#but even in translation for example. the kind of translation and how it’s gone about. there is potential for cultural learning and

[hanzajesthanza]

you guys… we did it!!!

just wanted to thank you everyone for being a part of this blog… “big things to come soon”

[punkpandapatrixk]

🍯New Age Money ♦︎ Timeless Pick A Card

‘When I was small, God was around and curiously granted my every wish. Now a grownup, I still believe that miracles do happen and that alone gets me up in the morning with such gladness.

And if I am enveloped by a peaceful sun filtering through the branches as I open my curtains, I am sure, everything before my eyes is a message.

When I was small, God was around and sent Love my way every day. And now, it is time I opened that precious box that’s been forgotten, kept hidden in a corner of my heart.

And if I am enveloped by the soft fragrance of cape jasmine in a garden awash by rain, I am sure, everything before my eyes is a message.’

– When I’m Surrounded by Kindness from Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

あなたの特技！Surely everybody was born into this world carrying some precious boxes of God-given talents. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to open those boxes and monetise such talents with Soul?

SONG: Yasashisa ni Tsutsumareta nara by Matsutoya Yumi

MOVIE: Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989)

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – ‘Harry, you’re a Witch!’

untapped divine talents – Queen of Cups

Hey, magical creature~ You literally possess mystical powers but you probably didn’t even know~! You’re a sensual being, like a siren, who has an innate ability to feel what others can’t easily perceive. Naturally, this translates into your being highly intuitive, empathetic, imaginative—and you might’ve felt like this world wasn’t made for you. Psychics are incredibly sensitive people and you could’ve felt out of place most of your Life, but as the insightful Jiddu Krishnamurti said: sensitivity is the highest form of intelligence. We’re talkin’ EQ here😘

Someone like you was definitely not built for any kind of money-making endeavour that doesn’t allow you to be sensitive to the needs of others. There’s meaning in your being emotionally attuned and imaginative; even if—for example—you feel that your calling is to become an author, even in your writing it’s clear there’s a purpose of healing those who come into contact with your Art. If you’ve chosen this as your main pile, you literally possess some innate ability to heal others and this explains why you’ve always had the urge to make the world a better place🌍

You see, back in those long-gone days, those who were called witches were really scientists, teachers and healers. The word ‘witch’ comes from ‘wicca’ which means the wise one. Wicca (male) and wicce (female) were the knowledgeable ones who sought to apply their wealth of information and perspectives for the betterment of others as that’s how knowledge becomes wisdom. There is an untapped divine talent resting in you and it is your ability to feel through your psychic senses what society is lacking in terms of its maintenance of its own sanity🎭

YOU, literally hold all the ingredients necessary for a once in a lifetime breakthrough that could potentially heal all of Mankind for centuries to come~🌻

karmic/dharmic opportunities – XIII Death

I betcha you have significant Scorpio influences or 8th House placements or a specifically strong Pluto/Neptune presence in your natal chart. It could be that shortly before you were born someone quite spiritual/religious/magickal in your bloodline had passed away and it almost feels like you were born to pick up the pieces they had left. I betcha that some of your innate interests since childhood or pursuits you feel very strongly about that may have developed later in Life were inspired by or related to that relative/ancestor, one way or another. Like you just share similar patterns of behaviour, interests or even thought processes🦜

What you can really take away from all of this is that you have a purpose higher than yourself. That you came with specific blueprints and that your whole Life, your sense of purpose or mission, all of that is a group project you share with many Souls in the Higher Realms. Only high-vibrational peeps will really resonate with this message😊And that in itself is confirmation for you to know you have many opportunities in the healing and creative industries.

Seriously, you needn’t even have to worry about how you’re gonna make money with these opportunities even if they sound out of reach at the moment. Because it is your Destiny to be a cycle breaker—to start something completely new on your own—a path will be made for you just to fulfil your Destiny. And you can wholeheartedly trust in that to save yourself from excessive worry/anxiety🍷

the future of jobs – 5 of Pentacles

In the industry you’re meant to be part of, there will be a lot of chaos right before you make your debut. Like things are just falling apart and many of the players aren’t even sure what they’re there for anymore. There’s a lot of disillusionment that’s needing to be felt to the max until a breakthrough can really have any meaning. Either that, or some of you could be the one creating more chaos in the industry as you enter it LMAO We call you an industry disruptor, alright? You’re that breath of oxygen everybody was needing because they had been suffocating themselves with their own stupidity🍭

If you’ve resonated with this pile thus far, know that you’re meant to bring some healing—even enlightenment to some extent—to whichever industry you feel a calling to. And this is totally not a one-man’s show; you will be meeting a lot of kindred spirits in that industry and others associated with it. You’re meant to have an audience and serve a greater spiritual purpose for all involved. Bring back all those people into OG spirituality. All of this for what? For people’s mental health, obvi~💕

How does every one of these people expect themselves to be truly happy and abundant when their viewpoints are marred by childhood traumas and the excessive need for revenge? You of all people understand the innate darkness of the human psychology and the future of jobs within the industry of your calling is dependent on its people transcending above trauma and lack mentality so that a new, healthier paradigm can be established. Out with addictive behaviours; out with destructive habits; in with purer intents~ That’s the kind of New World you’re meant to be a part of to earn your keep in the most high-vibrational way👒

CURRENTS OF CHI (currency)🔻💛

being of service to Mankind – Gold Physician (Hippocrates)

delights of Life – Priestess of Contemplation

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 2 – Paths Least Travelled Lead to the Greatest Stories

untapped divine talents – 9 of Cups

You…need to go and carve out a LYFE of your own, honey. Since you were quite young, you’ve always had this desire to go explore strange territories and come back to share grand stories only you could tell. A unique Life of your own that sets you apart from your family/community. Try to check what numerology has to say about, for example, your Life Path, Soul Urge, Expression and all that; there may be something there that validates this desire to be unique, to be different, to be a fucking unicorn, and perhaps, to be the FIRST to discover or invent something🦄

You have what it takes to thrive alone, that much I can assure you. Some of you probably even have Jupiter in Pisces/12th House or Neptune/Uranus in 9th House. Whatever it is, your Soul does intend for you to travel paths least travelled and discover magical things only you could have access to. What is this strange narrative for? For discovering your Soul’s heritage. I know it sounds weird. But you’ve come from very distinct bloodlines and I sense many of you have a strong affinity towards the faery realm? There’s a lot of historical truths to uncover as you walk the lonely path of the eccentric hermit🏞

The New Age of Aquarius is changing the way we receive truths. It’s such a glad thing that people are now more open to seeing things for what they truly are no matter how politically ‘incorrect’ or heartbreaking the truths are. Your untapped divine talents will naturally bring you towards avenues where you will arise as some kind of a whistleblower or you will be unearthing ancient esoteric wisdom and sharing it with the public. Your life path is definitely very exciting and will take you to wonderful places and meeting the most unique people in the world!⛵️

karmic/dharmic opportunities – 7 of Wands Rx

In many regards, your life path could even lead you to meeting some of the world’s most distinguished individuals OMO But the path is understandably not easy. This kind of calling will require a great deal of character and tenacity. You will be rocking the yachts of the Devil, right? Your Life Stories could get extra absurd and your discoveries might lead you to some dangerous encounters. Nevertheless, if you are nudged by a sense of being of service to Truth, you will decide it’s all worth it. When we die, our Souls carry only stories and memories of our heroism anyway🧬

You will have friends though. People who share your passion for the real re-education of the people. I see professions in journalism, philosophy, psychology, anthropology, criminology, even celebrity exposé stuff that reveal the scammy behaviours of the evil rich and famous. You could also be drawn intuitively to the studies of the REAL history of Planet Earth, her extraterrestrial history and the truths of the lost civilisations that have shaped the wars of our Time. You could secretly (or not so secretly) be part of the disclosure movement😉

The studies of Astronomy and Astrotheology will benefit you a great deal if you’ve resonated this far with this being your main pile. In everything that you do, there is a panacea for the brokenness of Humanity. Your sharing of outlandish discoveries and suppressed information could be what Humanity needs for it to mature and choose global peace and harmony. It will be a lifelong effort that may not end with your lifetime though. So make sure you leave enough material as your legacy for the next generations to continue on🍁

the future of jobs – King of Cups

I suppose it’s pretty clear to many of us now that the world is run by psychopaths. Indecent human beings with terrible hobbies that hurt others and the sheer disregard for the sustainability of the Planet and the livelihood of her inhabitants. With you, you will see for yourself pretty soon that the world is choosing to move to a more compassionate space, and you will have a role in giving a voice to those whose intentions for their societies are more honourable. You could be one to contribute an invention or two yourself; perhaps an exposé book, perhaps a channel, a website~ Idk, what do you feel called to?🎪

In the future you will be part of, you will see evil leaders getting replaced, thwarted even, by compassionate leaders of the New Age Money. Down to anarchy; we want real peace. Down to young psychopaths rebelling against old psychopaths only to start a new cycle of abuse. The future you will be seeing will see that those with a genuine heart rise to the top and begin taking charge of the wheel of society. Leading with a heart. People before profit. It’s really not that difficult to sow the seeds now~🌱

You yourself, and the people who share the same passion, vision and mission as yourself, you are a bunch of experts who will glue together different factions of society who want to work hand-in-hand to remedy all the destruction caused by the powerful psychopaths. There is diplomacy in what you share with the rest of the populace and there is kindness and grace. People’s mental wellbeing will be put at the forefront before profits are made. And if we really did go into a WWIII…

CURRENTS OF CHI (currency)🔻💜

being of service to Mankind – Red Astronomer (Johannes Kepler)

delights of Life – Priestess of Solitude

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 3 – For You, It’s Never, Ever, Been About the Money

untapped divine talents – Queen of Pentacles Rx

Of all the piles, you’ve always resonated with loving being of service to the world since you were tiny. You could’ve been attracted to the service and hospitality industries since you were quite young, too. You were probably quite social when you were a kid and liked the idea of working jobs that would ensure other people have a good time, have a good experience with excellent customer service—basically, you liked the idea of helping/assisting others. If you could make your own choices, you’d rather have these types of job🩹

Unfortunately, growing up you were told that such jobs had no money or glamour. Some of you reading this could’ve come from a wealthy background in which working to service others is seen as uncool…even low. So this could’ve caused a great deal of psychological conflict in you. What you want and what your society deems worthwhile seemed to be in conflict. But let me tell you that your heart really knows what’s intended for your highest good🦉

From a very young age, you were already able to see that this world is sick and needing a lot of help when it comes to healing and transmuting negative aenergies. Your child brain couldn’t have verbalised that but your higher intuition knew you were put on Earth to tip the scale. You didn’t want to care about money; you wanted to pursue an authentic Life where your existence could be of some use to somebody👑

karmic/dharmic opportunities – III The Empress Rx

Some of you could’ve come from a rather impoverished background. This is easy to deal with. You were born face to face with this Devil called ‘lack’. But some of you could’ve come from a wealthier background or at least you weren’t necessarily starving and your society could’ve expected a lot from you. If the latter is the case with you, at some point in Life your Higher Self and team of Spirit Guides will force you to get down from the high horse of your inauthentic environment and have you experience Life from the perspective of those who haven’t got much in Life🐛

When this happens, your eyes will be opened to what truly matters in Life. That essentially, everybody in this world is sick to the bone because they’re trying to fill a hole in their hearts with weirdass purchases and hobbies. Part of your karmic reason to be born at this passage of time is to help Mankind transmute its unhealthy affinity towards excess indulgence via obtaining things that are truly fleeting. When you learn to overcome your own traumas and addictions, you help the collective conscious of Humanity transcend above that, too. This is very noble and you deserve a big bear hug just for existing in this realm~🧸

Rest assured, it is in your Soul’s blueprint that you must end up abundant yourself when all’s said and done. You’re destined to be very wealthy, from doing things that are high-vibrational and fully in alignment with what your Soul wishes for you to express as a Human being. You’re meant to set an example of what it means to do a job with Love~🎀

the future of jobs – 2 of Pentacles Rx

Many of you grew up in societies that taught you: passion doesn’t put food on the table. And you’ve observed many real examples of those who prioritise good deeds end up not having much money, indeed. And you could’ve believed that Life is about choosing between passion and duty. Bullshit. If people can’t thrive doing what they love, it’s the society that’s broken; how can there be no money to be made in those endeavours that are more exciting, more meaningful? You realise now that the System was designed to depress the common people in the pursuit of serving the Devil😰

You and your kindred spirits are the free spirits that are going to usher in an era of New Age Money where people no longer need to ruminate over sacrificing passion or freedom for a stable income. Back to before Industrial Revolution, maybe? Let’s reset the paradigm so we can recalibrate ourselves towards something more of a Solarpunk Society, or a Steampunk Society, that’s cool, too🍵

For you, it’s never ever been about the money. Career endeavours that would suit you most are whatever you feel an innate calling for. Many of your natural talents you’ve got since birth can be monetised in the service of your community, and better yet, online community. Some of you may feel a calling for being in the hospitality business, engineering, have an online presence or be a social media influencer, and some others may simply work in the aviation or F&B business, while some could want to become an eco-farmer or something. Whichever it may be, know that you have the unique power to elevate many aspects of the industry you are part of~🏹

CURRENTS OF CHI (currency)🔻💚

being of service to Mankind – Silver Astronomer (John Dee)

delights of Life – Priestess of Faith

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[PAC Masterlist] [Part 2] [Part 3]

[Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[what-even-is-thiss]

could you share your thoughts on Christianity and the lgbt community? Not in a like "'oh yeah well how are you this and that if you're REALLY Christian"' kind of way, I'm asking from the perspective of someone who's been struggling with their spirituality because I don't know how I can believe and god and also be gay. Feel free not to answer this though, you shouldn't have to explain yourself to random people every time you mention your religion

There’s not a lot of mentions of what we would consider to be homosexuality in the Bible. Paul mentions it most explicitly but there’s some important things to remember about Paul. First, he’s just some guy. He did important work spreading the religion but that doesn’t mean that he’s right about everything. Second, his only exposure to homosexuality likely came from the Roman elite. And the way they did it usually involved raping slave boys and hiring young prostitutes. They didn’t usually have same sex relations in the way we think of them now. Men didn’t generally have romantic relationships with each other into adulthood and a full adult citizen being passive during sex was considered to be scandalous. Any actual romantic relationships between adults of the same sex were likely kept secret or at least weren’t talked about loudly. So Paul is living in this environment. And people aren’t completely separate from the environments they live in.

For the most part stuff in the Bible that’s translated as condemning homosexuality is referring to certain cultural practices common in the Mediterranean at the time that we also wouldn’t like today. Such as pederasty, also known as a romanticized form of pedophilia that even people at the time in cultures that practiced it heavily criticized. Consenting adults often did have romantic or sexual relations together but they weren’t commonly open about it.

Overall, the Bible just doesn’t have much to say about liking someone of the same gender if you look at instances outside of things alluding to some of the worse stuff the Greeks and Romans did. So if the Bible doesn’t say much about it, that leaves it up to us to logically deduce our personal feelings about it.

Okay. So what are the two main commandments Jesus gives us? Love your neighbor as yourself, and love god with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Basically: love God, love others, love yourself. These are said to be the rules that all other commandments stem from and supersede all other commandments in terms of importance.

So. Does being queer stop you from loving God? Loving others? Loving yourself?

Science is real. It helps us learn more and more about the universe God created all the time and science has proven time and time again that being queer isn’t a choice and that people are happier when they live more authentically.

God made you the way you are. You cannot control whether you’re queer or not. So it’s not a mistake in you that can be “fixed”. If humans were made in the image of God, you too are an image of God. So some tiny part of God, however small, looks like you. All of you. Including the queer parts.

So then. Are you loving God? Including the parts of God that are like you? Are you loving your fellow humans? Including your fellow lgbt humans? Are you doing your best to love yourself? Every part of yourself?

I don’t take the Bible fully literally. You can’t. It contradicts itself constantly. But even if you did, the world it was written for and the society that made the oral traditions it was based on no longer exist. At least not in the exact same way they once did. What the Bible does have in it is stories that can give us examples and have informed the formation of our culture as Christians. Christianity has changed a lot over the last 2,000 years. Many forms of it have come and gone. Ultimately it’s up to us as modern Christians what kind of world we want to be apart of and contribute to and what culture we want to make among ourselves. I can’t pretend to know the true nature of God but I do know that God inspires me to reduce suffering and speak up for injustice where I can.

Ultimately your interpretation is up to you. But I personally don’t see needless self flagellation over something you can’t control as an act of justice or love. Just a form of self torture that’s ultimately not adding much to the world. Adding some of your own happiness to the world in my opinion isn’t a problem.

If you want to know how being queer has affected my faith, I’ve never doubted for a second that being lgbt+ is fine. To be honest I’ve been more afraid of secular society not accepting me than God. God and I have wrestled before, but almost never over that. I am how I am and if God didn’t want me to be this way he probably wouldn’t have flipped the gay switch in my brain.

[wildflower-otome]

[Translation] Shuuen no Virche - Ankou Short Story

Writer: Satomi Nakayama Source: Shuuen no Virche Error Salvation Visual Fan Book

Note: Major spoilers for the ending of Adolphe/Ankou's route below.

Lycoris ~I only think of you~

—The Drifter, the person who I made a soul contract with.

‘—Did you know? Flowers have certain meanings and words that they symbolise.’

He was a knowledgeable man of many talents.

‘For example, red roses signify “love”, and also the words “I love you.”’

‘Is that so? At the very least, when I was in the outside world I never heard of such a thing…..I think.’

‘It’s knowledge one is unable to gain without asking first, so that’s understandable. But once you do know about it, the way you think of what you took to be everyday sights will change. If it has a meaning, I’ll teach you it.’

—Ever since then, because this conversation strangely left an impression on me, each time I came across a different type of flower, I would always ask him what it meant.

‘What about the flowers blooming in the garden at your home?’

‘The ones shaped like star fragments are lilies. They bear the meaning of innocent, pure love. The flowers that look like fairies are called laurel. They are flowers that mean to vow eternity, and the words, “I won’t change until I die.”

‘And these flowers that washed up from the sea?’

‘The ones that seem to have white wings are nodding anemones. They have the somewhat disquieting meaning of love unable to be conveyed, love betrayed. The other ones are elder flowers. They’re extreme flowers, that contain meanings of zeal, joy and pity.

‘Hoh….. There really are so many of them. I wonder for what purpose they exist…..’

‘Hmph. They exist so that flowers will become meaningful for people—most likely. And so that one can pick flowers that have a suitable meaning for the person you are giving them too…..or so it is thought.’

‘?’

As I remained unable to imagine it, the Drifter pointed his index finger at me.

‘Meanings are not necessarily everything but—A person of the opposite sex would likely be much happier receiving red roses, flowers that are suitable for a proper love confession, than ones that mean ‘dishonesty’, don’t you think?’

‘Well…..certainly.’

At this easily understood example, I nodded my head in agreement.

‘But to think there are as many meanings as there are flowers….. Have you memorised all of them?’

‘Haha, surely not. No matter how much I love flowers, even I have my limits. It’s only the ones I’ve read about in books or handle as part of my work that I know about.’

Hearing what he said, a “certain question” came to mind. If he knew the meanings of all flowers within his knowledge, then—

‘Do you know the meaning of lycoris flowers?’

‘Yes, of course. They were flowers that commonly bloomed in my hometown, after all. However—’

‘However?’

‘I don’t know the meaning of “black” lycoris. It would appear that this colour is unique to Arpéchéle.’

‘…..Does the meaning differ depending on the colour?’

‘Yes, that is correct. For example, the roses I told you about before, there is a big difference in meaning depending on if they are red or yellow.’

‘…..Sounds like there’s a lot to it.’

I continued to think it over.

‘Then—outside of the black kind, do lycoris flowers have a particular meaning?’

‘Yes, indeed they do. For example, the representative red variety—have the meaning of “passion.”’

‘Passion…..’

Hearing the word, what came to mind was—. The figure of my dear friend, left behind in the past that had gone by.

‘…..It’s a flower that suits Yves perfectly.’

The Drifter did not fail to hear the words I had quietly murmured.

‘My descendant…..you say. Perhaps you might call me not a doting parent, but a doting ancestor, for saying so, but hearing you say that makes me feel proud.’

However, the Drifter, after picking one of the lycoris that was blooming at his feet, handing it to me as he continued—

‘The one other true form they have—white lycoris, are surely a good fit for you.’

With a smile, he told me that he was sure they suited the face that I couldn’t remember.

‘Me…..?’

‘—White lycoris mean “I only think of you” and “Look forward to the day we meet again”, words of faithfulness. They are fitting for you, who continues to wish for her salvation, and to reunite with her again.’

‘…..…..…..!!’

My eyes widened at hearing what the Drifter had said. To think that flowers with such meanings as these existed this world…..

All the same, despite my astonishment, I shook my head at the Drifter’s words.

‘…..…..…..They are unfitting for someone as powerless as I. These lycoris noirge are more than enough for me.

As if imitating the Drifter, I picked a lycoris. And then—.

‘—The one who suits pure white lycoris, the kind that will bloom after salvation, is not me, but her. …..Someday, I want to see her smiling happily in a flower garden of white lycoris noirge.’

I spoke of my dream of a future in which someday the flower petals blooming before me became pure white—.

* * *

———My wish came true.

‘Adolphe, over here…..!’

‘Calm down, you don’t need to sprint, Ankou’s grave isn’t going to run away.’

My dear princess…..and the ex-novice, had come to visit my grave, which had been placed at the center of a field of white lycoris noirge.

Even though it wasn’t even my death anniversary, whenever something happened, she had made a habit of coming here to talk to me.

About things that had made her happy. Things that had made her sad. Insignificant things.

Because she spoke to me about almost everything, almost as if she were able to see me—

(I really am, so happy)

After running up to my grave, she laid down the white lycoris she had been holding.

‘These are white lycoris that Adolphe and I grew together, with Yves’ advice. Today they bloomed at last, so we came to bring you some, Ankou.’

…..Dear me. Even though so much time had already passed since my death.

‘…..I wanted to grow them together with you as well, Ankou.’

(—My princess, your habit of crying hasn’t changed at all)

I stretched out a finger, to stroke her hair…..or tried to, anyway.

(No, you don’t need my comfort anymore)

After all, she—had become a “normal person”, able to stand on her own two feet.

After forcefully wiping at her eyes, just as I thought she might…..

‘Beautiful, aren’t they…..? Flowers that bloomed in the future of salvation, that you protected for us—!’

She spoke with the brightest of smiles.

…..…..…..…..

(Ah, in the end-)

It hadn’t been a mistake.

(These flowers suit you the most, more than anyone else in this world)

If the lycoris I had watched over had become a guide for you to advance into the future, as they turned from black to white—.

(Nothing else could make me happier. I am the luckiest person in the world.)

Until the end of her life as a “normal person”, I pray that these flowers may continue to proudly bloom—.

[a-secret-bolton-vampire]

Something has been bugging me lately; why is it that so much of the ASOIAF fandom hates romance? Like, this is a problem I've noticed and it's honestly kind of weird. To be sure, George's view on what is romantic is, uh, dubious at best, but to outright be so against it the way I've seen some people be against it is quite bizarre, to say the least.

Rhaegar and Lyanna? Of course there's no romance there! Rhaegar clearly was just using Lyanna as a baby factory to produce a super prophecy child because that's all there is to his character!

Jon and Daenerys? They won't be getting together like that dumb show! And if they are, it will be purely a political marriage! No lovey dovey stuff there!. After all Dany likes "bad boys" (which somehow translates to "evil men") so why would she like a strong, assertive man like Jon? And why would Jon like her? Not like he likes strong fiery tempered women!

Those are the two biggest examples but there is more. Daemon Blackfyre and Daenerys Targaryen are more ambiguous since they are historical characters, but a lot of people are convinced it was 100% unrequited love.

I've even seen fans complain about the line from Barristan where he thinks about how Bittersteel and Bloodraven's rivalry over the affections of Shiera Seastar caused the Blackfyre Rebellions. Like sure it wasn't the only reason, but to think that jealousy and romance didn't have an effect on those rebellions is a bit weird.

Yes, I am aware these are some problematic pairings, not least of which because most of these are pretty incestuous. However, the complaints about these romances do not stem from a moral quandary. In the case of R+L, you see people calling Rhaegar a groomer and pedophile (see my post on him on my full thoughts there), but the majority of it is simply "well it's stupid because they told no one and caused a whole war, the selfish brats" (bonus points if someone specifically targets Lyanna).

Okay, setting aside the fact that, like with the Blackfyre Rebellions, Robert's Rebellion was caused by far more factors than their elopement, why does making it an abduction Rhaegar did simply for a magic messiah baby make it a better story than the fact these two were in love and desperate to escape situations they felt trapped in, leading to shortsighted decisions that had an unexpected affect on many people?

With Jon and Dany, the backlash is "but that's so cliche! George wouldn't do something as cliche as two of the biggest protagonists falling in love." As if George doesn't constantly engage with cliche storybeats as often or even more than he subverts them. Even when the evidence for the two getting together is literally so overwhelming that you'd need to be willfully ignorant to ignore the foreshadowing (plus the fact George literally said that their union is "the point of the series").

And again, I must ask; why is Jon and Dany marrying to secure a political alliance without any real love between them a better story than an epic, doomed romance between two people who have gone through such similar struggles and have such similar personalities? What does R+L=J even exist for if they are just a couple of convenience using each other?

I'm not saying you have to love and ship all these people together. Because we sometimes forget our little fandom bubble, most people are not okay with even fictional incest ships. That's okay. Sometimes it's not even incest ships, but again, that's okay! We are all different and have our preferences! Some might not even care much for romance.

But the way a lot of this is criticized doesn't read like that. It's always focusing on the negative aspects. Especially with Dany's love interests. I'm not a fan of Daario and Dany, personally, but it is a bit uncomfortable how she is targeted so heavily for thinking and getting horny about him. Like... let a girl be horny and infatuated? Lol, I don't know!

With Rhaegar and Lyanna, Prince Duncan the Small and Jenny of Oldstones, the "problem" is that their disregard for political betrothals and following their hearts makes them stupid monsters who are directly responsible for the deaths of thousands. That is absolutely not the way we should take these romances.

These doomed, tragic affairs aren't about how people are selfish. It's about the power of love. The way love makes people act rashly. The way love consumes someones thoughts and feelings. Love is powerful, it is transformative, transcending. That is the point. Even in spite of the death and chaos occurring around it, the love these people have for each other is something that cannot be broken.

I feel like the fandom has taken the wrong approach to this series tone and themes. I'm not George's biggest personal fan, to be quite honest, but he is a self described romantic. Turning Rhaegar from a lovestruck prince to a selfish crazed maniac is not romantic. Turning romance or potential romance into cold political maneuvers is not romantic.

The point of all this is that, yes, the world is dark. It's scary, it's cruel, unforgiving, and cold. But in that darkness, there are pockets of light that shine and make you feel safe, and warm, and happy. It makes you forget all the troubles around you. That light, that warmth, that love, is worth fighting for, even if it's all that is left, even if it doesn't last.

I am of course, slightly biased in my assessment, lmao. You could say that me, being a bisexual polyamorous transfemme, is maybe a bit of a big fan of romance and love! Yet, it still saddens me that people try to keep romances from just being romances, and try to make the story and world more bleak as a result. We already have Ramsay, Joffrey, Gregor, Euron, Randyll Tarly. We have people who use love against others for their own gain or outright reject it violently. We don't need more of that.

[sonobeunitsarecool]

Super random

Went through the Milgram channel, watched... most of the videos again, trying to see if there were any tiny details I missed All I got was: Haruka - enough for a seperate post/theory, though I think someone's already gone over it? (psych ward theory) Futa - all the cans in Backdraft say "pressure", the graffiti is too hard for me to interpret for the most part. Though, the words in bubble text around the victim's witch icon reads "killcheroy", and there's the words "pazuzu" and... SaP? SkP? Does anyone know what all the other graffiti text says, I can only read the "pressure, pressure" ones. Mu - in After Pain, when you see the time on her phone, it reads 17:20. Why was she at school at 5:20? Shidou - looking at how he holds the scissors and knife in Throw Down, and how he opens the door and holds the "promise card" in Triage, I think he's left-handed? Mahiru - in Ai nan desu yo, the clothes she wears at one point have the caption "winter style", though many of the other pictures don't seem to have been taken in winter. She's also reading a lot, which fits with her literature degree. Kazui - near the end of half, he's shown with all his different costumes, without any masks. Kotoko - in Harrow, she looks at a sign/thinks about a sign with text that's partially cut off, but reads "at around ----- on this street... ----a traffic accident occurred... if ---- , please report to the police". She also thinks back to a news report showing the location and aftermath of an accident outside a house. Was she impacted by this? Random cipher translations (using assets from laniemae's archiving)

The text under the MW bit just says MARGLIM. The banner text says "lossitarelecste" on the top and "rutiro" on the bottom, or "et sceleratis sol oritur"/"light shines even upon the wicked".

The text reads "innocent sheep" on repeat. For the goat one, it reads "guilty goat" on repeat. Text above doors for T2 is "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate", or "abandon all hope, ye who enter here". The quote is from Dante's Inferno, the words written into the gate to hell. For the T1 key visuals, the text individual to each prisoner simply gives basic info. For example, Yuno's would be "Milgram second prisoner, eighteen age, five foot (something or other) point (something or other) height, female", with the others being in the same format. The wall behind the prisoners in Undercover just has "ft" and "ft in", for measurement. The backgrounds that look like this:

all read "every (s)aint has a past, and every sinner has a future." This is the same for some of the wallpapers, and whenever that kind of vertical text shows up (voice trailers and such). It's missing the "s" in "saint". Tags on the clothes and the tops of the cards from Undercover are all just their names. The prison jackets seem to repeat the text, "Milgram ---- prisoner (name)". The Undercover CD's cipher text just reads "Milgram prison guard Undercover Es. Es theme song CV Yurina Amami". Es's sashes read (backwards) "De omnibus dubitandum" and "Prison Officer". Are there any other ciphers that I've missed? Because I'd really like to try and translate those!

[moongothic]

i would love trans crocodile but im very cynical that oda would write him in a respectful manner. thats not even thinking of how horrible that one portion of the one piece fandom would treat him

Yeah the fandom sucks and I'm going to strangle everyone (including the cishets who claim to be trans allies and then use "Crocomom")

But with Oda it's weird because like. The more I think about it, the more I'm like... 50/50 about Oda being able to actually deliver good, respectful trans masc rep.

Like I've posted about this before but One Piece does have this on-going theme of having characters "stuck in wrong bodies" or "having one's body changed" (sometimes reversably, sometimes irreversably; sometimes against their will, sometimes consentually). Which, in theory, in my mind, does kind of signal that on some level Oda understands the idea of being "the wrong sex" (whether or not that's a good way to explain The Trans Experience™ is a whole different subject but it's an old fashioned explanation that Oda would probably be/is familiar with) But at the same time, while the concept pops up again and again in One Piece, Oda doesn't really dwell too deep into the idea of what that's like. Like, emotionally. How it feels like to like, get turned into a toy or be a child who gets aged 20 years or to get turned into a cyborg or a giant child or have parts of your body permanently turned into animal parts (sometimes with a will of their own) etc

And like. Part of me understands why, Oda does tend to want to focus on writing a story he thinks teenaged boys would be interested in reading, and he has often stated he wants to have fun with his story too (like that's partially why Luffy's a Rubber Man, because Oda thought giving Luffy a ridiculous ability would make him more fun to write and draw long-term, which is valid as hell) This is why for example Oda has avoided doing any romances in OP, and while there are dark themes in the story, often he has done his best to avoid making them too blatant, as some things would be too mature for his youngest readers (like, for example until Kuma's backstory, it was never explicitly stated what would happen to the slave wives of the Tenryuubito, even saying it was "implied" would be pushing how that subject had been treated until now)

So like. Because of that, I understand why Oda hasn't dwelled into The Feelings™ part much/at all despite the "stuck in the wrong body" narrative appearing time and time again

Either Oda thinks it'd be too boring either for himself or his readers, or he hasn't dwelled into it because he doesn't really understand gender dysphoria and can't relate to the experience (despite how often it shows its face in OP). Or it could be both, even

The thing is though, as OP has gone on, while I wouldn't say Oda has "broken his writing rules", Kuma's backstory alone has pushed them to a new limit with the love-that-never-was story and the all-but-explicitly-stated storytelling.

So a part of me wonders, if Crocodile is trans, could Oda actually like... take a slightly deeper look into his feelings and explore his queer experience? ('Cause god knows, if Crocodad Real, then there really would be a literal coming out-story built into his backstory that would be extremely unavoidable, and as I've mentioned before, the fact that we haven't gotten to learn almost anything about his backstory yet is Kinda Fucking Sus)

Also I do want to mention how... like Oda gets a lot of bad rap when it comes to queer rep in One Piece, but the more I think about it, I think it's more an issue with the terminology and how translators have gone about either localizing it, or more often than not, leaving it unlocalized 'Cause like. Yes the "okama" would be horrible trans rep but... really... they're not trans representation. They're representation for draq queens. Piss poor draq rep, but still, they're draq queens. And just like our very real life drag performers; some of them are cishets. Some of them are gender non-conforming gay men. Some of them are nonbinary*. Some of them are trans women. Obviously lumping all of these people into one group is kinda offensive (which is why "okama" is (as far as I understand it) such an unpopular term even amongst queer people in Japan), and the way Oda often chooses to draw these characters looks no different to how gender criticals choose to present trans women in their propaganda.

*Like Bon-chan, who explicitly states they are both male and female. And Iva-chan, who switches between boy-mode and girl-mode from time to time, could arguably be called genderfluid (though any specific terminology is up to debate). Both are nonbinary draq queens.

And yet, despite all that. It can not be understated how if you put aside the nameless background gag-characters, Oda does treat the actual, proper queer characters with respect. Everyone would agree that Bon-chan is an absolute hero, we would all die for them. Iva-chan (and Inazuma too) is explicitly presented in a heroic light, seen as someone who helps people and fights for justice (with the Revs)

And then there's the first binary trans characters we've actually gotten, Okiku and Yamato. And I'm pretty sure we would all agree Okiku is 10/10 perfect trans fem representation (I am not entirely serious, I'm not trans fem so I can't speak for trans women here, it's just that I can't see anything Horrendously Wrong with how Okiku is presented within the story- not actually perfect but all things considdered, damn good). She is stunning, people around her (INCLUDING SANJI!!) don't just view her as a woman but would go out of their way to date her (as in, she is seen as "desirable", and not as some kind of a disgusting freak to avoid), she is heroic and sweet and kind and just. IDK I love her And while I'm sure many trans mascs would agree Yamato may not be how they want to be seen by the world (though having Yamato ID as a man while having the biggest moobs is surely validating for a lot of people, including anybody who might not want or be able to get top surgery and/or HRT), again, he is only presented as heroic within the narrative and respected by the characters around him, Luffy especially, which is by far the most important part; the protagonist going out of his way to be respectful of trans characters does represent the values of the story.

And like.

Think about how Oda has treated Crocodile so far.

Like, although we're all having a bit of a laugh over the whole Cross Guild thing, Oda is still treating him as a cool character whom he presents seriously and treats with respect. Like Oda wants the readers to see Crocodile as at least a little bit cool. So I can't imagine him pulling a full 180 with how Croc would be treated in the story if he was revealed to be trans, especially when the potential foreshadowing for that was laid out in the story years ago already.

All this to say; Oda is not perfect at all, but considdering the things he has gotten right so far, I think there is hope he could pull it off. Because Oda is for Queer Liberation.

Really, my only concerns would be whether or not there's a risk Crocodile could get somehow detrans'd during the story (I'm praying the Haki theory isn't an option, really Doc Q might be the only true risk here), if he's stealth and that got presented as "a wrong thing to do" (which I'd hope not, like our previous queer characters have been okay with being openly queer but that may have been more for the readers than anything else. At least, I hope, god knows if Crocodile is and wants to be stealth trans then that's his right and he shouldn't have to out if he doesn't want to, and yeah, I don't want him to be demonized within the narrative for being stealth (if he's stealth, for all we know he could be out)) and like, most importantly, what'd end up being Crocodile's "motivation" for transitioning in the first place

Like. God. I just. I don't want there to be a twist where Crocodile transitioned because "being a woman was weak" or because he "wanted to be acknowledged by Whitebeard" ('cause WB doesn't take women into his crew) or "the scar in his face made him so ugly he decided he should be a man instead" (seen unironic Redditors suggest that. Almost lost my mind) or something

Like I hope someone's at least tried to explain gender dysphoria to Oda. Like the man does have actual queer friends in real life (some of whom inspired characters in OP), so I'm hoping at least someone's tried to explain the feelings that come with The Trans Experience™ to him so that, if Crocodile's trans, then Oda can actually try to base his reasoning to transition on those feelings instead of any stupid "reasons" that no actual queer person would relate to

But it all just boils down to... Is Oda willing to actually dwell into those feelings and explore them in the story.

It... it really could go either way with Oda

So yeah. Anon, I'm with you, I'd be lying if I didn't admit I was at least A Little Worried. But also... I want to be hopeful. Because I do believe there is reason to be hopeful.

Only time will tell how it'll go

[leporellian]

So I've tried reading definitions online but they always go over my head. What exactly is dramaturgy? Like what do you actually do when you're dramaturgling?

dramaturgs are sort of a jack of all trade position so what we all Do exactly varies WILDLY but here's a very broad definition:

dramaturgs are Theatre Studiers. we research how plays are written and their history, as well as anything else that can overlap with those things. sort of like what a musicologist is to music, or a physicist is to physics- we don't Make Theatre Happen ourselves, but we analyze and interpret it!

there's a variety of different Kinds of dramaturgs. here are some examples of what certain kinds of dramaturgs do!

production dramaturgs are hired to work on shows, and teach the actors and directors about the history of the work and how to interpret it so they can, you know, do their jobs correctly.

translation dramaturgs work with texts in foreign languages. if you've ever gone to see a play that was originally in another language, or if you've ever seen operas with supertitles, that was likely the work of a translation dramaturg.

academic dramaturgs do serious deep-dive studies on theatre and publish their findings in academic texts.

theatre historians (which fit under the dramaturg umbrella) specifically study theatre history and its broader anthropological implications.

education dramaturgs work primarily in audience outreach and teaching people about theatre so they can enjoy it as best as possible. (this is what i want to do!)

some dramaturgs work with playwrights as editors of plays, helping playwrights shape them into presentable stageworks.

you might notice that a lot of these sort of overlap- we wear many hats and often do multiple different jobs.

dramaturgy involves a lot of different skills. historian work, education, arts criticism, archiving and documenting, theorizing, writing, editing... it's one of the best theatre careers to spec into i think because it encompasses so much. (and it's also one of the least appreciated because the term is so broad that not many dramaturgs even call themselves dramaturgs...)

[jeffbiblesupremacy]

Chat with Bible Wichapas about his career as an actor - GQ Thailand Interview

Translation below ->

The success of KinnPorsche The Series has become a turning point in many people's lives. One of them is Bible-Witchapas Sumettikul, who plays the role of 'Vegas’, and he’s gone from being an ordinary 25 year old guy to become a promising newcomer in the entertainment industry, catching the attention of many. 

Bible is from Chiang Mai. He went to an international school and he’s fluent in English. Before moving to Bangkok, he was studying Mechanical Engineering with a major in English at the Faculty of Engineering, Thammasat University, which he mentioned that he only has a few courses left to complete his studies. 

Previously, Bible did commercials and modeling until he got the opportunity to act in “Kinnporsche the series”, which was a leap in his life that opened a new chapter for him. He learned about the art of acting and unlocked his potential, breaking free from self-doubt. Slightly introvert, he has become an actor with a portfolio in fashion shoots and more. 

For example, Bible came today to do a photoshoot with RADO, a Swiss watch brand known for being "Master of Materials". He's featured with the RADO CAPTAIN COOK Special Edition, which stands out with its exposed mechanical movement under the “Art of Skeletonisation” series (Art of Internal Structure).

GQ: Tell me about your childhood and what it was like.

Bible: I’ve been in the international school community since I was a child, which has led me to have a lot of foreign friends. For example, the school I attended had around 90% of foreign students and the other 1% were Thai. It felt like studying abroad with such diverse of nationalities. However, during breaks, the lifestyle and the activities were like a typical kid from Chiang Mai. I like riding motorcycles up the mountains, visiting waterfalls, and exploring nature’s tourist attractions. 

GQ: That's why you speak English so well.

Bible: You can say English is my main language. I speak it more fluently than Thai because I have so many foreign friends, and I also speak English at home. But when I started working as an actor, I had to practice speaking Thai more. At first, it was difficult because I could think in Thai, but expressing it verbally was difficult. However, the more I practiced, the more I get use to it, so I'm more confident speaking Thai now and I feel better using it.

GQ: Is it an advantage, Especially for new actors who want to go international and success in the entertainment industry?

Bible: I think it's an advantage. However, currently the Thai entertainment industry may still prioritize the importance of speaking Thai. But I believe that, in the near future, actor may need to speak more languages.

GQ: How did the nickname "Bible" come from?

Bible: My dad became a Christian around the time I was born, and he wanted to read the Bible more often, so he used it as a nickname as a reminder to read the Bible more every time whenever he saw me.

GQ: People know you from the role of "Vegas" in "Kinnporche the series", where you played a charismatic and villainous character. But in reality, what's your personality?

Bible: If you get to know me and become close, you'll realize that I'm quite a playful person, but I can look calm and composed because I'm shy. I have a natural introverted nature.

GQ: Before becoming an actor, what kind of works did you have?

Bible: I was in a modeling agency so I got cast for various jobs, including ads and modeling, but I didn't get many opportunities. Even doing 30-40 castings, I would only get 2-3 jobs at most. When the casting for "Kinnporsche the series" came along, I saw it as a good opportunity to try acting, even though I had very little on-camera experience.

GQ: So it was a turning point in your life

Bible: I remember a lot of commercial casting where I had to speak with confidence but I could never do it, might be due to the pronunciation, or the language usage. However, I could manage some commercial with fewer lines. So playing the character "Vegas" in "Kinnporsche the series" was like a transformative experience for me. Apart from the character's strength, I unlocked many things within myself that I didn't know existed.

GQ: For example?

Bible: I understand myself better than before, in the sense of knowing what kind of person I am. Learning to act helped me to figure out what suits me best and apply it to my work and my real life as well. It has helped me to improve and become a more complete human being. 

GQ: Once you entered the world of acting, what did you come to understand?

Bible: I came to understand more about being a human being. I began to empathize with others, understanding what ordinary people need or what drives them to act in certain ways. There are reasons and consequences within themselves.

GQ: Has your introversion lessened over time?

Bible: I think it's like adjusting a mode within myself. It's like I'm not afraid of meeting people, but I just have a lack of confidence in myself. Everything comes back to myself. So changing my perspective that meeting other people is like meeting friends has made my work smoother and brought me more happiness.

GQ: What do you like about being an actor?

Bible: I love being on set. I appreciate the fact that everyone has important roles and responsibilities, and we all have to communicate and work together. With passion, we all strive to give our best. It's inspiring to fight together and create the best possible outcome for our work.

GQ: How do you see your career path in the entertainment industry, both as an actor and in other roles?

Bible: Honetly, I haven't looked too far ahead. I never really thought or dreamed that I would come this far. When I got cast for "Kinnporsche the series", I thought it was a good opportunity to show my acting skills, and I did my best. It was a great experience, and the series turned out to be more successful that I could have imagined. Everything has exceeded my wildest dreams. From that point on, everything has been a bonus in my life. No matter what happens in the future, I feel that it's all worth it.

GQ: And lately you've been working more in the fashion industry.

Bible: I think it's very fun. When I get to do fashion shoots, I feel like I'm just expressing my true self, and seeing myself as part of the complete picture makes the photos much more perfect.

GQ: How do you feel about doing the photoshoot today with a RADO watch?

Bible: It's my first time shooting with a watch brand, and I feel extremely proud to have the opportunity to shoot with RADO, a Swiss brand known for its fascinating innovations, especially their high-tech ceramic that is lightweight and durable. I'm delighted to work with GQ and RADO. Thank you very much.

GQ: Which watch do you like most and why?

Bible: The Captain Cook model, named after the explorer (James Cook), is very special because it has everything - from high-tech ceramic material, plasma color dial, skeleton-style display showcasing the watch's internal mechanism, sapphire crystal, to being water-resistant up to 300 metres. It's ready to go through anything. I think it's a watch that suits me well. It has a subtle appearance but with intricate details, which align perfectly with my adventurous lifestyle.

[thyandrawrites]

Being fully honest Dabi coming to Endv after being ignored yet again doesn't change the fact that he has been ignored yet again. Even now endv has his eyes on afo and I can't see it changing

Nah, I get that. I feel the same. To be honest I see this as another set up for failure. So far the heroes have consistently been making the wrong choices and letting things escalate instead of trying better ways of facing their opponents.

I didn't wanna say it in case I jinxed it with my prediction, but if we are to take Hawks and Mic's reactions as the standard for how the old gen will continue to act moving forward, then I'm expecting Enji to be much the same. He's gonna fight Touya like a villain who's too far gone. Possibly he'll even echo his colleagues and try to protect Touya's idealized memory by killing the man his son has become.

I might be wrong about this of course... But looking back at Enji's internal narration during the Central Hospital chapters and his thoughts as he fought AFO... He's still nowhere near recognizing that Dabi and Touya are the same person.

Remember this line?

Well, here's some translation trivia. In japanese he's only calling him a mass murderer (大量殺人者). The only reason why we know that he's even talking about Touya and not any other PLF villain is because the furigana (the little reading on the right of the aforementioned kanji string above) tells us he's referring to his son (むすこ). Stuff like this is hard to translate because English doesn't have an organic way to do the same kind of word play, so the only way to get across both definitions is to include them both in the line itself, like the character is uttering them at once. The famous "a dance with your son, here in hell" was another example of Hori using furigana that doesn't match with the kanji they're paired with, to get across a double meaning. But for the sake of understanding Enji's mentality, I'd like to stress that he sees Dabi first and foremost as a "mass murderer". Only incidentally, like an afterthought, as his son. You'll also notice how in that same scene he's thinking about "fighting him". Not reuniting, not seeing how he's doing. Fighting. Like he would any other villain, because to him this is still a matter to be tackled as a hero and not a father.

Point is, Enji still doesn't fully recognize Touya in Dabi.

This is how he pictures him in his mind's eye. This is not by far a flattering image. For all that Enji says that he recognizes the wrongs he did to Touya, the image he conjures when he thinks of him is not that of a man falling apart from the weight of unaddressed trauma and desperation. He sees a monster, grinning maniacally, reveling in Enji's anguish with sadistic glee. This is not the son he abused, over and over, until he had an emotional breakdown and lost himself. This is Enji picturing an enemy, someone not to feel any sympathy for. Someone whose most prominent feature is his creepy grinning mouth, open wide as if ready to devour everything Enji's been working for all these years.

Even in his thoughts, he keeps referring to Dabi as an abstract evil rather than a person:

He's the physical manifestation of Enji's "mistakes", not his son. Not the boy he said he missed so dearly he hoped he could get a second chance with.

Touya is Othered as an abstract being, the sum of every flaw Enji possesses but never wanted to acknowledge.

Now compare that to how he saw Touya as an idealized martyr:

Here Touya is remembered as a good kid, not through the distorted lenses above, because up until this moment he's still a "good victim". Someone who died before he could become an obstacle, and as such still someone who Enji treats with humanity. He brings offer to his altar and manifests "regret" over his premature death, because this Touya is easy to mourn. After all, with Touya gone, who's gonna complain about Enji using his memory as a justification for the continued abuse of Shouto and the rest of the family?

Certainly not Touya. The dead are the perfect people to idealize because they can no longer fight for their rights as a living person would. And Enji clearly knows this. He obviously ignores how training Shouto and punching him so hard he pukes goes directly against everything Touya ever wanted because Touya's wishes are simply no longer part of the equation. Touya is no longer a person but just a a cause that Enji needs to honor (arbitrarily, and with even more abuse than before).

But when Touya comes back, and suddenly he's a person with agency once again and not just an idealized memory anymore...

Suddenly, he becomes "a mass murderer".

So... No, I'm not really expecting Enji to turn around and act like a good dad just because Dabi showed up. As you said, Dabi chasing him down doesn't make Enji any less neglectful or any less at fault, and if Horikoshi knows what he's doing, he's probably about to make him do something extremely uncalled for and totally catered to himself, as Enji's actions so far have only been shielding his own ego from any genuine remorse

[bagelrites]

Hello dear Amie bagelrites I have a question. Would you say the skephalo dynamic changed after they met in person? did the gay pining get better or worse or did it stay the same? Also do you think they will ever get their shit together or are they doomed to simply be boy best friends forever. I would love your opinion if u want to give it ^_^ 📋🖊

oh boy oh boy!!! it did for sure change, but it's part of a larger pattern of change. Prior to meet-up they went through a period where there was clear and uncomfortable tension, and a bit of emotional distance between them, which culminated in Skeppy posting the "Best Friend" music video. They must have had some kind of talk which including agreeing in much more solid terms that they were going to meet up after that, and things seemed to smooth over. Skeppy acts jealous when Bad meets up with q first, but it's clearly playful and very um... it feels like how dream said he doesn't mind George meeting other people first because when he meets George it's gonna be forever? A bit like that? Except the forever part is perhaps delusional on Skeppy's end... See, because when they first meet up, Skeppy is happier than we've ever seen him. That night, he joins q on a twitter space and says, giggling the most love-sick giggles I have ever heard, that he thinks Bad is going to move in, and he's just "giving him a vibe."

Anyways. Their online closeness seems to translate very, very well to in-person closeness. If you want to see the extent of that, watch some clips from Hannah's valentine cookie stream and the stream Bad did where Skeppy was sleeping in the background (and where they open a fan package that has a skephalo flag in it. and hold it up to the camera and seem very happy about it.) Something shifts after this in that their on-camera bickering seems far less like actual annoyance and much more like a practiced bit they love to do (which, to be fair, it always was, but man... it just hit different right after meet-up). The second meet up is much the same, they seem really obsessed with each other and sweet to each other (Skeppy eating the hot chip on the munchy crew hot wings stream because he "needs to suffer with bad" for example). They even seem to have gone on a date (???) at this time.

But now they haven't met up in a while, and the last time they did, things were slightly weird? Like mostly still acting cute and obsessed as per usual (Bad singing Skeppy's name as he walked around the hotel and getting that plushie from the claw machine that reminded him of Skeppy, for example) but Skeppy seemed a little... off? In Bad's stream from the vidcon hotel room? Like, he does not seem happy at all about Bad continually suggesting that they log onto q smp and talk to his egg. And now... idk. They've had some pretty typical skephalo crazy-isms on twitter, but Skeppy isn't posting that many videos, and it's hard to tell what's going on behind the scenes right now because we just can't see it.

Honestly? They could be fine. They could be talking a lot off camera because they realize their off-camera relationship is important, too, or they could be getting weird and distant again. We just don't know. I am firmly in the camp of delusional skephalo believers, though, and I do think it's completely possible that they'll get together and actually have a stable, functioning relationship someday. I just think it's gonna take a while, as do all things with them. But, hey! They met up after like 3 years and most of us had given up on that! Maybe they just need 3 more years to move in together, you know?

[murderedbyhomework]

One day I will go into a more coherent rant about this but one thing I do genuinely love is how rich double meeanings can be in Chinese that sometimes get lost in translation.

For example the line 既是故人，便让他留在故事里. (Given that he's a past acquaintance, then let him stay in the stories/let him stay in the past)

故人 mean past and person respectively, aka Li Lianhua doing his thing where he insists Li Xiangyi stay dead, but what I want to focus on is 故事. They mean past and event respectively (rough translation), but when you put these words together, they can also mean stories as well as past events. And I just like that little double meaning there, that Li Lianhua wants Li Xiangyi to remain merely a story, maybe, and not an actual person anymore, but what he wants even more is for everyone to just leave this ghost in the past. From what he thinks, the events have already transpired, Li Xiangyi is dead, he talks about Li Xiangyi in past tense, and in a way for all he says he's no longer Li Xiangyi, it's also kind of a coping mechanism because he doesn't want to live in the present. What he's saying here could be "leave this person who's already gone in stories only, don't push him into reality", but also "leave him in the past don't make him face the future, he shouldn't have a present or future".

[tavina-writes]

Just there to say, loch 2017 fight scenes are the best thing ever!! I like them SO MUCH. so, I am wondering, very foolishly, how is jin yong writing style? Does he write great combat scenes?

Also, I am insane over how everyone can teach everyone?? I remembered in mdzs a part where it is stated that people can't learn different cultivation styles, or their cultivation will be compromised. It's an interesting world building. Like, loch world building is quite different from mdzs. It's such a great drama!

omg I am SO GLAD you're also hyped up on the fight scenes. The fight scenes in LOCH 2017 are spectacular and SHOULD be hyped. Everyone has very distinct and VERY cool fighting and I adore it.

On to Jin Yong's writing style and combat scenes, I think this depends a number of factors, but I really love Jin Yong's writing. It's a bit difficult to get across in translation, but there are some REALLY great imagery and poetry in his work and honestly it's a crying shame the translation has a hard time getting this across. I think the best way I can describe it is that it's evocative? Sweeping?

For example:

Though the two’s laughter had gone, their faces still carried a smile, the valleys quietly echoed back the sounds of two people laughing. Northern Beggar and Western Poison have been adversaries for many years, they hated each other, how could it be that they ended up dead together on Mount Hua. The two of them were enemies when they were alive, just before they died they were hugging each other, laughing. All the feuds and arguments that they have had over the years were finished over a laugh! - Return of the Condor Heroes, Chapter 11: A Pause From Roaming

or:

Tuolei gazed at Guo Jing's back, which became smaller and smaller. Like a dark shadow on the vastness of the desert, [he] finally disappeared on the southern horizon. - Legend of the Condor Heroes, Chapter 38: Secret Order in the Embroidered Pouch

As for the fight scenes themselves, I think they're often really dynamic and fun to read about (though the narrator LOVES digressions into historical stuff surrounding the fight scenes; I could talk about the LOCH narrator all day but I'll contain myself since this post will be REALLY LONG regardless) and they're very detailed, but they do kind of rely on the reader having some genre knowledge -- what certain acupuncture points are/where they are/strong visualization abilities to figure out where everyone is/etc.

On to your second paragraph of thoughts: actually! Well, okay so I think there's a slight difference between being a cultivator and like, being a LOCH style martial artist. This is fermenting in my documents somewhere re: society related meta but typically in cultivator novels, cultivation (of Qi, internal energy, etc) is separated from the martial arts bit (which weapon you fight with, palms, fist, sword etc). MDZS is a bit complex in that it doesn't really uh, distinguish between these two things and also doesn't really care much about say, "this sect has these specific specialties and moves" etc.

But basically: the way you cultivate your qi in these sorts of novels is typically sect specific and very secretive and incompatible with how other people in other sects cultivate their qi and this is actually no different in LOCH! But for like, external martial arts -- how you punch and swing a sword or be able to do x or y -- that tends to be transferable between people of different sects and you even have characters who are easily capable of imitating what they see from other sects/reverse engineering how a character can do x move or y move. (Huang Rong in the book is a great example of this!) Specific moves are also very heavily specialized to specific sects (the 18 Dragon Subduing Palms are a Beggar Clan specialty, etc) -- so people in Jin Yong universes are able to recognize each other's sects and maybe even specific shifu(!) by the types of moves they use if they're seasoned jianghu travelers. Which. Also can't happen in MDZS bc MDZS doesn't really care about this sort of thing.

What's happening to say, Guo Jing in LOCH regarding so many people being able to teach him stuff, is that:

His qi/internal energy basis is from the Quanzhen Sect which is Taoist and the most orthodox sect in the martial world, which means he's got a very mainstream and well established internal energy basis and can very easily incorporate anything that is Taoist philosophy related regarding how to cultivate qi. (The 9 Yin Manual was developed by a government minister who read too many Taoist Philosophy Manuals, Zhou Botong, while not a Taoist Priest has long been affiliated with Quanzhen and his own qi cultivation philosophy also aligns with orthodox Taoist cultivation practices etc).

A lot of the moves that people are teaching other people in this story are external martial arts moves. How to punch, how to use this particular weapon, etc. Most of this is not strictly, in Jin Yong philosophy, linked to your internal qi cultivation. These are therefore, easily transferable.

We actually get an example of what happens when you try to cultivate qi via a way that isn't compatible with how you know how to cultivate! When Mei Chaofeng and Guo Jing meet at the cave in Zhao Palace early on in the story, she's actually suffering from a qi deviation that blocked her ability to use her legs because her qi cultivation basis is an unorthodox method based on Peach Blossom Island's personal philosophy, and she'd been trying to work out instructions on how to cultivate qi in the 9 Yin Manual which was Taoist philosophy based and actually heavily injured herself while doing it! Which is why she can't walk or use her legs.

This is all explained in the novel by our helpful narrator friend who is the most bonkers of all the narrators I've ever met. Narrator friend will tell you all #TrueFacts but they WILL drop some out of the 17th story window and never ever come back to address this ever again bc narrator friend doesn't care and refuses to explain themselves if they don't want to. If narrator friend told you it's 100% factually true, but. At What Cost. (Imagine if you will, you're being told a very long and rambling story by a friend who, if you ask them to expand on a certain thing will sometimes go "oh we don't have time for that! MOVING ON THOUGH, let me tell you about the politics of late stage Song Dynasty China, you want to know that right?????")

:D Thanks for the ask Mar! I'm glad you're having a good time with LOCH 2017.

[dimdiamond]

Hi just saw that you're answering I just keep seeing a running gag with tintin and captain still calling each other with vous rather than tu and many completely french people just say this shows they aren't that close and they're just simple friends not even best friends because only strangers or child adult kind of people call each other like that and that's on my nerves😂like dude after being in adventures or literally LIVING together how can they still call each other with formal you like when I read the french books it just ruins my mood,what do you think about this thing since it's their original talking doesn't it bother you?

Lmao this running gag is just one of the most fascinating ones to analyze. Come take a seat with me. We have a long ride.

First of all I have to clear up something. I don't know French and I haven't read the original French text. I know about the formal you being used between them thanks to other fans. I have read the English and Greek versions though. In English there is no obvious formality in their speech as there's only one you. In Greek however we do have the plural you being used to someone as a formal call and yes that is the way the text is translated (fun fact the Greek translation is direct translation from French and therefore many things have been kept faithful).

For me, the insistence of Tintin and Haddock on using formal you is absolutely fascinating, especially from Haddock's pov. Tintin, the gentleman and scout boy ever, is expected to use the formal you to an older man and Captain as a sign of respect. Haddock though doesn't have any reason to do so except maybe at the very start that Tintin is a stranger. And yet he keeps using it. Someone who doesn't know would say maybe the reason is that he is very well mannered. Captain Haddock. The man who invented a whole genre of cursing and can't control his mouth and has no idea of basic etiquette (he didn't kiss Bianca's hand even though Tintin had just did it). This man well mannered? Please. He is kind in a deeper level than the one of on the surface gestures and words but he is not the gentleman type.

So why is a man like Haddock always using the formal you to Tintin, even in mid scolding? Why is Tintin still using the formal you to Haddock, even after yelling at him? They have gone through so many stuff that most people would never experience, they are each other's closest companion, they have saved each other's life and put them on risk for the other, they have fought, disagreed, laughed, got drunk, heck they even live together and rarely separate from the other. Obviously they're friends, they love and care for each other, there can't be any doubt on that (and if someone has they must revisit the series asap or not talk about it again ever). And yet why? Why Tintin insists on keeping this distance in words? Why Haddock controls his mouth only when it's about addressing Tintin?

My first thought is because of huge respect for each other. Respect that just became bigger and bigger the more they got to know each other and spend time together. For Tintin Captain Haddock is someone worth of respect especially because he found the power to stand up and move forward after reaching his lowest point. For Haddock Tintin deserves all the respect in the world for his character and heroic deeds and the young age is only one more factor for earning his respect. I don't think Haddock wants ever to make Tintin think he worths less than respect and Tintin seems to believe the same and mostly following Haddock's example (I think it would be unusual and weird for the younger to start addressing informally the older who keeps using formalities).

In a way with formal you it's like they're saying, even though so entangled to each other's lives and having seen each other's worst and best moments, "hey I still respect you, my admiration isn't gone", isn't it?! It would be kinda illogical to be translated to "hey don't get too close, you're an acquaintance" after everything, wouldn't be?!

Let's take into consideration the contradiction between words and actions. In the series we have seen it played a lot mostly for comedy but maybe it is used more than that. Tintin and Haddock talk a lot but not that much about their thoughts or feelings and even then the words are limited. Their actions are the ones that speak volumes. And I think this is something that both recognize to each other and accept.

Let's take for example these moments:

The first is from Red Rackham's Treasure and the second from The Picaros. Tintin, although a journalist and a man with his way with words, doesn't talk about himself directly. He doesn't admit "I worry about you" or "I missed you", neither at the start of their friendship nor after a long time. He says "someone does" and "let's say", like the person with the problem who asks for advice saying "I have a friend of a friend who". It's like Tintin is direct with his words when it's not about him and if he wants to express something he prefers to put a distance or vague essence to it. From this perspective, it's not that weird that he prefers to keep the formal you. He knows that Haddock gets it and respects that need of his.

And let's see this too:

This is one of my favourite examples of their communication because it drives me crazy. NEITHER OF THEM IS ALLOWING THEMSELVES TO TALK MORE. Haddock is more direct than Tintin, using I at least, but he too doesn't say "I am coming with you because I am worried" but "I thought yada yada since I'm here". I really don't know who from the two is more direct or better at this communicating feelings and thoughts as both are avoiding to do this in two different ways. But I know that they understand each other's intentions and what is unsaid in one basic level at least. Mostly thanks to the actions. Tintin doesn't understand what is Haddock blabbering about but he sees he's here and already accepted the fact that he will follow him. Haddock tries to understand what Tintin means with "let's say I was missing you" but he sees that Tintin came although he didn't want to and there's must be an important reason for it.

They both communicate with actions and gestures, heck even with just the eyes (in Flight 714), rather with the words. In the first album together Haddock sends a bone for a gift to Milou, later Tintin thinks of Haddock for the ship model and refuses any offer so he can gift it to him. Tintin serves Haddock coffee, Haddock invites him wherever, Tintin's first instinct is to protect Haddock, Haddock's never to leave Tintin alone etc. Their relationship is more deep and complex than simple friends and you must be blind not to see that.

I think seeing their bond in the traditional and commonly accepted format of friendships or even relationships undermines it. For them saying with words what they feel isn't the most important and they don't demand it from the other. Tintin doesn't expect Haddock to get straight to the point but he understands his needs and feelings and acts according to them (like how Tintin tries to help Haddock in Castafiore Emerald) . Haddock doesn't demand anything from Tintin, even less to talk in a way he doesn't feel comfortable but he always takes him seriously and into consideration his feelings and needs, especially when he doesn't realize them himself (like when Tintin was shot in the rocket station and Haddock insisted on staying despite his protests in his good manners).

In their own unique way they manage to communicate and connect and the use of formal you only highlights this, their belief that actions speak louder and clearer than many words. As they don't expect from each other to be direct, we should not do too. As they put all the attention on actions and showing their feelings, we should do too.

Tintin and Haddock will never tell each other "you're my best friend" or "I care about you". They will act upon it and won't demand anything from the other. And remember the only time they were direct to their thoughts was in the rope scene in Tibet. So, yeah, let's stay on their regular way of communicating.

[nanowrimo]

NaNo Interview: Graphic Designer Alyssa Alarcón Santo

NaNoWriMo events would be a lot less colorful without our amazing graphic designers. NaNoWriMo's in-house designer Alyssa Alarcón Santo gives us a peak at her experience at NaNo as well as some of her designer thoughts!

Q: Alyssa, you've been partnering with NaNo for several years now! How did you first begin designing for us?

Back in 2018, I had just gone fully freelance and was trying to get a print shop up and running. I had gotten really into painting these meticulously hand-lettered book stacks and at some point, I posted one on that graphic design site, Dribbble. If I remember correctly, that’s where Nano found me. When I got the email asking if I was interested in designing the event merch that year, I was shocked! I honestly wasn’t even sure it was real until I got on a call with Chris and Shelby.

It’s funny in retrospect, I was so overprepared. I had an entire pitch and design treatment worked up before I had even technically interviewed. That was the design we ended up running with, too.

Q: Do you remember the first NaNo design you ever made?

My first project set was the NaNoWriMo event merch for 2018, so it was the usual items: poster, mug, shirts, etc etc. The theme that year was “NaNoWriMo Is…” and I really wanted to highlight how much it could be at once—planning and writing, procrastinating and collaborating, daydreaming, creating. I wanted to visually lean into the chaos, but y’know, in an orderly fashion. I think we managed that!

Q: What are some of your guiding inspirations behind your NaNo designs?

Before I pivoted into illustration and design, I always thought I would be a writer. I studied creative writing and modernist literature in college, then went on to study comics and narrative design in art school. Because of that background, I always try to keep in mind 1) what story is this design telling and 2) how can we make that story a little more fun? 

Q: How has your style changed over time?

I actually think my entire focus has changed over the last five years. When I started designing for NaNoWriMo, I was primarily an illustrator and I spent a lot of time working on hand-lettering-centric projects. I still enjoy lettering and illustration—I still consider myself an artist at the roots—but the bulk of my work is actually in book design and typographic design these days. I’ve been finding it extraordinarily satisfying to assemble and format books of any kind, including comics!

Q: Have you ever attempted an official NaNoWriMo project? If so, how did it go? If not, is that something you see yourself trying in the future?

Oh, absolutely, I have! I started participating in NaNoWriMo when I was 15 years old, way back in 2006. I participated every year up until I was about 23, when work responsibilities started getting in the way. I think the only year I hit the 50k goal was when I was ~18, but I still have the fragments of a dozen novels floating around on various hard drives. I did actually stretch my writing muscles a little during Nano last year and it felt good. I’ll probably join in again this year and see how far I can get.

Q: You've designed graphics for objects, paper, digital, and more. As a designer, what's going on in your head as you design for 2-d versus 3-d projects? Do you have a favorite type of design project?

When you’re designing anything, you always have to keep the end result in mind so there are questions you ask yourself throughout: How will this design be used? What kind of file will it need to be? Am I setting everything up to best satisfy the specs? You think that way for both digital and physical designs, but the questions are different. For digital designs, you think about color spaces, dimensions, resolution.

For physical objects, you think about color conversion, margins and bleeds, composition and how it translates when interacted with. (For example, if you’re designing a mug, you have to keep in mind where the handle is, where the design will land around the cylinder, and what the user sees when they pick it up.)

I personally prefer to design for 3D objects, which is a fun thing I’ve learned from this NaNoWriMo job! It feels so validating to hold the thing you’ve been working on in your hands. I think my favorite of the projects I’ve done for NaNoWriMo so far was the 1k piece puzzle we put out earlier this year. That was a challenge, making sure that there were enough details and gradients and textures to keep it interesting.

Q: If Helvetica and Arial were in a fight, who would win and why?

Helvetica, all the way! It was designed to be highly legible in traditional printing, which I prefer as a dyslexic print designer. Arial is nice on a screen, but I just find Helvetica more versatile. (That said, if we’re really talking about who would win in a type fight, the answer is serifs, like Times New Roman, over sans serifs! Those serifs are pointier. Much better for fighting.) Alyssa Alarcón Santo is a Los Angeles raised, Portland based designer-of-many-hats. Over the years, she has worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, photographer, and now book designer, and she is always looking for fun ways to combine those skills. A throughline running across her work, regardless of medium, is a love of words. She currently serves as In-House Designer for NaNoWriMo and Creative Director of science-fiction magazine Planet Scumm. You can find her work on instagram @alyssasantodesign.

[quitealotofsodapop]

¿Y entonces como fue el adaptarse Chenxiang a la familia? ¿Cómo se lleva con cada miembro del grupo? ¿y tiene algún trabajo?

Translated via Google:

"And then how was Chenxiang adapting to the family? How do you get along with each member of the group? And does she have a job?"

ok... I won't spoil too much of what I have planned for Chenxiang regarding this au; but the most important detail between him and Sun Wukong? Their last meeting Did Not Go Well:

(imagine Athena as post-JttW/pre-fic SWK).

The story of the boy cleaving a mountain open to retrieve his former-goddess mother did not just end with a joyful reunion and a humbled uncle. One of the core concepts of the Lotus Lantern is the repeat of history, and how trauma can extend through generations. There is not only a repeat of a Erlang Shen's own childhood fable: but one of an angry young man wanting to rage war on Heaven, and his subsequent disastrous failure.

When the boy comes back into Sun Wukong's life by the time of "The Monkey King and The Infant"; the Monkey King is extremely relieved but conflicted. Chenxiang was his first ever and only student. But he's also a living example of how Wukong failed as a teacher. It takes a lot of healing between the two souls before they become comfortable enough to interact on friendly terms. Much later, they share a boisterous father-and-son/teacher-and-student similar but different to what they once had.

Chenxiang is very conflicted about Macaque. The shadow monkey's dark hair and parental nature; painfully reminds him of his own deceased mother. He runs away crying the first few times he accidentally calls Macaque "mama/bama". As he settles in however, he quickly becomes very attached to Macaque, helping him at the threatre and with daily chores. Even violently protective of him.

He is very protective of MK, Mei, and Bai He, as he sees them as being so much weaker/vunerable than him or Nezha. He can be overbearing and panicky with any changes to their lives. Nezha and him are thick as fiends, and share a close brotherly bond - although Chenxiang frequently forgets that Nezha is an immortal god, and worries for his mortal safety.

The reincarnation trio (Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy) try their best to help steer Chenxiang towards mindfullness and to not be overwhelmed by the new world he's in. Pigsy gives good advice for handling anger issues. Tang shares stories that Chenxiang missed in his many years gone. Sandy is the best for helping with anxiety episodes; making Chenxiang tea and letting him stay and cuddle the therapy cats.

Chenxiang does have a job! He's a florist. In some versions of the Lotus Lantern he and his mother were lotus farmers. In the modern day it translates to an amazing green thumb and ability to tend to plants of all kinds. Chenxiang has very weak water and plant magic; meaning that he can tell when any kind of plant isn't doing so well, and is able to heal sick plants.

He can still summon his axe and the lantern. The axe he hopes never to use again.

How he exactly joins the family is a bit more complicated. It involves another conspiracy in Heaven, and a pair of lanterns coming into contact.