#hence why its so early lol

[rvsirene]

Favs from the first half of 2023 (in no particular order) ✰

[b4kuch1n]

tdov was like a week ago already but I just wanna say when I came over to vacation slash help my sworn brother move flat he told me, "ever since you said you wanted to get top surgery I've been thinking about it. it's straight up number two on my bucket list"

[britneyshakespeare]

i finished twelfth night. 25 out of 38 shakespeare plays completed.

[genericpuff]

I've been seeing you say/speculate Rachel Smythe has been cut loose from webtoon, could you elaborate what you mean by that?

It's only a tinfoil hat theory that people should take with MOUNTAINS of salt (seriously, I'm more likely to believe that Rachel really is just done with LO), but there's a general suspicion that LO wasn't meant to end here and that Webtoons decided to cut the cord. I've made a post about it before but some new stuff has surfaced since then.

1.) The announcement the series was ending was made quietly at NYCC and not shared to either Webtoons' socials or Rachel's socials.

The only way fans initially knew about the series ending was through a screencap from the Discord where someone else who had been attending NYCC passed on the info from a Q&A that LO would be entering its final arc.

For a good while the only other way to know the series was ending was through the Discord, a Cosmopolitan article, and my own post.

Though it sounds odd for a series to get cancelled halfway through its third season, it's not uncommon for Webtoons to suddenly axe series while they're on their midseason hiatuses, it's happened before. So there's a general suspicion that Rachel may have found out during NYCC that LO would only be given one more arc.

2.) The actual finale announcement was made in a text post on Instagram that suddenly announced it would be ending on May 11th, despite the fact that there was still lots to wrap up in the story.

What this implies is that Rachel was given one more arc, with no concrete end date... until Webtoons told her to wrap it up in a limited number of episodes, hence why despite us knowing it was in its final arc, the end date still felt too soon. This is also supported by the fact that her initial announcement was vaguely "early/mid 2024" - she couldn't give a more accurate end date because she didn't plan for the actual ending.

3.) Things that Rachel has said implies that she was either hoping for the final arc to go on longer, or that she didn't think LO was going to be ending now.

(that "nothing is set in stone" quote further supports the theory that she may have been hoping to get renewed in spite of the lukewarm ending announcement - that the only reason the announcement was so quiet was because WT hadn't fully committed to it yet and wanted to see how the series would do upon its return; now that they see it falling behind to other series, it might mean WT became more sure in their decision to cut it and gave her an actual deadline to wrap it up by.)

4.) Webtoons has stopped promoting Lore Olympus despite it ending.

Any promotional spots that it has gotten have been stuffed into the dead zone of the banner reels (seriously, anything past the 3rd spot is practically useless because it takes actual committed scrolling to get there vs. the first 1-3 banner spots which can be seen as soon as you open the app/site) and the banner art itself does not in any way advertise the series being in its final arc. These banners also only seem to be appearing for a day at most, compared to the days upwards of weeks they used to get.

Webtoons also hasn't been doing any sort of promoting on their socials for it. Considering The Mafia Nanny has been consistently beating out LO in the top rankings for weeks now, and that LO's rating and view count is still dropping, it appears that Webtoons has finally given up on shoving it down people's throats and put their focus elsewhere.

Again, this is all tinfoil hat speculation, so take it with massive doses of salt. Considering this is Webtoons, I wouldn't be surprised if they finally decided to put LO out of its misery, but this is also Rachel and I wouldn't blame her in the slightest if she finally wanted to be done with it after the past two years of people clowning on it. And I say that knowing I, myself, am a clown LOL

Either way, I feel like either outcome is plausible in its own ways, but whatever is the true reason, it doesn't change the fact that LO is ending and has 3 episodes left to wrap itself up. And whatever comes after will likely involve the launch of Inklore which was estimated for the spring.

[desparaic]

Imagine Rengoku's son traveling to the past pt.2

Rengoku X Fem! Reader

Also in the future, there’s a long pause after red light arc. Hence tengen already retired in Future Son’s timeline. and [spoiler alert] yes we will absolutely ignore the mark curse

read part 1 here.

“Oh, what breathing technique do you use?”

You ask your…. son? kid? dang you never thought you would be able to say that to a teenager this early in your life, especially when you’re not long into the marriage

“Flame breathing!” He says with a proud grin (why this kid so cute you wanna coddle him to death)

“Following your father’s footstep, I see! Did he teach you personally?” You smile, thinking about your husband teaching your son swordsmanship. Ugh the thought of it makes your heart melt.

“Nope. From Grandfather!”

h

huh?

tafa???

Grandfather??? Like Rengoku’s father??? Your father in law???? The man who can’t even get up and do something else other than drinking and yelling at other people?????

He taught your son flame breathing?????

You are confusion

You ask why didn’t his father teach him instead

“… Anyway! Do you want to spar?”

This kid—

okay, well, clearly he doesn’t want to talk about it. Maybe he’s on bad terms with his father???

But you can’t imagine Kyojuro being a bad father or someone who has a tense relationship with his kids. The last thing he wants to be is to be like his father. You know that. He himself told you that before.

So maybe he’s just in the middle of an argument with his father??? Like… a really long one…

yeah that could be it

So you decide to spar with him (you don’t have anything else to do anyway other than walking around the nearby village)

you kick his butt

It feels refreshing and fun. not because you’re beating your future child.

You never have this feeling sparring with anyone before. It’s cute. You’re experiencing a mother-son time except…. you ain’t a mother yet… but you are— will??? idk

In the middle of sparring (how many rounds has it been??), Kyojuro appears with a big grin, before it fades and he tilts his head confusedly.

“MY LOVE! WHO IS THIS PERSON??”

Hooo boy

Both of you whip your head to see him

“HE LOOKS JUST LIKE ME! HAHAHA!”

Bless your husband, he isn’t even phased that there’s a rando lookin like he’s his clone

BUT YOU HECKAAA EXCITED, about to tell Kyojuro that he’s—

You see your (future) son’s conflicted face contorted to anger, then calm. “Ah. I’ll take my leave right now. I’m thirsty.”

He leaves just like that.

You’re confused

has future you ever taught him manners

Is… Was the argument that bad????

Poor Kyojuro is so confused, looking at the boy leaving.

“Who was that young fellow?”

You explain that that’s his son

His face shows a split second of surprise before it immediately switches to excitement

(he doesn’t even ask how that’s possible like ok)

“HE’S MY SON??? OH WHAT JOY! S/O. THAT IS OUR SON!”

Yes, yes you just told him that of course you know lol

But you’re so confused as to why your son would just leave like that. You honestly expect him to be just as excited to see his dad like he did with you

and so

the chaos and conflicts and confusion and everything related ensues

Practically everyone knows your future son is here

They’re dying to meet him

Uzui is proud of what he has become. Man’s flamboyant. can even take a hard pat on his back! (he nearly died)

Mitsuri is so excited!!! She keeps giving him sakura mochi and all other snacks and talks to him a lot!!! Sees him as her lil bro ngl (tho technically it should be nephew)

Shinobu too is very sweet towards him and tells him he’s welcome anytime to the Butterfly Estate to just have tea and chat (every time they interact your son’s face turns tomato red. does he have a school boy crush????)

Tomioka is just happy the boy talks to him often

its cute. you can tell he admires the water hashira a lot

Sanemi scoffs and thinks he still has a long way until he is strong

like who tf think does this kid think he is

but he supposes the kid has potential

Obanai acknowledges him and greets him even though he scares your son sometimes

Gyomei. Cats. lots of pats. lots of fluff. nuff said

Muichiro always forgets his name

Tanjiro is super shocked but is happy to get along with Rengoku’s future son!! Nezuko takes a liking to him immediately and warms up to him (Zenitsu seething rn)

surprisingly inosuke oddly silent around him at first…. before he inevitably challenges him to a fight

The son ofc know who they all are (he still does not like young Zenitsu)

Also, he nearly spilled Tanjiro and Kanao’s future relationship oops ig at the present they aint tgt yet 🤷‍♂️

They all think he’s great!

But… there is one thing for sure

And what confuses them the most

is that he absolutely hates the mention of his father

Whenever someone brings up the fact he looks just like Rengoku or they compare the father and son, boy gets real upset and angry

Like??? huh???

You’d thinking a kid would be proud to have someone like Rengoku as their father

Apparently not

Kyojuro catches on to this.

I mean, its hard not to tell that every time he approaches the boy, he just pretends the hashira never exist

Kyojuro kinda concerned and worried

And frankly, he’s kinda sad too.

He wants to spend his time with his future son before who knows when he’ll return back to his time!

Eventually, Rengoku catches him a place where the kid can’t escape easily

He asks the kid what is wrong and what is really going on

Dang… it really hurt seeing your own kid (even though technically not yet) glaring at you like that

The kid only grumbles excuses and that’s it

Kyojuro gently tries to push him to open up

Really wants to know what’s going on poor man please give him a break

“I can tell you don’t like to converse with me… why is that? I would love to get to know my own son!”

Rengoku Kyojuro would never expect that sentence would completely make his own future kid snap.

“Son??? Hah. Sure.”

???????????

The??? Audacity???

My man Kyojuro isn’t even phased (again, bless his patient heart) he’s just confused

What does that mean?

“Did… I do something…?”

“Something???? Something…?????” the boy clenched his jaw, “Don’t act like you care.”

… But he does tho.

At this point the flame hashira just wants to know what he did wrong to make him so mad

“Oh, you really wanna know what you did?” He says in such a bitter tone. Whatever Kyojuro did, he musta pissed him reeaaal off.

“Y…Yes…?”

“… Fine. Not like it’ll change anyway considering how easily you threw us away.”

p-

pardon?

“You hurt Mother. You left her when she needed you the most. You left us! Because you think your job is better than this little family!”

….huh?

“I’m… I’m sorry, I don’t und-“

“When she needed you the most, you just up and left her! Just like that! What do you think I’ll feel about that, huh?”

Kyojuro… did that? He can’t even fathom leaving you for a split second! What was future him thinking?

“You left Mother! When I was still… When she was still pregnant and needed you… You chose to go on a mission instead of being there for her!”

“Do you know how much my mother begged you not to go? How she endlessly express her worries and concerns, even though she never doubted you before??”

“Do you know how much it hurt her when you promised her nothing will happen, only for some crow to announce that you died in a fight with an Upper Moon, a fight you could’ve avoided! A FIGHT THAT YOU SO SELFISHLY WENT ON AND JUST DIED?!”

…

Hold on…

Hang on—

What?

—————————

I was supposed to finish this all in one post, but I reached the limit… Gonna post part 3 soon

[crookedkryptonitebeliever]

Omg ok so I was reading a yves fic about him being a parent and how bad he would be, and that gave me an idea, like imagine if yves was in charge of babysitting the kid for the day, because reader knows how yves feels about the kid, sure he doesn’t out right say it but a mother knows, so for the first three or so months of the baby’s life reader has been the one to watch over it, but reader really wanted to just get out and have some alone time, so yves was supposed to babysit for the day, and when I mean babysit yves is really just staring at the baby, like he’s just staring at it with hate filled eyes, so when reader came home an hour early yves was caught be surprise (he lost track of time thinking about how annoying and pathetic the baby was, that he forgot to check the farmers and trackers) and reader was PISSED, like reader went through the whole pregnancy knowing that yves didn’t want to keep it deep down, and has basically been the only person taking care of the baby, so when reader went out ONE time for like four hours max, only to find yves glaring at the poor baby as it’s crying it’s eyes out, so reader just grabs the baby and some essentials and just leaves without saying a single word, and if yves tries to talk to them reader just like 😐 no words, and if he tries to physically stop reader their like 👊👊 and I can imagine how strong mama reader is protecting their baby, and with no place in mind reader just so happens to drive all the way to a small cabin the the woods, which just so happens belong to Montgomery. (Ignore the last part if you want i know Montgomery isn’t really a fan favorite lol).

There is a common misconception that Yves despises his children and wishes the maximum amount of pain on them. But actually, he just values them very little.

You would have an idea on what his opinion is on your child, but he is still present and so experienced, he knew everything there is to know about the baby. He knows when they're hungry, tired or why they're crying. Yves wouldn't necessarily let you take care of it alone, remember, he actually can go without sleeping.

He would still be very careful, more so especially there's that bundle of misery in his arms. It would stop crying when you hold it because it's finding you comfortable, but it would also stop wailing in Yves's hold because the baby is afraid. Something about Yves just triggers that primal fear in it, already knowing not to make a peep as a survival tactic.

Yves wouldn't be careless to be consumed by his hatred of the baby, because there isn't really much of it; it's mostly apathy that most people perceive as animosity. He simply sees it as an object, a tool. Yves doesn't see it as human but more akin to a computer, or more degradingly, a spoon. If the 'spoon' isn't serving its purpose (i.e., containing fluids or solids), Yves would fix it by hammering it into shape, not caring about its feelings or health.

The child is here to make you happy (From a young age, he will drill it in their head to worship you), to not make him embarrassed (Hence the rigorous training to make the 'perfect' child) and as a cautionary tale, to discourage them to reproduce.

He wouldn't just stare at it with hate-filled eyes for no reason, it's usually to teach from a young age that such an "overreaction" is unacceptable if the child wants anything. There wouldn't be any 'hate', just annoyance and boredom, it's just another tedious chore for him. If it was particularly energetic and difficult that day, he would have drugged them. But not so much that there are lasting physical health effects, only mental.

Then again, instead of just watching it while the baby cries until it turns blue, it is much more efficient for him to just chuck it into a sensory deprivation chamber. The goal is just to stop them from making so much noise, or to teach that it will only be taken care of when it's silent and unmoving.

So in short, Yves would never be caught lacking in this department. Sure, the vibes would be off when he kisses its head and sings its lullabies about loving parents no matter what. But he is very careful in hiding his abuse.

He wouldn't want anyone to ruin his tool.

But on the other side,

Montgomery loves kids, he would love a big happy family. He would be the type to let his daughters paint his nails, put makeup on him, and dress him up like a buff, scarred princess. He would be present in his sons's lives as well, taking them fishing, playing football, and attending all their special events.

Montgomery would always trade any and every second of his free time to be with his kids and spouse. His unwinding is coming back to a huge, noisy family, playing with the children and doting on his partner.

He would be surprisingly supportive if any of his children comes out as queer, of course, he would tone down the bigotry and apologize for his previous views on life. Even when they're young, he wouldn't necessarily bar his girls from doing 'manly' stuff and his boys from doing 'sissy' things. He just wants the family together.

However, once you have children with him, you could kiss private dates goodbye. Because he would want to bring all eight of his children everywhere, to the restaurant, to the park, to the cinemas, to your workplace for a visit, to the grocery store, on a flight to Hawaii; no one gets to feel left out.

If one falls sick and couldn't come, no one gets to go on that trip. It does piss his children off, but he is fair, so they would just seal their lips shut and take care of their ill sibling.

All of them would get adequate hugs and kisses from youth, and maybe some of them would be 'out-touched' and reject their father's affection, which would hurt him greatly and you would need to console him. Some may think he's overbearing, especially when he wants everyone to be together at least once a day for dinner, weekly game nights, and daily deep talks about life. He has a notebook that Montgomery would write about his children's drama in school, who are the mean girls and the jocks, who are their teachers, and who their crushes are, concerns about puberty, respective secrets and confusing feelings of teenagehood.

He has to secure it safely though, because some of his kids would try to steal it and be nosy. Maybe to use it as blackmail towards their siblings into doing something they didn't want to. However, his children know their father means well, he grew up in a family that couldn't give two shits about him- he just wanted to do better and be the present parent he always wanted.

Just like how he would do to you, he would spoil his children to death. You would have to handle the discipline side of things because it would shatter his fragile little heart to say no to those squirts. But there is one thing that he wouldn't tolerate, which is bullying or being disrespectful to you. He would put his foot down if he knew those little tykes were teasing other kids about their appearances or circumstances. And when he's angry, it isn't pretty.

His expectations of them are not too high in terms of academics, as long as they're not failing classes, he's happy. A child could get a 50/100 on a science test and he would throw a massive celebratory party for them, all the other siblings would be happy too because they all get gifts and delicious cake.

However, would ensure all of them know how to run a farm and be self-sufficient. All of them would know how to hunt and fight, doing 200 pushups in one go is no big deal to them and they would grow up extremely fit.

All the kids will love you, pampering you on special holidays such as Valentine's day, father/mothers day and birthdays. You would have breakfast in bed, they will give you massages and share their individual essays as to why they love you. It has to be unique each year.

When they're older, it would turn into a friendly competition. Whoever showed their love in the most creative way gets bragging rights, maybe you would receive a painted portrait, a song dedicated to you, a movie or even a homemade electronic tablet if they happen to grow up smart and techy.

He would be the type to ugly-cry if any of them goes to college, even though they would have to visit every weekend. Montgomery would want regular video calls between them and the family every night.

When it comes to partners, Montgomery would welcome them into the family with open arms. As long as they're not bad for them and he wouldn't need to bring out his shot gun, then a friend of theirs is a friend of Montgomery.

He would be a very loving father that can be too much sometimes. However, he makes sure that his kids know they are loved no matter what, his love is purely unconditional for them and he would always be the first one to dial their number- he doesn't like that "the phone works both ways" nonsense, he thinks its the parents' responsibility to maintain the bonds no matter how old the children are.

He makes sure they know that they can always come home when time gets rough.

[themedialmercurial]

✨🥂Leo in the houses and where you shine🥂✨

Depending on where leo is located in your natal chart, it shows you where you shine and where you are bold and unapologetically you. It's where you show the most unwavering passion (dare I say even stubbornness 👀) 🥂💛

P.S. this post is based on my own opinions and interpretations of these placements. This is my very first "astrovation" post so yeah🥸

✨LEO IN THE FIRST HOUSE✨

In the first house, leo shines within the natives public appearance in both their physical looks and personality. They often stand out for their piercing eyes and big hair (if not big hair in the sense of an afro for example, their hair could stand out for its colour and general style that not many others tend to have) since leo is represented by the lion, hence its mane as well. They have a big heart alongside a big personality to accompany it, making them very lovable people. The ascendant house is ruled by aries and in turn, aries rules the brain. This would likely present as an individual with a bubbly, fiery personality who is passionate about their loved ones and their interests. They are the type of people you can hear from a mile away. You can oftentimes find them wearing bright colours to accentuate their overall glittery disposition.

✨LEO IN THE SECOND HOUSE✨

In the second house, leo shines in affairs related to speaking (as in a powerful, compelling voice that easily catches the attention of others) and the way in which they are able to convey their message. The individual may have a speaking tone comparable to a lion (I know this comparison is far fetched lol). They may even have an odd yet compelling singing voice that attracts attention. Next, those with leo in the second house tend to gravitate to bright, shiny jewelry such as, of course, gold (yellow gold in particular. The second house is ruled by taurus and in turn, taurus rules the mouth, vocal chords and neck among other specific parts, connecting the dots as to why these natives have a way of speaking and wearing jewelry (necklaces specifically) that complement their fiery side. They too tend to show a particular passion towards their finances and possessions, likely to show their proudness for their material achievements through their captivating voice. Finally, this person may feel compelled to express their emotions raw, and unfiltered. The lion here cannot hold back its roar in times of great intensity.

✨LEO IN THE THIRD HOUSE✨

In the third house, leo shines in its ability to communicate physically, using their arms, hands, feet to create bodily gestures, such as dancing. The third house is the house of gemini and, in turn, rules over body parts that there are two of, just like the twin symbol of the gemini. These are natives who are bold in how they express themselves, maybe even more comfortable with the use of profanity (free expression)? I can envision them even writing and thinking in a less filtered way and expressing their opinions unwaveringly. They stand firm in their ideas and may appear extroverted (even if that may not be the case in real life). The individuals with this placement may also gravitate towards more boisterous means of communication and or learning themselves such as hip-hop and salsa dancing. As for learning, they may prefer brightly-coloured media and energetic music to hold their attention. Finally, these natives tend to show a passion for learning and will likely love to share their findings with others, in a bubbly and engaging way. In early education, they can be known to be highly engaged in class discussions.

✨LEO IN THE FOURTH HOUSE✨

In the fourth house, leo shines in affairs related to the family and home life, as the fourth house is that of the cancer. These natives are fierce protectors of their family, especially in cases where someone near and dear to them is wronged. I can imagine these individuals planning all sorts of parties and events, particularly in the comfort of their own backyard to embrace the company of their loved ones while in their sanctuary. Also, they can be more intense in the way they choose to "nurture" their children for instance. They may come off as intense and upset when they notice something off about a relative, ready to confront whoever is responsible for their misery. At the end of the day, the pain of their family becomes their pain and they do not play around, just like the ferocity of a lion. This house too governs the stomach, to which I can envision this placement my enjoy cooking "summery" foods such as tacos, pastas, red velvet cake among more vibrant foods. As a means of self-care, they may pamper themselves with bright home decorations, flowers, gold appliances and many more things of that nature.

✨LEO IN THE FIFTH HOUSE✨

In the fifth house, leo shines, well in its own assigned house! Leonine energy naturally shines here and with affairs related to the heart, literally and figuratively. These natives find solace in their hobbies and romantic endeavours. For fun, those with this placement may gravitate towards "heart-healthy" activities such as cardio, dancing and running (as they promote increased <3 rate). They may even dabble in more artsy interests such as painting and singing to feel more alive. In addition to heart-healthy activities, they too will be bold in the pursuit of lovers and will not hesitate to put their best foot forward. They know what they want and they use their heart to guide them in the right direction. They are adventurous people who do not shy away from the spotlight and the opportunity shine in any faucet of their life.

✨LEO IN THE SIXTH HOUSE✨

In the sixth house, leo shines in its ability to thrive in their daily routine as the sixth house is that of virgo, thus shines a light over affairs planning, health and self-improvement as well. These natives may indulge in a daily exercise regiment, including workouts that are particularly beneficial for digestion (since virgo rules the intestines, liver and pancreas). Yoga, bike-riding and walking are prime examples of exercises these natives may indulge in as a means of maintaining their health. In regards to their get ready for work routine, they might opt for reds, oranges and yellows in their outfits (for some reason, a burgundy pantsuit with gold jewellery stands out here) as well as bright red lipsticks to balance out the look. They're the kind of people to blast all sorts of empowering music as they prepare for their job. After work, however, they may decompress with a gold face mask or a nice, bright bath bomb in a bath of course. I can too envision a nice robe, pjs and slippers as a part of their notorious routine. Before bed, they might be the type to indulge in a nice cup of tea.

✨LEO IN THE SEVENTH HOUSE✨

In the seventh house, leo shines in its ability to commit wholeheartedly to endeavours related to libra-esque qualities and, of course, special emphasis on equilibrium. In affairs related to partnerships of all sorts, whether love (marriage in particular), or business, these individuals give their undivided attention and feel the passion course through their veins (since libra rules the veins of course). As well as this can be beneficial, particularly in keeping others engaged with the native, this can too go south with affairs related legal matters. The individual may not know it in their nature to slow down and may result to defensiveness when the slightest question is asked of them. They also can be prone to conflict in undeveloped, straying away from the natural libran quality of equilibrium, which can cause much internal frustration to the native as they just want to express their caring side in a way that no one would doubt for even a second.

✨LEO IN THE EIGHTH HOUSE✨

In the eighth house, leo shines in its natural magnetism and appeal as does scorpio, the representing force of this house. With this placement in particular, strangers may feel inexplicably drawn to the native though some physical attributes may explain this phenomena. The native may have particularly appealing hips and are likely curvy (scorpio rules the hips), making them more romantically desirable thanks to the leonine energy boost. In events related to growth and transformation, leo is loud and proud in their journey, that's not to say that there aren't any struggles of course. This scorpion and leonine energy may tend to clash as leo does not shy away whereas the 8th house tends to be more secretive. This may lead the native to take a more careful approach (more-so if undeveloped maybe) in growth and during their journey, but I can imagine them wanting to scream from the rooftops to anyone willing to listen about their secret experiences. When glow-ups come to mind in particular, this individual will literally shine brighter be more in tune with their leo-like traits.

✨LEO IN THE NINTH HOUSE✨

In the ninth house, leo shines in affairs related to higher education, religion and travel (journeys of all sorts), since this house is governed by sagittarius. The lion is confident in their school-like abilities and applies their knowledge sans hesitation. Since sagittarius also rules the legs and thighs, I can imagine the natives' own would stand out in a positive way. They may enjoy walking, hiking or running, to account for their travels all the while basking in the suns' natural, healing light. Or, they may end up having to a lot of walking at school? Additionally, this individual may also have strong religious foundations that they hold unwaveringly in the way the conduct their daily lives and give them the strength to tackle all sorts of challenges in life.

✨LEO IN THE TENTH HOUSE✨

In the tenth house, leo shines in its public perception and affairs related to the career. This is the house of capricorn, placing a more serious outlook on the perception of the world onto the native. Depending on who the individual just so happens to encounter, authority figures may feel strongly about them. On one hand, they will appreciate the natives fiery side and tenacity and on the other, may almost feel insulted by their lack of filter. In relation to career, this person naturally occupies the spotlight, making them the perfect choice for a performer, allowing them to naturally express their leo-like confidence to the world for entertainment purposes. These individuals can often be referred to as "king" or "queen" in the sense that they appear very self-involved in their career affairs. Regarding physicality, capricorn governs the skeletal system of the body; bones, joints and of course teeth. This could result in any of these parts of the body appearing more prominent, maybe even v-shaped tips to an extent (like those of a lion)?

✨LEO IN THE ELEVENTH HOUSE✨

In the eleventh house, leo shines in affairs related to clubs, friendship groups and initiatives that affect the collective, as aquarius is the one who governs this astrological house. The native naturally shines in their friend group and gives off leader vibes in a good way. These are the kind of people who make friends pretty much anywhere and are able to join any friend circle. Also, I can see this native joining clubs that allow them to express their creativity and self-expression such as drama club or even a dance club, more than likely with their group of friends (or new found friends within their clubs of course). As for collective endeavours, the native may find themselves in events such as communal carwashes and bake sales that allow them to interact with many and share their confident energy to the collective. Since aquarius also governs the calves and ankles, returning back to the point of clubs, the native may seek cardio-like activities to accentuate said parts of themselves.

✨LEO IN THE TWELFTH HOUSE✨

In the twelfth house, leo shines, well in affairs related to the hidden part of self, parts that are repressed and should be released. This native keeps their loud, boisterous self to themselves, often fearing the judgment of others. Deep-down, they know that they want to be seen by others but they allow their fears to talk them out of it and promptly retreat back into their shell. Only once in a blue moon may they express themselves to their loved ones though quickly shy away once they point out their abilities, despite the most likely positive response they garner. This reaction is born of insecurity and self-esteem, leading the native to oftentimes feel inadequately loved, despite their own withholding of their true self. To overcome this, the individual must learn to loosen up a little and take baby steps in revealing their personality with loved ones. Only then will they be able to expand and develop their suppressed leonine qualities and live a more fulfilling life.

[adachimoe]

Random stuff from the Persona Club P4 book

I leafed through the Club book and more of the meta and setting stuff stood out to me than the character stuff. 🤓

The origins of Yasoinaba: The meta developer corner notes that Yasoinaba gets its name from the Hare of Inaba legend. Yaso comes from Okuninushi's brethren who are collectively called the yasogami. Samegawa is also a reference to the Hare of Inaba. In the myth, the hare went on the backs of sharks to reach the territory that would eventually be called Inaba. "Same" is shark, and "kawa/gawa" is river. The animal mascot in Inaba is the rabbit. Not because of the myth, though, but because there's a bunch of rabbits somewhere if you follow the Samegawa lol. The town plant is broadleaf cattail.

Tatsuhime Shrine: It's noted that Toyotamahime is the enshrined deity at Tatsuhime shrine. This is a kinda indirect reference to the Hare of Inaba. Toyotamahime was a sea creature who could transform into a human. Her sea creature form was said to be similar to that of a crocodile or a shark (see the above about the Hare of Inaba). Actually, my first blog post on here was about Toyotamahime and the woman at the shrine.

The staging area of the TV world: The design of the people on the ground on the floor of the staging area when you enter the TV world from Junes is the result of the main characters having murder on the brain when they first enter the TV.

The location of Junes: The Yasoinaba branch of Junes is located near the highway so it brings incidental business to town because people who are driving through will also stop there, not just Inaba locals.

Junes wages: Start at 690 yen per hour for high school students, and 900 yen per hour for others. (Per Google, this was like $6.67 / $8.70 per hour in 2008 when the game came out.)

Yosuke's dad's name: Yoichi Hanamura (花村陽一).

The origins of Konishi Liquor: A member of Atlus's battle team is named Konishi and their family actually owns a liquor store. Early on in development, the team just called the place "Konishi Liquor" as a placeholder after the developer and the name stuck. (The text specifically says this is about a Konishi on the battle team, so it's not referring to the composer who is also named Konishi.)

The in-universe history of Inaba: Yasoinaba developed as a mountain castle town with ties to Takeda Shingen. (This is a reference to the actual area in Yamanashi where Atlus drove to and used as a model for the shopping district.) Later, it became a coal mining town. But the coal mine has since closed. (I believe the coal mine part is fictional and isn't supposed to correlate to Yamanashi.)

Mayumi's Room and Saki's Shopping District: Originally, Mayumi's room and the shopping district with Konishi Liquor were a lot bigger and more similar to the size of the other dungeons in the time period after they were pushed into the TV. Once inside, they became lost in the maze and had to confront their shadows. But once the person who created these spaces/images died, these two places shrunk in size, hence the smaller areas you see in-game. The smaller parts are like "cores" of these once larger areas that remain behind. The book likens the small spaces / "cores" to ghosts that haunt the spots where they died.

Magatsu Inaba and Magatsu Mandala: Unlike the other dungeons, which sprung from repressed thoughts, Adachi's Magatsu Inaba was intentionally created to lure in the Investigation Team and confuse them. From the yellow caution tape, you can sense that a part of him still knows he's a detective.

The bit about the caution tape, I think you can read it also as an explanation to why he sends you the letter about the true ending - there is still detective'ing to be done. But like, I'm just gonna pretend I didn't read that. The tape says CAUTION KEEP OUT WARNING because babygirl has a hard time with feelings and people. Fuck you Atlus. Also, I guess his place being "intentionally" created is related to why he got to pick the entrance being in Mayumi's room.

Shadows: The shadows in Persona 4 aren't really the same as Persona 3. The book tells you to think of them separately as the ones in Persona 4 don't really directly harm people - they remain in the unconscious rather than appear in reality and shank people. Shadows in the TV world attack Persona users because they sense danger from Persona users and just instinctively know to attack them. Compared to Persona 3, there are more silly shadows because the Midnight Channel is influenced by the people who watch it.

Mitsuo Kubo's backstory: Mitsuo was a student at Yasogami High until Morooka caught him messing around in a downtown area, after which he was suspended from school for a week. This wrecked his ego / pride so badly that he dropped out of Yasogami High and held a grudge against Morooka. Btw, Hashino also mentions in this long interview that Mitsuo was originally not going to kill Morooka.

References to the Kirijo Zaibatsu: When Dojima tries to reach Nanako in November, he gets a pre-recorded message about the KJ phone service and Nanako's phone being off. "KJ" stands for "Kirijo". Additionally, when Naoto mentions that she did research and found info about shadows becoming Personas, this info was leaked from a Kirijo research lab.

Did Kashiwagi seriously book the kids at a love hotel?: The love hotel on Shirakawa from Persona 3 was renovated (kind of) into a regular hotel by the time of Persona 4.

Yomenai Bookstore: Yomenai means "unreadable". The owner's last name is actually Yomenai, and they didn't realize their last name wasn't a good match for running a bookstore until after they opened up business. School kids started making fun of the store, which bothered Yomenai at first, but they left the store open and now stock mostly books related to their own hobbies. In other words, the majority of the books at the store are "unreadable" to regular people.

[crushedsweets]

What is O/S like in your au? Like what are its symptoms and what does it do to people?

it VARIES from character to character cuz it relies on mental state, physical health, if slendy even wants you, etc... but generalllyyyyy...

you must be infected by the operator first. the operator will either release you after abt a year, or you can consume liquid harvested from slendy to heal early - but this may result in proxification and put you under slendy.

symptoms for both: coughing fits, hallucinations, paranoia, vomiting, headaches, the usual. symptoms for operator: intense rage and aggression, but he cannot control you/your symptoms specifically symptoms for slendy: IF HE CHOOSES TO KEEP YOU, he can specifically control you and your symptoms like a puppet. longer explanation under cut

in general, it starts with the operator. symptoms include coughing fits, vomiting, headaches, nightmares, etc. eventually, he drives you mad until you start losing days worth of memories and he's completely using you to cause havoc. HE HAS LITTLE TO NO CONTROL OVER YOU. he overwhelms your senses, makes you angry, and encourages you to bring attention to the forest, but he cannot mind control you like slendy. some people grow weaker, some people grow stronger, it really depends

the operator can only firmly infect you for about a year, but its almost like holding onto the same human becomes toxic for him so he lets go... thus, you're free. BUT IN THAT YEAR, if you repeatedly consume this liquid harvested from slendy's body in the mines, it can 'heal' you quicker.

when you consume the harvested liquid, slendy decides if you're a worthy vessel or not. this can depend on various factors, like desperate need for proxies (kate), strength/mental state(tim/brian), something helpful (toby's CIPA), etc. if he decides you're worth it, he'll take over the operator's place... SLENDY CAN CONTROL YOU AND YOUR SYMPTOMS. he can give you specific hallucinations, give you headaches, use your body as a literal puppet, etc. typically results in an animalistic 'proxy mode', which includes the increased senses, endurance, etc. almost an entirely separate state of mind, but lines blur at times...

some cases like clocky and jeff, slendy decided they weren't worth it for similar reasons (too chaotic, no specific benefits, peculiar appearances, etc). they maintained some symptoms including the enhanced strength, but it withers away overtime

not everything is the same for each individual, though. it usually varies on how slendy views you, your age when taken, your mental state, obedience, proximity to him, etc... hence why a 5'5 malnourished woman can EASILY whoop a 6'1 buff man's ass.

anyway i know its kinda complicated and all over the place BUT its cuz its such a pain in the ass trying to make all 16 of these characters stories fit together. very hard to make a rule without 4 exceptions LOL

[thatdeadaquarius]

Sobbing and crying just saw your post of us sounding like a Sim, and I am DYING.

What if it went the other way? They can understand us, but we can't understand them!

Us : hey so what the fuck is happening why tf am I in genshin impact

Them : OMG ASKSKSKSKS FEDERRRALL MEERKK TREEESO! (Omg it's the divine God I'm shittinh myself oml) or whatever idk)

Us: excuse me what the fuck did you just say about my mother? (US mishearing or maybe the words are randomized? Who knows)

Everyone just being confused and frustrated on why you can't understand them. Is it because they aren't worshipping you enough? Maybe some friendship level BS where obly those who are lvl 10 can understand u or smth? Who knows, certainly not the Creator.

I highkey am thinking about writing smth for this now but having it be for like each archons reaction or smthin but who knows. I just wanna see a bunch of divine beings confused outta their mind in like whatever cities square and it turning into a "holy game of charades"

Also happy early birthday ajdjdjkdkdkdk

I”M SO LATE SO THANK YOU FOR THE BDAY WISHES LMAO SORRY KARMA MY BELOVED

AHHHHH U INSPIRED ME BY THE ARCHONS HOLY GAME OF CHARADES-

AND OH NO LVL 10 ONLY FRIENDSHIP UNDERSTANDING-

(づ ￣ ³￣)づ here have a hug for your patience- sorry karma!! :')

LMAO this inuyasha gif- obviously everyone else guessing what ur doing and the 2 others r like ppl like Venti or Kaeya who r just fucking with ppl by joining you lol

OK BUT WHO DO U HAVE LVL 10 FRIENDSHIP?!

BC I GOT NOBODY 😭

ITS RLLY HARD TO DO OKAY-

I HAVE TO PUT ACTUAL EFFORT INTO THE FEW THAT ARE LEVEL 4-5 

ID BE SO FUCKED-

Oh no.

Oh god (you??) no.

What if you had the highest friendship with little d**ks like Scaramouche.

noooOOOOOO

He’d be like, “Eh, I don’t feel like translating today.” 💀

Also I’m rolling with the idea that 

perfect understanding = lvl 10,

Most words 7-9

Some words 5-6

Kinda ?? they get 2 words per sentence or smth 3-4

Basically nothing 1-2

◇

Anyway ornery bitches like Scara/Xiao/Alhaitham/Rosaria/Diluc (all for diff reasons like diluc/xiao would just be overwhelmed and dont like ppl that much lol, whereas haitham doesnt give a fuck lmao) would kinda suck to have as translators

OH NOT THE PEOPLE WHO WOULD JUST LIE ABOUT WHAT U SAID ON PURPOSE TO DECEIVE THE MASSES LIKE Heizou/Yae Miko/Kaeya/Venti 

They pull something like “oh well the god of gods said I could have the last slice of cake/an extra glass of wine hehe”

For different reasons these people would also be ROUGH translators: FISCHL OH NO- , Zhongli, Albedo (he simply would omit “unnecessary details”, cyno, ITTO PLEASE, Raiden (puppet) bc shed take stuff too far/too literally u would never be able to communicate jokes, Razor (im sorry bbyboy), Shenhe

THE CHARADDEEESSS

THE CHARADES OF THE GODS 

You may or may not get another title of a jokester god bc of these SILLY charades 💀

The people u have higher levels of friendship with giving hints LMAO

♤

“Uhhh….. Oh! Oh! Greatest Lord wishes to see a dance performance!” 

Nahida’s sweet voice rings out in Yujing Terrace, her tiny hand waving in the air like an elementary student who’s really excited to answer. …Which isn’t that far off honestly.

“Hmm, I disagree Buer, I believe the Hundun Emperor is saying they wish to take a bath perhaps. I am also attempting to use context, as it has been a long day for them.” Zhongli is in his classic “majestic thinking gentleman” pose, and you’d admire it more if it weren’t for the fact that they don’t seem to be getting what you’re saying.

You hadn’t yet found someone with a higher friendship level than 2 or 3 (hey, don’t blame yourself, you really have to put effort into friendship levels to get them anywhere and you were still busy screwing around in Sumeru when you got spirited away).

So needless to say, most people were getting “the, me, I, you, etc.” rather than the actual important keywords you needed them to, hence the godly charade game now.

As you “hold” something, you throw your hands up in the air, still keeping your hands wrapped around nothing. You think if somebody told you last week that you’d be playing charades with the archons in Genshin Impact so you could actually communicate with them… well you don’t know what you would have done. Maybe just gave them a really awkward laugh.

“Oh! Are you asking for a weapon? Akitsu Mikami, my emperor, we or our nations will surely provide protection from any harm that might befall you. Hm, I suppose we should offer something anyway… I wouldn’t want to displease them…” Ei mutters to herself, having taken over her puppet once more for the occasion.

She and Buer, still retaining their authority status, had asked for the area to be cleared in order to try and get closer to communicating with the Divine First, or you.

“Ha! What idiot would try to hurt the All-Parent in their home, unless they wish to get thrown?” Venti cheekily says, as you don’t understand him, but judging by Zhongli’s clenched jaw, Ei’s sigh, and Nahida’s giggle, you can guess.

You give your own sad sigh… it’s already been 3 hours. 😭

How hard is charades for 4 archons??

Well… apparently very hard.

You put your face in your hands, and you hear the (retired) archons start to debate something, you can tell it’s getting a little passive-aggressive between Venti and Zhongli by their tone alone. 

…Okay, now it’s just aggressive.

The archons eventually give their attention back to you so you can go back to your charades lol

You tried opening your mouth and closing it, very obvious, they can’t go wrong. 

…Turns out they can. 

Somehow you find yourself with a hot tea brewed by the geo archon. 

(Venti attempted to offer you Dandelion Wine, or Osmanthus Wine even, and only god, well you now, knows where he pulled them from. Ei swatted his head, he looked so offended, and his cheeks were all puffed up, heh.)

Giving up, you just try to motion for them to stay still, your hands gesturing like trying to calm a wild animal.

They give you questioning looks, and you begin to walk off, they all seem to immediately start discussing something with each other. All of the gods look very conflicted, and after a minute of you getting further away (yes, you’re almost home free, Xiangling here you come! ) Nahida skips to catch up with you.

She gives you a beaming smile, and you can’t bring yourself to not return it. She's so much cuter in real life, even the official art didn't do her justice.

You make your way towards the restaurant, finally.

And apparently you’re happier than you thought to smell the savory scents flowing out of the kitchen because your stomach growls loudly.

You’re too hungry to even attempt to stop it, no one will care, except Nahida’s eyes go wide. She begins to sputter, and flail her hands desperately trying to charade an apology at you.

…you were just trying to tell them you were hungry. 💀

☆

Ask box open again! :] 🎊

Pspspspspssubliminalmessagingyouwillsendthatdeadaquariusanaskpssppspspspspssss

✨️Hope you guys got smth out of this rough draft✨️ ♡

:D hope u guys have had a good weekend!

My senior art exhibit is april 6th so wish me luck and prayers (from any religion im not picky pls)

Safe Travels,

💀♒️

♡the beloveds♡

@karmawonders / @0rah-s / @randomnatics / @glxssynarvi / @nexylaza / @genshin-impacts-me / @wholesomey-artist

[ourflagmeansgayrights]

Hey so idk if you would know this but where did the term canyon in reference to Izzy fans come from? I feel like I just started seeing it like three days ago but everyone seems to already know what it means

lol so disclaimer that this ask has been in my inbox since september 23rd and alsoooo i might not be the best person to ask bc i am belothed by many who consider themselves part of the izzy canyon (which is their right). so if you asked an izzy fan about this you would probably get a different answer. also from what i can tell the term originated on twitter and i don’t go there.

the tl;dr that i heard secondhand from someone who identifies as izzy canyon is that at some point last year (summer or fall-ish i think) a lot of izzy fans were blocking so many people who didn’t like izzy that a lot of them ended up being unaware of general fandom trends and it became a running joke among them that izzy fans were isolated from the rest of the fandom in an "izzy canyon." and then allegedly the term expanded to just mean "if ur not a dick abt ppl liking izzy u can be in the canyon." THAT BEING SAID there are other ppl who had a very different experience with how "the canyon" originated and what kind of fan space it tends to be.

(slightly longer explanation below)

the thing with The Canyon is that to understand its origin and also why some fans have a problem with it, you gotta know two things:

there are annoying puriteen anti types on the internet who think liking certain characters make you a bad person. from what i can tell theyre mostly on twitter and tiktok. these people are annoying but also in my experience they're usually pretty easy to block and ignore.

the popularity of izzy hands is disproportionate to his narrative role in the show, and the popular fanon interpretation of izzy hands casts him not only as a principal character but as a much more sympathetic, righteous character than he is in canon. THIS DOES NOT MEAN I THINK ANYONE IS A BAD PERSON FOR LIKING IZZY. this DOES mean that i think ppl who think ed is izzy's domestic abuser are wrong. and also this is part of an age old fandom trend of fandom favoring a masc white guy who is often a side character and also often an antagonist.

so from what i can tell. in the early days of the ofmd fandom (spring-summer 2022) there was a lot of #1 going around on twitter, screaming about how if you liked izzy hands then you're a racist abuse apologist or something. at one point a throwaway account tweeted a callout for a popular izzy fan and said "we know they live in this area and work for this company, so these are the locations where they might work. everyone should call these numbers and tell their job to fire them. also we're gonna target these izzy fans next" and like, obviously this account was pretty quickly taken down. but it was a pretty scary thing and left a lot of izzy fans pretty paranoid, hence the blocking everyone who didnt like izzy.

(there was also a "izzy hater group chat" twitter account that was literally just a small group of mostly minors posting memes and also abt izzy that got accused of being connected to that whole mess. but afaict those guys have nothing to do with harassment of izzy fans they just dont like izzy)

so the thing is now that all of that has been used to justify shutting down any type of conversation about #2, or writing off anyone who posts meta about izzy that isnt like, "he works so hard and is so unappreciated despite everything he's done for ed" as an "izzy anti." analyzing izzy critically and posting this in the #izzy hands tag on tumblr is likened to genuine harassment.

oh lol and speaking of harrasment: there was also a problem with ppl on tumblr getting anon hate, and izzy fans will tell you that the anon came from an izzy hater who was targeting izzy fans bc the anon messages use "izzy critical rhetoric." however as someone who has posted "izzy critical" metas or whatever, i have actually gotten the same harassing messages accusing me of being an izzy stan and a racist abuse apologist. that's not what a targeted harassment campaign looks like. that's all been less of a problem ever since tumblr made it so you need to be logged in to an account to send anonymous messages.

anyway my stance on all of this:

i don't hate anyone for liking izzy. i am critical of certain comments/behaviors i often see from ppl who identify as izzy fans, but izzy fans are rarely the only ones who have this problem. from what i've seen tho, a lot of it comes from izzy fans.

before i ever saw even a hint of harassment against izzy fans, i saw izzy fans coming onto my posts and to posts by fans of color trying to argue that these posts were contributing to their harassment. from my perspective, it looked a lot like fans of a white character were trying to shut down conversations abt their favorite guy, especially when those conversations were being had by fans of color. i was very skeptical and oftentimes pretty dismissive abt the existence of this harassment.

since then tho ive done a pretty deep dive into the anon harassment on tumblr, and also looked at takes from different perspectives on the whole thing, and my conclusion is that there is harassment of izzy fans, however it is on the same base-level shittiness that most people experience from just... being on the internet. death threats and insults and slurs are literally just part of being on the internet. and yes, it SUCKS and it's wrong and nobody should have to put up with it, but izzy fans are not victims of specific targeted harassment. theyre victims of being on the internet and having to put up with general internet shittiness. and im sympathetic to that up until ppl start using "ive been harassed for being an izzy fan" as an excuse to be incredibly nasty (check out this tumblr acct for examples of what i mean lol). the ofmd fandom is annoying and parts of it are toxic but like, by no means is this the most toxic fandom to ever exist. we're not at "undertale fan giving out cookies with needles in them at a convention" levels just yet.

finally, tangentially related: i am inherently wary of fandom sub-groups that like, name themselves?? in my experience, the more people make being a Type Of Fan part of their identity the more it tends to lead to problems. this goes for fans who label themselves "antis" or "anti-antis" or whatever the fuck. i've personally been called an "izzy anti," an "izzy hater," and an "izzy critical fan" but like, i dont really call myself that?? it just seems weird to me idk. it gets to be very "us vs them" on default with little nuance and ive never found this kind of thing to be like, productive in fandom spaces. but that's just me.

[ferie-anon]

Hi! What placements can indicate being a 'late bloomer' in relationships? I'm 24 and have never been in a long-term relationship. I don't have anything in my 7th house but I do have Pluto & Chiron (both in Scorpio) in my 1st House. Would love to hear your thoughts xx

Indicators of a ‘late bloomer’ in relationships

Although I think having chiron and pluto in 1st doesn’t rlly affect in terms of being a late bloomer in relationships, you could check your saturn, and some of these aspects listed below!

🌞 I think taurus in 7th could indicate being a late bloomer in relationships as taurus is a sign that takes it slow and search for stability so placed in the 7th house which regards the relationship and love, they could be late in starting long term relationships as they're searching for mutual commitment.

🌞 Chrion in 5th & 7th, as chiron is the asteroid known as the wounded healer, chiron who was a centur who could not heal himself, despite being a healer and teacher. It represents our deepest wound and our efforts to heal the wound. Having chiron in those houses could affect the progression(may slow down) of the themes of the house, 5th house is having fun and seeking romance, love, and 7th house is about relationships, longterm ones, and marriage.

🌞 Saturn in 4th, 5th & 7th. Saturn is the planet that sometimes teaches life lessons through responsibility and certain hardships and its themes surround self discipline, limitation, and restriction. Having saturn in those houses could lead to the restriction or prioritization of love, maybe long term relationships are not wut they desire for now hence the self discipline and restriction theme could impact those houses that relate to relationships. (4th house covets secureness, nurture, comfort, and family) It could also create a late development of the houses themes, so long term relationships may not happen early on or be experienced.

🌞 Pluto in 2nd, 4th & 7th. Pluto the planet that is associated with renewal and rebirth (like endings and new beginnings), can affect these houses themes, like 2nd house relates to aesthetics, style, values, self worth. Pluto in 2nd could break down the values qualities and make it a lifelong problem so youd be a late bloomer because of this lifelong problem of trying to build up your self worth or aesthetic but its always being torn down/renewed. (The aforementioned houses themes like 4th & 7th are also affected)

🌞 Moon square/opposite saturn, venus square saturn. Usually they feel stuck and kinda alone as saturn’s restrictive and harsh nature affects it. This can result in maturing later in life physically or emotionally and never really knowing what you want. For instance, I have moon in virgo square my saturn in cancer, I'm also a 'late bloomer' in relationships imo, as I've stayed single still compared to my friends lol despite being younger than you a bit. You could say I’m not ready to commit yet since I havent met someone that shares the same values and emotional fulfillment Im looking for.

🌞 Moon square venus, the hard aspect of a square creates a conflict between the values and themes of moon and venus - love and nurture, and they kinda don’t know wut they want (like wuts good for them vs. temptations and desires, or stuck between them), it can make them stagnant or not ready to commit since they arent sure. Thats why long term relationships may happen later in life.

[titsthedamnseason]

juli!!!!! now that the like us series is over (thinking about when we'll ever get another hale pov 😭) what have you thought? and what are you most hoping for with the cobalt empire?

hahaha what a loaded question! i’m also sad about the hales hence me rereading dlu already lol 💚 but also on patreon kbr have started posting extras in kinney’s pov which i am so grateful for. great way to keep us connected to the younger generation / give a sneak peek and i feel lucky it was with my favorite girl!! i am relying on this content to hold me over lol (plus next we have XANDER’S BOOK!!!!! to look forward to. which i almost expect to get sooner than we might think 👀)

my thoughts on the series as a whole are kind of hard to articulate but i’ll try? i think the series started really strong and sort of devolved from there. i think going back to dlu put a lot into perspective for me because right from the beginning they did a lot of great set up and left threads that were still being picked up in luna’s books so i applaud them for their forward thinking and planning in that regard (i know that either krista or becca - i don’t know who is who lmao - is super dedicated to going back and rereading all the early books and making sure everything is still flowing and connecting and i must say that’s very apparent looking at the big picture. a job well done for sure). i think all of moffy and farrow’s books, definitely oscar and jack’s book, and i’ll even say jane and thatcher’s books, function well on their own. moffy and jane’s books also do a nice job in contributing to the series as a whole

but obviously there was also a lot left to be desired and i think that despite whatever flaws the earlier books contain, things REALLY started going off the rails with sulli’s books (my poor girl 💔). while the overall series arc ended up functioning pretty well imo, as the series progressed the plots of each individual book just kept getting wishy washier. i wish kbr would just realize that romantic and interpersonal development is enough to drive a story without needing a bunch of other distracting side plots that actually take away from the main focus of the book and divert readers’ attention from what the twins are best at writing. like the romantic plots should be enough to sustain a book IF THEY ARE DONE WELL, and kbr are capable of doing them well, but they got so caught up in trying to include other things that they couldn’t give the real focus of the stories the attention they really deserved if that makes sense. i’m at least glad they don’t rely so much on the third act break up or use miscommunication between couples to drive the books

i also think that now that they’ve taken such care to establish quinn and frog as a budding romance, oscar and jack’s book should have been its own thing outside the series and maybe started a different (cobalt-empire-esque?) spinoff for all these side characters that they’ve grown attached to and insist on making books for. charming like us is a great book on its own but doesn’t really fit in with the rest of the series (is the original / sub-heading / tagline of the like us series not “billionaires and bodyguards”????)

as for the cobalt empire…..i’m trying to go in with a very open mindset. ben’s book was honestly the last one i was expecting but definitely the most ideal scenario for me!!! im really hoping these books won’t be super dragged out and bogged down by extraneous and unnecessary side plots and characters (one book per brother honestly sounds ideal but i know that’s a fool’s hope). obviously a really big thing i’m looking forward to reading about is the evolution of ben and charlie’s relationship and also seeing ben grow closer to all his brothers and finally finding a place within his family 💙 this is why ben’s pov is great to start with because we’re going to see him thrown back into this environment with all his brothers and this time they’re all older and there’s no parents. i know that apartment is WILD in a way that ben cobalt simply is not (or is he? 😏)

i’m also now conflicted about whether the ben and xander resolution should be expected in burn bright or if we have to wait until xander’s books (BUT IT BETTER NOT HAPPEN IN BETWEEN!). i made a post about this at some point but i also think if kbr can’t keep it down to one book per brother, and overlapping style similar to addicted / calloway might work really well as opposed to the clunkier progression of the like us series.

i CANNOT WAITTTTT to finally get into charlie’s head also. that’s going to be a wild ride. i can’t wait to get a deeper look into charlie and beckett’s interactions and for the two of them and their love interests to be the best friend group ever. the cobalt boys ALL have really really really good tropes setting the scene for them (expect for ben who is the only one we’re kind of in the dark about right now) and im excited to see that unfold. also!! as much as i love the hales, its going to be great seeing rose and connor more again! it’s not an aspect i’ve spent too much time thinking about yet but they have such unique and different relationships with each of their kids so im excited to see each of their interactions. ALSO!!! FREEDOM FROM BODYGUARDS GOD BLESSSSSS 🙏 none of the cobalts are super close to their bodyguards to my understanding so after the like us series this will feel like a breath of fresh air

and the last thing i must say - what i’m really hoping for is that harriet isn’t going to play a big role…..i know this is clowning since she JUST moved to new york and the same college as everyone and is lowkey the only person that’s been introduced as a possibility for ben’s love interest but god that idea just bores me lol. especially when all the other brothers already have such compelling love interests and book premises. but alas i am probably wrong and will need to get over my unreasonable dislike of this poor girl who never did anything but be luna’s friend. i think my ideal way for the harriet situation to play out would actually be if she started dating xander but then they broke up before his real books start because i think it would be nice for some of these kids to get some real dating experience before ending up with the love of their lives forever!!

anyway. sorry as always that i’m incapable of being normal about kbr books and can’t just answer with “the series had its ups and downs but im excited for what’s next!!!” but that functions as a great tldr i guess lol

[24hrfrog]

flower au stuff :3

what i have in my head when thinking abt it~

best way to talk abt dynamic is a football player vs the present of student council trying to get the new guys attention

mav doesn’t automatically fall and isn’t easy to fluster, more like takes the flirting head on 💀

slider is interested immediately because ice is, monkey see monkey do

if ice wasn’t around, the tattoo and piercing business he & slider owns would shut down fr

slider and baby brad interactions is chaos vs ice and baby brad is a well distinguished gentleman and his polite son lol

if the daggers would make an appearance it would be pretty brief and just referring to pre school peers brad has, side story of baby brad having a playdate and the three adults trying to control them lol

slider’s tattoos are ocean/sky war themes, like full sleeve tapestry of a huge ship and a anchor trailing down his arm and a dog fight scene on the forearm of the planes falling, lots of cloud/debris, and angel wings on his neck, on the opposite arm it’s basically following the same theme (these go all the way to his pecs), on his back its three chained up dobermans and smaller scattered stuff on his thighs n legs

ice is very much a drawer too but is more secretive about his work, hes not fond of tatting and hence he just sticks with piercings

slider has more piercings than ice bc ice literally uses him as his model (like when a kid would use a teddy bear and give them piercings lol)

ice has only a few smaller tattoos of more calming scenes (still thinking abt what)

when slider pulls up to mav’s with a new piercing or tattoo he’ll gross him out with it and thinks its amusing 💀

mav never wants a piercing due to the very understanding fear of it getting ripped of. he also just never thought of wanting a tattoo but just cuz he wouldn’t know what and why he would need one

ice is a germ freak real.

slider picked up ice’s habits of waking up early and cleaning so the shop and their shared living space is always clean

idk ice and sliders relationship situation but theyre real comfortable with each others presence and a lot of customers end up thinking its a couples business when they walk in lol

ice is actually rlly warm body temperature wise and slider on the colder side

carole is a successful wedding planner and travels internationally for her work, typically she brings goose if she needs an extra pair of hands and brad is in mav’s care often (doesnt mean they dont love him tho!)

baby brad says he has two dads and one mom bc of how much time he has with mav

mav is the owner of the flower shop after carole gave it to him due to her schedule just getting too busy, goose is still a co owner and is in the shop whenever he is able

both shops have their living space above it

slider throws pebbles at mav’s window across the street to bother him

slider and ice share a bed, when they first moved in there was only one bed they could afford and they just didn’t mention buying a second, ice says it’s bc than they’ll have to rearrange the whole place to make a new bedroom and it would take too much effort

brad looks more like how miles teller was when he was a baby than 86 baby brad

ice and mav and slider are a lil different looking than in 86, maybe just a lil older, mav has a bit more muscle on him for sure and sliders hair us more grown out and curly

[hirazuki]

Sauron 🔥🔥

Haha, oh dear XD I hope an essay is what you were looking for!

I feel like most of my opinions on Sauron are unpopular in varying degrees with one part of the fandom or another lol, but let's go with one that, until very recently, I legit thought was pretty universally accepted as canon-established fact (but is, apparently, unpopular):

Sauron's relationship with Melkor -- regardless of how one prefers to interpret the exact nature of that relationship in the course of their fandom-ing -- is not abusive! :D

There is much about Sauron that we don't know, especially his early days, but one of the very few things Tolkien is explicit on is that Sauron's service to Melkor was due to awe and respect, and was the culmination and product of what remained of his "good" nature as a Maia; and not out of fear.

It was the apparent will and power of Melkor to effect his designs quickly and masterfully that had first attracted Sauron to him. (Morgoth's Ring, p. 396)

Sauron did not seek his own supremacy, but worked and schemed for another, desiring the triumph of Melkor, whom in the beginning he had adored. (Morgoth's Ring, p. 420)

I'm too tired right now to look up every instance across, like, four different books, but the words that keep being repeated with regards to how Sauron views Melkor are admiration, desire, adoration, etc. and linking it to his lingering goodness.

I suppose you can read the "in the beginning he had adored" part as Sauron losing his love for Melkor due to Melkor's treatment of him, but, really, there is absolutely no evidence towards that. Given the passage the line is in and that Tolkien is discussing the motives of his villains, I read it more as Sauron's adoration fading from its initial intensity due to his distance from Melkor after the First Age and due to his increasing focus on himself and the ordering of Middle Earth in the Second Age; and once the one ring comes into play, Sauron's mind is pretty much consumed by that obsession.

On the other hand, the only times I can think of where the opposite is implied are: 1. Luthien threatening him that he'll tremble in scorn before Melkor (Silmarillion, p. 206); and "for the bonds that Morgoth had laid upon him were very strong." (Silmarillion, p. 342). Both of which can be considered to be outside perspectives -- Luthien, obviously, knows nothing about their relationship, and assuming that Melkor's cruelty would be inflicted upon his servant for failure is reasonable from her POV; and that second line is in a passage that carries an overall tone of "some hold so-and-so to be true," so not as seemingly omniscient as other parts of the Silm come across as. Also "bonds" is fairly vague; I don't think it's a stretch to consider that as either simply something that exists between any Vala and their Maiar -- they are beholden in some way to their service -- or even just the bonds of loyalty and adoration that Sauron developed towards Melkor.

Obviously, I don't think their relationship was all sunshine and sparkles; no relationship of any kind is. And it's true that the more favored you are, the farther you have to fall personal experience ✌️ I do think this is a fear that Sauron legitimately could have had -- one can conceive all sorts of reasons, from seeing how Melkor treats his other servants to residual feelings Sauron experienced in his days with Aule, but that goes way into headcanon territory and I'm trying to stay away from that here -- hence why Luthien playing on it was so effective. But -- and I haven't read every text available; yet! -- nowhere that I have seen so far does the text ever use words like fear, loathing, etc. the way it does when describing how, say, Orcs feel towards Melkor, to describe Sauron's relationship with him. Those words were available to Tolkien; if he had wanted to use them, he would have!

I've also seen people cite Sauron's absence after the incident at Tol-in-Guarhoth as evidence that he is terrified of Melkor and Melkor was abusive to him, hence he avoided him. Sure; you can take his absence in the text literally, and consider him MIA until he resurfaces in Eonwe's camp at the end of the War of Wrath. That's a valid interpretation, and you can choose to ascribe that absence to Sauron's fear of Melkor. But, again, there is no instance in which Melkor so much as punishes him, and also there's this bit:

In all the deeds of Melkor the Morgoth upon Arda, in his vast works and in the deceits of his cunning, Sauron had a part, and was only less evil than his master in that for long he served another and not himself. (Silmarillion, p. 24) [emphasis mine]

So, yes, Sauron isn't mentioned by name in any events subsequent to Huan tearing his throat out; but also, you can absolutely interpret him as having gone back and continued under Melkor until the end of the War since the text clearly states that he had a hand in every single deed. That is also a valid interpretation! Tolkien's omission on the matter can be taken either way.

And since I've been absurdly long-winded already (here's a cookie if you're still with me! 🍪), let's just make this even longer and look at the other side of the relationship :D

Angband was a fortress and armory that was created "to resist any assault that might come from Aman" (i.e., first and arguably most important line of defense) and it was left to Sauron to command. (Silmarillion, p. 44)

Melkor thought that the coming of Men to Beleriand was significant enough an occurrence to warrant his personal attention on the field, "leaving to Sauron the command of the War." (Silmarillion, p. 164)

Sauron was "the greatest and most trusted" of Melkor's servants. (Silmarillion, p. 341)

Concerning the making of Orcs, "The details of the accomplishment of this wickedness were, however, left mainly to the subtleties of Sauron." (Morgoth's Ring, p. 420)

Sauron repaired Angband in secret "for the help of his Master when he returned." (Morgoth's Ring, p. 421)

Also, Sauron's only thought upon beholding Luthien -- and the text makes special note that the fame of Luthien's unparalleled beauty and song had long been known to him -- is to capture her to give to Melkor (Silmarillion, p. 205). Leaving aside the details of why Melkor would want her (I can't remember if this is mostly-canon or if it's my own headcanon-extrapolated-from-canon, and I'm too lazy to look it up), what's important here is that he is literally the only character who is not taken with her or doesn't act upon some kind of desire towards her. No thoughts, head empty, only Melkor.

As we all know -- and struggle with and/or revel in, depending on the day -- there are a great many inconsistencies and differing versions of almost everything among Tolkien's writings; which only serves to highlight the exceptions! This -- the little we know of Sauron's relationship with Melkor -- is one of the exceptions, where literally everything I've come across suggests a relationship that is surprising in its... benevolence? almost, especially given how each party tends to treat others. It's rare for a villainous superior/trusted second-in-command relationship to not incorporate some type of plotting, backstabbing, seeking to overthrow, etc., or some kind of lashing out on the part of the more powerful party towards their subordinate. And especially set in Tolkien's world, which is very much a mythology constructed of opposing forces such as Good and Evil, it's unexpected! A complete oddity, contrary to what stories such as this would lead us to expect -- and all the more compelling for it! And, for the life of me, I can't understand why anyone would insist it is toxic and abusive instead -- such a take is terribly reductive and does huge disservice to the crafting of both characters involved.

To be clear, idc what people do in their fanfics, fanart, etc. It's your enjoyment, your headcanons, it's free real estate, go wild! No one can stop you! My issue is that I've recently seen an increasing amount of insistence that reading it as abusive is the canon interpretation and, no? And I do have to wonder how much a certain final episode of a certain show has to do with that, because "a great, clenched fist had released its grasp on my neck" is just. nowhere near how Tolkien characterizes this relationship and I mourn the fact that, given the far-reaching, multi-million dollar production that it is, this will be the "official" read of this relationship for a great deal of the general public.

(And, if you've made it to the end, here: 🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪 all the cookies!)

[asherashedwings]

I completely forgot to post these guys

MUSIC MEN !!

May include rambling cuz my love for spiders kinda slipped its way into these designs lol

DJ Music Man

VERY vaguely based on a Goliath Bird Eater, since they’re the biggest spider. I thought it’d fit this big guy.

Fun fact: if you google “Goliath Bird Eater face” one of the first results is actually the face of a wolf spider.

…I’ve spent a lot of time looking at spider faces. I can recognize a lot of them based on head shape and eye placement now.

Anyways

Mini Music Men ! (and their ruined forms)

They’re all based on different spiders, which will be explained under the cut, as well as close ups cuz I don’t want this post to be super annoying to scroll past

Hip Hop (Jumping Spider)

Hip Hop is the only one with a name so far, and he’s based on a jumping spider! I had a good idea of what spiders I knew I wanted to include when starting these designs, and you best believe jumping spiders were on that list. They’re just very recognizable, and their eye placements are just very unique. That’s something I tried to accomplish with these designs too; chose spiders with unique eye placements from one another. Since it gives more variety to each music man.

He was actually the first one I designed and was part of the original 4 I designed way back in July of last year, the other three being Wolf Spider, Trapdoor, and Daddy Long Legs.

Also, making him the rabbit ruined music man was completely coincidental, I wasn’t even thinking about how perfect that was until after I had already finished all the designs. I’m just glad I happened to choose that cuz man it lines up so well. Cuz. Cuz jumping spider. And rabbits are known to jump-

Wolf Spider

I don’t have a too awful lot to say on this guy. Sweet old man. When I saw the eye placements for wolf spiders, I was having a hard time trying to figure out how to incorporate it in a way that was appealing. And then it hit me: put the lower four on a mustache. And then he just became an old man after that.

Trapdoor Spider

This guy’s based on a trapdoor spider— SPECIFICALLY a cork lid trapdoor spider. This is mainly cuz normal trapdoors don’t really stand out too much appearance wise. They look like a stereotypical venomous spider I think. But then! I remembered the cork lid trapdoor spider, and that one definitely stands out. The main thing that makes it stand out so much is that, compared to the average spider, it’s missing like, half its abdomen, the back end of which has a very interesting pattern.

I don’t know if it’s communicated well from this angle, but he’s missing half his abdomen, but in a way where it’s clear he was built that way, given the placement of his wind. I also included designs on his wind to kind of represent the designs real cork lids have on their abdomens.

Daddy Long Legs

Yes, I know daddy long legs aren't actually a spider, but it felt wrong not to include one, so I did it anyways.

This fella actually has a tiny bit of lore. Basically, he's an early prototype model of the mini music men, hence why he appears out of date compared to the others. And run down too; his age means more time for wear and tear to have occurred, hence his missing abdomen (which was really just a design choice I made in order to reference how daddy long legs don't have as many body segments as actual spiders).

Brown Recluse

Now we're onto the spiders that weren't in the original batch. Brown Recluse, as well as the other two after this, were actually concepts I made not too long after the first time I drew the original 4, however they never went far beyond just concepts. Until recently.

There's not much I can say about their design. It's not shown here but they actually play the violin, since one of the recognizable features of a brown recluse is the violin shape present on their back. So I guess that's that their limb shapes come from; they vaguely resemble the shape of violin bows. Kind of. Idk don't look too deep into it.

Black Widow

This one I kinda just threw stuff at a wall until something stuck. I still really like how she turned out tho. I tried making her wind pointier to kind of resemble the hourglass shape on their abdomen that black widows are so infamous for. I don't know if that's clear or not though.

Black Widow and Brown Recluse is where I sorta broke my main rule when picking spiders, which was, as stated earlier, to pick ones with unique eye placements. Black widows and brown recluses have very similar, if not identical eye placements. But I decided to overlook it cuz I wanted to include both of them.

Yellow Orb Weaver

When I was initially designing this one, I don't think I had a specific orb weaver in mind. Because back then, I had no idea how diverse orb weavers actually are. So after some consideration, and looking at the design I had already made, I decided that he's based on a yellow orb weaver. Mainly just cuz I wanted more variety in the hues I was using for these guys' colors.

I don't have much else to say on this dude. I just made him super lanky cuz the shapes were interesting.

Bonus doodles for those willing to read my spider ramblings. Love yall <3 /p