#i would much rather read actual rational criticisms

[sarahreadstoomanycomics]

I must admit sometimes it gets tiring week after week reading comics and thinking to myself “Man people are going to get mad/fight about this”. Only to be proven right every single time. 

[cherripentiousshipper]

Unpopular Opinions about characters' sexualities to make the show more adult and complex, cause I love dark romances(pt1/??)

(I take criticism as long as You're polite, thank you)

So, first of all, I would've rather Alastor to be Pansexual, not in the nowadays way, but actually in the Freud -would fuck a tree if It was a taboo- kinda of way.

Stay calm, I have my reasons, and I will tell you all of them.

Like first thing first, it'd be way much more in character for him. He's a serial killer, and a cannibal.

He could have stopped in hell, but actually went even more wild. Thus meaning that he actually has a very passional and lustful nature, like many serial killers, and especially cannibals have.

You may think this is to be connected to the sin of Gluttony, but not at all! He doesn't act rationally to reach satisfaction like a gluttonous person would; instead he acts instinctively, he's driven by his needs, he has no control over himself, so he seeks It on others.

You see as you may have noticed, he is very violent and bloothirsty, ruthless, and merciless. All these characteristics are his true nature that he has to repress in front of others.

So having him hypersexual would've been a better call in my opinion. (Having to repress a lot, means you'd need to.. ahem... "relax" a lot.)

Or rather making him extremely into paraphilias to be considered to only engage with normal living humans (or rather human souls) when He needs to manipulate them.

Like imagine him engaging with overlords only to reach agreements or make pacts, or steal useful informations, (similarly to early Stoliz, but with real pacts where he owns sinners' Souls).

Or like not engaging in any way when he knows that it's the best way to manipulate some others. In this very case for exemple imagine Vox going totally insane knowing that even his situationship (aka Valentino or p.o.s.) went to bed with Alastor, but he didn't, doesn't, and never will. He'd become putty in Al's hands without even having to make a deal!

Plus, mega bonus: if he made a pact with Lilith he can destroy Lucifer just with that information. And maybe He never even went to bed with her, but way worst! He has had her trust for all these years, and been at her service all this time, hating the restrains, but adoring and being allowed to adore the restrainer.

To seduce her, to amuse her, to be at her leash, to be owned by her, all while Lucifer could only dream her and see her in pictures! Damn the rivalry would be beautiful! (And a great mirror to the one Luci has with Adam "bow chica bow now!").

And I would not even want him to be open about It, the other way around! Since It's still a need, he represses It in public. Like he acts like he always does in the serie 'cause that's the mask he wears!

But once he wears It off, he's unleashing everything that's underneath!

This would definitely make him even more of a creep! And I would love to see the characters deal with him.

I can see Alastor turning off Angels' advances, 'cause he knows that he's making Angel insecure, or rather secure enough to make him feel bad about self-ojectifiying (like what happened between Angel and Husk, difference being that Alastor would bribe Angel to make him listen, instead of helping him).

I can also picture him trying to seduce both Vaggie and Charlie, but losing interest as they're both too loyal to each other, while also feeling incredibly powerful when he makes a pact with each of them.

Maybeee he has intercourse with Rosie while or after having dinner with her.

Not sure about the rest.

Aaaaand done for now! Stay tuned to know which characters I would've liked to see as Aces instead of Alastor! Yeeeeeeeh!

Thank you for reading, go drink a glass of water at least, and have a nice day! Goodbye!!

[redpenship]

fun fact about the rouge one shot

commander douhet is named after giulio douhet, an italian general during WWI who was arrested for criticizing his superiors because he believed they weren't using their air force to its full potential. he advocated strongly for using bombers on enemy cities to break stalemates as well as the will of their populations. at the time period, he was one of the first to advocate for strategic bombing campaigns on cities.

it is worth noting that the difference between "civilian" and "military" casualties only came into existence in the post-WWII era. until that period, european military leaders did not distinguish between the two groups since civilians were often just as involved in the war effort (they farmed the food that was sent in soldiers' rations kits, manufactured their weapons and munitions, etc) and also because they didn't really care lol. i have actually read excerpts from douhet's power of the air wherein he literally advocates for bombing civilian centres. his theory correctly predicted many of the bombing campaigns seen in WWII, such as the bombing of dresden (in which the british dropped so much artillery on the city of dresden that its river literally dried up from the heat) and the us fire bombing of tokyo. ironically enough, the us army actually expressed a bit of moral outrage over britain's campaign in dresden, since the us army's modus operandi at the time was to conduct daytime strikes on industrial targets rather than urban ones, but this attitude clearly did not hold out by the time they were focused on defeating japan lmao.

anyways, douhet was ahead of his time military-strategy wise and died before WWII began, which i can honestly only compare to van gogh dying before any of his works became famous. i would call this a tragedy (jokingly) but the last thing anyone needed was for this guy to be in charge of the italian air force during WWII so its probably good that he checked out early

[astrojulia]

All about Cancer

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I always start by talking about people I know who have this sign… So, it's only in this short excerpt that I speak fully as a person who experiences astrology in everyday life and not as an astrology student (and a would-be astrologer). I can't escape the fact that I see people of this sign as highly emotional. No, it's not something negative (when well-performed), and it doesn't even mean that it's someone who cries for everything. It's just that it's a person who acts more emotionally than rationally (because we are all emotional beings).

As a general energy, I see that Cancer shows how we are beings trying to live a material life... There are several ways of seeing life, with beliefs or not. You can believe in the soul, spirit, etc. But you can't deny that we seem to see life through a window in our eyes, and there is a part of us that is not material. You can't deny that it's hard to live, but it's the best experience in our life. This energy of not being something material and that we are in a shell is what this sign represents for me.

As always, I need to say that when I write in the post, I need to put what the experts and the most important astrological community say and think, because I am responsible for every word I write, but here I always say that it is just my point of view, my studies and my evolution, because I’m the type of person who always wants to be better the next day. So let me tell you this: for me there is no underdeveloped aspect! For me, the underdeveloped part will always be our “Shadow self” that will appear when we most need to defend ourselves! Underdeveloped is our deepest instinct and we need to look at it as a Digivolution and not a Pokémon evolution (nerd references!!!). 

Cancerians are all about nurturing, taking care of their peeps, and doing their best to help those close to them. They can be pretty over-protective sometimes, and may make decisions that reflect what they believe is best rather than what's actually going on. But that's just because they care too much.

Cancerians' greatest strength lies in their emotional intelligence, and when they harness it effectively, they truly shine. In today's society, emotions often have a negative connotation, causing many of us to suppress our feelings and view emotional expression as a weakness. This can lead to moodiness and a tendency to romanticize things that shouldn't be romanticized. However, when Cancerians embrace their emotional side, it becomes nearly impossible to knock them off balance. They have a deep understanding of their own emotions, as well as those of others, which allows them to navigate relationships and situations with ease.

They are highly sensitive individuals, with an emotional depth that sets them apart. While their sensitivity can be a great strength, it can also make them emotionally vulnerable at times. They often feel things deeply and may be more affected by negative events or criticism than others. However, their vulnerability is also a testament to their immense capacity for empathy and caring, which is a hallmark of their personality.

They are known for their remarkable intuition and deep understanding of the world around them. They possess a natural sensitivity and an ability to read between the lines, which allows them to connect with others on a profound level. However, they can also be withdrawn and shy, sometimes retreating into their own world when they feel overwhelmed. This tendency to be reserved should not be mistaken for a lack of interest or engagement; rather, it is a reflection of their need for privacy and reflection. In moments of quiet, Cancerians can access their deepest thoughts and emotions, allowing them to recharge and reconnect with their intuition.

Cancerians are individuals who possess a deep well of emotions and a profound attachment to the people and memories that are important to them. They have a unique ability to cherish memories and relationships with great depth and passion, and they are often sentimental about the things that matter most to them. Their sensitivity and sentimentality are a testament to their caring and empathetic nature, which allows them to connect with others on a profound level. However, at times, their sentimentality can cause them to become overly emotional and maudlin. They may become lost in nostalgia or overly focused on the past, making it difficult for them to move forward and fully embrace the present moment. While their sentimentality can be a strength, it is important for Cancerians to balance it with a healthy perspective that allows them to appreciate the present moment and the opportunities that it presents.

They have a deep appreciation for tradition and are often drawn to the customs and practices of the past. They find comfort in the familiar and enjoy the sense of continuity that comes with following longstanding practices. However, at times, their attachment to tradition can cause them to become overly bound by the past, making it difficult for them to embrace new ideas and ways of doing things. While their respect for tradition is a strength, it is important for Cancerians to balance it with an openness to new experiences and perspectives. By doing so, they can broaden their horizons and grow in ways that enhance their lives and enrich their relationships with others. When they are able to strike a healthy balance between honoring the past and embracing the present, Cancerians can tap into the wisdom of the past while remaining fully engaged in the world around them.

They have a strong attachment to their homes and families, and often derive great satisfaction from nurturing and caring for those closest to them. They are domestic in nature, and find comfort in creating warm and inviting spaces that reflect their personal style and values. However, at times, their focus on the domestic sphere can cause them to become overly sheltered, limiting their exposure to new experiences and perspectives.

So, in other words:

At their best, Cancers are:

Nurturing: Cancers have a natural inclination to take care of others. They are empathetic and compassionate individuals who enjoy making others feel loved and cared for.

Kind: Cancers are kind-hearted and will go out of their way to help others. They believe in treating others the way they want to be treated and always try to put themselves in other people's shoes.

Loving: Cancers are affectionate and express their love openly. They value close relationships and are devoted to their loved ones.

Honest: Cancers inspire others to admit, face, and accept the difficult truths in their lives. They have a strong sense of integrity and believe in being honest with themselves and others.

Supportive: Cancers are incredibly supportive of those around them. They encourage others to pursue their dreams and offer a shoulder to lean on during tough times.

At their worst, Cancers can be:

Passive-aggressive: Cancers may resort to passive-aggressive behavior when they feel hurt or upset. They may say one thing but mean another or use sarcasm to express their feelings.

Irrational: Cancers can be highly emotional and may let their feelings cloud their judgment. They may make decisions based on their emotions rather than logic, which can lead to poor outcomes.

Moody: Cancers can have drastic mood swings, going from happy to sad or angry within a short period. They may have a hard time controlling their emotions and may take their feelings out on others.

Expecting repayment: Cancers may do good things for others but always with the expectation of being repaid in some way. They may keep track of their good deeds and expect others to reciprocate in the future.

Victim mentality: Cancers may adopt a victim mentality, feeling sorry for themselves and blaming others for their problems. They may have a hard time taking responsibility for their actions and may feel helpless or powerless.

As the fourth sign of the zodiac, Cancer is the first reflection of what we really are. After the certainty that comes with the strength of Aries, Taurus stirs things up, and that's why we need to return to the past, to our origins, to review what we really are.

As a water sign, Cancer is the surface that reflects everything above. It's there, and at the same time, it's not, always being an illusion, a mirage. As a cardinal sign that seeks things, Cancer seeks security, just like the crab that has its shell to protect itself from everything and is always looking for a home that can better comfort it (Paguroidea).

The connection between Cancer and its opposite sign Capricorn is incredibly intricate, as it delves into the interplay between our instincts and our super ego. It represents a harmonization of the child's desires and the adult's needs, or even the reverse dynamic

Cancer, as a zodiac sign, is ruled by the Moon, which is often associated with the realm of emotions. Being influenced by the Moon, Cancer symbolizes the depths of our instincts, the richness of our feelings, and the core of our fundamental desires.

(CC) AstroJulia Some Rights Reserved

Sources:

“Os astros sempre nos Acompanham” by Claudia Lisboa

“DEPTH ASTROLOGY: An Astrological Handbook”, Volume 1, by Gargatholil

Servant of the Fates on tumblr

PSD by wildfireresources on deviantart

[vivalabunbun]

Hiii Viva~

Hope, you'll take your time to read this. It's not a request of course. I was simply curious about something. To be honest, I've read all your fics and my goodness, they are mind blowing and always make overwhelm with emotions. Specially how you portray Al-Haitham. Every fic of his feels like a fic and a character study all at once.

You know, in your recent fic, I just noticed that you said Alhaitham is a man logic and rationality, which is true. But isn't he from the Haravatat Darshan or a department that has something to do with studying and deciphering various scripts? Like isn't he a linguist? I thought he was a man associated with the humanities stream or something like that if we put it into modern terms. So, the question here is—why portray him as a man of science? Sure, he's a genius and an intellectual person but can a person really be that apt at two different disciplines? For example, I'm a political Science Honours student and honestly....I hate subjects that has anything to do with maths or science in general. 🥲 Does that make sense?

I'm not saying, you can't portray him like that or anything but rather the intent of doing so. And honestly, I think, you yourself are a highly intelligent individual. The way you put tid bits of practical information into the plot of fics says a lot about you, the author as well. I admire that quality and probably would like to know how you do it so effortlessly?

I really hope that I did not come off as criticizing or a dumb person in general. I was just curious and wanted to know. Hope, you'll read this.

Btw, Happy Basant Panchami from India, Viva. Today, we worship the goddess of knowledge, wisdom and arts here. Fun fact, it's actually kinda officially forbidden to study today, you know.

Hope, I didn't rant much....sorry, in advance. 🥲🌹

Arunima~

Hello! this is an interesting ask 🤔

From my understanding, Haravatat focuses on semiotics, which also includes linguistics. Linguistics is a field of science, the scientific study of languages. Because empirical research is involved along with empirical evidence.

Perhaps you were thinking about literature, which is of the humanities and academia. Although of course, there are possible overlaps between linguistics and literature.

Al Haitham liked to read abstruse academic journals from a young age, so I'd like to think tidbits of information from those journals would naturally bury themselves in his thoughts.

His thoughts and ponderings resemble those who have been part of the sciences. Disagree, question, challenge.

Thus, why he's a nerd (affectionate).

But of course, this is all from my perspective, which is different from yours, which is different from the next person.

It's what makes character writing interesting because everyone will view everyone differently.

Thank you for your ask and Happy (belated?) Basant Panchami!

Your ask brought up an interesting thought, why can't people be apt at both humanities and science?

All throughout history humanities and science have helped the other progress. They are not opposites nor should they be. They progress thought, which in turn helps us better understand knowledge and the world around us.

Disagree, question, and challenge the paradigm is how the humanities and science have gotten where they are today, and how they will get to tomorrow.

I'm not an intelligent person, I'm just a curious person. I like reading a wide variety of things from fiction to academic essays, even mathematical theories in textbooks and notes from friends in premed. Because I'm curious about them.

Then I like applying them to what I create because I love creating. Little factoids here and there because I think it's interesting, learning about how things work so I can better draw the things I like.

No one has to be a genius or a prodigy to be apt at both, just be open-minded and willing to look at both. There is also nothing wrong about only liking one or the other.

Let's just not pit them against each other because then it'll just be destructive.

Maybe many have forgotten the symbiotic relationship between humanities and sciences.

[calypsolemon]

if i did have one Actual Criticism of ToH (I actually have a few I just am trying to avoid sounding negative about the show bc overall I very much enjoyed it and think its good) it would be that I do think the reasoning Papa Titan gives Luz for why Belos's actions and her own do not come from the same place is... a little off the mark.

Mainly because I think there's not too many ways in which you could say Belos's choices aren't genuine to him. Oh, the reasoning he gives other people of course are a bunch of lies and bullshit, and he even lies to himself, but the root cause of his delusions lies in the puritanistic upbringing he was exposed to from a young age. An upbringing which very much convinces people that control and subjugation of others are necessary to protect their mortal souls from the damnation of hell.

For this reason, "genuine-ness" reads a bit too much of a handwavy abstraction of Luz's actual concern to me. Belos's existence has made her painfully aware that it is really easy to rationalize massively harmful actions to yourself if you believe it is in service of protecting someone else. This doesn't mean that Luz actually has hurt anyone, or that she needed to be as harshly punishing of herself as she was (in fact I would say her desire for self-punishment is a reflection of Belos's puritan values weighing on her), but rather that I think it doesn't really solve her conundrum to simply tell her "well, Belos is kind of a big fat liar who is trying to control people, but don't worry, you're Not That."

What I really wish he had said, and what I do think the series implies in other ways but maybe could have been served to have said openly in that moment, is that Luz is not the same because she is capable of self reflection. In all the times Luz has ever lied to someone, or attempted to change someone or something else to fit her idea of them (think attempting to cure Eda, playing along with King about him being the king of demons, Witches before Wizards, etc) she has ultimately realized it was wrong, and allowed herself to embrace the way things naturally are. In fact, she more often feels like she should be trying to change herself in response to ppl expecting her to fit into social norms. When her environment feels too stifling for her, she finds a different one. She doesn't attempt to fit everything around her into a mold that perfectly suits her, nor does she attempt to destroy everything which doesn't agree with her.

Luz stresses over being just like Belos because she has been raised to, if anything, be too self reflective, and feel like an awful person for not being able to conform to norms that don't naturally fit her. What she needs to be told is that it's admirable, that she tries so hard, and it's a good thing that she is able to see where she maybe needs to change herself at times, but she needs to allow herself the same grace she gives others. She needs to be told that nothing good comes from keeping yourself from happiness. That wanting acceptance and love from others is not the same as attempting to control them.

Buuuut I know they only had like 3 minutes to convey what's going on so I get why they phrased it the way they did. What Luz really needed was a 7 hour long therapy session with daddy titan which. I'm not even sure would have been entirely on point bc the Titan himself probably has some issues he needs to work through. But that's another post

[the-modern-typewriter]

I'd like to request your thoughts on what is considered 'cowardly'. In most of the books i've read (usually YA) characters who are shown begging for their life are 'cowards', which always seemed odd to me. Moreover, cowardice isn't considered a 'heroic' enough flaw for protagonists to struggle with most of the time, which i think is a shame. (1/2)

I remember reading a Portal fanfic called 'Blue Sky'(which is really excellent btw, its written better than many novels imo) one of the two protagonists has a choice between freedom or going back to help the other protagonist,and maybe dying. Reading that internal struggle as he first tries to rationalize his decision to leave her behind, making excuses for why he 'deserves' freedom in his head, only to realize that no, he HAS to go back was just so gripping to me. Cowardice is underrated. (2/2)

--

So a few things to unpick for my thoughts on this. Sorry for the length! For context, this is discussing the Cowardice Callout trope.

1 - Usually YA.

YA as a genre/marketing label has certain rules, or at least strong guidelines. One is that a YA book tends to have (in film equivalent terms) a rating of 12/15. So it can get scary and do some non-gory violence and have some sex and obscenity, but it's not like an 18 for the most part. The violence/horror is unlikely to be super graphic. This isn't a criticism of YA or to suggest that YA doesn't deal with tough things, because it absolutely does, but it does so in a different way and some content just isn't generally considered suitable for YA publication. Books with teenagers can certainly go darker. But a book with a teenager in is not the same as a YA book. Anyway.

Another is that YA tends to have a 'Happy for Now' ending. It doesn't have to be Disney happy. But...generally there's optimism. Our YA protagonist might be hurt along the way, but ultimately they succeed.

The result of this is that in most YA novels you're probably not going to dig too deep into the terror of letting something awful happen out of fear, not because YA doesn't deal with fear (it does, all the time! the fear of growing up, of missing out, of not being loved for who you are, never mind actual physical threat) but because YA thematically is more likely to focus on being brave. On overcoming the fear. If the protagonist succumbs to their flaw of fear then that's a negative character arc, and, while interesting, not a happy or happy for now ending.

There are plenty of books and media that deal with cowardice in a nuanced way. It's just much less likely to be YA. See, the Loveable Coward or Cowardly Lion trope and their examples which illustrate when cowardice is a flaw, even in heroes/protagonist's.

2 - Story stakes, begging for your life and likeable characters oh my

Characters who are shown begging for their lives and who are presented as being cowards (in the insult sense of 'coward!' rather than a character who is simply scared) are done so in the context of story stakes.

They're not cowards because they want to live, which is perfectly understandable, but because of who or what they are willing to screw over for the sake of that survival. See the Dirty Coward trope. It's normally people they love or people who are weaker than them who suffer for the cowardice. That's why they're called out. They're not being judged for being scared. Everyone gets scared. They're being judged for the way they allow that fear to overrule everything else, to the point of cruelty or unkindness. Cowardice isn't a standalone quality. It ties into other behaviours.

In terms of story structure, we want our protagonists to change over the course of the narrative for the most part. If a character is a coward at the start and then they just continue being a coward without change or consequence then that's not an interesting story. There's no tension there.

In the example you gave, the interesting bit is the tension between being scared and ultimately going back.

Would it be the worse story choice if they had given into their fear? Not necessarily. Both have juicy options, and a sacrifice to provide plot tension. But it would be a different story and we would be unlikely to like the protagonist as much, unless this took place near the beginning or middle of the story and they ultimately overcame their flaw later.

We live in a world where a lot of people want to like characters, and judge characters based on whether they liked them or not. The backlash that morally dubious characters get when they dare to be morally dubious in a slightly less palatable way proves that!

Again, writing is an industry. People pick what books get published. People are more likely to pick the book with the likeable protagonist, because it is an easier sell.

I'm not saying it's right, but I think we live in a time where there is a focus on easily marketable high-concept stories with characters who are easy to love and root for. Cowardice is a trait a lot of people don't root for, because none of us like to be reminded of the very real and very awful things we might all do when scared. It's disquieting. History is full of people who have looked the other way out of fear and the consequences were damning. We view those people as the villains. We understand fear as a motivation for terrible things. Our stories are often there to inspire us to do better than that, hence, bravery.

3 - Final notes

Lots of stories deal with fear. The reluctant hero is often scared to set out on their journey, the internal conflict a protagonist has is often rooted in their own self-doubt and fear of the consequences. But they set out.

Cowardice takes this fear to another level, making it a defining character trait. On a simple story level, if your protagonist is a coward it is harder to get the story going because if you're scared and you don't overcome that fear in some way then plot doesn't happen. People who are scared don't go out of their way to go into dangerous exciting situations. They sit at home and wait for someone braver to deal with the problem. They don't rock the boat.

Is this a perfectly natural response to have? Sure. Does it make for an interesting story? Not so much.

[transmutationisms]

I’ve spent the evening going through your tags and vigorously nodding along with all of your analyses of Succession, specifically WRT addiction, drug use and the way drugs are framed throughout the show as performance-enhancing agents for life under capitalism (to sum it up basically, though certainly more nuance could amend that characterization which I think you have covered). Specifically with season 4 and eps 405-408, I’m thinking about the narrative reemergence of cocaine as the waystar universe’s primary “business drug” of choice- though where we would typically see this play out with Kendall’s arc, there’s been fascinating parallels with the Tom/Greg and Shiv/Mattson of it all in terms of their characters conceding to the drug/feigning the appearance of drug use to stay close to the seat of power. IMO next to Kendall, Tom may be the character shown to be most entangled in this inescapable dynamic between drug use and self-image/actualization/esteem; he seems preoccupied and obsessive about the effect of drugs on his personal and financial prospects (“I took the wrong drugs in the wrong order and can’t get happy”) and even moreso in the most recent episode with the whiteboard coke scene (played as a hard comedy scene which I find so interesting!!!)

Meanwhile, we have not seen Kendall explicitly use drugs anytime throughout the season, yet he admits (with a rather surprising candor and self awareness) in 401 that he knows what it’s like to “smoke horse” and therefore needs a business venture as readily able to consume his priorities, and through the season we see him shirking obligations to his family and other loyalties in a seemingly self-destructive spiral that might mirror a normative discourse of “the addict.” So that is just some braindump lol, this is hardly a pointed question but you’re such a thoughtful critic on these themes and I find myself similarly engaged by them as well. am wondering if you have made any similar/different connections or new themes WRT drugs and addiction you’ve seen this season!

yeah, so, tom's drug use is something i haven't really written about and should, because it's a really fascinating angle to his character as well as the portrayal of drugs on the show in general. for purposes of this post i'm just going to assume anyone reading is familiar with the reading of drug use on succession as an expression of neoliberal capitalist subjectivity, and with coke in particular as being a way for the characters to access and perform bourgeois masculinity. also, when i talk about masculinity and femininity in this post, i'm going by logan's definitions of those terms, where the masculine is rational, violent, dominant, and so forth, and the feminine is embodied, passive, submissive, &c. these are the rules by which these characters still live.

what's interesting with tom is that he speaks the language of masculinity and drugs, and therefore also masculinity-qua-drugs, differently than the roys. in 'prague', for example, he sees greg doing coke and tells him to "suck on those big white dicks"—the opposite of what coke means in the text when kendall uses it. for kendall it's a way of enhancing his masculinity, kill drive, &c, which is why his use tends to be SO tracked to his relationship with logan and the demands logan is making of him (for example, seeking it in 'no one is ever missing, using it in 'vaulter' after logan orders him to gut vaulter, or in season 3 when he's at peak patricidality). the fact that tom sees greg using coke as discursively equivalent to sucking cock tells us that tom simply doesn't understand how the roys perform masculinity, or what that means to them. in 'too much birthday' he makes a different mistake, trying to use coke to make himself happy. again, what we can see as viewers is that this is simply not how coke functions for the roys. it's not a party drug or a chemical joyride; it's almost utilitarian in how it's meant to make up for a lack of masculinity or business instinct. it makes kendall capable of functioning in logan's world, where the language spoken is one of violence. tom taking it for fun is kind of doomed from the get-go.

so, there are a few elements of the coke scene in 'america decides' that i find interesting. one is that, although tom actually is now trying to use coke as a performance-enhancing drug à la kendall, the person he's trying to live up to is cyd, who's been ousted. this implicitly feminises tom by suggesting his spectral role model in business is not even his father-in-law, but a woman. second, as plenty of people have noted, greg doing the coke off tom's hand is quite intimate, even tender, and suggests that for tom, coke is homosocial in a distinct way (gayer, to be blunt) than kendall allows it to be. third, tom pressures greg into doing it—again, suggesting he doesn't see it as some kind of competitive advantage but as a male bonding activity, where he wants greg's company (or at least wants someone's company, and uses greg instrumentally). fourth, as you pointed out, it's played for laughs. generally kendall's coke use is portrayed with more nuance: it's not flattering, and there are certainly moments of levity, but it's contextualised as both the ultimate embrace of the logics of capital, and as part of kendall's futile efforts to please his father. both of these elements mean kendall's coke scenes are usually played more seriously. for tom and greg to be hunched behind a whiteboard comedically doing bumps together again stands out, making both of them look a bit foolish and emphasising how tom's relationship to masculinity, coke, and coke masculinity is different to kendall's. both kendall and tom fail at masculinity, but in distinct ways; kendall tries repeatedly to use coke in order to make up the difference, whereas tom doesn't even understand consciously that that's an option.

shiv's refusal of matsson's coke to me parallels roman turning down coke with asgarov. roman and shiv do business and gender differently than kendall. although shiv instinctually identifies with a more masculine role (ie, she sees herself as dominant, in control, the smartest one in the room, &c), she doesn't have the wild insecurity that drives kendall to compensate using coke. shiv prefers to try a more deliberate strategy than the way kendall just goes in swinging his cock around, hoping he'll intimidate someone. meanwhile, roman identifies with a more feminine, coquettish role, which is precisely what logan always perceived as being so disgusting in him. roman's business strategy often reads as flirting, but without following through (inviting matsson to come piss with him, but then refusing to actually take his own cock out; following asgarov to the bathroom but turning down the coke; the lotion situation with mencken). so, shiv and roman have now both had scenes where they're directly offered the chance to try on kendall's overcompensatory masculinity for themselves, and they've both turned it down, telegraphing the way their strategies for surviving in the world of waystar diverge from kendall's.

kendall, of course, has been interesting this season drug-wise by negation. the heroin line is interesting, although unclear to me to what extent he was serious (and, even if he was serious, we have no idea whether he's talking about anything recent), so it mostly just suggests that this is something he and his siblings are comfortable acknowledging / joking about. whether it's a joke or not, the invocation of heroin specifically to convey basically immediate, overwhelming enjoyment / pleasure fits in with how the show distinguishes between uppers and downers, with downers being the drugs more likely to be taken in pursuit of pleasure rather than as tools for neoliberal self-improvement like coke / uppers. besides that, the past 10 in-universe days have essentially been a process of kendall deciding more and more baldly to pursue his father's ceo position once and for all. kendall's drug use is in response to both logan and the broader demands of capitalist masculinity, so i don't want to read too much into his non-use this season (& it honestly wouldn't shock me if we saw him do a bump or two in the last episode or something), but i do think that at the beginning of the season, we catch him at a relatively relaxed point, as he's been removed from his father and had his siblings nearby. so, the show is capable of portraying him spiralling out (as you point out) without using a drug narrative or conventional addiction arc to telegraph that, because his coke use means very specific things in relation to masculinity and capitalism.

[thepalmofyourfreezinghand]

I’ve been really struggling with being an (ex)fan of Taylor and I was hoping it was okay if I could vent to you?

I became a casual fan of Taylor during the Lover era and then got super into her music when Folklore was released (I still love the folkmore era so so much it was truly my comfort during lockdown) but I think I realised that maybe the real Taylor is not my cup of tea. Because she’d always been ‘too famous’ and ‘overstimulating’ before (particularly during the 1989 era) for me to connect with/to her. I really liked how much more mature and down to earth she seemed with Joe but now it’s become even more of a circus and she is so overexposed and releasing so much content that it’s a little too much. Like I haven’t even been able to properly sit at all with Speak Now and 1989 has already been released (the TV versions). Her and Travis seem like the opposite of her and Joe which was private and genuine and it’s got me legit confused on who she actually is. As I’m writing this I realise I’ve maybe been holding her up to parasocial expectations but it now all seems like such a circus… Is this who she really is???

And truthfully, after the situation in Brazil it really heightened strong feelings against her and I kind of got a bit lost in this anti-ts blog on Tumblr and while I do think that blog makes some good points I think its a never-ending cycle of negativity and I think it started to really influence my own mental health. And I’d much rather approach the world with kindness. And I do think your blog is a really good place for that because you do healthily criticise her but you’re also not up her ass like a lot of swifties seem to do. I don’t know if you read all the way to the end, but thank you for being a safe space I guess and I would love to hear what you think (sorry for the long ask!)

Awwwww anon, thank you so much for this!

I think I understand what you mean, my sister is the same as you (perhaps): they like Taylor's music (especially folklore) but they're not really the type of person who'd be interested in following Taylor's life too closely.

I must admit that sometimes this all feels a bit overwhelming to me too. She's less "exposed" than she was in 2014/2015, in a way, but there are waaaay more people talking about her right now, and sometimes it's jusy too much.

I don't suggest following hate accounts, because they bring so much negativity, you're absolutely right. It's fun to "hate" on somebody/something for a bit sometimes, but when it becomes a constant in your life it's not so healthy, imo. It's better to focus on what we like and to rationally criticize what we dislike rather than to actively hate someone/something.

[cantstayawaycani]

I don't want to jump to conclusions and I'm still keeping an open mind to new info that might come out as well as trying to remain neutral about both parties. However I have the impression that people are associating being a selfish lover and liking kinky sex with different women with SA. Especially with Fernanda's statement, it sounds like she is most likely complaining about Tenoch being a selfish lover rather than actually getting abused and she might have deleted the tweets because pages online were misinterpreting her words and advertising the articles as "Fernanda accuses Tenoch of sexual assault" but that's not what she meant? It's just an idea. I hope whoever is innocent gets justice and whoever is guilty pays for it.

Hey anon. I got this around 3:45 in the morning. I have insomnia right now, and I was awake and saw it but was way too tired to answer.

I didn't sleep much, but I did think about what I read here in your ask. And I went into a bit more deep reflective thought, internally focused, trying to understand something.

Well, I got up, made myself a coffee and did some work. Now I'm ready to answer this ask. You didn't ask for what I'm about to say, you just came here to lay your thoughts out so you can make sense of them.

But here is my answer. The bald face truth is that, we don't want him to be guilty. I am saying "we" here. Because I understand, that yes, I am a fair person. And yes, I am not quick to judgement and condemnation. But I ask myself: "why am I doing all this research for these asks?" "Why do I have this wait and see attitude?"

Why are you speculating on motivation and trying to interpret meaning in these accusations other than what they already imply? Because we don't want him to be guilty.

I know about myself that I am hardwired to believe victims who speak out about their sexual assault/abuse/harrassment.

I understand about myself that I do not want Tenoch to be guilty of this.

That is as raw a truth as I can pull from myself. And that is a hard truth to look at and admit.

There are many reasons for this. None of them superficial or grotesque, the way criticizers would accuse. But I don't need to go into detail about any of that. It wouldn't be understood anyway.

The point is, our "neutrality' is rooted in bias. Bias towards not wanting to believe Tenoch is guilty.

I think we're doing ourselves a disservice by trying to figure these allegations out. I, personally, am going to stop. We have no control over how this plays out and it's not about us.

We should engage in self care by taking a step back, examining our own thoughts and emotions, and giving ourselves a break from the personal responsibility we feel to rationalize the existence of these allegations.

That's just my advice to you. You don't personally need to build a case. It's OK to wait to see how it plays out. But I would advise not to go so far down the rabbit hole of speculation and rationalization, that you lose your ability to be truly objective.

We're not wrong, we're only human. But I think we should always be trying to do better for ourselves.

I absolutely adore the small community of fans I found here. I hope what I've said above makes sense? I apologize if it contorted the purpose of sending me the ask. My inbox is open if you still need to vent, but I don't think I will do the speculation on these allegations anymore, if that's OK. I've said about as much as I possibly can about them.

And I'm not going to wait around for more news anymore. I'm going to move on from it. Things will happen when they happen.

Sorry for the wait and the long reply! I hope you are gentle with yourself and take some time away from thinking about this. It's out of your hands hon.

[funkymbtifiction]

Hello! I’m in certain need of assistance, for the past 2 years or so I typed myself as ENTJ 3w2 but now I’m not very certain, not because I see myself in another type, but I think my Se and Fi is developing rather quickly (I will talk about it later) and also because even though I still think I’m ENTJ there is something in the back of my head (idk if it’s envy of Se and Fi dom types or it is actual doubt) that says that maybe I’m not ENTJ…

Anyway, let’s start: since I was a kid I didn’t know exactly who I was, what I liked, what I disliked, I was always organized and not in the tidy sense, but I loved to create systems, I was rather observant of my environment (not quick to act on it tho) and was always looking for patterns and systems that repeated, that’s why I asked a lot of questions, like A LOT, I had a deep need to understand things and when a system kinda “clicked” in my head I applied it to other places. For example, I love libraries, I think the organization of it is so smooth, and so, I did it at home, I organized my bookshelves in sections of genres.

This is very Te-dom / ETJ.

Even though I liked rational decisions I was always sensitive, I cried so much, and liked to help, when I couldn’t or when I thought I was incapable I cried, when someone gave me a harsh critic I cried, not because it hurt me, but because I thought I failed…

Dominant thinking types often have very unstable emotions, and are vulnerable in their hearts, because they don't quite know how to handle their feelings and may repress them until they "bubble up." As a core heart type (2 is one of the most emotional types), you being an "emotional" ETJ is not out of the question. Hermione Granger is a fictional ETJ, but also a good example of a young ETJ -- she is very emotional, she cries quite a lot (always in private), and yet, she always makes the rational choice. It's extremely important to ETJs to be competent, especially if they are core competency types like 3.

Changing your career goals is normal for an ETJ as well.

After a long while I settled for biology (my current major) because I like how all systems in biology are universal, how Darwinism, Genetic Drift, Chemistry etc are universal to all animals and living beings, and yes even the chaos there is a order, even when things seem out of place there is actually a motive (even with mutations that came with no reason, there is a reason) I also love how everything is interconnected, how killing a species of bee will cause the destruction of the food chain and all of that.

Another indicator of ETJ and your love of rational systems. :)

[...] started doing therapy ... after it I think I kinda developed a good understanding of who I am, I know when to be emotional, I know when to be rational (I’m a teacher and a lot of times I have to be a bit rational but after the moment, after a kid tells the other that she shouldn’t be here, and I tried to handle it without showing anything I would arrive home only to cry my heart out to my boyfriend) people that know me a lot say that I’m sensitive and that I have an easy time reading others. But for me, I don’t think that I do, yes for a long time I was sensitive but I don’t know if it is because I actually am a feeler or because I was so traumatized in my life that I became moody…

Since this sense of self awareness and control developed later in life, it would speak against higher Fi. It's consistent with ETJ.

And to conclude, I want to say that I always loved your posts, I think they are so well written, I read about the ENTJ one and I relate to a lot,

Thank you. That means a lot from a high Te user. :)

I just don’t see myself in stereotypes like being dominant or aggressive (I’m quite easygoing actually)

3s are aware of how they are coming across, so they can be 'softer' than a 1 or an 8 ETJ (upon which many stereotypes are based). You probably also do not have a super-aggressive tritype in general, which can lend itself to a more easygoing Te-dom.

I hate the “I see the world as a chess board thing” lol for me it actually is a set of domino pieces that I put in order, with some assistance of others, for me to push the first one and see a amazing image being created, some pieces may take a long while to fall but it is always in the path I predicted…

That is very, very strong Ni.

but even so, I think I don’t want to be ENTJ because I hate the “no empathy” gang, I mean, it’s completely biological to feel empathy, to help, to see the other and connect, so that’s probably another point of why I am questioning my type…

ETJs have emotions, have compassion, and have a great deal of love for other people; they merely struggle to know how to connect to them and feel confident doing so on a purely emotional level. Because in their mind, fixing a problem seems most important.

[mental-health-advice]

Tag: 🌌🌟☔️

Heyhoo! First of all, thank you for all that you do!

My question is (tw: ) childhood trauma related. I'd love to see an external perspective on it.

(Update: this turned into a trauma vent, please, if any of you doesn't feel comfortable to read it, do not. I'd rather have it unanswered.)

Two of my great friends were both shook to hear when I explained to them (briefly, without details) how a few things were, how my Dad could sometimes be aggressive and why. But recently my doubts arose, and I feel like I have fooled myself.

TW: childhood abuse, neglect, suicide attempt mention, illness mention, cancer, death

My Dad was terribly critical and self-critical - you could say, self-hating - he treated both us and himself badly. His family was nothing ideal either; his father didn't care much for him (or at least he couldn't express it) (he was likely aggressive with them at times), the parents simply left the kids to live with their irascible grandma most of the time, so they will mean no trouble around their house. Throughout his life, he was constantly criticized for and forced to repress every emotion he had for the sake of practicality and "rationality." (Even though he used to be a deep-feeling, imaginative, idealistic child and I know deep at heart he still was.) As he grew up and got married, so he didn't have to face his pain and admit his parents wrongdoings, he adopted his father's ideology and declared that all that was done to him was fair and righteous and should be done similarly. He grew to hate his own emotions and was triggered by the emotions of others. The only thing he allowed himself to feel was "justified" (and desperate) anger, towards anything, but his parents. (Although he was rarely angry at strangers.) He decided that the only way he can be worthy is if he accomplishes something great, but his own perfectionism never let him. A few months ago he died in the same type of cancer his father had - he wasn't much older than 50.

I loved him dearly and I am still crying inside for the life he had never had. I was probably the closest with him, the translator and advocate between my Mom and Dad, although my Mom most of the time took it as "allying with the enemy." My Dad could be cruel to my Mom.

My Mom also came from an abusive household, her parents got divorced, her father had a drinking problem, her brother always mocked her, she was most of the time forbiden to leave the house, later her mom tried to make her stay by refusing to buy her any usable clothes. One time her mother attempted suicide and she saved her life. The sweet little girl who loved and kept hugging everyone became depressed by the age of 3.

My Dad's family only treated her worse than their son. She became often and chronically ill.

[Tragedy - I'm serious.]

And there come I, the oldest daughter. Slowly I understood that it was traumatic. That it was the reason for memory loss, nightmares, and self-destructive behavior. But recently I started to doubt, that it really was "bad". Maybe I was overreacting! And also, apparently, I was a heartless kid?? Because according to Mom I didn't have much empathy and didn't seek hugs. [I have an explanation for the hugs...]

Every since I was small, my Mom vented to me. She was often very frustrated and depressed, and often sick. My Dad was working (at the time and at home) and needed space so he sent us down to the playground. First, when I was a baby, with my Mom. Later with my little brother. It was a soulless, small, gray playground. Then two other every time we moved.

I was a reckless child, but I still can't remember nor imagine (neither did I understand it back then) why I got so many creative punishments. Even if they didn't actually fulfill their threats, I was threatened that I would stand in the corner for days, from morning (they'll wake me up!) to bed time, and if I opposed, I might not get dinner/food either. (I did stand in the corner, but not for that long - mercy) For a while I was banned from the few rooms we had in our flat and sat on the floor in the hallway. I was even forbidden from playing with the shoes. (What did I commit?? Who did I set on fire?? For reference: I was 4-6) I was forbidden from playing. One time I wanted to run away from home in a quarrel, (I was ~8) packed stuff in a small box and told Mom that I'm leaving, to which she replied that "okay, you can leave, but you'll have to leave here everything that we gave you." I angrily left the box (it was a tiny box) on the floor and took my shoes. "No-no, even your clothes." "None?!" "None." That was it.

Every single one of our flats was chaotic, complete disorder, either everything, everywhere or nothing nowhere. I remember once (age 5) Dad asked me to clean the room and so I put away all the toys in boxes in the closet (that's what it's called?) - he then came and poured out each of them onto the floor in a big pile again and said that we are going to sort them out all by type. He did this several times throughout my childhood, he always ordered us to tidy up then came and found mistakes in everything we do. He very literally criticized/corrected everything we did if he was in the room. When I made a surprise breakfast for the family, he changed everything on the table and me and my brother cried about it (Mom didn't even see it yet!) he gave us a cold shower. When he was angry, we hid from him under the bed and desk, or the bathroom. He didn't like that my little brother reminded him of himself, and I always tried to protect him. I was his "favorite" (my brother my Mom's) so when he got punished, I suffered from "survivors' guilt." When they argued my ears were red from pressing my hands so tight to cover them. He of course spanked us or slapped us quite a lot. (As I remember) (Mom did much more rarely.) Mom doesn't remember most of it. We (he) had debt, even Mom didn't know, and so there was no hot water, or heating in the flat from one point. We were forbidden to open the windows because then the cold'd come in. The air wasn't too fresh, and it was dark. We only ate bread and a cheap sort of sliced meet for a good while. It was a danger that "the government/the bank" would come at any time and take our furnitures. When they came, we hid our toys, when they left, I remember Dad complimenting how nicely we tidied up, "it should always look like this!"

When I was 6, I told myself a bedtime story in which I got into a hospital with a not-so-painful illness and lived there and been taken care of. I kept drawing comics in which a 4 years old little girl got lost in a forest (her Mom sort of left her) and lived there alone. It was my dream to get lost in a forest. In one "episode" the little girl (8 at the time) helped a mama bear out of a trap, healed, dressed, fed her and led her back to her cubs. But at home the papa bear was spanking all the 10 of them, because he was sleeping, the cave was too small, and when they tried to get out, one of them stepped on his tail/ear. I also kept drawing (one after the other, dozens) a comic about "the good kid" and "the bad kid," the bad kid was reckless, messy, (I'd rather not go into detail...but he wasn't well groomed... and it didn't even occur to me that it'd be the parents responsibility) he always misbehaved, cursed, and drew on the desk, whereas "the good kid" was... good. He/she was clean, neat and tidy, had his/her own little room, and clothes he/she liked, (in some versions they were both boys, in some both girls, in some, varied) the parents loved her, took care of her, she got food that she liked, etc. In one version, the two were brothers, and the "Bad kid" (aged 8!) was taken to a young offender institution. He didn't hurt anyone.

In first grade a years older classmate of mine (his father was a criminal, he failed several times) got authority by an older teacher to do whatever he pleases as her "little helper" every afternoon - he smashed those who behaved and stayed silent to the wall and gave candy to his friends. Also, in first/second grade I repeatedly witnessed COCSA.

Thank you for listening, I had doubts that none of this even was bad and I just overreacted, but written down it seems bad enough. (Thoughts are yet welcome!)

I went trought great healing in the last two years as I turned 18 - now I have acces to all the resources and possibilities that weren't available to me as a child. I'm free. I have friends and I am in college. My Mom and my Brother, and even Dad's Sister's family - we are all Healing! It's like the spring! It was just so hard to believe! *weeps* I am free.

Thank you for listening!

If the asks seems too long please feel free to answer in a new post! (Maybe it would be better because of all the details... I'll find it by the tag "🌌🌟☔️" anyways :)

Hey there,

Unfortunately we are unable to answer an Ask that is over 700 words. The reason for this is that we find it incredibly hard to read through the whole Ask if it is any longer as we find it really overwhelming.

If you could please shorten your Ask that would be great, or else unfortunately it will not be answered.

I hope that you can understand this and I hope that you are going well!

I'm thinking of you!

Take care,

Lauren

[teaveetamer]

I think some of these Edelstans are under some sort of victim/persecution complex, thinking that we're out to get them and ruin their lives or something and no, we're not. Nobody is. We're asking them to fucking stop with their toxic and dangerous behavior and use the "block" button and leave us in our space. But I guess that's just too much to ask in their eyes. And also regarding Cap, nobody here sent any hate messages or comments or mail his way and it was actively discouraged to do so. And if they did, we do not condone it at all. But I sure have seen many people condone and support harassment of Nilsh, Gascon and many others especially on twitter, saying that they were bullies and that they deserved it.

Anon would you say they think we’re going to bring down… armoongeddon?

Okay moon puns aside for a second, I do get the distinct sense that there is literally no criticism anyone could have made that would not have been received as “harassment” by Cap wrt his fic or any of his metas.

Now that’s not to say that harassment didn’t happen to him, I’m sure it has. But I think he probably interprets a lot of good faith criticism as more than it is, too. Like let me tell you I’m still getting things together for that video I want to put together and it’s just. It is bizarre to see how quickly people in that server can go from 0 to 1000% at even the slightest hint of provocation or criticism. And I think they hold onto the way things make them feel rather than what is actually said, even long after the conversation is over and they should have had time to step back and think about it more rationally.

I’ve probably read through at least a hundred screenshots worth of material and those massive blow ups sneak up on you like getting chunked with a steel bat from behind. Like I am not at all surprised that they react this viscerally to people out in the wider world saying things they don’t like when they can find anything to get mad about among people who generally agree with them and are trying to play nice so they don’t get dogpiled and kicked out of the server.

[franciskirkland]

Hi hi <3

Gimme a tarot reading hun 💵 🧍

hi bestie!!! i would be absolutely honored to <333

so it sounds like you're curious about what the following school year holds for your education. i'm doing a classic seven card spread to gain some insight into what's working in your favor and what you might need to overcome.

to represent the past of this situation, we begin with the fool, and how fitting as he literally represents embarking on new beginnings.

in the context of your education, this might suggest that you've been very ambitious and excited to venture into something you may not have been prepared for. perhaps you took a risk that wasn't as successful as you'd hoped, and you may now feel jaded.

but that's okay, as every journey begins with the fool!! there is learning in failure and you're always free to start again.

the second card symbolizes the forces at work at present, and for you, i pulled the devil. love him. so scary (not really!)

this isn't a negative influence on your reading so don't worry! this is actually one of my favourite cards and it's interesting to see it at present because there are so many things it could indicate, it's a very personal, subjective card.

of course the devil represents the subconscious as well as primal instincts i.e. lust, greed, etc. (just examples, i don't see these as being an issue for you) and other potentially destructive patterns. the death card is technically a better representative for cycle breaking, but when the devil shows up in this kind of reading it moreso sheds light on the bad habits/indulgences and things we do to ourselves that weigh us down.

this is actually empowering, because it implies you have the ability to change your behaviour with the proper determination.

this suggestion of bad habits is enforced in the next card.

the third card reveals the hidden influences at work in your inquiry - i pulled judgement. the judgement card can often represent rebirth, but in this context i'm actually seeing it in a more literal sense.

perhaps you've been too critical/concerned with perfection, or holding yourself back too much because of a past failing. in this position, and in combination with the devil, it indicates this may be a totally subconscious thing. don't let that pesky little voice keep you down! also, be mindful not to pity yourself.

the fourth card suggests obstacles that need to be overcome for your success, and i pulled the three of pentacles.

the suit of pentacles (coins) is concerned with material goods, labor and money. threes often represent growth and collaboration and this card in particular is all about teamwork, craftsmanship and shared ideas!

considering it's preceded by judgement, the three of pentacles as an obstacle indicates a lack of communication. whether or not there's an intrapersonal conflict at hand, you're having trouble getting your voice heard. perhaps you have difficulty asking for help, or you feel as if you're being ignored. please speak up!! not doing so is only hurting yourself.

this idea is enforced by our next card, which in this spread represents the external perspective on this issue and the attitudes of others around you.

i pulled the seven of swords. the suit of swords is equivalent to the element of air - concerning intellect, communication, and rationality. they are focused on thought and philosophy rather than emotion.

this card is a classic symbol of deception, betrayal and dishonesty. i am not saying someone is lying to you, but considering the other cards in this spread, maybe your needs aren't being considered. it also suggests that others around you are not reliable. you should not be distrusting, but again, you need to strive to be heard.

now, the next card is very important as it tells us what your wisest course of action will be, and for you, i pulled the page of swords.

page of swords represents an intelligent young person and can sometimes indicate a disagreement or clash with authority. i'm not seeing that in a literal sense, but it repeats the same idea of self-advocacy that i've been seeing a lot here.

as an action card, it indicates you can take control of your situation by using the advantage of your intellect. following the seven of swords, it also shows you need to demand the respect you deserve from those around you who may not be giving it to you. also, some independence may do you well where others have failed you.

the final, seventh card in this horseshoe spread represents the ideal outcome in this situation. we arrived on the hanged man.

i'm not gonna lie, this is a weird one to end on, as it's very open ended. the hanged man is very much a symbol for patience, waiting, and wisdom. or more negatively, indecisiveness, self-sacrifice, and internal conflict.

but i'd like to see it in a positive light and believe it implies that you have endless choices in this world and any number of paths can take you far.

you're young and smart. you don't need to make any final decisions yet. try new things! maybe a compromise is in order, but be discerning and use your head in the pursuit of truth and success.

to summarize, i'm seeing strong themes of self-advocacy and intelligence. the only thing holding you back is that discouraging little voice in the back your head, but don't listen to it!

1. the fool - you experienced a failure (the first step)

2. the devil - you may have some bad habits weighing you down

3. judgement - you've been hard on yourself/holding back

4. 3 x pentacles - you need to make yourself heard, maybe ask for help

5. 7 x swords -you're possibly being treated unfairly

6. page of swords - demand respect, be self sufficient and use your intelligence

7. the hanged man - be patient, keep your options open and you'll be successful.

thank you so much for letting me do this!! i'm very much an amateur so if anyone notices any mistakes please feel free to correct me.

best of luck to you babe, the future is in your hands xx

[away-ward]

Got some points to share :) What i dont understand the most is the fandom's hypocrisy of demanding emmy to be so accommodating to will despite her circumstances (even in the present) as if he was not one of the MOST PRIVILEGED WHITE MAN in his town or county, and most of the shit he got into was his own fault. He had old money WEALTH. Old. Money. Wealth. And he was also supported by the society AND institution, how is the fandom making him look like HE was the one who suffered most here? So much wealth that emmy didnt have, and yet he never spent a single cent to contact her again even after he saw her bruised and bloodied, yet the fandom expected her to come back to him? Like this guy prioritised his hurt feelings over her rejection rather than her ACTUAL HEALTH AND SAFETY knowing that nobody in that town gave a fuck about her at all. Will can spend all his inheritance and his mommy and daddys money on booze, alcohol, parties, sex parties, women, escort services, big cars, helicopter rides, YET he couldnt be there for emmy? Not even a call? A free email? Right. Sorry, but emory scott always deserves better to me, not will grayson. If i was emory, i woudve hurt her more ngl, im kinda vengeful with whiny bitches like will grayson. I cant stand him. I just knew that the reason why this fandom likes to pile on emmy because: 1. she admitted her fault and took responsibility of her actions unlike will, 2. She made it clear he didnt owe her anything (even when will himself said he shouldve staye) and didnt think she was entitled to will unlike will to emmy, 3. Its easier to sympathise over a sad white privileged guy after everything he did or didnt do to "his woman" because RoMaNce where if they can read about him simping about her in his mind, he was immediately ABSOLVED OF ALL GUILT AND WRONGDOINGS TO EMMY. But the devils night fandom is not ready for this take. Also because 4. when they said they like dark romance, they can only take shitty men like michael and damon, but hate it when the sex and gender was the opposite. My point is, its dark romance, if will can be shit, why cant emmy? Period. I dont even care if they get even at that point.

Thanks to this fandom, i thought about alex, this useless side character more than i had to so i had to. I'm also an alex hater through and through and i agree with a lot of anon and your points about alex here. In fact, i love the alex slander actually because putting aside some valid criticisms about how a lot of twitter dn fans are just misogynistic towards her because of their bias towards emmy, there are actually a lot of valid points why alexs character was just icky and you and that anon are the only ones that i have seen so far that have the same take as me. They like to dismiss our takes with "oh its an emory scott fans thats why, its the jealousy" like huh? First of all, why didnt yall talk about wills hypocrisy of sleeping around with everyone in a skirt but was jealous as fuck of damon and aydin bonds with emmy? Yeah, right. Second of all, even emory can be rational when willalex were giving her shit, just because emmy was emotional in those moments, doesnt mean she was irrational. She was literally kidnapped to an abandoned island with no one there to help her and will made it clear he didnt give a fuck about her and reminded her how she was nothing to him. Alex who was supposedly her "friend" wanted her to stay and help will as if she had no other job and responsibilities outside of will. Why would she stay? Shes not even rich, she gotta go back home and pay her bills. Stupid argument honestly. Tbh, My dislike for alex was not even because of her relationship with Will. They both owed emmy nothing, even em knew this. A big part of the fandom hates alex because of this willalexs take but i personally dont agree with this take tbh. Instead of blaming alex on this, the argument between alexemmy started because it was on will, and even aydin to a certain extent, for being a fucking loser of a man, and for pitting two women against each other.

But i also wanna just say to these people who defended alex palmer so much: lets not act as if alex never had a history of laughing at other women when SHE was being put on a pedestal, instead of someone else (especially with michael to rika in corrupt, and damon to winter in kill switch) either. Like rika, banks, winter, and alexs relationship started with misogyny. LIKE LITERALLY. Only alexemmys relationship started with a bonding OUTSIDE of being pitted against one another no matter how weird the circumstances was. Even then, theyre still just on acquaintances level yk. And i feel like alex felt challenged and angry at emmy in nightfall because she thought emmy was better than her (alex chose to believe because her shallow world had not allowed her to think about anything else as long as it justified her anger. She also probably was jealous and look at emmys situation and think emmy didnt have to do anything but all these men were going to jail for her, suddenly being her brothers and protective of her, bonding with the guys or smth like that, and later have access to so much wealth, ad compared to her who had been an escort etc., yet still she had nothing. Its totally irrationally personal, her anger towards emmy was not rational at all). Its the jealousy and inferiority speaking tbh.

Look at the way aydins ex, rika, banks, thunders bay people etc. talk to her? Like shit. Whether its in front or behind her back. Now did this misogyny happened for alexemmy's friendship? Nope! Best girl Emory Scott thats right! Even rika, banks and winter had slutshamed alex and other women with various degrees, but look at the way emmy talk about sex workers? (These girls too grew up with so much isogyny so understandably, they had to unlearn and relearn a lot. Theyre so different in nightfall, love that for them tbh). Like heavens and earth and i think its easier for people like alex to accept being treated like shit because unhealthy female relationship and rivalry was what she was always used to, and she always had to be the person to initiate being the "cool girl who'll just roll with everything", especially with her relationship with banks) that when she found a healthy and supportive female friend that didnt start like shit, and would ACTUALLY take her side instead of their man (will or aydin), she was kinda shocked and became stupid, not knowing how to react to it in a kinder manner. Its like a defense mechanism. Alex never rose her voice to rika, banks and winter, unlike what she did to emmy and its because she probably never felt challenged by them because their men still paid for her services so what can these women do much to her really + she never saw aydin took interest in them like he did with emmy (disregarding the manipulation aside, im trying to make people understand her possible pov). This is why woman should have healthy female relationships! No one wants to be like corrupt rika, pre-marriage banks/ winter and nightfall alex! No one wants to admit that alex too, just everyone else, had internalised misogyny. I dont think anyone ever noticed the nuances really, alex hid it too well, but it shone through in her lowest moments unlike emmy. Because when emmy was at her lowest, she never humiliate alex to step on her like what alex did to emmy in blackchurch or on the train, but emmy straight up attack will (verbally) because why would she attack alex? Will was the one who hurt emmy not alex. But aydin attacked alex, and its emmys fault that alexs man was shitty? She was so wrong for that. Emmy never even shame her throughout nightfall, so this only highlights how different emmy's character in this series. Ngl, i think only Emory is the true girls' girls in this series. *Side note, Alexaydin, sigh... such fucking cowards this couple tbh.

Wasnt it also mentioned in conclave that alex had a fall out with her ex's roommate and then she was labelled "the slut" as if the three of them were not being stupid horny college students together, but alex was the only person who be the bad guy. That must have caused a lot of resentment in her because then she just became an escort not only to support her education and lifestyle, but also to use it against aydin. How does that even compare to emmy's pain, honestly! Theyre literally not the same and the fandom always like to dismiss em's pain just because em looked at her highly even when the text in the books shows otherwise. Alex couldve quit her job anytime now, she didnt need the money anymore, she did it for personal fun, sexual liberation and revenge against aydin. And now that when she went through the SAME THING that she did to other women by laughing at them and got treated like shit back, wow suddenly, emmys seen as a bitch? Huh? Emmy never even laughed at her face or looked down on her unlike others, not even once in nightfall unlike rika, banks or even winter, so i believe alexs stupid shit in nightfall was really out of inferiority complex and jealousy. Like "shes better than me thats why i had to put her down" kinda complex. The hypocrisy was too much but i dont think anyone really noticed this. Thats why alexs character was shit to me because her arc was so??? Where did this misogyny came from? But then when i think again and piece her story from the start, it made sense because to a certain extent, alex probably had looked down at all these rich people (including women bcs if her ex roommate) with their rich problems and then she met emmy, who didnt fit in with these stereotypes she had about people of thunder bay, and she had heard a lot of good things about em from will prob, so her sex worker card that she likes to use against these people suddenly dont work anymore because she realised that she wasnt the only one suffering. She cant best her, so in her moment of anger, she had to step over emmy in front of everyone but really, it just proves how nasty of a person she is and shownhow ugly her jealousy can be. Thats why she couldnt argue back with emmy after. She fucked up, but no one really noticed this because her misogyny wasnt so blatant like those in corrupt, hideaway and kill switch. What i also dont understand is how she always talk as if she was a victim EVERY. DAMN. TIME. Her speeches in corrupt, conclave and nightfall just solidified alexs characterisation. I cant stand her tbh, all of alexrika conversations really rot my brain lmao, because they always give these two stupid friends talking about eveyrthing and nothing vibes.

Since this is dark romance, i can understand if pd wants to put a character like alex, or any women really to be shit, but alexs fans didnt have to act like the annoyance towards her was because people cant stand willalex, as if alex herself was a snow white who can do no wrong or something, when she was proven that she did, was shitty sometimes. Like her mary sue character was even worse than rika 😭🤣 And the thing is, if everyone, even emmy, was so morally righteous, none of them would be the horsemens family. The fact that these women are their partners, everyones already guilty just by association, like what emmy said to alex in the train. So why put alex or anyone from dn, on such a high pedestal so much? (Alex is kinda Like kai in her morally right shit, but she just got more fleck for it). Even i admit that emmy wasnt always a nice girl either but i wasnt delusional like alex and her fans tbh. Ugh, so annoying. Hopefully the bonus contents we're gonna get by pd soon only has exclusive willemmy contents for willemmy. or i will riot!!

Yeah, some of the readers need to re-evaluate their perspective. But I really don’t want to convince anyone to see things my way so…

hopefully they stay wherever they’re at. As I’ve said before, I haven’t involved myself with any of the discourse or in-fighting in the fandom, so I’m not sure what they’re arguing over, but it sounds like a waste of energy and time. I mean, I get it’s willemmy vs willalex, but…like. Ugh could you imagine making that the center of your fandom experience? Horrible.

You make a good point about the start of the friendship between Alex and Emory. I’ve never been…happy (?) with how it started, because it involved Alex making a whole lot of assumptions about Emory and being right…because she’s Alex and she’s always right…of course. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be Alex. And then to have that be the one night they spend with each other, and suddenly Alex understands Emory like no one else. She gets her.

How?

Oh, right. It’s Alex. Enough said.

The idea that Alex couldn’t process anything that challenged her justifications for her anger because that would mean she’s wrong about something. It would be an actual flaw on her part. And that her feelings for Emory were borne a bit of jealousy. I’d have like if her character and went farther in that direction.

I think for my part, I always considered Alex’s main motive toward Emory was knowing that Will was still in love with her and that Emory had the power and ability to hurt him as she had before. She was protective of Will – “her reflection.” It’s nice to see another possibility/side of it. You make a good point. I guess I never considered Alex feeling inferior to Emory. Emory’s background being different from the people she’s surrounded herself with, to then see Emory rise above that and carry on, leaving Will behind like she probably saw Aydin rejecting her, and suddenly seeing the way Will and Aydin react to Emory might have made her feel small and like a stand-in, which she is for so many.

I agree that it’s a little out of bounds to compare Alex’s pain with Emory’s.

You said she couldn’t argue back with Emory and I’m not sure of the moment you’re talking about but the first thing that came to mind was “that’s my shirt”…like, girl. Girl. Are we being that pathetic right now? But yeah. Alex’s “justified” anger was weak. And her framing herself as the victim was annoying.

“If everyone, even emmy, was so morally righteous, none of them would be the horsemen’s family.” Yeah, exactly.

I had to put the book down and take a deep breath with Rika said “I had to remind myself we weren’t really criminals.” Or something like that. Excuse me, ma’am, but what? You’re not what now? Have you not been paying attention? You cannot erase the last three-to-four years.

Alex is like Kai in her moral superiority is not a take I thought I’d ever see but…there it is. Nice to see they have something in common.

I didn’t know we were getting any bonus content but you’re the second person who’s told me. I hope we get something good for NF.

[imogenleewriter]

8 & 13 for the ask game

8. What kind of document do you use to you write? Microsoft Word? Google Docs? Straight in the AO3 text box?

I used to only use scrivener, but now that I tend to send my fics to people to be read through I tend to use google docs. It also means I can write them on any device. But I honestly prefer scrivener. I still use it to keep all my info in.

13. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

Lol. So, here is the thing. Ychiits is the 7th most commented-on fic EVER. Ymaewk is the 22nd and Smfm is the 58th. Given I only started uploading ychiits 7 months ago and the other two are like 3 and 4 months old, it shows that I am blessed enough to get a lot of comments and I LOVE THAT!!! It does also mean that I get a lot of opinions on my writing.

No one has ever been really mean, and no one (surprisingly) has criticised my actual writing (to me), but yeah, I've had a fair few criticisms. If you ever want to see hate, though, read bookmarks; people STILL don't seem to know that unless they're private, everyone can see what you write.

I think if I wasn't so visibly active on social media, there would be more visible hate. Like I know some people on Tumblr didn't like something, but they don't come straight out and say it but I think if I wasn't here, maybe they would? Idk.

It's so tricky to answer because I can be overly sensitive, so it's hard for me to know if things are hate or not. Rationally I know that I could have gotten a lot more overt hate, but at the same time, I have cried multiple times over comments/bookmarks/tweets and things I've stumble upon. But it kind of comes with the territory, you know? At least that's what people tell me when I'm crying, lol.

Actually! Because it's kind of related @enchantedlandcoffee made me this literally a few hours ago for when I need to vent in one of our discord groups (and it's ONLY ever about mean comments!! If you're not being mean, I don't need to vent, I promise!!!) And, on that, shout out all the people in that discord group that have to put up with me going in there every couple of weeks just to cry about comments or mean things I've seen.

Overall, I try to focus on the positive feedback, but it's hard. And then I get angry at myself when I get 100 nice comments and one shitty one and I put so much attention on the shitty one rather than focusing on the nice ones.

But, yeah. That's a me issue and I'd say there have only been a couple of times people set out to hurt my feelings or were aware they were going to hurt my feelings.

Writer Asks.