of Time. He said that you would know him as Chronos, but he’s neither evil, nor child-consuming. He’s more like an aspect of him that’s just purely Time. I don’t really understand it.”

   The two continued talking for a while until Danny casually mentioned his home on Earth, or the surface as Zagreus knew it. 

   “So wait, do you know what a bird looks like, then?” Zagreus asked, rather enthusiastically. Danny raised a brow.

  “Um…yeah? Do you, like, not get birds down here?”

  “No, only spirits. Is it true that they fly?”

  “Yeah, they fly all over the place. They’re pretty common on the ‘surface’.”

   Zagreus looked at the boy awestruck before asking more questions. Danny told him about squirrels, turtles, and various other creatures. Zagreus listened intently, occasionally offering input from his brief time on the surface.

   “But my favorite thing about the surface is the stars!” Danny mentioned after wrapping up his conversation about flamingos. Zagreus lit up.

  “I always loved the stars! I would admire them every time I visited my mother! Although, it sounds like it has been quite a while since I’ve seen them.”

   “I should totally take you to see them! In fact,” Danny looks at a bracelet on his wrist, “They should be out by now!”

   Zagreus glanced down to think. A night out, although short, would be fun. He looked back up at Danny and smiled. Time to see the surface again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

   Danny was ecstatic when the prince agreed to go with him. To make things easier on themselves, they decided to take the route through the Ghost Zone. Zagreus was a bit startled by the lack of gravity at first, but eventually got the hang of it. Danny led his new friend through as the ancient prince took in the sights of the floating islands and staircases. Occasionally, Danny would point out important spots, like the Far Frozen or Dora’s Kingdom.

   “Oh and over here is Pandora’s domain! I don’t know if you met her at all, but she’s nice.” Danny said, pointing over to a large Greek-like structure. It was probably the most normal sight for Zagreus, compared to the rest of the Zone.

   Finally, the duo reach a ripple in the green atmosphere. Danny stopped in front of it to explain some things to Zagreus before they went in.

   “Here we are, the Portal. Now, before we go through, I should probably prepare you for what’s on the other side. The ‘Surface’ has changed a lot since you’ve been there. Heck, it’s changed a lot since I was alive! Humans have made lots of advancements and machines throughout the ages. There’s gonna be some things that might look strange and different to you.”

    Zagreus nodded in acknowledgement, and the two walked through the ripple.

    After stepping through, a dismal sight greeted Zagreus. The room was dark, much like his home, but this was more dingy. Sheets of cloth coated in dust covered many objects in the room. Boxes littered the room, but they were not a material the prince was familiar with. Danny sighed and dusted off one of the boxes.

   “Welcome to Fentonworks, or what’s left of it. The building is owned by my nephew. My, uh, my sister, Jazz, after we found out I couldn’t age set it up so that I could have a place to hide out in. Plus, someone needed to watch the portal.” Danny awkwardly scratched behind his neck before signaling to go upstairs.

   The upstairs looked in a lot better shape than the dungeon they crawled out of. There was a small table to eat at, but no furnace. Danny noticed his confusion and showed him the ‘stove’ and ‘microwave.’ Zagreus took in the different sights of the house. Tiny portraits littered the shelves and walls. All of the ceilings had dim, weirdly shaped stars glowing on them. Another staircase and two ladders later, and they finally made it to their destination.

   The stars were absolutely beautiful. An infinite expanse of glowing, white dots stretched down into the horizon. A gentle breeze brushed against Zagreus’s face as he took in the sight of the town. The buildings were taller than most houses he’s seen, but they were in shambles. He stood up from the cold metal of what Danny called ‘The Ops Center’ to get a better look at the town. Other than the moon and  stars, there was no source of light. The structures were cracked, and plants claimed them as their own. Zagreus scanned the area for any signs of life. Surely there must be someone out here right? There’s no way Danny would be living in a town alone? Danny noticed the concern on Zagreus’s face.

   “The town used to be more lively when I was growing up. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t huge either. Things were pretty great, going to the mall, getting some Nasty Burger, or even just sitting around playing DOOMED,” he started to explain, “After I died, the portal in my basement opened up which led to frequent visitors. They liked to stir up trouble with the living, so I usually had to stop them. Eventually, things became more peaceful, but the portal being open left some side effects on Amity. The ectoplasm from the portal contaminated the environment. People who lived here regularly didn’t notice a thing, but when relatives came to visit, they’d often get sick. The Guys in White, a government ghost hunting organization, decided to seal off the town from the rest of society. Nobody new ever came, but people were allowed to leave. I watched as the town slowly became smaller over time. After I got my job with Clockwork, I started guiding the town’s souls into the afterlife. I helped strangers, my friends’ grandparents, or a neighbor down the street. None of the deaths really affected me until they got closer to home. First, it was my father, then my mother, then Tucker, then Sam, then…Valerie, and…and…Jazz. They were all gone.”

    Tears glinted in Danny’s eyes as the once cheerful expression was replaced with a far more sober one. Zagreus didn’t really know what to do about that, so he just patted the boy’s shoulder. Danny wiped his face and smiled. It was at this point Zagreus noticed that despite how young Danny appeared, his expression was filled with age. Danny rubbed the back of his neck.

  “I’m sorry for ruining the mood. I guess I just haven’t had someone to talk to in a while.”

  “That is alright…I don’t really have many friends either. Most of the time I’m just in my father’s palace or trying to break out,” Zagreus let out a snicker, “but I don’t really spend much time with the people down there.”

   Danny nodded before replying, “Well, if you get bored doing whatever the Prince of the Underworld does, you’re more than welcome to come visit. I’ll even clean the house!”

   “I may take you up on that offer,” Zagreus smiled, until he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him. Danny’s voice started to fade into the background.

  “It’ll be nice to have a friend over for company!”

   Zagreus let out a weak smile before the pain consumed him and Death reclaimed his form.

  

  Danny watched his new friend dissolve into a puddle, much like one of his clones would, and started to panic. His friend just died??? Was this normal? He should see Clockwork. Can Greek gods even die? Is Zagreus considered a god? He really needs to go find Clockwork.

[6lostgirl6]

Could you do a poly lost boys x reader, where the reader is like Starfire? Like from another planet, doesn't understand human things, etc?

Please and thank you 💖💖

Hey! I hope you like this one!!

Out of This World

Poly!Lost Boys x Starfire!Reader

How You Met:

You were on a mission for your planet when your spacecraft malfunctioned and you came crashing down on earth. Without a way to fix it, you were basically stuck without a way home.

Honestly, you were apprehensive. Everyone wore strange clothes and spoke in a language you couldn’t understand. However, you noticed that people mainly gathered at this weird hovering mechanism that was held by giant sticks over the rushing waves of the water. It had many buildings with flashing colors of lights and weird spacecrafts attached to railings so they wouldn't fly? (The boardwalk and the rollercoasters)

Being a curious creature and used to exploring strange planets, you went ahead and followed a crowd that went through the entrance. Already, you were fascinated. It seemed to be a place to gather and have fun.

When the boys noticed you on the boardwalk and they were instantly intrigued and fascinated by you. Not only were you their mate, but you smelled entirely different from other humans. You smelt otherworldly.

You dressed differently from everyone else, clothes made out of strange material that they’ve never seen before. It looked futuristic. 

Paul was the one that was recruited to talk to you and get you intrigued, leaning against the railing and saying something along the lines of, ‘hey, babe.’ 

You couldn't understand what he was saying, therefore you grabbed his cheeks and pulled him into a kiss. Kissing someone would allow you to gain the ability to understand and speak the language of the person you kiss. 

“Woah babe, we’re moving a little fast. I don’t mind though.” He flirted. 

After a while, Paul convinced you to meet the other boys and you were instantly attracted. 

Dating Them:

After spending time with them for a while, they finally came clean and told you that they were vampires. You reacted like it was any normal thing which was confusing to them. When you finally explained that you were from another planet, they were relieved that you all weren’t human and they had nothing to worry about. 

When they also inform you that you were also their mate, you were extremely happy and accepted right away.

Dating all four of them didn’t bother you in the slightest. From your world, having more than one mate was common. 

You all show off your powers in the cave, sharing a mutual power of flying, it was fun to fly around the cave and play tag. 

Marko thinks your green energy powers that shoot from your hands are pretty sick! When the both of you are terrorizing the boardwalk, you shoot small bursts of your green energy to freak people out. 

Dwayne helps you when you have trouble with phrases and certain words. He finds it very cute that you don’t know how to connect certain objects with words they’re attached to. 

Paul gets you into loads of music, he helped you develop a love for rock n roll and took you out to see concerts. 

David loves that and hates that you're invulnerable to his powers. Having him try to invade your mind feels like your brain tickles for a second. 

Sometimes you slip with jokes from your planet in your native language and the boys sit there completely confused on what you’re talking about while you’re laughing your ass off. 

You stand there in confusion, “...on my planet, this is hilarious.” 

When you are turned into a vampire, the boys are a little jealous because you become a lot stronger than them, being a mix between alien and vampire.

[mmaxie-musings]

Actually, Dhelmise don’t perform mitosis— given that they are multicellular by virtue of being macroalgae— but instead undergo a similar process called fragmentation, like everyday seaweed. However, this only seems to occur in the event that one or more of the upper blades, or “leaves”, is detached, along with a portion of the holdfast; without both, a new individual can’t form. Even if both parts are present, it seems that most of the time a new one won’t actually develop, and instead the result is just seaweed that is indistinguishable from others of the same variety save for the inability to reproduce sexually via spores. For a time it was theorized Dhelmise could reproduce sexually via spores, explaining their genetic diversity, but this hasn’t been observed, nor has a Dhelmise with sporophylls ever been documented. It’s believed this is a side effect of the transformation from normal seaweed/kelp to Dhelmise, and why kelp grown from one remains infertile.

On that note, I didn’t get into the hardly understood development of new Dhelmise, which hasn’t been conclusively documented, but is described in the folklore of many seafaring peoples as the consistent idea of souls possessing or merging with seaweed, or the seaweed itself gaining/having a soul and achieving sentience. It’s generally accepted that it’s a similar process to the one that creates Bramblin on land, but research into the formation of either is rather difficult on account of the very specific circumstances required, and the fact that you can’t (ethically) recreate them in an observable setting. Doing so would probably be described as performing a funny little thing called “murder” and wouldn’t be a very popular or kind decision.

Big fan of Dhelmise, honestly, they’re unusual and often misunderstood fellas and a lot less scary than TV makes them out to be most of the time. I’ve been trying to learn as much about them as possible, and even just going down the poképedia rabbithole is a great way to spend several hours if you have nothing better to do… Signed, random trainer who’s starter was a Dhelmise due to unusual circumstances involving pokébeans and not knowing what to do when Large Hecking Thing decided to leave the water and simply didn’t stay put after I enacted the Back Away Slowly protocol.

P.S.: the Steelworker ability doesn’t have much of anything to do with ions, they’re just good at utilizing metal due to their species-wide preference for that particular kind of material. Sorta like that bird Pokémon that loves dropping rocks enough to be proficient in battle with them… Bomberdier? Bombirdier? Something like that. If they weren’t such incompatible types and also inhabitants of entirely different ecosystems I bet they’d understand each other. Oh to be a weird thing that will look at a hard object and go “yea I think I’ll specialize in beating things with this”….. Instead I had to be born a human and I gotta do things like “get a job” and “stop befriending weird beasts” and “get a hobby that doesn’t center around one or two extremely specific or niche topics”. Maybe I wanna start throwing rocks at people or beating them with random junk I found in the ocean, why can’t those be valid career paths huh

anon I love you.

firstly, THANK you for correcting me. I couldn’t remember the word for fragmentation so I just said Fucked Up Mitosis.

the ions thing may have been a certain thing? they were connected to klefki in that manner (they absorb ions of the keys they steal) but yes, dhelmises do decide to take things from the sea and beat things with it. it SHOULD be a career.

i, surprisingly know a dhelmise! he’s not caught, but just a lot of Afterlife Fuckery. his name is sev and he’s like a fresh-our-of-jail uncle to my fatherless boyfriend. it’s great. he likes sinking ships and he has a husband.

it’s funny because ghost types have varying levels of retaining “souls??” it’s very interesting. rotomblr also happens to have a lot of cross-universe fuckery. and sapient pokemon. there are a lot of those

anyways, very correct about dhelmises being victim to misconceptions. much like mimikyu there are nasty rumors of “they kill you and hate people and kill and kill and evil and violent” they just are very territorial and Don’t Like It when your big ass boat fucks up where they live. they don’t even hurt humans (on purpose. but it’s kind of your fault if you get in the way of 14 foot anchor creature)

anyways again anon ilysm for this. if only i could have a dhelmise. and as a STARTER no less? oh my arc that’s amazing. pokemon behavior is pretty connected to their nature and I think you just were Taken by a friendly one. big ghost anchors need friends too.

this ask made my day. AUG

[rottenbrainstuff]

BG3 playthrough: Astarion’s first sex scene, Raphael, Blighted village

(Spoilers, discussion of SA)

Astarion threw himself at me already: only Gale was faster. It’s all very sad how rehearsed it is. He specifically says he’s doing it because Tav deserves a reward. I know some people say they wished they had options to progress his romance without the sex in the first act, but the thing is, Tav doesn’t really understand yet what exactly is happening with him. I’ve heard some people also complain that his scene is fairly tame compared to some of the other companions and does a tasteful fade to black pretty quick: but guys, you wouldn’t want to see the rest, it’s not very good, Tav mentions in the morning that they noticed something was wrong.

Having sex with act 1 Astarion I imagine would be so oddly frustrating. I feel like his MO is to rile his partner up until they’re so ready to go that they take charge, and then he can just tune out for the rest of the evening while they do whatever they want with him. There would be odd moments of shrugging away from certain touches that are too intimate for him to stomach while he’s putting on his act; flinching away from gentle kisses on his neck, twisting away from soft touches to his ears, stuff like that. He would give his partner a bizarre feeling of simultaneously being pulled closer but also pushed away, leaving them wondering what the heck they were doing wrong.

After that I had a bunch of cutscenes all trigger one after the other: the bear bite, wanting to talk about Cazador, etc. Poor guy can’t shut up now. I wish the cutscene flow was managed a little better. I rest all the time, I had no cut scenes pending before that, then all of a sudden here’s a big dump. Inventory management is also a huge pain… I don’t even want to say how long I’ve spent just rearranging my shit.

I’m not sure exactly what triggers it, but it seems after a certain point, Raphael will appear when you go on certain areas of the map, even areas you’ve been before. I love Raphael, very dramatic, ten out of ten. I wasn’t sure exactly what was the best option to deal with Raphael but I think I made good choices. Love him. Don’t trust him as far as I can throw him, and my tav is weak and can’t throw shit. But I love him.

Then I went through the Blighted Village. It’s really neat playing as a drow, the goblins are all treating me like royalty and I can just walk right in to these camps and talk to them. The village was fun, I like the way the game tells a narrative through the papers and books that you find around town: the missing children poster, the journals noting bad things are happening, the way you learn more about what the innocent apothecary and his Dragonborn assistant are actually up to as you go deeper into the cellar. I wonder what exactly it was that blighted the village. The goblins came through for sure, but after a phase spider infestation, and a secret necromancer looking around for fresh materials, were the goblins the ones that ruined the village, or did they just provide the final shove that toppled down the house of cards?

I’m sure my drow character feels right at home running around through the tunnels, but UGH the giant spiders scared me so bad. They’re animated so realistically, they’re so huge, ugh ugh ugh.

Now that I have some cash, I don’t have to be pocketing every little thing I find that isn’t nailed down, so I can actually leave some of the incidental objects as the nice set dressing that it is. …. I mayyyyy also be arranging little items here and there like it’s an Animal Crossing island, hehe. I’ve got offerings laid out at Kanon’s grave, and a little memorial set up at Alfira’s blanket, and I’m setting up some cooking supplies at camp. Please tell me I’m not the only player that does this?

[yoyo-inspace]

So here’s the thing.

The loudest fan discourse regularly exhausts me, but something I’ve found very interesting to see over various social media platforms is that the most vocal supporters of each “team” seem to think that the show is favouring the other side. Plenty of self-proclaimed Team Green who calls the show pro-Black, talking about how they’re making Rhaenyra way too sympathetic, and plenty of Team Black who do the same but for Alicent. I’ve also seen them talk about how the show chooses not to have the characters do certain things that were in the book and they’re usually disappointed their faves (or the ones they hate) are getting painted in a more sympathetic (or less sympathetic) light. I find that thoroughly fascinating, and at the same time I can’t help but ask myself - wasn’t this the point? 

HOTD is an adaption. However, it is slightly unique as an adaption in that it is based on an in-universe history accounts. The show-creators’ job is not just to go through the text as it is and pick which account is the most likely and then adapt that - which is what I feel that certain fans have expected them to do. It is to see past that. They’ve said it in several interviews, but their mission is to look at this “historical” text and not only say “there are unreliable narrators with stories that contradict” but also to see it for what it is: history written by men - and by victors, by clergy, by gossipers, by people in power, etc. And to look at the text through that lens and ask themselves: who could the real people behind these descriptions have been? What kind of person could this man or woman actually have been to make historians describe them like this? Was it an exaggeration? Was it a simplification? Was someone trying to villainize or sanatize or make a cautionary tale? Were they trying to set an example? Was it a straight up lie? Was it true but twisted?

Anyone who goes at the text with that kind of analysis is of course going to come away with different interpretations. That’s part of the game. But that’s true for real life as well. We can look at the figures of our history and try to imagine who they were as people. We can get clues through letters and contemporary accounts. But we can never know. 

I think that’s what’s caused some book fans to be unhappy. They had their own interpretation of who the characters behind the historical accounts were. And sometimes those characters that they imagined were exactly like the accounts described. They picked an account and deemed that to be the most trustworthy and now they’re upset that the characters they’ve imagined are not the ones being portrayed on screen. However, I don’t see that as a falling with the show. I see it as one of its greatest strengths. I’m not saying it’s above criticism, even criticism of adaptational choices. But I think some of the criticism that is presented as objective, in a way, is instead highly subjective and not necessarily what would have made the best television. 

The thing is, I see a lot of people saying that the characters aren’t grey enough. Idk if it’s just me, but I think we’re still stuck in this moralistic thinking when we talk about characters being “grey”, even as it tries to put shades into black and white. What I’m seeing is a tv show that portrays people. And they’re portraying people very well. People who do good things, who love each other, and those people being the same people who also commit heinous acts and hurt each other terribly. I see a show that is making a very good attempt at explaining why people in these situations would act like this - especially women. “I want both sides to be portrayed as equally wrong” - but even in the source material there were glimpses of another story behind. I’m just surprised that so few people who talk so loudly seem to ask themselves “what could have been the purpose of portraying this woman in history as power hungry” and just decided to go with it instead. Not because there haven’t been power-hungry women in history- there definitely has - but because the history writing is specifically what this show wants to examine. Of course they’re going to problematize it. The show has taken that story and made it fundamentally about gender and power structures and generational trauma. If your “grey characters” stop being grey to you the moment they do an act that you see as good or an act you see as bad and that completely flips the switch for you, then we have very different definitions of a so called “grey character”. 

All these people (who I know are probably quite a small part of the fanbase) are so vocally upset about characters being given more sympathetic portrayals than they think they “deserve”, or characters turning out to be shittier people due to their circumstances than fans would want, that they have to set it out as their mission to try and ruin it for others who are enjoying it, and that is where I think the real shame is. I suppose I just can’t relate to that way of looking at it. Though fans rewriting the narrative of the show and the text even when it’s presented to us, I suppose is the most predictable and poetically ironic way this could all play out. Life imitates art as it imitates life, and all that. 

[avrelia]

Joe Cornish Talks ‘Lockwood & Co.’

excerpts from an interview with Joe Cornish about ‘Lockwood & Co.’

You became interested in the novel series right at its beginning. There was only one book out at the time. How has your perspective on it changed now that we’re years later and there are more books and you have a wider grasp on the larger story?

Joe Cornish: Well, what’s interesting is that Jonathan admits that he sort of made it up as he went along. The first idea that came to him was the idea of these two young people with this peculiar weaponry approaching this house to cleanse it of a ghost. And the rest of it kind of came to him as he imagined it. So what happens with books three, four, and five is by that point, he’s really thought about the world and where the story is going to go. He’s thought about all the layers of conspiracy, he’s thought about how “The Problem” began. So in the next books – I mean, these elements are already there during Book Two – all these little breadcrumbs start, I don’t know, becoming loaves of bread. That’s a bad metaphor. (Laughs)

All of these elements start developing and expanding. Characters who you think are innocent become much more significant than you think. Characters you think are good turn out not to be so good. Allegiances are divided and the story gets more and more spectacular. It just gets bigger and bigger and better. It was incredibly exciting and rewarding to read that first book all those years ago then go away, do other things, then hear that they were available again and read the next four. It was like “Holy shit!” This is better than we could possibly have imagined, in the way it has developed since. Our first season on Netflix is the first two books. There are three more books left to adapt. We think we could get two more seasons out of it if the gods smile upon us.

Is it just the quality of the source material that gives you the passion and the confidence to make the huge commitment to a full-length series?

Joe Cornish: You know what it is? It’s having read them and, I’m sure like many people, I kind of make the TV show as I read them. You play the action out in your imagination. There are set pieces and moments from those books that I’ve visualized in my mind’s eye, that are unforgettable. And probably like any filmmaker, when you see something in your imagination, you get this burning hunger to make it real. To one day step onto a set with actors and shoot it. The characters are so compulsive in the first two books and Cameron Chapman, Ruby Stokes, and Ali Hadji-Heshmati, the chemistry between them is so brilliant. I want to see their performances when they get to play all this other crazy stuff that happens between them.

I love the way that, during the first test when Lucy meets the boys, she touches an object and there’s this pulse-like sound effect and the camera moves up to her face the same way each time. How did you go about finding the right portrayal for those more subtle supernatural elements in the new Netflix series?

Joe Cornish: My brain is a big melting pot of every movie I’ve ever seen and I see a lot of movies. Sometimes I shoot stuff and only realize later that I’ve kind of borrowed it from something I’ve seen years ago. I guess it comes a little bit from a movie called The Fury, a Brian De Palma movie, where they use big close-ups for psychic moments. The thing where they’re ghost locked and their eyes go a little eggy white comes from The Beyond, a Lucio Fulci movie. My brain is like a massive Rolodex of every film I’ve ever seen. Sometimes I think I’m coming up with an original idea and sometimes I’m subconsciously just recalling something. But most of the time, I just think, “What is the most straightforward, legible way to do this? What’s going to communicate the story best to the audience?” 

What’s interesting about [Lucy] is her emotional intelligence and the way her psychic powers are linked to her emotions. So it made sense to go right into her incredibly expressive face. Ruby has the ability to give such a detailed performance, then we wiped out all the sounds so that we were hearing what she heard. It was fun to establish that language as well, what we call the psychic slide that went into her face, and then all the directors on the other episodes could use that same language, you know?

In conversations with Jonathan Stroud, were there any aspects of the story or the characters that he wanted emphasis on or that he wasn’t going to compromise on?

Joe Cornish: No, he really understood from the start that the screen adaptation was always going to be a different beast. He was extremely cooperative and extremely generous. He was thrilled that the things he had imagined were being built and was excited to see the costumes, the props, the weaponry. He was an incredibly valuable and supportive companion throughout the whole process. It was very rewarding when he started to see the episodes assembled because he really felt that he recognized his work. I think the things that are critical to the books are the chemistry between the three leads, the skull, and Flo Bones. But as much as we spoke to Jonathan, we also looked at a lot of the fandom that was out there and that told us what the most important elements were to them.

Were there any parts that you wanted to expand on and focus a bit more on in Netflix’s Lockwood & Co. as opposed to cutting?

Joe Cornish: So the first book doesn’t go into Lucy’s childhood in that much detail. It’s quite elliptical in the way it describes it and we wanted to flesh that out. We made a few changes. She has a whole lot of sisters in the book and we felt that it would’ve been a little bit odd to shoot so many characters on screen. We wanted to make it neater and more digestible, so we gave her this relationship with one of her fellow agents in her local agency, this girl called Norrie. We also invented some little missions they go on because that forms the center of the first episode.

You’ve got to be ruthless, you know, some set pieces in the books are really exciting to read but they don’t advance the story. So we see that and go, “Well, let’s not spend our valuable budget on that. Let’s just stick to the bits that really move the characters and story forward.” So we’ve cut some stuff, we expanded some stuff, and we made some little changes. Some things make sense on the page but not when you actually staged them. Like Annabel Ward, the dead woman in the wall from the first episode, in the books she has a locket. We changed that to a ring because a ring is easier to carry around and smuggle about. When you come down to the practicalities of staging some stuff in the books, it doesn’t work as well as it might.