#This was a lot of effort just to say Planets in this universe are usually very small and closer together.

[liminal-velocity]

[astroismypassion]

Astrology observations 🌷🌷🌷

Credit goes to @astroismypassion

🌷 I noticed there is often a correlation or that aspects are revealing so to say. An opposition or a square between planets might indicate that you didn’t do something. Conjunction indicates you came very close to almost doing it, but then it not happening. And sextile/trine revealing that you in fact did that. For example: someone who has Sun conjunct Mercury could came very close to dating (Sun) someone in elementary, high school (Mercury), but it actually never fully came to fruition since it’s a conjunction. Another example would be: Venus square Jupiter, you likely weren’t in a committed partnership (Venus) during your college/university years (Jupiter), because it’s a square. However, you might have been if you have a sextile or a trine.

🌷 Taurus Jupiter and Venus Jupiter aspect natives often have their own little philosophy, rules and outlook on partnerships and they are willing to make very few compromises. They behave much like an Aquarius Venus or Aquarius Jupiter honestly. They have their own set view on how the their partnership should be.

🌷 With Mercury in the 8th house Synastry, the Mercury person can label you (the 8th house person) with something you don’t agree with or even you don’t agree about the label of the connection itself. For example, Mercury person wants 8th house person to be their best friend, but 8th house doesn’t want that, because they already have a best friend. Or Mercury person might suggest friend with benefits, but 8th house want a committed partnership. Usually the view on the nature of the connection is different.

🌷 I noticed Leo Lilith, Lilith at a Leo degree (5, 17, 29) attract such distant, detached, aloof people. Those that are very Uranian/Saturnian with them. These people rarely receive the level of attention they would desire in a romantic partnership from their partner. They also often go for Aquarius/Capricorn Sun or those with Sun Saturn or Sun Uranus, Moon Saturn, Moon Uranus aspects.

🌷 Venus square Jupiter native is often too stereotypically described as promiscuous, lacking standards, lacking self-worth, self-esteem when discussing their approach towards partnerships. They feel “out of luck” of finding a suitable partner to commit to. So someone of them hold onto their partner out of fear. They think it’s hard for them to come across a partner. So if they break up, they could stay single for 6, 7 years or even more.

🌷 I noticed Aries Moon men are really thirsted after, mainly due to great sex appeal. One great example would be French actor Alain Delon, who both women and men found him attractive.

🌷 Taurus Suns, especially those who have Taurus Venus as well, often feel disappointed and let down by the todays, modern dating. They feel not only there is a lack of growing stability within a connection, but also lack of responsibility. Really this word is more connected with Taurus than Capricorn, especially when it comes to partnerships. Taurus Sun always teaches their partner the importance of responsibility and stability, so this is how they teach their partner to mature more in life.

🌷In 8th house Synastry there is always friendly competition, like “oh you’re trying to outperform me?😁”, because you want the other person to prove themselves to you and make an effort. But there is also this element of joking involved. You could often say something truthful, but then follow it by “I’m just kidding”, but there is stil an air of “unless you want to👀”.

🌷Venus square Jupiter native has a lot of friends in their friend circle that are single or unwilling to commit to a long-term partnership.

🌷 I noticed if you have for example Aries over the 5th house, probably the person you often end up having a crush on is a Fire sign! If you have Venus in the 5th it’s often an Earth sign. If you have Mercury could be an Air sign or an Earth sign.

🌷A lot of Aries, Scorpio Moon women consciously decide with time and age to only have female friends. Due to some “fake male friends” in the past, they do it as a form of protecting themselves from disappointment. Otherwise, these women have quite a few male acquaintances, even likely having more male than female friends.

🌷I feel like some Libra Juno or Juno in the 7th house people end up having this mentality of “don’t let your boyfriend stop you from finding your husband”. Because it’s kind of true for them more so than others. They could actually meet their future spouse and being friends with them when being in a partnership with someone else.

🌷 Libra Juno is hating on the same people with your spouse.

🌷 Leo Juno cannot be in a partnership where there is lack of affection, physical touch.

🌷 You might think that Mars in the 7th house in Synastry is all so romantic, great chemistry and romantic affection. Yet, I noticed it more in charts of really good friends even. Another thing to be said here is that both people have their own set view on what is “fair” in the connection and how balance looks like. So it’s actually not that easy to get along, because both have different definition and view on how they should go about fairness, balance in the connection, so often times it results in unbalanced situations. In Composite charts Mars in the 7th house often manifests similarly.

🌷 Aries Moon women and men care in the younger years less about love, being in a partnership and more about money and financial stability. They want enough money to support themselves more than they want love. However, when they achieve that financial stability they start thinking more about family, partnerships etc. later on.

🌷 Composite charts are literally so telling! If you have Composite Scorpio over the 10th house, you and your person could really respect and admire Scorpio Suns. You could both find Leo Suns attractive if you have Composite Leo over the 7th house. If you have Composite Capricorn over the 12th house, when together you both love to listen to Capricorn Sun musicians.

🌷 No one talks how Virgo Venus, Venus in the 6th house doesn’t get taken seriously enough in relation to partnership. People could love spending time with the native, hanging out, but often get friendzoned or that the other person want things more casual. It’s like people think Virgo Venus/Venus in the 6th house don’t have “serious feelings” for someone.

🌷I noticed usually people with Lilith in the 10th, 11th house or Aquarius/Capricorn Lilith, even Saturn Lilith aspects often come from a family where there was an age gap in partnerships throughout many family generations. Like there is at least 5, 6, 7 years difference between their father and mother, grandfather and grandmother etc.

🌷Virgo Mars people have the fanciest hands. They put on jewellery, always hand cream, well kept nails, always perfect manicure, some really see their hands and fingers as a canvas, hence hand tattoos. They just scream “rich hands”. One example would be Hailey Bieber, who is more and more known for fancy hand gestures and perfect hands. Even men here with this placement could have well kept hands, fingers and nails.

🌷Gemini Sun and Mercury in the 5th house love pampering themselves before a trip or they get their nails, hair done, they love looking good on trips.

Credit @astroismypassion

[sludgewolf]

Hc of Trolls being a Very Vocal Species

Just a personal hc I have of trolls making different insect like noises and how that affects their communication (+ some x reader hcs)

Characters: Chixie Roixmr, Polypa Goezee, Tyzias Entykk, Lanque Bombyx, Mallek Adalov, Marvus Xoloto

Masterlist

Disclaimer: do not copy, repost, take or feed to AI or NFTs anything I post

The longer you've spent on Alternia the more you learned about the hell murder planet and it's inhabitants

A thing that you can't believe you only noticed once you got yourself some quads filled was that trolls are a surprisingly vocal species

they're always somehow making some kind of noise to better express themselves

it's so common for them to do so that it even snuck into their speech patters, specially with your more chill friends since you discovered it's considered very informal to do so

Galehk once lent you a book to help you understand it better but to no avail, so you just went back to observing and sometimes asking your quads some questions

Through that you discovered that they found it weird that you were so quiet and thus very difficult to read during conversations

once you explained that humans just can't make some of those sounds they grew more understanding, but now you do make an effort to make some noises like clicking your tongue or sighing

you even told them the ultimate human secret of talking with your eyes and concealed facial expressions

Chixie, Polypa and Lanque taking it much quicker than Mallek and Marvus did

sometimes having whole conversations with you from across the room while your dear Skek Boy and busty clown were just lost

Mallek even getting a bit salty for not understanding you for shit

But it wasn't easy for you either, troll language wasn't one size fits all and each of your friends expressed themselves differently

Tyzias swears to you those are just different accents but you say it's their little special ways

Chixie Roixmr

She's very musical, usually putting them in her songs

her chirps resemble the ones from crickets, though much longer making her able to sing with them

Some of the songs she wrote for you are made only for chirps and purrs

even if you can't understand the lyrics you love them with all your heart

Strangely when Chixie is angered or any of you are in danger you hear a deep rattle noise coming from deep into her chest

it almost doesn't sound like her, the rattles make her sound much bigger than she is

usually making whoever is attacking her exitate giving her the change to either run or take them out

Also, when she rapped as The Mask this rattle frequently snuck into her performances

Polypa Goezee

Though very quiet, especially for a troll, once you gained her trust you saw how vocal she is

She purrs a lot, and I mean a lot

the loudest being while she tells you the plots of her favorite romance books, the purrs giving the tiniest distortion to her voice that's just the cutest thing in the universe

Buzzes and chirps when talking about things that can't be explained through words

and sometimes even with things that can be explained but she claims clicking just conveys it better

Strangely she doesn't growl or hiss, claiming that it would be unprofessional of her to do so

or maybe it's because she doesn't want to scare you

Considering her line of work and outer personality it would make sense, that is, only if you didn't know the real Polypa

Tyzias Entykk

Doesn't vocalize this way very often since it can become a bad habit and sneak on her while with a client

but on some extreme circumstances the most she will allow herself to do is growl at an attacker or click when she's almost passing out from exaustion

You drag her back to her coon as she melts to your touch , her clicks making you reminisce of a long forgotten memory of summer nights by the riverside, nature bringing the world alive among the darkness that surrounds you

Lanque Bombyx

Also very musical, will and did use this to flirt with you

Squeaks when frightened though he tries to hide it with his life

if you heard him squeak, no you didn't

Sometimes he'll let out these high pitched hums almost inaudible to you

this is a subtle way for Lanque to tell you how he feels without him actually needing to go through the embarrassment of doing so

Mallek Adalov

One of the most vocal trolls you've ever met

clicking and chirping while casually talking, even on the day you met

They're not shy about it and was one of the first trolls you noticed vocalizing like that

When lost in thought or upset that a code won't work for no apparent reason they click like a cicada

and you started associating this sound to spending the night laying at the sofa next to Mallek's table messing with your palmhusk as you wait for them to finish whatever they're doing

Their hisses and growls are kept only for situations that really call for it, none of them ever directed at you even during big arguments

thankfully you don't hear them too often but those are the moments you're remembered that trolls are in fact predators

it would seriously scare you if you saw anyone else doing it like Mallek

Their purrs on the other hand are for you and you only

Mallek purrs a lot and it vibrates their whole body

the purrs are just the perfect volume that you faintly hear when next to them but once you rest your head on Mallek's chest or under their chin you can hear them loud and clear

and you know those are the sounds of their love for you

Mallek will use said purrs to lull you to sleep on the regular

especially when you're sitting on their lap while they code

also voice warble,there's been multiple nights when you just play around with how Mallek's purrs modify both of your voices

Marvus Xoloto

A lot of clicks, almost being able to talk with only them

and Marvus has more than once tried to have whole conversations with poor clueless you this way

maybe as revenge for excluding him in your concealed facial expressions conversations

or maybe he's just doing it to pester you, who knows

You regularly see him talking to his lusus only with said clicks

The most musical of all and almost sings through his rasps and wrirrs

he uses them as his not-so-secret weapon during concerts making his fans go completely off the rails into a totally different mode of transportation

But off stage they sound so, so much different

the rasps that almost sound like growls and the wrirrs that are high pitched and sharp will soften once you're alone

almost like a lullaby just for you

though when Marvus is feeling silly he will sneak a honk in with them just to startle you awake

[cosmicangsts]

✩ — 𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒.

▸ is your muse tall / short / average? : the fifth doctor is six - foot, so he's fairly tall. ▸ are they okay with their height? : the doctor tends to be an average height when he regenerates ( aside from two, who honestly isn't even as short as he seems. troughton was five - eight lol & for reference i am five - four ) ; four was six - three, so five is pretty used to being up there. it annoys tegan when she has to look up to address him, though, so he's been conditioned to lean down or have a seat when speaking to those shorter to him . . . maybe tegan just likes to assert dominance? that, & feeling tall. she likes to feel tall. ▸ what's their hair like? : wheat blonde, blinding in direct sunlight. soft & luscious, he often flips it out of his face. ▸ do they spend a lot of time on their hair / grooming? : considering he makes his own shampoos & soaps in an effort to be as eco - friendly as possible, he inadvertently does. ▸ does your muse care about their appearance / what others think? : of course. cleanliness is next to godliness. if you feel good & look good, the day is already off to a good start yes?

✩ — 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒.

▸ indoors or outdoors? : outdoors. that's where the flora & fauna are, it inspires poetry, fresh air is good for the mind & body, & more importantly, it's how the TARDIS compendium expands its data on the lifeforms and locations found throughout the universe. he may not be the TARDIS's favorite iteration of the doctor ( putting it lightly ) , but it's quite likely his love of the outdoors & documenting things in his journals to be later entered into her databanks ranks him the largest contributor to the encyclopedic layout of knowledge that later regenerations have access to. thanks, fivey! ▸ rain or sunshine? : both have their benefits. sunlight helps things grow & supplies energy to many different civilizations ( yes, solar power was in use by other planets & civilizations long before humanity discovered it ) , while rain means that plants don't have to be manually watered, & the doctor can work moderately undisturbed because everyone else on board is asleep. the TARDIS garden has its own internalized ecosystem & weather cycling for the benefit of the plants. & there's nothing quite like walking in a downpour to gather one's thoughts. . . . just be sure to change into dry clothes once the rain stops. ▸ forest or beach? : forest. the doctor hates the beach. sand gets in his shoes & slows him down, & playing in saltwater just isn't his steez. ▸ precious metals or gems? : metals are neat, & have many other properties aside from looking appealing. they can be utilized in repairs for various components found in the TARDIS, & are quite easy to work with. ▸ flowers or perfumes? : flowers, easily. when untampered with in nature, most have a subtle scent that is just right. the fifth doctor has an acute sense of smell, & there's nothing quite like an overwhelming perfume to give him an unbearable headache. why faff about with something that's already perfect as is? ▸ personality or appearance? : given that he isn't ever actually looking for romantic companionship ( or otherwise ) , as long as you've got a good personality & can follow instructions, you're welcome aboard the TARDIS!

✩ — 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐒. ( cont'd. )

▸ being alone or being in a crowd? : this seems like an easy answer, but it's hard to say. he isn't as well - socialized as he would like ( despite being much more so than his prior selves ) , & playing cricket like a regular person on a sunday is quite fun for him! despite the frequency with which he is kidnapped, being out & about is usually a good experience & he can still see the best in people! that being said, there is a time & place for everything. he values his time alone while valuing his time with others, as well. he would never actively turn down someone's request to spend time together because he'd ' rather be alone ' . there really isn't a social battery to recharge or anything, either. ▸ order or anarchy? : he will have order. ▸ painful truths or white lies? : despite being one of the more honest iterations, he is still the doctor. a fugitive from gallifrey whose existence in the lives of others is built on misdirection & deceit, even if it's prettied up & packaged nicely. but the fifth doctor isn't the type to blatantly lie, preferring to just . . . omit. much easier to just avoid addressing things fully. ▸ science or magic? : science. witches almost ate him alive, once ( no, i'm not kidding ) . he doesn't hold a grudge against practitioners, it's quite interesting stuff, really! but science is something he understands, & magic is not. ▸ peace or conflict? : major peacekeeper. the desire for maintaining it leads to him being a bit of a pushover, with nobody who breaks terms of service facing any real consequences. it's literally why his companions tend to walk all over him & people don't tend to take him seriously. ▸ night or day? : well it's always night or day somewhere, isn't it? you truly have no concept of such things when space is your home. ▸ dusk or dawn? : dawn. it may be a bit trite, but nothing inspires poetry & rouses the spirit like sweet birdsong. ▸ warmth or cold? : no preference whatsoever, usually. time lords maintain an average body temperate of around fifty degrees fahrenheit. as long as nothing is too extreme in either direction, he is fine. but if he had to choose, he wouldn't want to be in the direct sunlight for hours & hours on end, of course. ▸ many acquaintances or a few close friends? : . . . the life of a time lord on the run means nothing but many acquaintances. he never stays in one place for a long period of time, how could anyone get to really know him? he always encourages others to forge lasting friendships with others however, & to never take them for granted. ▸ reading or playing a game? : reading. adric suggested game night in the TARDIS once upon a time, & it was a disaster.

✩ — 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄.

▸ what are some of your muse's bad habits? : quick to trust, although is conditioned to be warier later in life. is known to be somewhat moody, & can get snappy at times. can talk for extended periods of time about nothing, just to keep a conversation going, even when the other person may just want some silence. gets kidnapped A LOT, although this isn't really something he can help. ▸ has your muse lost anyone close to them? how has it affected them? : many times. however in this lifetime, adric is his biggest regret. the guilt over what happened never left him. not a day goes by where he doesn't think about him, & what he could have done different. could he have bent the laws of time a bit to save him? SHOULD he have? adric was the last person on his mind before he regenerated. ▸ what are some fond memories your muse has? : with this face? . . . teaching adric how to fly the TARDIS ( and almost dying along with everyone else, adric was NOT A GOOD PILOT ) , preparing a candlelit dinner for tegan & nyssa, having a weekly book club with turlough ( the ginger did NOT want to be there. ) , being in the TARDIS garden with peri, sitting together & talking for hours on end about anything & everything while looking at the flowers . . . comes to mind. ▸ is it easy for your muse to kill? : when the situation calls for it & there is great evil at hand— when it's between the imminent threat or his companions & the lives of the innocent . . . how could he not? remember, he's great with a gun. ▸ what's it like when your muse breaks down? : he doesn't. no time for that! too many people depend on him, he's careful to never idle, & the fifth doctor is quite good at processing & dealing with his emotions in private ( so he thinks ) . his outlets include gardening, researching flora & fauna on foreign planets to fill the TARDIS databank, playing cricket & composing poetry. he doesn't cry, either, but if he's close enough with someone, having a conversation about the things that trouble him can be quite therapeutic. ▸ is your muse capable of trusting someone with their life? : . . . yes. ( delay intended. ) ▸ what's your muse like when they're in love? : when the fifth doctor does fall in love, the person he loves is likely already his best friend, as well. he's not as guarded when it comes to love as some of his other regenerations, & if it happens, he'll accept it pretty easily. not much will change, honestly, & he'll be fine not ever confessing. if a romantic relationship happens, he'll give them poems he's written for them & rare / hard to cultivate pressed flowers, take them around the universe to show them the places he thinks are the most beautiful & amazing, hold hands, learn how to go on dates ( does he looks like He Knows ) , partake in their hobbies alongside them & spend as much time with them as possible.

tagged by: i stole it, lmao. i can't remember from who :( i just yoinked to my drafts tagging: @bleachbrainrotbro , @solarisgod , @riiese , @therapardalis , @isbrilliant , @agedrot , @tenfoldrage , @curamorte , @theresastargirl you, pizza slice

[banavalope]

after drawing this, i took long enough trying to draw the second half of it i ended up just taking an entire three steps back to consider a lot of larger details. I now have more details than I know what to do with, so I’m just going to call it Starlore and say its a worldbuilding project at this point.

Worldbuilding is more enjoyable for me than writing a plot with some good legs, and I’m embracing that.

Text in image under the following cut for those who would prefer that.

Starlore: a worldbuilding exercise on the existential horros of creativity by me, Banavalope :) Amadeus, Betty, Ace, and Luz are a species of cosmic star beings best described as anthropomorphic personifications. Their home is called Astropa, which is not so much a planet as it is a cumulative of their nearly-endless realm, the Upside.

Despite the name, there is no way to quantify where in non-euclidean space Upside sits relative to Otherside and the Blanket*. Stars - known for having an exaggerated sense of self-importance - feel confident they’ve got it right.

Inherently, stars have an infinite amount of potential, but some facts can be held as true of the whole species: 1.) They are all sexless.** 2.) All stars have wings.*** 3.) “Unexplainable encounters” could be explained if stars admitted to making mistakes. * Three parts to a complete universe completely unrelated to our own - with the exception of a few copied answers, as to be expected. ** Unless they really want to make the effort, of which many do for any reason at all. *** Having wings is the leading cause of common misconceptions for any species. Often assumed to be an indication of the ability to fly, when they are just as easily an identification of the tendency to fall.

Astropa - the birthplace of ideas Anyone native to the Blanket would find the culture of stars incredibly stressful and incomprehensibly complex, were they to learn about it. This would be a correct observation, as stars seem to think they work well under pressure and go about scheduling it into their day.

An eternity spent in this kind of environment have made stars the only species known to effectively harness the most renewable source of energy across the universe: Validation.

In the ancient times of the Starmakers, validation was manufactured by fulfilling miracles blanketside. This was soon found by Timekeepers to be toxic on the environment, necessitating the regulation of wish granting* through the glory duty system**.

Modern day stars now mass produce validation locally and by natural means to meet high demand.

* Giving stars a whole lot less to feel superior over their peers about, ** and at the expense of longer lines at the Department of Miraculous Verisimilitude.

Elemental Anomalies Lucy’s hair reflects their current state of emotion. It maintains a sunny baseline, but has the widest range of expression compared to their siblings.

Ace breathes fire, losing control over it only when he’s incredibly frustrated. Holding it in makes him smoke.

Betty effects the air around her in a reliably straightforward way, under usual circumstances. In circumstances subjectively unusual, any adjective of air is possible.

Amadeus changes color to reflect the intense moods of others, rather than himself. Unfortunately, as everyone has unique colors they feel in, its not particularly helpful.

A variety of advanced technology can be found on Astropa. Holo’s are a versatile piece, commonly used to translate language when stars are blanketside.

Side Facts Some stars find them useful to have on all the time; Amadeus will use his to display closed captions for anyone not versed in sign language if his hearing aid* is out.

It isn’t necessary for stars to eat - or sleep, for that matter - but they do out of enjoyment.

* Which is not often.

Timekeepers A separate classification of anthropomorphic personification to stars are Timekeepers. They reside on a plane outside of spacetime, unimpressively called Timekeeping Affairs HQ.

The main office is reachable by taking the Timeline out of Astropa; there’s only one, and you can’t miss it.

[veliseraptor]

i feel like i just did this but tumblr tells me it was in fact almost a month ago. guess it's just that I've written very little in the interim.

story is: long flight coming up on sunday so it's 150 words meme time as usual! send me up to three numbers from the list of fics below and I'll write 150 words in the fic of your choice

15 options and a wider range of fandoms than usual! 2 dragon age, 1 svsss, 1 doctrine of labyrinths, 1 trigun, 1 silm, 5 kinnporsche and 4 cql/mdzs. no lymond this time only cause i need the internet for that. go forth

1. “I mean, you could’ve left, probably would’ve been easier,” Anders said. He let out a stuttering, uncertain laugh. “I remember being pretty out of it.” 

He honestly, Fenris realized, hadn’t considered it. After killing the Templars, going to retrieve Anders had seemed like the only thing to do. Perfectly reasonable and natural. It wasn’t that he’d made a decision to take Anders with him so much as he hadn’t chosen not to. 

“I wasn’t thinking,” Fenris said.

“So you’re saying you would’ve left me if you had been?” Anders said, but he sounded more amused than upset. “Nice to know it’s not your default, anyway.”

“Force of habit,” Fenris said, returning with new vigor to his task. (the best all lack conviction)

2. He hadn’t seen any blades yet. If he moved fast now – Wolfwood wasn’t sure what it’d take, exactly, to kill an independent Plant. He couldn’t’ve done it before, when Millions Knives was at the height of his power. But Knives was vulnerable now, like this. Weaker. There wouldn’t be a better chance. He could find out what it took. Punisher had a lot of bullets. And also a laser.

“Nai, huh,” Wolfwood said, his brain whirring. Knives shifted, again poised to run. Shifted his bare feet, which Wolfwood found himself staring at. Vash was dead because of this guy. He’d made Wolfwood into a monster, made Livio into…something else. He would’ve killed every human being on the planet. Probably in the universe, if he got the chance. Sure, he was just a teenager now, but teenagers grew up, and he’d only get more dangerous.

He was also a fucking teenager. (The Second Coming)

3. Kinn didn’t learn that Vegas had been shot, was in surgery, and might die for almost three hours after the coup ended. His first thought was a funny, unfamiliar pang of concern; the second was a bitter good riddance, and that was the one he stuck with. He didn’t ask any further questions and nobody tried to tell him anything. He hadn’t seen Pete since that night, but he knew he was still around, not far. He tried not to think too hard about where he was.

He knew Porsche went to see him – Pete, that was. And Vegas.

Porsche didn’t tell him he was visiting Vegas. He didn’t mention Vegas at all. But Kinn knew, and it left a sour taste in his mouth that had him visualizing shooting Vegas dead next to his father. Vegas wasn’t a threat to him anymore, Kinn reminded himself. He was defanged, declawed. Also, he wasn’t even conscious. (Tilted Axis)

4. “You know people say that’s dangerous to just casually play around with,” Wei Wuxian said, and Xue Yang was ready to say that it was pretty rich of Wei Wuxian to say that, but looking at his face Xue Yang thought he was probably joking. 

“Sure, for people who are bad at it,” Xue Yang said. “Hasn’t killed me yet.” 

“I get the impression you’re hard to kill,” Wei Wuxian said. Xue Yang smiled at him. 

“Despite a few peoples’ best efforts.  I guess I can claim that one on you, huh?” (demonic cultivator team up)

5. It made him feel crazy, sometimes, the way the main family acted like they were family even though everybody knew it was fake. Right up until they didn’t, anyway, when the mask came off and Kinn had a gun in his face. If Kinn shot Vegas he’d be in trouble. If Vegas shot Kinn he’d be dead. 

Kin when it was convenient. 

Fuck, he felt like he was drowning.

Vegas waited until Macau left to say to Pete, “if he kills me don’t retaliate. Get out, get Macau, and leave the country. There’s passports in a safety deposit box under the name–” 

“Khun Korn isn’t going to kill you,” Pete said. Vegas’s lip curled. 

“Because he’s so fair?” he said. 

“It’s not a good move,” Pete said. Then added, “right now.” 

Vegas knew he was probably right. He wasn’t a threat, after all. Killing him would provoke another panic when Korn was trying to settle things down, to project strength and unity. There was a part of Vegas that wanted his uncle to prove Pete wrong, though, because at least then he would know he mattered. (post canon vegaspete long(er) fic)

6. “The Champion,” the Seeker said, when Cullen didn’t reply. He couldn’t help a wince.

“What about her,” he said, carefully neutral. 

“Where is she?” 

Cullen sighed. “You’re not the first person to ask me. I don’t know. Hawke left the Gallows after…after the fighting was ended, along with her companions. She might’ve gone anywhere, from there.” 

“You were there,” the Seeker said. Her eyes truly were unusually penetrating. “You witnessed…”

“The Knight-Commander going mad and bringing statues to life before turning into a statue herself?” Cullen said. His voice came out more snappish than he meant it to. “Yes, I did. I doubt I can tell you any more than you already know. I thought it was just a mage rebellion, like in…as in Ferelden’s Circle during the Blight.” And that was all he was going to say about that. “I fought along with Hawke and her friends to…deal with what Meredith had become.”

“And you let them leave.” 

It was all Cullen could do not to drop his face into the palms of his hands. “Yes,” he said. “I let them leave. What was I supposed to do? (Salvage)

7. “Are you okay, man? How’re your–” Porsche gestured at Pete’s chest and Pete flinched like he’d touched him even though obviously he hadn’t. Stupid, he thought angrily, but held his smile. 

“I’m okay. It’s okay,” he said. “Pretty much healed, I’m back on duty now with Khun Noo. It’s good.” 

Porsche squinted at him in a way Pete might’ve found funny if he didn’t feel the seeping guilt that said you’re lying to him, why are you lying to him, why don’t you just tell him the truth, isn’t he your friend–

That didn’t mean Pete had to tell him everything or even that there was anything to tell. It wasn’t Porsche’s business. There was no it to be his business, even. 

He still felt bad. 

“I’m really okay,” he repeated determinedly. “Sorry I didn’t bring you back any food from home.” (jiggety-jig)

8. He stepped back and held the door open for Porsche to come in. He resisted the urge to close the door on Porsche’s bodyguard shadow, giving him a sharp smile instead. The way he twitched was a little bit reassuring. 

Pete was sleeping; he hadn’t been lying about that. He probably would’ve wanted to wake up for Porsche, if he knew Porsche was here. As far as Vegas was concerned he didn’t have to. “Make yourself at home,” Vegas said coolly, gesturing at the living room. He twitched his head in the direction of the guard and added, “new meat?” 

“Don’t be a dick,” Porsche said, scraping against Vegas’s already frayed nerves. He almost said if you think this is me being a dick you’ve really forgotten what I’m capable of but it would just sound like – would just be – stupid posturing. Knowing that didn’t improve things any.  (Undercut)

9. “What,” Song Lan said, tensing. “What is it?” 

“What? Oh,” Xue Yang said. “Nothing, just thought of something else. It’s not important right now. You could always just try taking the fight to the thing itself - try to track it to its lair before it comes to us.” 

Song Lan frowned. “What did you think of?”

“You know what your problem is, Song-daozhang, you’re so nosy,” Xue Yang said, though he didn’t actually sound upset. “I’ll tell you later, okay? Stay focused.” 

There was something deeply and awfully funny to Song Lan about Xue Yang telling him to focus, but it wasn’t the kind of humor that made him want to laugh. He studied Xue Yang, weighing the odds that he was telling the truth versus the possibility that Xue Yang was keeping back something potentially dangerous. 

“Oh, come on,” Xue Yang said. “I promise it’s nothing that’ll hurt you or any of those so-called innocents you’re so worried about. Swear on it. Can we go back to the people-eating luck-god now?” (Walking Far from Home)

10. *Xingchen?* Song Lan said gingerly, after a while. The stain on his bandage kept spreading, but he just shook his head.

*You must think me so…* He trailed off. *I’m so tired, Zichen.* 

*Then rest,* Song Lan said. *Whatever you need.* 

Xingchen didn’t bring up Xue Yang again, or ask any further questions about him, but his silence felt somehow conspicuous. A palpable absence, like Song Lan’s own silence. He didn’t know what lay within it and wavered between wanting to and wishing he wasn’t aware of the negative space at all. 

Because Xue Yang was still present, a ghost in their shadows who couldn’t be dispersed. There was no spirit to banish, but he lingered all the same. (Life After Death)

11. A-Qing’s lower lip wobbled. Xiao Xingchen could see her fighting not to cry. “What’re you going to do about it,” she said. “Beat up my parents?” 

Xue Yang cocked his head slightly. It wasn’t an unfamiliar motion but for some reason watching him do it now made Xiao Xingchen want to shiver, thinking of some kind of hawk studying a blissfully unaware rodent. 

“Are you asking because you wish somebody would?” he asked, apparently completely serious. Xiao Xingchen looked back and forth between them, wide-eyed, his heart beating too quickly. What is going on, he wanted to ask, but his mouth was glued shut. 

“Sometimes,” a-Qing said, very quietly. Xue Yang cocked his head in the other direction, then shrugged. 

“Well,” he said, tone shifting abruptly to something much lighter, “if you ever want any hot tips about how you can really fuck up your gene donor’s day without getting in trouble, I’ve got a bunch.” (Redux)

12. His foot hit something and it rolled. Vegas crouched down and reached out, feeling carefully until he found something hard. He picked it up and brought it right up to his nose, struggling to make it out. When he had it, his blood turned icy.

It was a syringe. An empty syringe.

Fuck, Vegas thought. Fuck, fuck. He had no way of knowing what’d been in it, or how much, or how long it’d been, and there were too many possibilities. Or it could be fucking nothing, just mind games or not even anything to do with Vegas.

He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that for a second. He couldn’t exactly check for puncture wounds in the dark but even if he found one that wouldn’t tell him anything either. He was sweaty and warm but that could just as easily be the temperature itself and nothing to do with whatever drug they might’ve given him. (All's Fair)

13. Still, since that first night and whatever he’d done to me then there’d been no talk of hocus stuff. It was all about making it so I looked right and talked right and knew all the right flashie manners and all that, but no spells or anything. I hardly even saw Malkar do anything and I was watching for it. 

Eventually I worked up some nerve, because I thought maybe he was waiting for me to say something. We were eating dinner and I was being real careful to be doing everything right and trying to think the best way to say it. 

“Excuse me, Malkar,” I said, minding my vowels. “May I ask a question?”

Malkar set down his fork and looked at me. My guts got all tight and I almost dropped my eyes down to my plate but Malkar said I looked like a coquette when I did that, and not like it was a good thing.  (Pygmalion)

14. It was not as though Tuor expected Maeglin to be grateful that he had saved his life. He knew he wouldn’t be. You had no right to take my choice from me. What he underestimated was his determination to destroy himself anyway.

The first indication that they were going to have a problem came with the fact that, not even a day after Maeglin woke – two days since they’d left Gondolin – he tried to leave. Tuor appealed to his guilt, appealed to his familial bonds, without success. He even brought up the White Lady, and for a moment when Maeglin paused thought he had made progress, only to receive the coldest look he’d ever gotten from him.

Finally, he tried for a stopgap measure. A week, he said. That would allow some time for this desperation to pass, the urge to weaken, to pull Maeglin out of his half-death and back among the living. 

In the end Tuor had to knock him off his horse and bind his hands to stop him from fleeing. (time for all the works and days of hands)

15. “So suspicious, Mingyan-niangzi,” Sha Hualing said. “So hostile.”

“Tell me I shouldn’t be,” Liu Mingyan said, still standing so straight and proud and…ugh. She drove Sha Hualing insane sometimes, her perfect posture and perfect eyes and perfect…her face wasn’t that perfect. Sha Hualing was pretty sure she only wore that veil so people would think she was special, but Sha Hualing had seen her face and it wasn’t like – okay, she was pretty but not that pretty. She’d seen prettier, for sure, only she couldn’t think who right now, and why was she thinking so much about Liu Mingyan’s prettiness anyway.

“You shouldn’t be,” Sha Hualing said, annoyed. “But if you’re going to be like that I can always just go.” There was no point in trying to finish her business here with Liu Mingyan sticking to her like a burr. She’d just have to come back and try again some other day. 

“Where’re you going?” Liu Mingyan asked. Sha Hualing made a face where Her Highness Miss Perfect Cultivator couldn’t see it. (under pressure)

[jaimehwatson]

20 Questions for Writers

tagged by: @sybilius thank you! <3

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

I'm currently sitting at 99! I'll have to do something a little special for my 100th :)

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

214,959

3. What fandoms do you write for?

The ones I've written for the most are Our Flag Means Death, Warhammer 40K (mostly the Ciaphas Cain series, my favourite boy), Snowpiercer (the TV show), and Sharpe! But there are quite a few more I've written at least a one-shot for - I get inspired by a lot of different things, and I also love exchanges like Yuletide!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Restless Nights (OFMD)

You're the sun that makes me shine (OFMD)

Want to do something weird? (OFMD)

The Hidden Places Where The Fire Burns Hot And Bright (Stranger Things)

Sounds kind of dumb when I say it, but it's true: I would do anything for you (OFMD)

5. Do you respond to comments?

Almost always! I really appreciate nice comments so I make sure at least say thanks :)

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

The first one that came to mind was one of my Sherlock Holmes fics, Some things you do just to see how bad they make you feel, which deals with Holmes's depression and drug use negatively affecting his relationship with Watson. It's a really sad one that I didn't come back to add a happier sequel to until a year later!

But I've written some pretty angsty Our Flag Means Death ones too, particularly I hope it stays dark forever, I hope the worst isn't over and It isn't that much fun, staring down a loaded gun

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

I think a lot of my fics are pretty happy! If I'm not writing something fucked-up and sad I'm usually writing a happy couple having good sex and a generally nice time. But if I had to try to pick one, maybe my little trilogy What makes Ed happy?, which gets a sweet Ed/Stede reunion at the end

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I've fortunately avoided that so far! The comments I get are 99% lovely and maybe like 1% something kinda weird that maybe comes across a little bit negative but just makes me shrug my shoulders and say oh well

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Often! If there's any particular kind I gravitate towards it's probably characters slightly awkwardly but excitedly exploring a bit of light BDSM for the first time

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

One of the first fics I posted on Ao3 was a crossover between Death Note and The X-Files called The エクス-Files! (Translator's note: エクス means X) It was a really fun writing experience, and if that idea sounds fun to you at all, you should definitely check it out

But my craziest crossover (and maybe my only other one so far unless I'm forgetting something) is definitely my 2023 Yuletide fic Danger and Dance, in which Remington Steele and Laura Holt investigate a mystery involving DJ Crazy Times of "Planet of the Bass"!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of, is that a thing people do?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

I don't think so but I'd be honoured if someone did!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not yet co-written anything that's published anywhere, but a good friend and I once put quite a bit of effort into a story taking place in the universe of The Dark Crystal like a decade ago - now I want to dig that up again and see if it was any good, I remember we had fun with it!

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

Ciaphas Cain/Amberley Vail! The Ciaphas Cain books and Warhammer 40K in general were what really got me into writing fic regularly and participating in fandom more. Part of what made the ship so initially appealing to me, beyond just how much I like the characters, was that they're 100% canon but their relationship isn't the focus of the canon - you just get little hints and references to the fact that they're definitely fucking offscreen while the main thing going on is fighting aliens and shit. So it provides a great opportunity to speculate about what goes on when they're alone together and you don't see it, and how it might tie into their character development and the events of the canon storylines.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I mostly write a lot of shorter fic, so I don't really have any longer WIPs that gradually fizzled out the way I know some other writers struggle with. That being said, I do have plenty of sparse drafts that I started writing or outlining a little bit of and then never sat down and finished because I got distracted by some other idea. One that comes to mind was a Warhammer 40K fic that would have involved Cain and Yarrick meeting and getting involved in a Wild-West-style saloon shootout in space - fun idea but it never really went anywhere

16. What are your writing strengths?

I think I'm pretty good at character voices, especially when I write fic for books I love and I can imitate the style of the narration

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I don't think my description is as good as my dialogue. A lot of my writing experience before I got into fic was in theatre and video games, two mediums where you're much less likely to have a narrator, so I don't have as much practice at it. I find it difficult sometimes to really get across the image in my head in a way that makes sense and flows naturally. But I do think I'm getting better at it all the time!

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've never really done that beyond the occasional word here and there! If I was going to, I'd want it to be a language I can actually speak, and/or have a friend who speaks it look over it. Maybe one day I'll get to use my French skills in a fic but it hasn't happened yet!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

In the sense of actually deciding "I am going to write fanfic and put it on the internet for other fans," it was the Pathologic games! But in a more general sense, I've been making up stories about my favourite characters since I was a little kid. A while back my mom found something I wrote in high school based on Lord of the Flies that was really cute

20. Favorite fic you've written?

My proudest accomplishment is my OFMD wrestling AU, Tonight on Ring of Revenge!

Tagging @augustmourn @grandmastattoo @the-girl-with-the-algebra-book @scyllas-revenge if you feel like it!

[opal-owl-flight]

Me messing with the timeline allowed these two to meet before rtdl…even if it was just a fleeting moment. At such a young age theyre already so interested in legends! I like to think that Meta looks up to Aeon/Galacta EODKDKD

Said timeline under the cut!

Big intergalactic crisis…Termina/the negative energy Jamba Heart. All the Ancient races work together to end the crisis. Aeon/Galacta Knight finishes the job, and is sealed away for saving the universe.

The split of the Tech and Magic ancients come a little after. Planet Halcandra is the “hq” of the Ancients by now, and the split meant banishing all their magic users.

Another intergalactic crisis (Nightmare) pops up. The Starborns unite to try to destroy it. It was Aeon who was able to seal a big threat before, so whos to say that they cant do the same?

The other Ancients try to help. But with the Tech and Magic factions not on good terms…theyre severely lacking in magic power. Hell, the Starborns are magic too. It took a lot of convincing for the tech dudes to help them.

Mags and Meta are born near the middle? Or end of the crisis. For a long while, Meta was away from Popstar, planet of his birth. Called to Halcandra to help with the crisis. (Starborns start training VERY EARLY when theres a big crisis afoot…) Mags was just one of the residents that needed protecting; too young (just out of his kit years!) to really help with the efforts. If he was just a few years older… hed have probably fought side by side with Meta as one of the engineers.

At the end of the crisis, among the Starborns, only the (very) young Meta survives. He was the only one who was able to escape the effects of the final blow. Returns to Popstar to resume his usual duty. Because thats all he’s ever known. Hes recieved enough training to be able to do so (but not really enough to deal with system-wide threats all on his own). Hes thinking of conquest to better protect his home around this time…

Halcandra at this point is approaching a sort of…plateau with their advancement. Without magic, and the losses of the last intergalactic threat, the progress of civilization is slowed. Mags continues to grow in this Halcandra, learning more about the Ancients, learning more about his own culture. Its…kind of a struggling, war affected planet, but he loves it all the same. I think he starts to dabble in magic around this time, in his interest in the previous age of Ancients. Hes hiding it away from everyone, in fear of being banished…

Then comes the invasion, destroying the planet, the damage irreversible. Mags lives on the new Hellcandra for QUITE A WHILE — he wants to live long enough to unleash his vengeance towards the Haltmanns. The Crown only feeds this anger, blowing it up to a universe-level fury.

Years and years pass… enough for Mags’ age to become sort of legend. Enough for the last intergalactic threat to become a legend nearly lost to time. (Because…theres no one to remember it except Meta and Mags, probably!)

And then…the two meet again.

Its sad that the circumstances pit them against each other…after all the shit theyve been through. It wouldve been nice if they were together through it all, but that is simply not the case.

Mags’ years on Hellcandra kind of stunted his physical growth, making him look like a Halcandran in his “early teens”. Hes much older than that ISJSJE. I also put equivalent ranges instead of numbers bc theyre literally hundreds of years old. Both races live on for eons….

Sidenote: when they first met, they had different names. Mags hadnt renamed himself yet, and Meta hadnt completely dropped his old name for his title. They were completely different people…complete strangers when they met once more. Yet…theres a sense of familiarity…

[askmerriauthor]

Pokemon S/V and the Fourth Wall

For those of you who may not know the term, the Fourth Wall is a narrative/theater concept that refers to the unseen barrier between the Audience and the Fictional World being portrayed. When a character in a given work looks directly at the camera/audience, speaks to the viewer, or otherwise interacts with the medium their story is being presented in outside of the way a being in that setting could normally do, that's called "Breaking the Fourth Wall".

Pokemon games have always played pretty fast and loose when it comes to the Fourth Wall. In the early days this could be attributed to simply not having better ways to familiarize Players with the games' systems, functions, and command prompts. The games were heavily limited by their medium and file sizes, so it's not like the devs could spare the extra space to give a more sensibly in-universe explanation to a lot of things. Sometimes a dev has little recourse but to have a character say "Press the B Button", speaking directly to the Player and breaking the Fourth Wall by acknowledging the game/console mechanics. Since Pokemon itself, as a setting and story, has taken lengths to establish a living, breathing world full of lore and history and characters with their own lives, such fissures between Player and Game are generally ignored as a necessity, or cheekily winked at as an Easter Egg, such as when the Player can find Game Freak studio in many of the games and talk to the dev team. Suspension of disbelief maintains.

That said, I have a MAJOR problem with recent developments as of Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Pokemon Scarlet/Violet.

PLA takes place in the far-flung past of the setting and covers a lot of mankind's first real efforts at domesticating Pokemon, which leads up to the modern era the other games take place in. That's a fantastic concept and one I love to see explored. But it also introduced an extremely unnecessary concept into the lore:

All Pokemon have the ability to shrink themselves down small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. All of them. All Pokemon. At-will. It's just an innate thing shared by all Pokemon in existence, even ones from other planets and dimensions or artificially made by man or spontaneously manifested from the grudge of a dying soul, regardless of their differences in biology.

To which I say... no, they fucking don't.

Far be it from me to tell the writers at Game Freak how to do their jobs, but y'know what? I'm a writer in the game development industry myself, so I will since I at least qualify as a professional peer. This doesn't make any sense whatsoever, directly flies in the face of the established lore, and doesn't add anything useful to the lore either. It's not used to expand or fiddle with our understanding of the setting. It's just an excuse to justify why Pokemon shrink away and disappear when they're defeated (a common video game practice of de-rezzing an unneeded character model) or why they can fit inside Pokeballs (we don't need to know that, we've gone the entire series without knowing for certain, it's better not being explained). That said, as the other Fourth Wall breaks prior, this can be massaged away and gently ignored. The story takes place at the very beginning of mankind's scientific exploration of Pokemon, so we can easily wave this statement aside as "they were operating on flawed logic and assumptions that seemed accurate at the time, but didn't hold up to scrutiny as scientific understanding progressed". Suspension of disbelief may be bruised, but it maintains.

Pokemon S/V takes this needless invocation of the game mechanics even further and far more to the detriment of the setting. The Academy is a place that was criminally misused by the game: the Player has the option to explore biology, language, history, math, and other topics outside of the normal Trainer framework we usually play in. It's the perfect opportunity to examine the lore of the setting, really dig into how Pokemon society functions when you're not a combat-focused Trainer, and really flesh out the whole story in interesting ways. S/V did exactly none of that. Instead, all of the classes just discuss combat mechanics or S/V-specific Paldea backstory. That's bad enough on its own because it's such a massive waste of potential, but S/V goes into territory that doesn't just break the Fourth Wall, but grinds it into dust and throws it in our eyes.

Classes in the Academy make statements that blatantly defy the setting we actively interact with at the very moment we're doing it, purely for the sake of justifying a game mechanic. The "Let's Go" function, where you can call out your Pokemon to walk along with you in the overworld, doesn't work indoors because of sizing/pathing constraints. That's fine, it doesn't need to be explained at all. But S/V goes out of its way to state that Pokemon in Paldea, regardless of their species, AREN'T ALLOWED INDOORS, even as virtually every room - including the very class that statement is being made in - features Pokemon in them. Just like the "all Pokemon can shrink" line, this exists only to explain a game mechanic and plainly breaks the setting for no reason.

Further, all these lessons directly reference concepts that don't exist in the setting itself but do exist as part of the game mechanics. They discuss the specific mathematical odds of Shiny probability, the exact damage equations of Super-Effective moves and STAB mechanics, the numerical likelihood and effects of a Critical Hit, and even refer to system statements made in the USER INTERFACE ITSELF THAT EXIST SOLELY FOR THE SAKE OF PLAYER.

What this sort of thing does is directly tie the game's mechanics to the nature of the setting itself; these mechanics are no longer a medium by which to interpret abstract concepts that can't easily be addressed in the game, but are now a fundamental part of how this setting operates. It's absolutely ridiculous and outright damaging to the integrity of the game setting, especially when it comes to the implications it brings up.

For example, there's an invisible stat called "Friendship" in Pokemon that measures how friendly a Pokemon is to you, which raises and lowers based on how you treat them. Some Pokemon will only evolve if they have high Friendship values, or some moves will change their effectiveness based on if a Pokemon likes or dislikes you. As a shorthand mechanic, there are items in the game that alter a Pokemon's stats, including making it more friendly to you. Previously, Players could just use this as an abstraction - "Oh, Pokemon enjoy these items, so using it is the game's way of representing me caring for the Pokemon and giving it things it enjoys". But now? Because of how S/V explicitly ties the game mechanics into the setting, it means these items basically mind-control a Pokemon. "Oh, this Pokemon doesn't like me at all? Let me shove a handful of Grepa Berries down its throat - now it instantly loves me". See how that completely defies the entire concept of Pokemon being independent creatures, Humans befriending Pokemon, establishing a bond with them, and being partners in adventure that even S/V itself tries to present?

This is made so much worse by the fact that it's completely unnecessary. One might argue "But Merri, this is some Players' first Pokemon game! They need to have the mechanics explained to them or else it won't make sense!". I understand that, dear Convenient Strawman, but that's ignoring a very important facet of S/V: the Adventure Guide. That is to say, an in-game key item the Player has from the very start of the game that explains all of the game's various functions, mechanics, and concepts in a non-lore manner. It's a tutorial guidebook specifically for this purpose; its presence in the game explains these ideas better and more thoroughly, making the integration of mechanics into the lore itself redundant and pointless.

For the love of lore, Game Freak, please stop trying to over-explain and integrate game mechanics into the story. Go home. You're drunk.

[thesffcorner]

Thor: Love and Thunder

Thor: Love and Thunder is the fourth installment in the Marvel Thor franchise, written and directed by Taika Waititi. It follows Thor (Chris Hemsworth) on a journey of self-discovery, following the events of Endgame. After saving Sif (Jamie Alexander) from a powerful being who wields the Necrosword: Gorr, the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who, uh, slays Gods. Gorr’s next target is New Asgard where Thor is reunited with Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), as well as Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), now wielding a reconstructed Mjolnir and calling herself the Mighty Thor. Together, the trio + Korg (Taika Waititi) who has been traveling with Thor, embark on a mission to kill Gorr, rescue the children of Asgard from being kidnapped and preventing him from reaching Eternity. 

If that plot summary sounded convoluted, trust me, that was my best effort to streamline it. I haven’t even mentioned Thor’s travel with the Guardians of the Galaxy, or the other Gods in Omnicity or even the reason Jane has Mjolnir. This is by far the most convoluted and bloated Marvel film, and in a post No Way Home/Multiverse of Madness world, that’s saying a lot. 

This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy the film: I daresay I laughed out loud at multiple points during it, and didn’t notice the near 2 hour runtime. It’s popcorn entertainment through and through, with lots of cool visuals, a kickass soundtrack and a very Masters of the Universe aesthetic. The issue is that it’s style over substance, comedy approach really doesn’t fit the story and it’s darker themes, and the film struggles to maintain a consistent tone and vision because of it. 

This review will contain SPOILERS, so if you haven’t seen the film, pause your reading, watch it and then if you came out as conflicted as I did, come back to this review. 

What I liked:

There were a few things I really enjoyed in this film. First off, it’s genuinely, very funny. There are tons of gags from small things like Valkyrie advertising Old Spice, to running gags like the screaming goats, to massive set pieces like Thor’s conversation with the King of Gods, Zeus. There is barely a single moment where there isn’t some sort of joke on screen, and while that does definitely hurt the film in the long run, you can’t say it doesn’t make for an entertaining viewing. 

Waititi has a very “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to his comedy, which means that while not every gag will land, there are so many, and they come so fast that you barely register the ones that don’t. It’s an uneven experience for sure, but in terms of comedy, I’d say this film lands more than it flops. 

Another major component that I loved was the film’s visual style. It’s maximalist: bright colors, busy frames, ridiculously epic costumes and long, elaborate action scenes. There is an inspired section of the film where the heroes track Gorr down to his dimension of darkness that is so desaturated it borders on black and white, which is also where Waititi plays with scale and space. The planet is at once tiny and massive, close and far, and it feels like a bad-trip version of Wonderland. 

The scenes where Gorr is using his shadow powers to attack the heroes, especially during the Asgard attack and the aforementioned Dimension of Darkness, are truly haunting and border on horror. I wish Marvel would just buckle and make a proper horror film already: between this and Wanda’s scenes in Strange they could pull it off, if they would just let their directors commit. 

The acting is likewise stellar as usual. Though everyone is given a limited range of emotions (which is a major issue of the film I will talk about) they work well with what they are given. Chris Hemsworth has been playing Thor for over a decade now and he lives and breathes in this character. It’s at this point second nature to him. 

Valkyrie and Jane do well with their material, the former as an alcoholic who’s torn between her roles as politician and warrior, and the latter as a workaholic who is coming to terms with her own fragility and mortality. Once again, because of the film’s tone we don’t go nearly as in depth as I would’ve liked for any of these characters, but that’s not the actors’ fault, and they still manage to wriggle some pathos of what are otherwise shallow roles. 

The standout however is by far Christian Bale. He is amazing, equally tragic, horrifying and funny. He manages to strike a balance between the pathos and tragedy of his role, and the comedy, especially when he’s given scenes to lead. I desperately wish he got to play Gorr in a different, better movie, because his character has the potential to be as emotionally engaging as the best Marvel villains like Loki and Killmonger. 

Unfortunately, this brings me to: 

Ragnarok:

Thor: Ragnarok is one of my favorite Marvel films; it’s funny, it’s subversive, it turned a pretty one note villain like Hella into a very entertaining and at times justified character and it gave some much needed personality to Hulk. 

The main strength of Ragnarok was that in spite of having dozens of worlds and characters, it maintained a consistent tone and throughline, and used its comedy to advance the plot and arcs of its characters. 

However, my big gripe with Ragnrok, was that it often discarded the prospect of its characters processing the events and emotions of what’s happening in favor of jokes. Thor loses an eye, loses Mjolnir, loses his best friends, and later loses Asgard his literal Kingdom and home he’s known his entire life and he never gets a moment to just talk about it. Even Loki, who actually does get two scenes where he realizes that in spite of everything he loves Thor and Thor loves him back, and Odin never stopped thinking of him as anything but his son, isn’t given any real space to deal with everything that’s happened to him. 

In spite of it, Ragnarok still managed to be emotionally impactful, and funny. In this film, the comedy dominates, to the point where the characters are barely characters and have almost no development throughout the film. It’s overwhelming how much the comedy interferes with the story, pulling you out of the experience and deflating every moment of pathos with jokes that are unnecessary, overlong, or just plain dumb. 

These characters DESERVE to have their issues explored: Thor has literally lost everything; he doesn’t know who or what he is without being Prince of Asgard or fighting in wars and doesn’t know how to cure the soul sickness which he masks with humor and bravado. 

Valkyrie is a King, and now has to manage and protect literally every living Asgardian, along with a bunch of refugees, but she’s still dealing with the loss of all her sisters and her lover. She still intends to die in a battle and go to Valhalla to join them, even after becoming literal royalty. 

Jane Foster we learn has cancer, which will more than likely kill her. In spite of all her intellect and fame, in spite of dating a God and advancing science, she is alone and mortal. My personal gripe is that this film makes no effort to connect her cancer to the Aether that possessed her in the Dark World, but instead cribs Starlord’s backstory of her mother dying of cancer (something which, incidentally Jane would’ve been aware of before this film, and would’ve been something to tell Thor in their years-long relationship). 

And finally, Gorr, the God Butcher, hands down one of Thor’s, if not Marvel’s most interesting villains. Gorr is a man who lost everything to his fate: his wife, his daughter, his people and then learned that his God is weak, corrupt and evil. He was given a purpose to kill all the Gods and reach Eternity which would grant him one wish. He has every right to despise the Gods, seeing as in this very film most of them are shown to be cruel, cowardly and uninterested in the lives of those who worship them. 

I just described the characters in more depth than the damn movie. The movie even lampshades the fact that it keeps its characters so superficial,  by having Korg provide ‘humorous’ backstories and even LITERALLY spelling out Thor and Valkyrie’s motivations and internal conflict. It’s the most bizzare violation of “show don’t tell” I’ve ever seen, and it serves nothing other than to deflate what otherwise would have been an emotionally engaging scene. It’s so gratuitous it borders on Joss Whedon at his very worst. 

Which leads me to:

The Tone Problem:

Look. I know tone is hard. It’s hard to keep it consistent and even harder to switch between a lighthearted adventure film and a horror/drama dealing with child death, mass murder, religion and cancer. But it can be done and even done by Taika Waititi himself! He made Jojo Rabbit, one of the arguably best recent tragi-comedies that nails the humor as well as the horror and tragedy of its subject matter. 

So what the hell happened here? 

The comedy overshadows everything, to the point where it actively interferes with the story. The film is full of gags, most of them catered to children: lots of slapstick, lots of quips, Korg’s narration and even Thor and Jane’s romance, which feels very juvenile. 

But this isn’t a kids film. It’s a film that opens with the heartbreaking death of Gorr’s daughter from dehydration, and Gorr crying and screaming, covered in sunburns and calluses. 

We follow that up with the brutal murder of a God who absolutely deserved it, and even still when Gorr kidnaps the children of Asgard he torments them by breaking the neck of  snake-like creature and throwing the dead body at them. 

So what is it? Is this a horror-tragedy for adults or a funky comedy for kids? Kids love horror and tragedy too, don’t get me wrong, but the horror in this film will fly over kids’ heads and the comedy makes ose elements in this film remind me more of the inconsistent tone of Shazam rather than the Secret of Nimh. 

This inconsistent tone kills any ability for this film to be serious and truly explore the motivations and actions of its antagonist who is and could’ve been even more sympathetic. There is no room for genuine grief or anger when the film has to balance Russel Crowe’s Zeus with the worst “Greek” accent I have ever heard, and Valkyrie begging the Gods to save her sisters on the battlefield and her pleas falling on deaf ears. 

Gorr and Jane Don’t Belong Here:

What it comes down to the most is that Gorr, the God Butcher’s storyline isn’t a comedy and simply doesn’t work as a comedy. Gorr is a man who lost everything for his faith, only to learn that his God is immoral, corrupt and weak. He is killing ALL the Gods, and even if he changed his mind and asked Eternity for a different wish, he would still die, still leave his daughter alone and potentially in a much worse world than the one she died in. You simply can’t have the motivations and actions of such a character in the same movie with an extended gag of Thor fighting Heimdal’s son because he changed his name to Axl.

This same issue hits Jane. She makes a great addition to Gorr’s storyline: like him she too was gifted a weapon by the Gods that is slowly killing her, she too lost people because of the Gods, she too is a mortal who’s ascended beyond the abilities of mortals. The one scene in which Gorr and Jane are allowed to speak was excellent at juxtaposing these two sides of the same coin, but that’s all we get. 

Imagine instead if the story engaged with these themes: Jane being angry at being given all this power and all this might that is literally killing her. Her being resentful of tHor treating her decisions only in a way which affects him, ignoring her own wishes. Maybe even Jane agreeing with Gorr that the Gods cause more suffering to the mortals for no reward, or just the fucking commradery with someone who has the power to kill God but not bring his family back. 

There is even a brief scene where Jane seems to entertain the idea of getting to Eternity first so she can ask for a wish instead of Gorr, but we never get any follow up on this, and it’s never mentioned again. 

This leads me to another big problem:

No Consequences for Massive Actions:

Have you ever heard of the phrase “set up and pay off”? Or “every action elicits an opposite and equal reaction”? Well this movie hasn’t. 

Massive things are set up and never paid off. Who created the Necrosword? What’s its goal? We never learn. Why did Eternity speak to Gorr? We also never learn. 

Jane and Thor both learn that Eternity will grant a wish to the first person who opens its gate. They know Gorr needs Thor’s Stormbreaker to open the Bifrost and get to Eternity. So why don’t they open the gate, get there first and ask for the Necrosword to disappear? Or ask for the kids to return safely to Asgard? Or for Jane to be free of cancer? Or even for Gorr to get his daughter back? 

Instead, once they get to Eternity they ask for… nothing. Thor just hopes that Gorr, who was under the influence of the Necrosword and hates the Gods, remember, will just do the right thing and not kill every single God. Or destroy the world. Or give himself superpowers. 

Side-question. If all it took to get to Eternity was to find the gate and use the Bifrost to open it, and Eternity didn’t create the sword and didn’t ask for Gorr to kill the Gods to get to it using the sword (the sword itself is the one who wants the Gods dead), then why did Gorr even bother fighting any of the Gods? Why didn’t he just track Thor or Jane down, kill just them and get Mjolnir or Stormbreaker and get to Eternity?

Thor wants to gather an army to fight Gorr, and to do this the gang sneaks on Omnicity. When the Gods, namely Zeus, refuses to help them, Thor straight up kills Zeus and steals his lightning. He just… kills the King of all the Gods, in front of every powerful God, not just from Earth but from other planets too, and NO ONE, not a SINGLE person reacts! No one goes after the gang, Thor isn’t arrested or ambushed, literary nothing happens!

Yes, we learn in a post credit scene that Zeus isn’t dead, but even that scene is played as comedy, not as something that in every other film would get Thor and the gang EXECUTED. 

I already talked about how none of the characters are allowed to react to anything that’s happening to them. Thor lost everything, but no, he’s hung up on breaking up with Jane 8 YEARS AGO. 

Thor and Jane:

Speaking of, boy do Thor and Jane get the short end of the stick. First off, their romance feels incredibly juvenile. The way they act towards each other makes no sense for two adult humans in any reasonable sense of the word. Thor isn’t concerned that Jane can suddenly reform and lift Mjolnir, which for a long time was a source of his power, but that she is wearing his clothes? Jane doesn’t want to know what happened with Thanos? Where Thor was for all these years? If Asgard has magic that can cure her, like they showed they did in Dark World? No? She wants to know if he has a girlfriend? Really??

Also how many times will Thor learn the same exact lesson? I thought Ragnarok was where Thor realized he’s more than just the Prince of Asgard and Mjolnir, where he learned who he was and what he wanted? But now we are back to even pre-Ragnarok with Thor acting more like Starlord than himself. 

Thor was never emotionally dense, he was never unintelligent in that department: he was brash and arrogant, but he loved freely and openly in each film. In fact that was his main flaw, that he loved Loki even after Loki kept betraying him time and time again. He never once ‘closed his heart’; he deeply loves both Valkyrie and Korg, and he even loves the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers. This sudden character flaw is not only stupid, but it actively contradics the very core of Thor’s character. 

I believe that Jane buried herself in work to get over Thor, and ‘closed her heart’. I believe that Thor still loves her and would do anything for her. I refuse to believe that Thor of all people holds others at arm’s length or refuses to love fully. That might be Starlord, but it’s definitely not Thor. 

The Length:

My final point is more of a gripe, that unfortunately feeds into the rest of the issues. Too many scenes in this film are bloated, overlong and unnecessary. 

The Guardians for example. We didn’t need them: we could’ve achieved the exact same effect if instead of 20 minutes of Thor fighting with them on a random planet, they just dropped him off somewhere and we got the montage of him training and fighting. You could even strengthen Thor’s dumbass character arc, by being “I have to do this alone” as the reason why he left them. 

Then instead of the stupid distress call lineup, Thor can get a vision of Siff while meditating, be shocked that she’s even alive, go rescue her and maybe we could’ve gotten a scene of Gorr killing the God and chopping Siff’s arm off. That way Thor actually has a personal reason to go after Gorr instead of just “some of the Gods he killed were nice”. 

The entire midpoint with the Gods was pointless. Instead of the Omnicity bit Thor could’ve gone to Olympus and spoken to Zeus. Maybe even Zeus fought Gorr or whoever wielded the sword before him and defeated him, which is why Thor needs and wants his help. 

What I’m saying is that a solid 30% of this movie could’ve been cut and replaced with shorter, but better executed scenes and the film would be much better for it.

Conclusion:

It’s a movie that, much like its protagonist, doesn't know what it wants to be. It wants to be a comedy. It wants to be a serious drama. It wants to be a horror film. And yet, it commits to none of these, and as a result it’s unfocused, messy and feels like a first draft. I am very disappointed in the final result and am worried what that would mean for the future of the franchise. 

It’s still a fun film, but definitely one of the bad ones. 

[clairethecutepup]

Corn Kidz 64 (plus Ed Edd n Eddy) as Invader Zim...?

(Possible Fanfic idea!)

I know I'm already doing one fanfiction currently, but I'm playing with another idea related to CK64: a lot of people can agree it gives off Invader Zim vibes, and thus arrives a "crack fiction" idea...

Essentially, take our chaotic goat duo and make them some invading alien race. If you really want specifics: Cornprines (derived from "caprine" for goats), who come from the planet "Cornucopia" and are civilians of a planet focused on all things "dreams." We're talking: the mental abilities pertaining to normal dreams, the ability to turn sleeping individuals' dreams into "dream energy" that powers everything... Obviously, you'd be right to say "Alternate Universe/Reality."

At the same time, there's a reason I'd call it a "crack fanfiction" instead of a simple "AU" one: it's got that weird desire of mine to crossover the game with Ed Edd n Eddy/Peach Creek again, while also making Earth be a habitat for my usual environment of "full-humans" and animal-human hybrids. Well, how else would Seve and Alexis be able to replicate Zim's manner of blending in with little-to-no disguise effort? ... Nor any, seeing as they wouldn't even need to disguise themselves, just claim: "Oh, we're the 'anthro' type of hybrids, and our abnormal genetics involve having just one horn and are why we're so abnormally short. Stop questioning us, it's insensitive to remark on a condition we can't help!"

I'd also imagine making Jimmy as Dib, since it's just fitting... I mean, Jimmy isn't shy of alien-related matters, either, so it only feels right.

However, I'd consider it more "steam piece" and all, when I feel like creating and not like working on more "serious" stuff. For one thing, it feels weird to have Seve and Alexis essentially be the "bad guys" like Zim's meant to be. I mean, for one thing, Alexis would "surprise adopt" my character, Claire, as a new Earth pet because we all know Alexis would have a soft spot for animals (or non-goat things). Yeah, just like the actual IZ show, there'd be a sense of morbidity among the goofy comedy. At the very least, she'd be well-cared for and loved, if it's any consolation.

I dunno, though, I'd be willing to actually go through with the concept of this steam piece, if people are interested enough.

[doom-nerdo-666]

Bringing up Star Wars again because i also remembered some stream in 2019 where id talked about "how franchise revivals usually lose their identity while Doom retained it" and even Hugo Martin sort of shittalked Disney Star Wars.

The thing is that Doom didn't really "return to the roots" but rather found a formula that works really, really well and if people wanted it to return, that's what the best modding scene is for.

Plus, after TAG2, people got more aware of certain questionable things about the new games, even if i also like to think "you can always fix the Doom lore because it was never there to begin with" and stuff like that.

Doom as a series still deviates from its older entries and even chased some trends, it's more like that the new games prove you don't have to "return to the roots" to make something good.

(specially if "return to the roots" suddenly feels like marketing)

And there's also how people barely take the setting seriously or how many fans became a bit more fanboy-ish, even with all the observations about the fanbase's history etc.

Regardless, the devs have some passion, effort and "authorship" in these games and older fans accepted them enough to even mod them in the old games.

But it's also worth noting: Disney Star Wars is such a mess that most people involved probably hate it.

I remember hearing they had multiple endings for Rise of Skywalker and the one we got was supposed to be the "best recieved" from some test audience.

Someone getting the blame for bringing back a character back.

Story important stuff put in a comic nobody read or Fortnite.

How the middle entry changed director and how that lead to messing up with plans (If there were any).

JJ Abrams even said "fuck it" during some interview about how he would deal with RoS.

The movies had "tighter"/yearly release dates like Call of Duty because they wanted to make Star Wars close to the MCU probably.

Apparently Solo: A Star Wars Story was supposed to be different but Disney or some execs didn't let the directors do the movie the way they wanted it to be originally. (this was also a problem in the MCU).

Maybe one can argue SW was overhyped in pop culture for years.

But people started to either like the prequels ironically or realize that George Lucas still had a vision in them, even if turns out he needed his wife or actors correcting him.

There's also Carrie Fisher and Peter Cushing being CGI revived in the new movies, meaning they even went that far into using the likenesses of dead actors.

Wasn't there also someone complaining about the lack of source material after the decanonization of the expanded universe who was also blamed for a twist in RoS?

I might be misremembering some of this but if i got it all right, then the point is clear: Star Wars became a mess when a lot of fans and even random movie goers don't seem to like anymore.

From Mark Hamill to John Boyega, you get both generations having some actors disliking these movies.

Not because of "difference" or "too much the same" but because it had actual problems that could even be studied in the future.

And rabid fans aside, i feel like i've seen worse from people defending these movies, like the biggest corporation that probably owns the planet somehow needs it.

It reminds me again of what Martin Scorsese actually hated about MCU movies: there's no true "author" becase at the end of the day, it's more on an exec/company product.

Doom is owned by ZeniMax and then MS and with all the issues around those companies, the series' state isn't bad even if there's also awful stories like what happened to Mick Gordon.

I guess in someway the comments of "just pop corn but with some nutrition to it" make sense in some way.

I also recall Hugo Martin saying "we read even the mean comments because that means you're still passionate" even if there's a difference between an actual nerd with passion that sounds angry and typical NPC-ish online countrarianism with no input or thought.

[badmusejail]

Shared Verse: Spaaaaaace!

I’ve mentioned shared verses before.  This post covers the shared verse for the space exploration world, or just general sci-fi shenanigans.  This verse is set in a vast universe with countless different planets and parties each with different motivations.  

As usual, the lore is meant to be vague and easily workable with other universes and lore.  Earth has no set role but there’s plenty of earthlike planets and there’s no real timeline in relation to our own.  Plenty of pseudoscience and magic is about, alongside aliens that may be similar to humans or vastly different.  Peace, war, and everything in-between can be found depending on where you look.

For as much as it’s meant to be science fiction and adventure, there’s a heavy undercurrent of political and governmental turmoil.  Of course, these themes are entirely optional.

The shared verse includes:

Concepts

The Federation: The Federation is an Intergalactic organization headed by King Asgore. Although he formally has final say, plenty of acts and reformations have gone through over the centuries that have expanded the ruling party, especially allowing corrupt politicians to take roles of significant power.

Although Asgore himself is a kind and just ruler, the Federation is far too big for one being to rule over, and there are a lot of shady deals and operations going on.

The Federation has a shining reputation among its people, but the truth is much more chilling, in that they specifically prey on weak and isolated people and planets. Given their vast amounts of resources, if a given party doesn't cooperate with them, its a simple effort to put an embargo on trade, or deny access to important goods and services. And while it's true that the Federation has never turned violent against its own people without reason, they're not above turning a blind eye to violence from a third party to get what they want.

Places

WD’s Hideout:  Gaster’s primary place of residence and where he builds and deploys new technology.  It looks somewhat similar to this.

People

Gaster:  Dr. Gaster was once a brilliant researcher working for the Federation, very close to King Asgore.  However, one day, he departed to test new technology for a warp drive and simply ... never returned.  He doesn’t talk much about what exactly happened on that fateful trip, but he saw things he shouldn’t have, bonded with something from beyond reality.  He now works as an illicit tech dealer, known simply as WD, supplying equipment to virtually any party willing to a., not start conflicts with his product, and b., come to his aide if he calls for them.  His equipment is some of the best in the universe, so much so that he claims he easily could take down the Federation’s defenses because they’re still using his own designs from years ago.  WD is one of Federation’s most wanted criminals. 

Gemuse: Gemuse is a field agent for the Federation, born and raised on Federation territory in a family of moderately powered humans.  Unfortunately, he still has his esoteric powers over ketchup, but, it’s better than nothing and surprisingly handy.  Like most who grew up within the Federation, he’s mostly blind to their wrong doings.  

Oak: Originally a researcher on an independent planet, Oak now works for the Federation on genetic modification.  His planet came under war and knowing that the Federation was siding against them, he reached out to them and agreed to surrender his research and serve them in exchange for safety. He used his experiments as a biological attack on his home planet, killing almost everyone, to prove his newfound loyalty to the Federation.

Giovanni:  Originally a business partner to Oak, now the leader of the intergalactic group known as ROCKET.  Being one of the first survivors of the scientist’s genetic experiments left him both physically and emotionally unstable; a very powerful psychic and shapeshifter with a rather aggressive disposition for vengeance.  The attack left the planet deemed inhospitable, but those that survived it once were subsequentially immune to it, and over the years, Giovanni built up an airtight base and rounded up individuals to aide in his fight.  ROCKET is considered a threat by the Federation, but they’re known mostly to be involved in smuggling and with a leader that has no clear objective.

Surge:  A soldier in the Federation’s military.  He learned quickly that war isn’t remotely glorious as it’s talked up to be, but even he’s unaware of just how deeply the bullshit goes.

Ozai:  The leader of an independent planet that’s historically been xenophobic and anti-travel, despite having the technology.   Up until Ozai’s reign, they’ve used their ability for space travel strictly to keep people out! but he’s wondering... why?  They have the abilities, the technology, the strength--why aren’t they out there proving it?  

Iroh: The firstborn heir to the throne and once an active fighter in defending their homeland.  After losing his own son in war, has taken a more peaceful approach to the world.  As much as he’d be happy simply running his teashop on the planet...someone needs to stop his brother’s ambitions.  

John:  An unlicensed fighter pilot--John was really good at what he did.  Really good.  The Federation would have loved to take him down, but even they were terrified of his abilities and decided that it would be best to just stay out of his path.  Which worked out well for everyone, he’s retired now and just trying to live a peaceful life.

Quentin:  A mechanic for the Federation.  He doesn’t believe in their mission or what they do, but it pays the bills and keeps him alive.  That’s why most of his personal inventions are either kept personal or sold off in... other channels.  

About Tag || Verse Tag

[misticloyal]

More Monkie Kid HC’s

I have absolutely nothing else to do then to debate things that could exist in an alternate universes with these ppl

.

-I saw a piece of fan art and I agree 100%, since Wu Kong’s staff is actually just a column from The Dragon of The East’s palace, he definitely knows how to pole dance. He’s got the strength of it and he’s a monkey so it’s obvious that he knows how to climb shit. 

It’s just funny though since just because The Monkey King knows how to pole dance doesn’t mean he’s good at it, usually he’s just good at the acrobatics, the flow and calculated spins don’t really qualify as entertaining stuff in his books lmao

.

-MK is absolutely obsessed w/ space. At first he was only into his normal animal zodiac (monkey obv- also I’m so sad we don’t know literally any of the character’s birthdays RIP) but after he started using the internet more in his free time- he had time to browse the internet almost everyday but now he’s got so much shit to do- he found out that there’s European Zodiacs too, and got into those as well.

He’s got all his signs figured out, he makes AND takes those personality tests based off of your zodiac. One day he was fighting Red Son, took one look at him and was like “Yeah, you’d totally be an Aries  🙄”

Mei wouldn’t stop laughing for a week lmao

.

-Trans MK is basically cannon at this point, but training with Macaque bak in season 1 fully cemented MK’s experience as being treated as his gender but STEREOTYPED

This sounds way worse then I typed is as, but basically during his training with Macaque MK essentially was being encouraged to indulge in everything ‘a man’ does, like focus on power and strength over literally anything else, and ‘take charge’ and all that.

And while stereotypes usually piss him off, it was an eye opening experience per say cuz after the whole ordeal MK reflected on how most male assholes were encouraging themselves to act like they’re better then everyone on the planet. While for himself, MK had to actually have someone tell him that in order to become better at fighting he needs to embrace his ‘manliness’.

Eventually that’s one of the reasons why Macaque complimenting his fighting was so shocking and meaningful, since it approves the effort MK was making to pass all that time ago. (Now he’s more comfortable with masc and fem presenting whereas before he got dysphoria). Also imagine being the literal enemy and gender affirming your student because they’re genuinely doing well in something, Macaque did at least ONE thing correctly lmao

.

-After encountering LBD and everyone piling on the ship it wasn’t a secret that everyone was stressed out especially after Macaque tried to attack them (let’s assume for the sake of the argument that they managed to fend him off without capsizing the ship LMAo).

But MK started to notice how weary Wu Kong was of accepting anything. Like- if someone offered him food he could come up with a random excuse, if he was cold and someone offered him a blanket he’d just make his own, etc. 

Obviously MK’s super heartbroken because of this and also vaguely curious so one day he asks Wu Kong what’s up, and after a lot of prodding, MK rounded up everyone and the Monkey King told them about how traumatizing and terrible the stupid fucking circlet was in JTTW. 

^I’m making a whole post about this rn but HOLY SHIT I hate that goddamn circlet.

Wu Kong explains how he trusted Tripitaka (after glancing cautiously at Tang) and how he actually felt so betrayed when the circlet started to hurt. Also how close the happen stances were that after the JTTW gang saw the bone spirit for the first time Wu Kong got punished twice just for trying to protect everyone. (With influence from Zhu Ba Jie obv)

.

-Fighting some big demon eventually caused everyone to wait in this random room completely silent (like I’m talking everyone, Iron Fan, DBK, Macaque, Jin and Yin, etc.)

And it was super awkward so MK takes out his phone and you hear this dumbass fucking noise

Mei who instantly understood the assignment ALSO pulls out her phone and after the sound plays a second time Red son very loudly claims

“The world is about to fucking end and you guys are playing fucking Clash Royal?”

To which Jin and Yin EXPLODE with laughter and Red Son has to hastily explain this stupid ass American mobile game to all the deities and adults in the room that have no idea what the hell is going on.

Wu Kong downloads the game so he can beat MK cuz he’s competitive like that (and subsequently gets mad when they don't have a character base off of him and claims he will be sending a letter to the devs about it LMAO)

.

-After trying to lift the staff in the pilot Red Son took pity on the bull clone that lost its arms and made it have a nice and safe life as his personal servant (it’s way better than risking its robotic life everyday)

.

-MK gets handed a cup of coffee in the morning and is like “Oh awesome, thanks!”

And then heads to the cupboard to get his straw.

If he eats soft serve ice cream MK will also refuse to eat it unless he uses his straw. The reason why I say ‘his’ straw is because MK always carries a collapsable metal straw with him. He’s built DIFFERENT bro

.

-In an AU where everyone’s on the airship and Macaque redemption arc is happening, Macaque and Wu Kong constantly switch glamours as each other whenever they don’t have the energy to do something.

Wu Kong has to sit through a lecture with Sandy, and Macaque has nothing else to do? Switch

Macaque is about to get ambushed by MK because he won’t stop asking by about his ears? Cashing in the favour, switch

It even happens for menial chores like washing dishes and doing the laundry and since they treat their switching as a reward/token system it’s like

“Macaque you get to do my turn in laundry, I’m cashing in my switch”

“Wha- no the fuck you’re not, it’s MY turn and I’m saving mine, bitch”

“Uhhh haha very funny, no it’s not I was keeping count dude-“

“Wu Kong don’t even try it I literally have the calendar right here and it says: Last switch- Macaque as Wu Kong hid from Mei and Red Son after he stole their chips,”

“Hmmm okay you make a compelling argument, HOWEVER- and hear me out here: how about you do it anyway” And then he ran off glamoured as Macaque.

“MONKEY KING ITS YOUR TURN TO DO THE LAUNDRY I WILL NOT HESITATE TO SET YOU ASS ON FIRE IF YOU DONT” -Red Son

“Gods fucking damnit peaches I’m going to kill you,”

.

-When MK fights demons he often ends up rambling about whatever he can think about in order to organize his thoughts, balance stress/nervousness, and in general throw off the enemy. This leads to some... interesting interactions w/ them lmao.

Red Son (we’re considering Spicynoodles cannon bois) finds this endearing but also extremly annoying. Especially while he’s trying to chase MK down he can’t stop hearing 

“Okay so yeah anyway as I was saying, there was this moment where he actually tries to kill himself but in a moment of- OH SHIT THAT’S HOT STOP TRYING TO SHOOT FIRE AT ME DUDE- in a moment of realization that he was being manipulated he jumps into a lake instead of hitting the ground-”

So... that’s something

-Extension to that: the only demon that does something other than try and kill him whenever he starts rambling is Macaque. Which sounds weird, but considering that back when Macaque and Wu Kong were still friends he would do this all the time, Macaque actually indulges MK in his ramblings. 

Like MK would start talking about the plot of some movie he saw the other day- mention sponges and Macaque would be like 

“Y’know kid it’s literally the weirdest thing that you humans use dead plants as a way to- what clean dishes? I mean just use a cloth it’s not that hard. Apparently sponges used to be made from coral I heard over the TV a couple days ago-”

“WHAT? Nuh-uh you’re lying we don’t use coral for sponges- AH DUDE CHILL OUT YOU ALMOST CRUSHED MY SKULL THAT TIME!”

“Oops, too bad I was a few centimeters off- anyway yeah I didn’t believe it earlier but if I think about it back in the old days we used to use moss all the time to get a cloth wet in order to wash shit since it stores water well so it wouldn’t be that far off-”

-Extra extra to this: one day Wu Kong stumbles into one of MK and Macque’s fights since he was in the area and all- and hears them hotly debating the credibility of some of Wu Kong’s adventures.

Mk while running for his actual LIFE:

“Okay I hear what you’re saying Macaque, but there is NO WAY Monkey King ate through those clothes that quickly! They would’ve opened the box already-“

Macaque while scanning the rubble to look for MK:

“Kid you have no idea what you’re talking about: I was THERE, dude. I was right there when it happened-“

Mk: “NUH UH that’s not in any of the books!”

Macaque: “YOU THINK SOME RANDOM HISTORIAN KNOWS I WAS STALKING THE GROUP AT THAT TIME!?”

Wu Kong: “You were WHAT”

Etc.

.

-Another one where everyone’s on the ship:

Sandy made a playlist that’s HUGE and plays it on shuffle on the speakers everyday. Usually it’s a bunch of like- 80′s music- idk how to describe it except for music you’d listen to while smoking a cigarette while it’s raining and looking out your window

Basically I’m aiming to say it’s really chill music

Anyways when this song comes on both Macaque and Wu Kong happen to be on the deck at the same time, and they ended up sitting down and reminiscing on all types of stupid shit they did in the past. 

It eventually became a ritual so whenever they hear the beginning of the song they drop everything they’re doing and make a beeline for they’re spot on the very edge of the ship so they can be only deities and brag about

“OH MY GODS remember back in the old days how-”

“Haha ‘back in the old days’- you sound like an old man, Peaches”

“Shut the hell up, Macaque I do not,”

“Uh huh, whatever helps you sleep at night 姥爷 ”

(姥爷 is basically saying old grandpa- a double insult to Wu Kong’s age in this context lol)

.

-Macaque really wanted to learn how to play an instrument at some point because he saw the weird human thing make noise (that slightly bothered him because of his sensitive hearing but he brushed it off-) and wanted to try it.

The first thing he ever picked up was a bell. 

The attempt ended with him curled up on the ground clutching his ears to just stop the ringing- he threw away the blasted copper piece of trash why were his ears still ringing?

He tried again with a Guqin since it makes an actual melody instead of being a percussion instrument but..,,,

He plucked a single string and feeling the vibration along with the intense sound overwhelmed him and he had to jump away from the thing to keep himself from throwing it across the field.

Yeah, Macaque stays away from instruments even though he actually was interested in learning how to use one.

-If you take this into account s3e8 is just so much sadder *cries*

.

[flickeringart]

Planets in the 8th House

Like all the watery houses, the 8th house is mysterious and potent, yet it’s difficult to fully get a grasp of. The area of life that this house represents are usually summarized by worn out key words; death, transformation, regeneration, rebirth, sex, shared finances, the occult, hidden complexes, power struggles, trauma, crisis and the list goes on… from these words one gathers that the 8th is not a light-hearted sphere of life – it signifies struggle and emotional intensity. Having planets in the 8th, strong Pluto or Scorpio influence usually revolves around the same themes – paranoia, the striving for control and a tendency to keep things private and buried in order to sustain power.

I’m not going to discuss the difference of having strong Scorpio-Pluto placements vs. having planets in the 8th house in this post, but since the sign, planet and house are linked and are symbolic of the same themes, there’s a lot of overlap that is to be expected.

A person with planet(s) in the 8th will not act out the planetary principles consciously. Usually, the energy is felt through their aura, quiet but evident, as if the planet makes its presence known without revealing itself. For example, someone with Venus in the 8th might not openly declare affection and love, except in the most intimate of settings, but it’s unquestionably there. Picture the goddess of love living within a person as a body of water. She is there, but she is slippery and unable to manifest through conscious expression in daily life. The reason for planets in the 8th house “hiding” usually has something to do with fear of losing control, of exposing something taboo and risky that could have dire consequences.  We see this phenomenon in movies all the time – a person isn’t conscious of the fact the he or she is in love with a person but it’s obvious to everyone else – this would be typical of Venus in the 8th. One doesn’t dare to express it because it would alter the way of things, it would violate the sense of self-control and expose one’s vulnerability. Pain accompanies planets in the 8th, however benefic, because they impose themselves on the person and puts everything on the line. It’s a little bit like opening Pandora’s box – one can never go back to how things were before one fell in love, yet one resists the power with which one is pulled into a relationship. Even Venus and Jupiter, the most “positive” planets are operating in a way that makes the person feel out of control. Sure, it’s probably more positive to be invaded by love and abundance than anything else, but it can still be shocking and fearful to a person that doesn’t want to acknowledge the autonomy of the planet and has put up rigid defenses against it, only to have them be shattered. In the case of Venus in the 8th, personal love and affection is very private and usually has some kind of trauma or complex tied up with it. Looking at astrotheme’s database of people with Venus in the 8th , Miley Cyrus pops up at the top of the page with this placement. In some of her more personal songs, lyrics hint to her being afraid of love and intimacy. Even in her famous song “Wrecking Ball” she sings about falling under love’s spell and slowly seeing a relationship turn to “ashes on the ground”. If this isn’t typical symbolism of transformation through love I don’t know what is.

With the Moon in the 8th house, the person doesn’t openly express emotion – the emotions erupt volcanically from time to time, and it’s very uncomfortable for the person because there’s a feeling of being exposed and threatened that accompanies this release. Because of the fear that is tied up with emotion, the person might show dislike and defensiveness when faced with other people’s emotional expressions and needs. Sigmund Freud had his Moon in the 8th, which is very telling. He was obviously interested in uncovering the complexes behind certain reactions, presumably because he didn’t feel himself to be in control of his own emotions and inner life. He was certainly motivated to transform and free himself and his clients of the tight grip of the unconscious patterns of the 8th house. He explored the underlying mechanisms of repression, formulated the Oedipus complex and postulated the existence of libido – sexual energy with which the mental processes are invested. The Moon’s placement in the 8th would point to deeply rooted emotional and possibly sexual ties with the mother. The Oedipus complex is after all a desire for sexual involvement with the opposite sex and the presence of repressed incestuous instincts. Freud noted that he had wanted to marry his mother as a child to rival with the father and understood that it must be a universal principle among all boys in all cultures. This has not been thoroughly empirically proven, but it’s certainly reveals something about Freud’s own psychology. In any case with Moon in the 8th, the emotional and instinctual nature is accompanied with a sense of it being taboo and shameful. The emotional nature is experienced to be powerful beyond personal control.

Mercury in the 8th is a another story. Mercury is the planet of communication, thinking and deductive reasoning. When looking up people with this placement, it seems to me that it is common among people who speak up about uncomfortable topics, that which would be considered “risky business” to talk about. Prince Harry has this placement and he has been very open recently about his mental health struggles. Emma Watson has this placement and she has been an advocate for feminism and equality – preaching and advocating strongly with emotional investment when giving the famous UN speech in 2014. Lana Del Rey has this placement and she writes lyrics based on her own personal experiences, not shying away from dark topics like death, heartbreak, destructive and passionate relationships. It seems as if Mercury in this house gives the person a propensity for talking and thinking about that which in uncomfortable, for revealing difficult power-imbalances and dynamics taking place within the psyche. There’s usually a feeling of being cautious of what one reveals, of sitting on information that holds emotional power and that involves other people. With any planet in this house there’s a strong impulse to be aware of other people, in case of Mercury it’s what other people know and don’t know, what they say and don’t say. Mercury in the 8th might be indicative of a person who is controlled by what other people say and feels at the mercy of other people’s opinions – positively and negatively. The narratives and stories of other people might merge with the person on a deep level and fuel one’s own opinions. One might be exposed to challenging, discriminative and harmful opinions, even indoctrinated in them. When speaking one’s mind, one might have to summon a lot of bravery because more than likely there’s a bit of a chokehold that is being felt and effort that is required to break free from deeply instilled thought patterns. This placement could be indicative of a person that likes to think and communicate about deep and taboo topics, reveal and keep secrets.

With Mars in the 8th, one simple interpretation would be “someone who is prone to experience physical violence in intimate relationships”. Either one is the victim of it or the perpetrator, perhaps even a bystander or a protector. The violence, albeit linked to physical action, might just manifest in the form of acting without another’s best interest in mind. There’s usually a sense of being at the mercy of other people’s actions with this placement, but also of having no conscious control over one’s own motivations for doing things, one’s own drive to make things happen. Princess Diana had this placement, conjunct Pluto-Uranus, and she was far from feeling in absolute control of her direction in life. With Pluto-Mars the drive is buried and tied up with the primal survival instinct and latent rage. Her relationship with Prince Charles was anything but smooth and she felt like a victim to greater forces (Pluto-Uranus) making her act in a way that was, most certainly, driven by emotional complexes and not out of conscious will. She also behaved in a way with her compulsive eating and independent streak that was not favorably looked upon. J.F. Kennedy also had this placement, he too had difficulties on the relationship front, mostly because he had a compulsive sexual drive and had a lot of extramarital affairs. This is typical of Mars in the 8th being tied up with emotional complexes – he couldn’t stick to his wife; he had to prove himself and his masculinity through conquering women (he has Jupiter conjunct his Mars and we all know how faithful Jupiter was in mythology). His sexual appetite caused moral problems among the Secret Service agents who were employed to smuggle women in and out of the White House. His behavior was altogether inappropriate but somehow he survived politically as it was kept in the shadows. Diana certainly had her own extramarital affairs as well, perhaps to revenge Charles for his strong tie with Camilla and subsequent declining interest in their marriage. Mars in the 8th is undoubtedly indicative of action taken out of the need to retain emotional integrity, sometimes with unfavorable consequences. Notably, both Diana and J.F. Kennedy died suddenly, Diana in a car accident and J.F. Kennedy through assassination by a bullet. The 8th house is the house of death, and Mars here usually indicates a violent and sudden strike of “fate”.

Last but not least, let’s take a look at the Sun in the 8th house. The same people who shows up when searching for Mercury, Mars and even Venus, also have the Sun in this house; J.F. Kennedy, Lana Del Rey, Emma Watson and Prince Harry, which is not surprising considering that the inner planets never stray too far from the Sun. The Sun represents the ego, the sense of self-knowledge and self-awareness. The Sun is representative of the conscious center of the personality. This suggests that the people with this placement are painfully aware of death and violation, of the destructive nature of reality. While the Moon in the 8th might indicate that emotional reactions or lack thereof stem from deep seated autonomous complexes rooted in survival, the Sun might indicate a sense of self and self-expression that stems from the difficulties and hardships one has gone through. This placement can be understood in the sentiment “who am I without my trauma?”. There’s the tendency to identify with the ordeals of one’s life and how one overcame them (or didn’t). This dynamic is evident in all the people listed at the top of this paragraph. Prince Harry being a very obvious one that people make fun of nowadays – he’s coming out as a survivor of past down ancestral trauma, attempting to work through and shine a light on his personal struggles growing up within the Royal Family, attempting to separate himself from the curses of unconscious programming. Lana Del Rey certainly enjoys identifying and expressing the darker side of herself, illuminating the theme of death and emotional hardship in her songs. Emma Watson also seems to identify with the hurt and injustice present in the world and is a spokesperson for collective movements (Sun in the 8th, Leo in the 11th). J.F. Kennedy has the same Sun –Leo house setup as Emma, channeling his experience of personal hardships into his career and public life. In a sense, people who want to appeal to the masses and make a change on a large scale must be personally invested enough to fuel the movement. In the case of the 8th house being involved with Kennedy and Watson, they might feel as if their sense of self is dictated by other people’s values or that they would have to fight to remain in control of their sense of self. As the Sun relates to the father, the father figure might’ve been quite controlling, demanding and dominant. If the Moon in the 8thsays something about a mother complex, the Sun in the 8thdefinitely says something about a father complex.

[findingmyselfatm]

More astro notes because I feel like talking about taurus and Leo rising supremacy, among others

Usual disclaimer: I am no professional take what resonates

First off, taurus placements. I spoke about them before, but I need to talk about them again. Taurus suns are just- so awsome- they're kind and helpful but not the most upfront about it. They're stubborn and yeah, perhaps a little lazy, but when something interests them they will get it. Taurus moons, y'all are so kind and down to earth, one of my fave moon placements.

And now leo risings. Hnggggg pretty, amazing, talented, glamorous and probably very original. Also, I feel like you guys have amazing hair (along with Leo moons), since Leo also rules over that. Fire risings simply exude off strong and independent energy. When you're feeling yourselves you're literally unstoppable and inspire others as well :)

I noticed that people with grand trines in their chart (3 planets trining each other) tend to overlook their blessings and complain about having no talent. Now, the grand trine is cool and all, energy flows very easily, but so easily in fact it goes undetected. "I'm so untalented!" typa thing. I'm not saying this to throw shade, but just to point out that people with grand trines are very lucky and have immense potential. The only thing they have to do is harness it, apply conscious effort into development. Now, I have a grand trine in my chart as well, but its part of a kite formation (a grand trine, and another planet opposing another and sextiling the other 2). The planet in opposition becomes a central focus, pushing the native to improve, but also creates some chaos.

If Aquarius placements so "detatched" and "cold" then why so caring¿ Hear me out. Aquarius is an universal sign, they feel connected to the collective, the bigger picture so to speak. They're not really the type to care about things on a small scale, which can go both ways (and of course depends on other placements in the chart). But in the end, Aquarius values truth and ideals, they do care, just in an unconventional way.

That moment when you want to he secretive and mysterious like the scorpio stereotype but you also have libra and 9th house placements. It's a struggle 😔✊ ok no jk. But I really believe that's what those placements do! They open up the person, in a way, to express and communicate their ideas. Don't get me wrong, you can still be stereotypically introverted as hell, but if you have these placements you probably have moments when you cannot shut up, in my opinion. This isn't at all bad, you're more likely to talk about things that interest you :>

I noticed pisces placements have a thing with blame. If undeveloped, they can really blame everyone else and retreat into their dream world :p but when evolved they're very good at mediating conflict! They can see that in most cases it's nobody's fault and work towards harmony, or just mutual understanding.

I have a lot of leo saturn friends. They all struggle with self-worth, but I observed they can act over confident to make up for it. They're truly inspiring people tho, I saw that they really have a "everyone's so great except me" complex.

Ok so we are all aware of venus-ascendant's "pretty privilege" but I think this is valid for venus-midheaven aspects as well. These people are just seen as attractive, whether they're aware of it or not.

I have heard people say fixed risings have a staring problem, they stare too much. Well, I think that's true haha, but I also noticed mutable risings not being able to maintain eye contact for long.

Okkk, where is my daydreaming almost 24/7 neptune aspecting personal planets squad?

Also, I noticed people with neptune aspecting the ascendant, or in houses that represent the physcial body (1st, 2nd, 5th, and 6th house, maybe even 8th) tend feel disconnected from their bodies.

I believe both mars in the 5th and mars in the 6th have a thing for working out, or generally sports or exercise. Mars in the 5th puts their energy into their hobbies, very creative and engaged people, so I think they are likely to practice sport for pleasure (dancing, for example). Meanwhile, mars in the 6th does it to be healthy and out of a feeling of duty.

And done! Thanks for reading