#it's only a matter of balance that i get non-supportive asks

[soloroomies]

lifemate (Chapter 1/ Sakusa x f!reader)

summary: how did it all start? word count. 1.9k cw. marriage pact au, potential mature content a/n. this is my first time writing fic! hope you all enjoy this story! (♡ n pls let me know if you do enjoy them ♡) Masterlist

Every month, Motoya Komori, Sakusa Kiyoomi, and you meet up to catch up and enjoy each other's company. Surprisingly, despite the passage of time and the changes in your lives, you have managed to maintain your friendship well since high school. Your bond remains strong, bolstered by frequent chats in your group chat, where you exchange life updates.

Now you’re all in your late 20s, with you and Sakusa the same age, 27 years old, and Motoya a year older. Each of you is navigating your own unique path in life. Motoya Komori, always the cheerful one, shares his latest thoughts and plans. "Nothing much," he says with a grin, "just thinking about coaching some kids in my block." Then, he adds, "Mia thinks that’s a good idea too," his eyes light up when he talks about his wife, his smile widening. It's been a year since their wedding, and he’s never been happier. He met his wife during an open trip to Europe in his early 20s, a serendipitous encounter that changed his life forever.

Sakusa, on the other hand, often brings up his ongoing struggle with his fame. "I keep trying to decline gifts from fans," he admits, a hint of frustration in his voice. Despite his attempts to maintain some semblance of normalcy, his popularity often complicates things. 

It’s no wonder you think that Kiyoomi is popular among women. A single, talented man who looks dedicated to his career is bound to attract attention. People on the internet often compliment his looks too. Standing at 6’4” with a lean build, his black wavy hair adds to his appeal. You can imagine his struggle a bit—balancing his demanding career with the expectations and attention from fans and potential romantic interests alike.

As for you, you share your own challenges of juggling your main job with multiple side jobs. It’s a constant balancing act, trying to manage everything without letting anything fall through the cracks. Yet, despite the hectic schedule, you find solace in these monthly meet-ups, a reminder of the enduring friendship that has weathered the storms of life.

“Why do you have to do several jobs?” Komori asks, a hint of worry in his voice.

You chuckle lightly and start explaining the reality of life outside the athletic world. “Well, life actually works a bit differently for non-athletes,” you say with a smile, trying to lighten the mood. You go on to explain that you're still early in your career, and your current job is only a mid-paying one. “I need some more money to cover my living costs and to send some to my retiring parents,” you add, your tone growing more serious.

Komori listens intently, nodding in understanding. He realizes that while his career path as a professional athlete offers certain financial stability and perks, your situation requires juggling multiple jobs to make ends meet and support your family.

Komori agrees with your statement about the high living costs, even for him. You continue, “Well, now that I think about it, in this economy, for average people, I think marriage helps a lot in a financial way. I mean, by having two incomes in the household. If we didn’t put children into the equation, though, maybe.”

Komori agrees, “Well, maybe that’s true. But I don’t know much about that since my wife stays at home. But financials aside, having someone to come home to… I don’t know how to put it. But it’s less lonely and, y’know? Feels like someone always has my back no matter what.”

Sakusa interjects, “But you don’t have to get married, you know? You can just move in with your girlfriend.”

Komori shakes his head, “I don’t know, man. It’s a different sense of security.”

You chime in, “Ooh, I get it. Maybe it’s kinda like… all these paperwork you sign? So, it feels verrrry official?” You raise your eyebrow, prompting Komori to laugh.

“Maybe? I don’t know. I’m just happy and secure. That’s all I feel,” he says with a contented smile.

You sigh and slam your hand on the table, “Man, I don’t even think about that. I just think it’s nice to split rent and chores with someone.”

Komori hums at your statement, then turns to Sakusa. “What do you think, Omi?”

Sakusa shrugs, “I just think being married makes it more convenient for me to politely decline some of the persistent and creepy fans.”

You chuckle, “Ha. Ha. Okayyy starboy. Totally not relatable.”

Komori adds thoughtfully, “Hey, in a sense, that applies to you as well in terms of being more secure when walking at night. Ward off some creepy men, y’know?”

You nod, a wry smile on your face, “Hey! That’s so fucking true. Pfft, I hate the world that we live in.” You sip on your drink, finding a moment of solidarity in the shared laughter and understanding.

“Okay. Now this conversation made me want to get married. But I can’t even afford a relationship right now. Trying to start a relationship is too urgh,” you say, scrunching your nose. “Too many steps to deal with. And don’t even talk about the emotional roller coaster! It’s just too tiring!”

You used to be a hopeless romantic at heart, dreaming of the day you would meet that one person, your prince charming. Falling in love so hard that your head feels dizzy, experiencing all those cute butterflies in your stomach, and seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses due to the happiness of love.

However, the idea seems more and more impossible as you grow older. Reality has hit you hard. Maybe it’s just bad luck, but you’ve never been lucky in your romantic life. It’s not like no one wants you; there are men who approach you. But the ones who do either don’t meet your standards or turn out to be douchebags when you try to get to know them better and pursue more, leading to frustrating situationships. It’s exhausting to be attached to them and constantly ride an emotional roller coaster.

Moreover, you can’t think of anyone or any way to meet someone new at the moment. You’re not keen on the idea of dating apps either, as you feel like you’re not that fun in chat, and it just feels too unnatural to meet someone new that way. Especially a potential lover. Damn all these standards you’ve set for yourself!

Sakusa speaks up, “I get that, and I don’t understand what girls want either.” Sakusa doesn’t usually talk much during your discussions, but he enjoys listening to you and Komori's thoughts. Right now, he finds himself agreeing with you on the topic. Everyone knows that Sakusa isn’t the most socially adept person. He doesn’t easily make new friends, despite knowing many people from all the training, practices, and matches he has been involved in. However, he can't exactly call them friends. That's why he treasures this friend group, even though one of its members is literally his cousin. It’s something he can describe as “cousins by blood but friends by choice.”

Given this, it’s not hard to understand why it’s not easy for him to have a romantic relationship either. He can be attracted to someone—he experienced it several times during his school days, having little “relationships” that lasted only a few months. But these days, it’s getting harder to form meaningful connections. Lots of girls try to approach him, fans and acquaintances alike. Some have piqued his interest, but nothing has gone beyond a few dates. So, he truly gets it when you say it’s tiring.

“What?! So you don’t understand me?” you exclaim.

Sakusa rolls his eyes. “No, I understand you. It’s different. We’ve known each other since high school.”

“Ha. Right,” you reply with a hint of sarcasm.

Komori is silent, looking at both of you intently. He clears his throat, “Hey, you know, right? There’s something called platonic marriage?”

Sakusa stares blankly. “What’s that?”

“I know!” you chime in. “It’s like you’re married, but you’re not actually involved romantically.”

“Oh. I’ve heard of them. Interesting, I guess,” Sakusa responds.

“Yeah. It’s like you can get the marriage benefits without having to deal with all the emotional roller coasters that relationships give you,” you explain.

“True. But it’s too creepy and risky, right? To marry some random strangers?” Komori folds his arms and laughs.

You give a distasteful expression and respond quickly, “Of course! I wouldn’t dream of it. If I ever wanted to do a platonic marriage, it would be with someone that I know quite well.”

The three of you suddenly become silent. Komori smirks at you and Sakusa.

“What are you even implying?!” you demand.

“Hey! It’s not crazy, though! You mentioned it yourself.” He makes quotation marks with his fingers. “It would be with someone that I know quite well.”

You widen your eyes. He’s right, you think. But still, it’s borderline crazy and something that never crossed your mind. Sakusa? And you?! Sure, you think he looks good. But then again, you’ve never considered any of your friends ugly! Moreover, you’ve always seen him as your friend since the beginning. Which… is actually the definition of platonic. It’s perfect! Shit… But Sakusa would never agree with this kind of thing… right?

You steal glances at him. Fuck. He actually looks like he’s thinking about it. It’s not the usual indifferent face he’s making. He’s thinking. Wow. Years of friendship really do give you the ability to differentiate his micro-expressions.

“Look. It’s just… an idea. A good idea, can I say?” Komori wiggles his eyebrows and smiles proudly. “Given you guys’ predicaments. It’s like the stars aligned, y’know? I’ll definitely support you guys. There. You guys have my blessing,” he laughs.

You and Sakusa exchange quick glances. He shows a lack of repulsiveness. Now that you think about it, this thing actually fits him. But does he really think it is a good idea?

“Some friends do make marriage pacts or whatever it’s called,” Komori adds.

Oh, right. You definitely have heard about that. Something like if we’re not married by the age of… we should marry each other.

“Yeah, I think I’ve heard something like that. But isn’t it complicated?” you ask.

“What would be complicated? It’s all for convenience, right?” Komori replies.

“That’s just insane, though…” you mutter.

You all go silent for a bit but then you try to change the topic and continue to talk about other trivial life updates. Other things that aren’t awkward and, again, crazy to think about. Your mind isn’t ready to handle the full visualization, especially with Sakusa right in front of you.

After another hour, you and the other two decide to head home. You still have to work tomorrow, after all. Urgh, the work thoughts on Sunday are the worst. These meet-ups with Sakusa and Komori always prove to be very recharging to your mental battery. You’re so glad to have this monthly meet-up with your two precious friends.

On your way home, you replay the conversation you had earlier about the platonic marriage and can’t help but think of how good of an idea it is. The words “financial” and “someone to come home to” ring in your head. Shit. You do often feel lonely in your apartment nowadays.

If you ever agree to do something like a platonic marriage, the idea of being married to Omi doesn’t sound bad at all. Your very dear friend since high school. Someone you’ve known for more than 10 years. Someone who knows your antics and vice versa. He can be a pain in the ass a lot of times, insensitive at times. But the good thing is that you can be blunt with him. He might be an ass, but he does always listen whenever you scold him for anything insensitive he does.

But anyway, it’s just an idea. It will be forgotten, right?

Spoiler: No, it’s not.

[bigassmoth]

Yandere Drider (Tel'ion) x Reader

After another failed escape attempt, Tal'ion gets creative with his punishment. He won't blame you for reaching for freedom, he knows the reaction is perfectly natural. But he needs a warm body to hold, perhaps you just need to realize how necessary you are to him.

Contains: bondage (harness, ballgag), public sex/exhibitionism, possessive sex, non-con, violence/murder

It was a modified mounting harness. Your hips were held to his by rolled spider silk, your thighs forced open. He had taken the liberties of pinning your arms behind you as well, and adding silken supports to keep your body upright so you couldn't curl in on yourself to hide.

"This is our...argument mediator. A 'get along' harness, to say it crassly." Tal'ion finishes securing the webbing and lets out a pleased hum as you continue to test his tight ropes. "With you being unconscious I had to get myself erect to do this. It didn't take long though," He wraps his flesh arms around you while the front legs of his spider form creep up to cage your lower body. "I just imagined how I held you two nights ago. How you gushed all over my legs. That's a wonderful trait of yours, you are so open minded it's very sweet, not many would be able to cum from riding the thin spider-limbs of a drider." His praise was sincere.

Your protests were ignored as he pressed kisses against your neck.

"My beautiful, talented little toy." His hands rubbed your chest, circling your nipples until they hardened. "I have wanted to take you with me on patrol for a while now. That will make you feel better, yes? Calm some of your anxieties from being cooped up this whole time?"

He may be questioning you but you have no say in the matter, especially when he presses a small silken ballgag against your lips.

"Open up~ be sure to stick your tongue out so it's comfortable." The last time he had gagged you, it was by forcibly opening your mouth and pulling out your tongue, setting the squishy mound of drider-silk too far into your mouth- causing you to gag. Cheeks burning and knowing the result of resistance, you opened your mouth and stuck out your tongue.

"Well done." He purred against your neck while gently place the gag to your tongue and tying it behind your ears. Dimly you recognize that your mouth has begun to tingle and water.

He stands and pulls you up with him. In this position you can fully feel his cock inside of you, as it is the only solid point of contact your body has. The ropes, while supportive, are limiting and do nothing to assist with your balance. You have no choice but to clench around him reflexively. Tal'ion moans in delight and gives your thigh an appreciative rub. His other hand on a firm grip on your harness lead, pulling it backwards to keep your upright.

"Sweet little thing." He praises in your ear as he begins his trek outside.

---

"We are near the end of our walk, my dear. How are you faring?" He asks politely, hand brushing your hair while the other holds back your body.

You are a mess, the constant rocking of his hips as he walked sent his cock into you but the bounds of the harness meant it couldn't slip out. To make matters worse, the tingling in your mouth was non-stop and you were drooling to the point that it slid down your mouth to dribble on your body. You only answer him with silence, swallowing down your pathetic noises in an effort to maintain your already shattered pride.

Tal'ion hums in concern but continues walking. He scales a wall of boulders and perches on a steep cliff overlooking a field. A field with village workers tending it, who look up at Tal'ion in fear and then you in disbelief.

"Hm...something feels like it's missing..." As Tal'ion ponders behind you, you steady your breathing and try to regain control over your body. With the eyes of tens of Drow men on you, the burn of his cock is suddenly easier to ignore.

"Oh my, where are our manners. It's only polite to properly greet our neighbors." Tal'ion brings a hand to your chest and begins tweaking your softened nipple into a stiff peak. Through your slober-filled gag you cry out in alarm.

"Ah...don't be shy. They love it. Look at them getting hard just from the sight of you. I certainly relate. Maybe they will beg Loth to make them into driders in the hopes they can find someone as special as you." He pulls back on the harness with one hand while the other holds the back of your neck firmly- although careful not to agitate your windpipe- to angle your back into an arch. "Your breasts are so beautiful. Let them see you in full." He is bouncing you shamelessly, and with your limbs completely tied you have no choice but to flounce around in time. You shut your eyelids to try and save yourself the embarrassment as your tits jiggle in front of the agog crowd.

"My fellow drow! Do not fear, we are here for fun. Please, enjoy yourselves as well." His smile is toxic, deadly, promising severed limbs. But his words are sweet and honeyed, and coupled with your erotic state the now-infatuated drow pull out with cocks without haste and begin pumping in time with Tal'ion's thrusts.

When they start to grunt in pleasure, often following your choked moans, you cried and turned your face into Tal'ion's neck. Your tears, embarrassment and pleasure, ran down his cool skin. He cooed his sympathies and nuzzled into you as his orgasm approaches. He angles his body (and yours in turn) toward the crowd so that your body is more on display than ever but your face can find refuge in the cover of his skin and hair. With this new position he fully fucks you, using the harness to pump into you the way he would a hole in the wall. He cums quickly, savoring the way you clench against him while the drow look on in envy. His dick and the harness make it impossible for cum to escape, what dribbles out of your hole is simply collected by the silk and held against your skin. Satisfied, Tal'ion leaves the drow. He climbs back down into the gulch and begins the walk home. It is only when you shudder and sub into his shoulder that he stops.

"Oh poor thing, you need release too. Especially after showing so many deprived drow how well you can take monster cock." He lays down on the forest floor and leans back so you can rest on his chest.

One of his fore-most legs comes forward, thin and agile, to rest at the apex of your pussy. The smooth appendage begins to rub against you, stimulating your forgotten clit. You feel your body shaking with the coming orgasm, so does Tal'ion. He stops thrusting his hips and brings his second forefront leg to rub at your clit. They work against each other, collecting your own cum to lubricate your clit and then rub it furiously. You cum suddenly, the ache of his cock, the slow numbness of your limbs, and the burning pleasure from your clit. Against the gag you scream, arching and twitching in a spectacular display.

"Well done." Tal'ion praises while petting your hair. His claws smoothly sever your ballgag, which you spit out to hit the ground with a tump. He then cuts off your bindings and begins rubbing your numb limbs, carefully massaging you from your pinky toe to your shoulders. While you regain feeling, he passes you a water bottle.

"I have to take care of something. You will be a dear and stay here, won't you?" While saying this he sets you onto a flat of plush moss. Trying to wipe the drool off your face and cheeks still blazing, you nod.

"Then, scream if you need anything." he says pleasantly before climbing back up to the steep cliff. You watched in confusion as he effortlessly glides back up the rocks. While sipping the water, you pull off the rest of the cum and sweat soaked silk until you are fully nude. Then you hear it, screams.

Agonized, blood curdling screams. Your hair stands on end, you try to stand on instinct but your body is still too exhausted and sore. The drow, the men who were moments ago just groaning in sexual pleasure are now choking on their own blood.

It feels like as soon as the sound comes, it leaves. There is silence in the forest and you have pressed yourself against a tree in fear. Your eyes remained fixed on the cliffs opening, and your hair stands on end when Tal'ion reappears. Stealthily he prances back down, and scuttles to your side.

The smell of your fear paired with your wide eyes and rapid heartbeat, made him satisfied.

"I don't mind letting others play with my toys, but I can't help but be afraid that after finding out how fun you are, someone might try to steal you away." He provides his 'logic', pulling you into his arms- frozen in fear.

"Let's go home, I'm sure you are in want of a hot bath and warm meal after performing so spectacularly for me."

[httpino]

hiii everyone! this is my opinion on what college majors each of the konoha 11 + sasuke n the sand siblings have :D + my general college headcanons about them. enjoy!!

p.s. this is a non massacre au so everyone is alive and well

Naruto characters in College

Naruto Uzumaki: Political Science

- he’s obvi into the whole politics thing so it seemed obvious to him to go into polisci

- unfortunate frat brother

- he’s not like the annoying weird ones but he does indulge in a bit of excessive drinking

- even when he’s hokage (think of it as like the president of everything i don’t fucking know) he’ll still do the stupid ass frat greeting if he sees a fellow brother

- barely passing but once he starts studying seriously with sakura, he’s on his grind fr

- he was never stupid, he just has adhd and no idea how to ask for help

- graduates at a decent place n continues on the higher education track (to everyone’s surprise)

Sasuke Uchiha: Business with a concentration in Finance

- he plans on taking over the family business from his older brother since he’s sick and needs to focus on his health

- does not engage in frat business no matter how much naruto begs

- he’s above it all

- he’s less fucked in the head (because his whole family was not senselessly murdered!) so he does like partying n is less antisocial

- non massacre au sasuke is a WHORE idgaf

- will entertain whoever he needs to to get laid

- this is before he starts dating sakura and then he’s like a nun, he does not look in people’s direction at all

- model student, graduates with a ridiculously high gpa

Sakura Haruno: Biology + Chemistry Double Major (pre-med)

- did anyone say overachiever

- she was told she just needed to pick a science if she wanted to do the pre-med track but she said fuck it and chose two

- bordering deranged, the constant homework is getting to her

- very efficient at studying so she’s able to have some semblance of a school-life balance but barely

- she’s spent more nights in the library crying over her homework than she cares to admit

- finds it all easier when she’s with her friends so she, naruto, ino, sasuke, shikamaru, neji, and hinata have a little study circle every night

- model student, legit is the student that her professors tell their students about years after she graduates

- goes on to med school (we love you dr.haruno)

Sai: Art

- obviously

- he’s having a good time here

- once he gets to the point where he’s having to do other art (sculpting for example) he’s losing it a bit

- he’s just a little guy who wants to draw pretty little pictures :(

- the mf who says “ugh i have a drawing due at 11:59” and then promptly gets jumped for having the audacity to complain around sakura

- doesn’t really party, if he does get dragged out, he spends the whole time drawing the scene in front of him

- he has so many drawings of drunk naruto doing stupid shit, he’s compiled it in a little booklet n adds to it

- by the end of college, he has a thick ass book of these drawings (naruto, ino, sakura, and lee being most of the drawings)

- graduates with flying colors (see what i did there) to become ino’s house husband who supports her through med school

Shikamaru Nara: International Relations

- bro did not want to go to college

- literally dragged himself through high school, why would he want to do it all over again but it’s harder???

- anyway he settles on international relations n breezes through it

- his friends wanna strangle him every time he complains about his schoolwork

- sakura’s eye is twitching, tenten is planning his untimely demise, ino is calling him a lazy idiot

- in his defense, he doesn’t really know what’s going on at any given moment

- he does his work on time but that’s only after he has to teach himself everything cause he skips class religiously

- high off his ass the entire four years

- is known around campus, not for his smarts, but because he’s been found sleeping in the oddest places

- there’s an instagram page for sightings of his naps in odd places (that was definitely not started by ino)

- graduates with decent grades and gets a job in the hokage’s office with the power of nepotism and his brain

Choji Akimichi: Culinary Arts

- he’s having a grand time really

- he’s a phenomenal cook and he already knows all the cooking techniques since his dad owns the highest rated restaurant in the country

- literally has never complained about anything a day in his life

- his to go meals are the only thing keeping his friends alive, they all have the diet of a college student which is water, tears, and a side of ramen

- always has excess food left from class so he goes around campus delivering it to the different food banks

- random people know about choji akimichi’s legendary hangover meal

- graduates with flying colors and goes on to take over his father’s restaurant and open one of his own!

Ino Yamanaka: Psychology (pre-med)

- annoying psych major who psychoanalyzes her friends

- drunk off her ass and she’s asking kiba if his attachment to his dogs comes from trying to make up for his terrible relationship with his mother

- is literally always out, no one has no idea how considering all the other psych students are fighting for their lives

- when she meets sai, she’s excited as fuck, she loves a fine ass man with a brain she can pick apart

- a little crazy

- graduates top of her major but it’s a mystery how she did such a thing 

Kiba Inuzuka: Vet science

- picked this because his dog got sick once n he was like bro what the fuck i need to never let this happen again

- actually a really good student contrary to popular belief! (hinata asked him to study with her one time n then it became a routine)

- who said FRAT BOY KIBA!!! (it’s me, i said frat boy kiba)

- chronic day drinker (bro needs to attend a.a meetings)

- gets an internship in the local vet office and he has deep beef with all the cats there

- he thinks they’re evil but the cats just smell dog on him n they do not fuck with it

- graduates at a decent place n goes to vet school (idk how that works, just pretend i do)

Shino Aburame: Entomology

- DUH!!

- bro might as well be a professor, he’s so good with the whole thing

- which is why he becomes a TA by the end of his first year (unheard of btw)

- out of everyone, he’s having the easiest time

- literally goes to class, does his little science classes, studies his little bugs, then comes home to his apartment n thinks about bugs

- he’s attended every seminar about environment so he can pipe up n say that preserving the bugs in each ecosystem could help

- graduates n goes on to get an offer to teach entomology at konoha university

Hinata Hyuga: Communication

- she has no idea what she wants to do

- this was mainly a placeholder till she figured something out

- the required public speaking course nearly took something out of her

- but after all her friends gathered to listen to her speech n cheer her on, she felt so much confidence that she got an amazing grade

- this led to her sticking with comm!

- she picks a focus on media so she ends up working at the tv station (behind the scenes, she’s not a in front of the camera type of girl)

- does great n has study circles with her friends :D

- doesn’t party, doesn’t drink, doesn’t do much of anything but she’ll go out to make sure kiba doesn’t get into a bar fight or something

Neji Hyuga: Physics

- not so sure about this one but idkkk something in my heart says he’s a physics major

- he’s not sure what he wants to do with it but it makes him sound smart when his dad brags to the other parents

- extremely paranoid about missing assignments so he does everything the moment he gets it

- has never been relaxed ever

- time management king

- he got pulled into a study circle and though he’ll NEVER admit it, it’s helped him a lot

- graduates in three years instead of four and goes on to grad school (he’s trying to avoid finding a job)

Rock Lee: Sports science

- DUH!!

- he wants to help injured athletes so why not study how a healthy body is supposed to work while exercising?

- he gets an internship with guy, who’s the athletic trainer of konoha university n he’s everyone’s favorite

- had learned not to complain about his workload around tenten (she broke down and started bawling over her homework and he freaked out)

- graduates with a good gpa and then gets a job with the athletic trainers office

Tenten: Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship + Engineering Double Major

- this determined ass mf

- she’s been dreaming of creating a weapon that will allow for easy usage while also being tailored to the needs of the user

- so she decides on the business major part to create a business out of it and engineering so she can figure out how to do it herself

- she’s fighting for her life the entire four years of college

- turns down so many parties and invites because her homework is literally a stack the size of her

Kankuro: Political Science + Art History Double Major

- he wanted badly to do art history alone

- but he decides that maybe he does want to be employed in the future

- so he picks up political science as a side thing

- he cheats off gaara so he doesn’t have to focus too much on the polisci portion of his degree

- exchange student (obvi) n he’s indulging in konoha culture

- which is just getting black out drunk on a wednesday evening!

- finishes out college as a decent student, not exceptional but also he’s not terrible

Gaara: Political Science

- literally decides he’s gonna become the kazekage and picks up polisci immediately

- like his siblings he’s an exchange student

- literally doesn’t do any “stereotypical” college things

- doesn’t drink a drop of alcohol, doesn’t dabble in drugs, his most wild weekend is him indulging in TWO red bulls instead of one

- which is why no one is surprised when he graduates top of his class n immediately gets a job in the kazekage’s office where he works his way up

Temari: Meteorology

- just walk with me here

- exchange student from suna

- always found interest in weather patterns considering she lived in a place with such predictable patterns

- like day after day it was all sun, no rain until one random day, there was an absolute downpour before everything went back to normal

- she absolutely went WILDDDD she needed to know what had happened to cause such a thing

- she has no interest in smiling in front of the camera n giving the forecast, she wants to just study what the fuck goes on with the weather

- has a decent workload but she really doesn’t mind it, it gives her an excuse to avoid ino’s constant invites to go out

- one time, she went out n got hammered n slept with shikamaru n then she literally never did that again

- it worked cause she started dating him soon after but still… you can never be too safe

- graduates with a perfect gpa n goes on to become the best meteorologist in the world

[reunionatdawn]

My Analysis of the Best Paired Endings in 3H (Part 6: Ferdinand/Dorothea)

(Normal): Thanks but no thanks, Mr. Noble. I already have my heart set on someone else. (Ferdinand & Dorothea support level B reached): I suppose I can settle for you just this once, Ferdie.

The writers obviously put a lot of love into this ship, as it's one of the rare times that the main story dialogue changes depending on Support level between two characters. Plus, since he asks her out on a date outside of their Support chain, it shows that Ferdinand is canonically interested in Dorothea. And this is true in Hopes as well. He fears his mind will "wander to other things" while training with her.

Dorothea: Song and dance live on in our memories, but there's no real record of them. Even memories fade over time. Will anyone remember me when I'm gone?

Dorothea is a Libra, an air sign. Air signs are masculine, but not as much as the fire signs. Libras are extroverted, cozy, and friendly people. Libras, like the Scales that symbolize the sign, are often concerned with attaining balance, harmony, peace, and justice in the world. Dorothea had the motivation to join Edelgard's cause to dismantle the corrupt nobility. But she was also compassionate and hated the idea of fighting people she knew.

Ferdinand: I will do what I'm called to do, even if no mark of me remains in the history books.

Ferdinand bears the Crest of Cichol, which is associated with the Justice Arcana. Justice is a signifier of legal matters being resolved in a fair and balanced manner. It represents the power to distinguish between what is fair and what is unfair, in an impartial way. Ferdinand's dream was to lead the Empire to an age of enlightenment and hold his father accountable for his crimes. The downside to his ambitions was that his life revolved around being recognized for his achievements.

Ferdinand: That is true nobility! Acting in accordance with the people's needs and wishes. As war drags on, those living near the front lines inevitably get the worst of it. Still…Edelgard will not give in. She will push to complete her mission, no matter how many people die. Not everyone with noble blood has noble ideals.

His character arc was about exemplifying true nobility, defined as, "having or showing fine personal qualities or high moral principles and ideals." Not just being noble, defined as, "belonging to a hereditary class with high social or political status." And I would argue that opposing Edelgard was vital to his character arc.

Dorothea: Oh, Ferdie. You opposed Edie for so long… I had real hopes for you, you know? Now you're following her. Is that your duty as a noble? Follow your master when they say to heel? Ferdinand: I will not try to explain my duty or hers. You would not understand. I wish you could.

Dorothea is one of the few non-lord characters that will actually react to another non-lord character's death. If you don't recruit Ferdinand, he will die at the Great Bridge of Myrddin so that his name goes down in history as "the legendary Ferdinand of Adrestia".

If Ferdinand does not complete his arc, Dorothea will be the one who is most disappointed. She will say she had high hopes for him, a reference to their B-Support where he made her treats, and she reconsidered him as husband material. His memory will not live on in the history books, but it does live on in her heart. It was hard not to think of this pairing as "canon" after I saw this dialogue.

Dorothea: Though we only knew each other briefly back at the academy, you were still my friend—but now our paths have diverged forever.

There's even a Hopes version of this dialogue available in Record Keeper. Similar to Edelgard and Byleth in Silver Snow, if Ferdinand and Dorothea's paths diverge, it is treated as a great tragedy of fate. It shows how much the writers favored this particular ship.

(Normal): Yes… I have met someone quite charming recently. I'm hoping we can spend more time together soon. (Dorothea has reached Support Rank A with a male): I am. There is someone whose company I have come to enjoy.

While Dorothea is bisexual, she did seem to have a preference for men. The dialogue in her B-Support with Edelgard only changes if Dorothea has attained A-Support with a male character.

Linhardt: You've probably overcome a lot of tough times, haven't you? I think that's incredible, really, but why not just let go of the suffering and run away from the memories that cause you pain? I suspect you'll find it a better way of living. I know I do. Dorothea: That's not living, Lin. It's running away. If I leave my hardships behind, then all of that means nothing.

She only got into the academy by buttering up some noble, which suggests that she may have had to perform sexual favors. She had a poor self-image, despite her physical beauty. And that is why I think she pursued men so adamantly, even when she was not truly attracted to them. She was running away from her past.

Dorothea: What's important isn't how someone looks, it's their true nature. I don't pretend to know your true nature. I don't even have a very good understanding of my own. But I suppose you see mine just fine, don't you? Just a silly girl with no thoughts in her head except for marrying a noble, yes? Good-bye, Felix.

Dorothea had to hone her masculine energy while living on the streets and performing in the opera. She despised the goddess (although she has a hidden talent for faith). Her paralogue with Ingrid showed how the two had contrasting views on marriage. Dorothea wanted to play the traditionally feminine role of housewife, with a noble husband fulfilling the traditional masculine role of provider and protector.

Dorothea: But if you and I were devoted to one another… maybe we could strive for the future you believe in. Maybe I'd finally understand your path and be able to think about more than just myself. Hubert: Seems it's my turn to not understand. Did you just propose marriage as a way to get to know me?

She was always looking for a wealthy husband to take care of her into her old age, and often came across as nothing but a shallow gold-digger. Because she was afraid of living in poverty, she would settle for a nobleman regardless of whether or not she knew him very well or was actually in love with him.

Sylvain: You know, even when I was a kid, I never had trouble with girls. …But thinking about it now, I wonder what they liked about me back then. They didn't know everything about me… It's just confusing. Dorothea: Oh, where did that come from? No one can know everything about you.

She was at first dismissive of the idea that people need to know each other fully to get married. But she did commiserate with Sylvain about how people wanted to marry her without even knowing anything about her. However, she flirtatiously makes plans to grow old with him immediately afterwards. Even though they still barely knew each other.

Dorothea: I never had much to begin with in life, and I worry that one day, I'll be that way again… That's why I keep searching for someone who will love me. Someone unaware of the songstress, who can love a girl that used to be scared and alone on the streets of the capital… I wonder if such a strange person can even exist.

But what she really wanted was to spend her life with someone who did know her true self. Several of her endings depict her giving up on her goal of finding a rich husband. She is able to find love with Petra and Manuela and those are happy endings for her. But I still think the happiest ending for her is to find her dream man. A rich provider and protector who would know and love her as the scared orphan girl.

Dorothea: Oh, really? You're something different? That's not how I remember things… It was the very day that I was discovered…

I think Ferdinand offered the best closure to her character arc. There was a palpable sexual tension between them in both games, with Dorothea pushing him away yet secretly desiring to be closer. I'd argue she has more far chemistry with him than any of her other potential partners. At the academy, Dorothea did not flirt or make advances on Ferdie, despite him being the exact type of wealthy noble she was after. But in the end, she was more open, honest, and emotionally vulnerable with him than she was with anyone else.

Dorothea: Maybe I can believe you. I've wanted to ever since the day you made me those treats… I thought then that maybe you weren't like the others, but… There's a lot I have to let go of, Ferdie.

The tagline for the game was, "Sweet memories twisted by time's cruel hand". By getting closure with Ferdinand, Dorothea could reclaim a sweet memory and let go of some pain from her past. Ferdie considered Edelgard his rival and prided himself on being better than her. But with Dorothea, he said he wouldn't mind a life of being a simple drone, circling a queen. So, they both find a new way to live with each other. This pairing is a more wholesome alternative for Ferdie than Ferdibert. But Ferdie still is kind of a sub.

Ferdinand & Dorothea Ferdinand reclaimed the position of Duke Aegir and initiated reforms within his domain. Through his political methods, which closely aligned with the needs of the common people, the Aegir Duchy swiftly underwent reconstruction. Behind this success story was the significant contribution of Dorothea, the former songstress who became the Duchess, who dedicated herself to serving the commoners. Ferdinand, recognized for his achievements, was entrusted with governance across all of Fódlan. Despite being busy with his duties, he prioritized spending time with his family. He and Dorothea raised their children together, and their home was always filled with the sound of cheerful singing.

This feels like the picture-perfect ending for both of them. Dorothea achieves her life plan of marrying a rich provider and protector, overcoming her prejudice towards nobles. Her children carry on her legacy, and her memory will live on in their hearts.

And thanks to her experiences as an orphan, Ferdinand's policies benefit the commonfolk. He actually renounced his nobility and lived as a wanderer for five years because he did not believe in Edelgard's ideals, and he wanted to make up for his father's wrongdoings in his own way. He was prepared to leave no mark on history, but he is recognized for his achievements in the end.

[edenfenixblogs]

outside of the general principles of credibility and fact-checking (or including those if you want) and looking for commitment to peace and shared prosperity like you mentioned in your pinned, do you have any other advice on gauging the reliability of sources regarding israel/palestine? or any particular sources you recommend as reliable or warn against as unreliable? there's so much misinfo and disinfo out there that i often end up getting overwhelmed and sharing nothing specific - and i know that's not exactly helpful, i'm just not sure where to start.

This is SUCH a good and important question!!! Thank you so much for asking it. I’ve been waiting until after work today to answer, so I can give it the attention it deserves.

This is an incredibly complex topic. It is completely ok to tackle only one item of this at a time. It is ok to spend more time listening than speaking. It is ok to only do basic fact checking until these things become second nature. It seems like a lot. But it actually becomes quite simple when you realize that, as a member of a non-affected group, your only job is to steer the conversation toward truth and peace.

That means most of what you are doing is rejecting sources and individuals engaging in bad faith discourse by simply not engaging with them. Your next most common task will be to publicly fact check bad faith discourse or incorrect information that has spread too far.

It is tempting to become outraged when you become familiar with bad faith discourse and data and see it spread widely. However, remember that this is incredibly complex and even the most experienced people get things wrong on this subject all the time. If you notice an error in what appears to be someone trying to bring attention to a cause they care deeply about, approach with kindness first. Always.

Try a reblog or a personal message with a link to the problematic post and say something like,

Hey. I care a lot about [issue] too. And I am trying really hard to make sure everything being spread right now is verifiable and accurate so nobody gets upset about things that aren’t true. Did you know that [thing you said+link to the post where you said it] was actually proven false by [reliable source+link to that source]? I’m really glad that didn’t happen. Of course, terrible things are still happening [to Palestinians/Israelis/Jews/Muslims/Arabs] on/in [college campuses/diaspora/Palestine/Israel/etc] there all the time. But at least nobody has to suffer through [incorrect info]. By the way, I’ve found a lovely organization run by actual Palestinians/Israelis/Arabs/Muslims/Jews working together to find peace for all. Check it out, I think it has promise! [link to reliable cause/organization]

Here is a wonderful site for MENA-based organizations geared toward fostering a shared peaceful future in a variety of ways.

Give the poster a chance to self correct. You will be wrong in the future. Model the way you would like to be informed of an error.

I briefly touched on the basics of identifying any source as reliable here. I won’t reiterate because this may be a long post and I wanna save space. But it contains the basics of what I learned in college.

One of the most important things to keep in mind is that no source is objective. No source is without bias. And there is no way to make any source objective or without bias.

News is written by people. And all people have viewpoints. Giving all voices in a conflict equal importance is not inherently unbiased, because that risks giving support to more harmful ideas and equating harmful ideas, ideologies, and organizations with reasonable ones. Likewise, asserting that one viewpoint is correct and being unwavering in this belief no matter what is obviously no way to cultivate a balanced and well informed viewpoint.

Your job is to use critical thinking skills to examine the level of bias in a piece of media as well as how responsibly the source handles that bias. Your job is also to do your best to be aware of bias as well as what bias is relevant to the subject matter being reported. A source that is left leaning, but never shares fake information and is always verifiable is preferable to a source that is moderate but consistently shares half truths or faulty information.

Sometimes, information from a less than ideal source can be shared, but if you are sharing that source, you must explicitly state that source’s flaws and why you chose to share that information anyway. And if you are unable to find a better source, you should state that you are sharing information that may be incomplete or inaccurate and you are happy to update the post you are sharing if and when more information or confirmation from a more reliable source emerges. There are very limited situations where this is appropriate. Usually I would suggest not sharing information from such sources at all unless it can be backed up by better information.

One example of such a case is information about antisemitic hate crimes from the ADL. The ADL has a very problematic history and one should be aware of it when they share statistical data from the organization. However, that doesn’t make their information inherently unusable. It makes their information inherently suspect, though. In order for anything shared from the ADL to be worth sharing, you should be able to evaluate the data collection method and the sources of the data. And if there is any information in the data you are sharing that is not appropriate, you should explicitly draw attention to it, not try to hide it.

Case Study: Global Antisemitic Incidents in the Wake of Hamas’ War on Israel

This list contains very useful data on incidents of antisemitic violence against Jews in diaspora since 10/7/2023. I trust this data because: it links to each individual news source it references, often with pictures of the attacker/attack/incident and time stamps. It’s data is open to questioning and its sources are available to check individually. This is in line with the ADL’s mission statement of tracking antisemitism. Documenting antisemitism is not an inherently biased practice nor do I have any reason to believe that they lie about the antisemitic incidents they document. As that is not one of the things that critics accuse the ADL of, I do not see a reason to question its record on antisemitic incident reporting. I have never heard a critic make a substantiated claim against their formally collected data as falsified. I am willing to be proven wrong on this, but I will interrogate a source claiming this as thoroughly as I interrogate the ADL as a source itself. I am skeptical of this source because: the title of the article uses extremely biased language that makes the war seem one sided. The advantage of this source is: it is one of the few sources existing that collects data on antisemitic violence and hate incidents of Jews in diaspora. A sign of good faith from the organization: they dedicate a page to addressing criticisms of their organization, which means they feel confident that criticisms of them will stand up to scrutiny. It is not sufficient to use this page to absolve them of any of the listed criticisms, but it should help you find articles that critique the ADL as well as relevant information that supports their defense. Thus, you must come to your own conclusion on whether or not that information is trustworthy on the matter you are commenting on. A sign of possible bad faith from the organization: their page devoted to confronting myths and inaccuracies about their organization’s history does not address accusations about supporting South African Apartheid or failing to call the Armenian Genocide a genocide. An acknowledgment of my own limitations: I am not an expert in South African Apartheid in any way nor am I an expert on the Armenia genocide. Any other relevant information: Any reputable news sources verify information before reporting. If a news source that is verifiably responsible in its reporting cites information from the ADL, I will assume they have made adequate inquiries to verify that information as accurate enough to report. For example, if AP reported information and cited the ADL statistics, I would assume that the ADL made sure the data fit its high standard for reportage.

Conclusion: I find the ADL to be a trustworthy enough source of data about antisemitic attacks and incidents on Jews in diaspora, but only in cases where their sources and/or methodology are made public and/or another more regulated or otherwise more reliable source of statistical information partners with them. Because I lack expertise on South African Apartheid on the Armenian Genocide, I will not share information from the ADL about Palestinian apartheid, segregation, oppression, or genocide (until or unless I become more well-versed in these topics or am able to devote substantial energy into fact checking each claim in what I share. If I ever choose to do this, I will share every source I used to verify the information so that others may check my work and inform me if I’m wrong. At this time, I do not foresee a situation where I would refer to the ADL for matters about Palestinian concerns). The ADL in general and the linked source in particular seems to be an overall worthwhile source to cite on matters of antisemitism. The ADL does not meet my standards of a reliable source on Palestinian suffering. Check each link/source on an ADL source you want to share and form an informed conclusion on its reliability before sharing.

Also, be aware that primary sources with biased information are extremely valuable but never objective on their own. A tweet from the IDF or a statement from a released Palestinian prisoner may both be true! But sharing them as if they are definitely true without fact checking the information through the most trustworthy sources available is irresponsible. Do not share any social media information as fact. You are free to share social media information and publicly explore its implications in a responsible manner, but it is not responsible to discuss them as facts.

Case study: When something in Gaza or Israel is bombed, be sure that you know who the key players and commentators are.

When the IDF releases a statement blaming Hamas for bombing their own citizens, know that the IDF has a vested interest in not being perceived as an aggressor. When the Ministry of Health in Gaza accuses the Israeli military of being responsible for the attack, be aware that the Ministry of Health in Gaza is run by Hamas and is not a third party neutral source. Do not post anything about an event like this until the information is fully vetted by a neutral third party source (or as neutral as you are likely to find on such a hot button issue).

The best way you can help during an emerging story is to urge others to wait for full details, call out people irresponsibly casting blame before the facts are in (especially politicians), and repeatedly verify every source of information as they are named so that you know if they are trustworthy. Do not trust politicians who espouse inflammatory and prematurely accusatory information and do not make a public retraction and apology when they are found to be wrong.

That said, it is always appropriate to express sorrow for loss of life. You do not need to accuse a killer in order to do this.

There are also sites geared toward helping you identify the source itself fairly. Note: sites like these will help you evaluate the publication or news entity (eg New York Times, Al Jazeera, Haaretz, etc.). They won’t help you evaluate an individual journalist or article.

Some sites to help you verify credibility:

Media Bias Fact Check: Allows you to verify sources based on the news source’s political bias in terms of a left-right spectrum as well as by their reliability on matters of science, their use of questionable sources, and use of satire. Also, you can check how reliably factual the source’s reporting is. You can also sort by country, media type, general credibility, and how well trafficked the source is. They also publicly offer insight into their methodology of coming to these conclusions.

The Associated Press (AP) fact checks individual claims. Other news organizations fact checking claims include Reuters, The Washington Post and AFP. While AP is a gold standard and generally reliable, be aware that news organizations are also subject to bias. The advantage is that news organizations have investigative reporters on staff to investigate claims. The disadvantage is the bias inherent to the publication itself.

Other third party cites checking facts in news reports and in politics include:

FactCheck.org

Politifact

Snopes

Lakehead University offers an entire site devoted to developing media literacy as well as many ways to search fact checking sites. So does Kansas State University, and UMass Amherst. Many universities offer sites like this. I urge you to look into them.

Once you find a news or data source you trust, do a quick google search on the journalist’s name and a relevant phrase to the aspect of the conflict being reported on. For example The Newspaper Tribune Times Chronicle may be trustworthy. Veteran reporter, Ima Journalist may have written an article about Israel Bombing Gaza. So, before sharing it, just Google: “Ima journalist” + Israel Palestine Jews antisemitism Islamophobia. Make sure you don’t see something like “Ima Journalist photographed screaming ‘Hitler was actually a super good guy!’ anywhere in her history. When satisfied, feel free to share the story.

Other points to keep in mind:

Be aware of crappy tactics on both sides of the i/p conflict.

The IDF is often accused of excessive violence and planting evidence on Palestinians. This often leads to Palestinians being unfairly accused of terrorist intent and criminal violence.

Hamas uses civilians as human shields — both by using individual humans as shields and also launching bombs from civilian buildings (like hospitals, preschools, and libraries), building militaristic infrastructure in or beneath those same civilian buildings, and instigating conflict with IDF soldiers positioned near residential and civilian locations. This allows Hamas to escape criticism by framing the IDF as mindlessly bloodthirsty and eager to kill Palestinian civilians.

And finally, make sure accusations and talking points never conform to antisemitic conspiracy theories.

The universal aspects of antisemitic conspiracy theories (detailed more fully in the source linked above and also in another post I made) are:

Accusing Jews of replacing another group or population

Accusing Jews of pretending to be something they are not

Accusing Jews of dominating or attempting to dominate a prominent or essential aspect of a society or the world at large.

Accusing Jewish people of genocide and bloodlust in pursuit of personal gain

Accusing Jews of undue privilege or if appropriating something belonging to others.

Dehumanizing Jews by grouping them under a collective name or identity.

I hope this helps! Feel free to share it!

[fushiglow]

Is it true that Suguru Geto contracted depression?

While I don't think it explains everything, I absolutely think it's fair to say that Getō was depressed in the wake of the Star Plasma Vessel mission. Aside from his physical symptoms, Getō is shown to ruminate over past events, immersing himself in negative thoughts.

It's clear that the events of the Star Plasma Vessel mission were extremely traumatic for Getō and it's unsurprising that a teenager would develop mental health struggles after what he experienced — especially without support. Of course, as a sorcerer, Getō was facing traumatic events on a daily basis and expected to manage it alone.

In one of my favourite pieces of Jujutsu Kaisen media, The Resurrection Puppet, Gojō discusses this very issue with Nanami:

"Ultimately, handling curses is about handling negative human emotions. It involves a lot of depressing work. [...] Even if you get used to this line of work, it doesn't feel good. Makes me wanna get drunk. [...] You know how to shut stuff out when necessary, but you're not totally immune to it. Adults have ways of relieving the friction that creates. Like alcohol, the wonder drug." [...] The world was an unfair place. Human ill will bred curses. All people, not just sorcerers, were capable of steeping themselves in bitterness, giving up, and drowning in lost hopes. Nanami knew that. And Gojō knew that Nanami was a man with such a past. "We have ways of removing the poison that has circulated to our hearts," Gojō said. "The young don't have that skill. They're too sensitive. At least once, the poison will break their hearts." "I suppose it's the adults' job to handle the poison that affects the young. As a teacher, you understand that, right?" "Yes, I do. That's why I came to talk to you."

It's hard to read this passage from the light novel without assuming that Gojō and Nanami are indirectly discussing Getō — especially considering the fact that Gojō is asking Nanami to take care of another teenager who swallows down "curses" in the form of Sukuna's fingers, holding all that negativity at the core of their being.

Because of his technique, Getō swallows down negative emotions in the form of curses day in day out, even describing their unbearable taste. That's why I've always wondered if it's possible that Getō was uniquely affected by the "poison" Gojō describes, exactly the same as he worries Itadori is particularly vulnerable to it.

That's why he approaches Nanami specifically, saying, "I need someone who understands the suffering people go through. Someone like you." Importantly, Gojō only asks Nanami to look out for Itadori because he's concerned he won't be able to "give him the necessary spiritual guidance" himself due to his busy schedule. I think it's very telling that he seeks the support of someone who also saw Getō's spiral firsthand.

According to Gege Akutami, Nanami "couldn't bring himself to blame" Getō after he left. We know that he was deeply affected by Haibara's death and I often wonder if Nanami would have fallen to a darker path if he hadn't seen what that looked like through Getō's example. Similarly, it was only because of Getō's word that Gojō didn't murder an entire auditorium of non-sorcerers after Riko's death. Though he didn't know it at the time, Getō preserved Gojō's bright future at the expense of his own in that moment.

Gojō and Nanami's conversation in The Resurrection Puppet is bittersweet (something the characters play on by ordering sugary cocktails to balance out the bitter subject matter) because they weren't qualified to help Getō when he was struggling, simply because they were teenagers facing the exact same trauma. It shouldn't have been their responsibility in the first place — a lesson they've learned as adults, but only through losing their counterparts to their line of work as teenagers.

So, yes. I think Getō was depressed and I think it's an unfortunately common condition among sorcerers — it's no coincidence that so many of them are heavy drinkers!

Like I said, I don't think depression explains all of Getō's behaviour, especially post-defection. I wouldn't want to attempt to "diagnose" him after that point, but it's my view that Getō lost his grip on reality to some degree. I don't think anyone could carry out his actions without some level of mental disconnect from them. Akutami says that Getō has been telling himself he hates non-sorcerers since school and I think he succeeded in convincing himself. Still, I wonder why it was necessary to convince himself in the first place...

That's just speculation though. Whatever the reason, Getō's story is a deeply sad one that we can all learn from in the real world. I think we should be able to condemn the path that someone chooses while recognising the suffering that led them to it. If we don't learn to prevent the latter, we'll never be able to prevent the former — and that's one of my most firmly held beliefs.

By the way, it's definitely worth listening to the audio drama of The Resurrection Doll if you haven't already heard it! Thank you for the question and apologies for taking so long to answer! 🖤

[aysekira]

Hi, I have been going through your lyf tags and you are one of the few whose thoughts matches mine on the love traingle. I think despite complaining about overused cold-overbearing ML trope, many people are still too attached to that and can't accept somone like Jing as the endgame. I have never been a big fan of MLs that makes grand gesture w/o FL's knowledge but acts aloof/cold, either because he can't deal with his feelings or think he knows better or for the greater good. It's not fair to the FL and I believe that just because you made sacrifices for the FL you are not owned her love. Xiao Yao has been clear about her wants from day 1, if XL was honest about his feelings they could have had a shot. But even if he switched sides I can't imagine them living a mundane life together. That's why I think Jing being the end game makes so much sense, they both want someone to earnestly love them. (1/2)

Hi anon. First of all, let me just say i hope you enjoy the posts under the tag. Secondly, while i see that this is a two-parter ask— pardon me, but i think um you kinda forgot to turn on the anonymous feature on the second one so just to be safe as to not disclosing the username let me just go at it with this one& paste some quotes from the other part that i think is relevant.

I agree with what your point about xy’s decision in choosing jing/17 is not in any shape or form a way of settling with reasons stated per your points&basically what i stated on other posts. Also, i too am quite puzzled as to how&why it is being viewed as such, vehemently at that, by some people to the point that i just see them as basically having xy’s non achievable standards heck even higher than that, in evaluating jing/17 as an ML option, heck him as a character! (eg. Non retaliation is seen as weakness, etc)— wouldn’t elaborate on how i feel or my views about it because i reckon one page wouldn’t suffice. Let me just say it goes between perplexed to annoyance depending on one’s mood that day.

In your second part you mention: “I dont think choosing a caring, gentle man who loves you sincerely and who you find very desirable is a bad move in fictional or real world. Their relationship was very uneven but when they get together later they both have grown as person and it is much more balanced.” This part i agree with fully and are some of the reason as to why i wholeheartedly supports 17 as the end game.

If nothing else, we’re talking about end game as long term relationship here, in deities timeline at that: where 15 years’ basically the equivalent of our 1.5years to these characters. out of the MLs options, jing’s the only one that consistently shown the trait that xy keeps on hammering as being the things she seeks: availability— that is steadfast enough he makes her believe that no matter what reason that may/will come he will never ever not be available for/abandoned her. From waiting on her bird rides to this point in the drama: he basically&consistently rehashing that scene on the bridge where it’s never him that walks away first. And if that’s not checking the biggest point in xy’s want&need list for long term relationship/end game. Then idk what is.

[jiminsass-istant]

Bye bye old BTS

This video aged so badly, ngl..

Bighit and Hybe totally went the American popstar way in 2023 for 1 member. Good that they finally cracked into the US music industry bubble. Hope it helps the group as a whole with their 2025 comeback.

(For context, the above Boracity video explains how bts has been always snubbed due to their lack of US label push, lack of radio support, lack of playlist, spotify support, minimum remixes, fewer album versions, chart rule changes etc)

The problem is - they decided as a company (and with scooter) that the only way they can make it into the US gp, was to debut a soloist, with all english tracks (because there's no way US would accept more than 1 soloist from the same korean group singing korean songs).

One thing they got right was that the US GP would not embrace a whole Asian pop group. And releasing english songs is not something BTS would keep doing either, because they clearly have different individual ambitions. When it comes to pop, it's always the solo/ individualist culture in the US. It is much easier to sell one personality than sell 7 different ones to the GP. (the General Public, not army, not people who really get INTO bts and get obsessed).

So, I totally understand why they went for mainstream US popstar way for 1 member only and also because it aligned with his own personal ambitions.

But of course they made a couple of big mistakes-

1) Underestimating the popularity and OG fan power that can give chart ranks and achievements even to non-US promoted members and their music. (BTS have done it before with a korean song and jimin did it again).

2) While they paid attention to heavy promo, charts and playlisting for Golden, they failed to create a connection with the music- which seems highly non-personal and lacking in depth and has a non-interesting concept. The promo did do the work of making jk a common name, showcasing his talents and introducing him to the industry. But for a lasting impact, they have to create better stories with the music. Idc, army are acting too defensive when people are disappointed that he didn't write his songs. It's okay to not write, but the very least singers can do is connect to song meanings and relate to personal experiences during the promos. But thanks to idol culture, jk has never been able to talk about his dating experiences. Even in the interviews, it would have been nice to see him talk about how he related to the lyrics, what the concept was etc etc.

SILVER LINING:

The constant mention of 'ARMY' by JK in all of his US promo stuff. I do see Hybe's bigger plans here. JK is a medium to bring in new fans for BTS's comeback. When they look up JK's past content, they can't do it without learning about BTS. And it doesn't matter if you are a JK solo fan, you will still be called ARMY (BTS fandom). Hybe will still call you army, even if you are just waiting for more Jungkook music and Jungkook shows. But guess what, the next time these new fans get to see Jungkook will be at a BTS CONCERT. Not a Jungkook concert.

More thoughts..

JK concert will come immediately after though. Why do you think they increased the no. of tracks in Golden when the original plan was to release a mini album? It's to collect more songs for his name. A few more releases and he'll be ready to have his own concert.

Okay final thoughts-

Hybe is going the right way from a business perspective. But they have mismanaged a lot of things. Underestimated the power of individual members and fumbled their priorities. BTS are not underdogs anymore. They are big, and whether you like it or not, Hybe is going to move like a big corporation now, revenue being top priority, not artists. If they don't strike a balance between keeping OG OT7 fans happy, the significance of ARMY will be lost. Unless...they want that to happen and do not care about the fandom that moves on its own now.

And before you camp in my asks or comments, saying the same things about sabotage, company fraud etc, I am aware of it all. Please do share your opinions that can add to this discussion.

[writtenbythe-stars]

Can I ask you how Mingyu and Wonyoung see each other? They’re kpop idols. Thank you!

thanks for this request! i did my standard relationship spread here for these two and i thought it was really interesting, but i do want to say up front that i didn't get a very strong energy in this reading. that could just be on my end - sometimes you just don't get a vibe - or maybe the situation is very uncertain or changing rapidly, so nothing feels particularly definite - or it could be a sign that the energy and emotions between these two just aren't particularly strong (which isn't even necessarily to say that says anything about their relationship as a whole - it could just be that right now things are just chill!). i've alluded to this before but i'll call it out again - i use and like this particular spread and spreads like it because the spread itself doesn't necessarily speak to anything about the nature of the relationship, it's just about how they see each other and the relationship. so this would speak to a romantic relationship, sure, but you could also pretty fruitfully ask these questions about a friend, a family member, a coworker even. no matter the specifics, in every kind of relationship people have some kind of feeling about the other person, have a conception of themself and their role in the relationship. so that's just a general reminder, something to keep in mind for this reading and previous readings, and also, just, y'know, a reminder that you can request readings for non-romantic relationships.

mingyu & wonyoung, 11.21.24

querent: wonyoung, significator: knight of pentacles

okay, so! i looked at both of their charts and they're actually both very balanced in their energy, but i chose to read from wonyoung's perspective because she has a slight prevalence of earth energy in her chart, matching her virgo sun. that might also be another reason the energy here didn't feel particularly strong - they just both seem like they have very balanced energy, which can be a little harder to read.

how wonyoung sees herself: V of cups reversed

first, we look at how wonyoung sees herself in the relationship, and i pulled the v of cups reversed. so the fives all show how the suits deal with conflict or difficulties and in cups we see loss. in particular, fitting for the suit of cups, the emphasis is on the emotional reaction to the loss - grief, sorrow. but there's also an element of acceptance to that loss - in waite's illustration, only three cups are knocked over, but two remain - not all is lost, if we're able to turn and see. reversed, we see the primary energy of the upright card diverted or disrupted, but there are a few different ways it could go. on the one hand, it can be a simple negation - not accepting the loss shown in the cups, and so we make mistakes, put our energy in the wrong places, arising from this lack of acceptance. alternately, the reversal can shift the focus to those two remaining cups, representing either support from others (the two cups connecting to the two of cups) or simply an awareness of those cups - whereas in the v of cups upright, the figure is turned toward the spilled cups away from those that remain upright, reversed the figure turns toward those cups, retains an awareness of what's permanent and important in the face of sorrow.

so, i'm not very familiar with wonyoung or what's going on in her life, and i didn't want to influence my own reading too much by doing too much research, so i'm just going to read the energy and potential interpretations, and maybe that will resonate with something that's public knowledge or maybe it's referring to something entirely private (which i would really expect, actually, dealing with both a relationship reading and a card of grief). i see a few potential interpretations here, turning on the different interpretive strands i outlined above with the reversal. common to all of them is the sense that she's experienced some sorrow or loss recently, possibly in the relationship or just one that's affecting her experience in the relationship (like, it was very important to her, or it affected both of them). from there, the most straightforward interpretation is that she's refusing to accept this loss and she sees herself as fighting against it. and i think that fits with some of the later cards, like the Wheel of Fortune reversed, which i'll touch on when we get there. but i also got a sense of self-awareness here, especially in this position (how she sees herself) that i don't think entirely fits with this interpretation, so alternately (or in addition - she could be struggling between these two feelings) the focus is on the two cups remaining: coming out of this loss, she's really leaning on someone else to help support her (given the position and the overall reading, likely mingyu); or, she's come through this loss with a sense of what's really important, what remains even in times of loss, and she sees herself as bringing this kind of vision and self-awareness to the relationship (especially if the loss is somehow related to the relationship or affecting both of them).

how w sees m: II of swords reversed

next we look at how she sees mingyu, and i pulled the ii of swords reversed. i've had this card come up a few times in earlier readings, so i'll keep this discussion a little on the shorter side. upright, this card carries a sense of willful blindness - of keeping your problems at a distance by refusing to really see and address them, blocking yourself off from things, not really engaging, which keeps you at a distance from real connection and emotions too. reversed, this energy either comes to a breaking point - there's an inherent instability to this energy, just because you refuse to look at your problems doesn't mean they're not still there, you get overwhelmed by emotions or situations - or you choose to remove the blindfold, especially for seeing the truth (recalling the sword of Justice, the connection of swords to air and ideas) or for communicating (swords are also the suit of communication), for talking about issues, and actually connecting and opening ourselves up, removing the swords that were closing us off.

there are a few different ways i see of interpreting this card, and they tie into different interpretive threads with the v of cups as well. so, the first way of looking at this would connect to the first interpretation mentioned above - so, wonyoung sees mingyu as someone who's not really dealing with problems, who's been kind of holding himself at a distance from things, and is being / will be overwhelmed by them. so, maybe that ties into the loss represented in the v of cups in some way, or maybe this is especially in contrast to the final interpretation of the v of cups - where wonyoung sees herself as having this kind of understanding of what remains important, she sees mingyu as willfully blind and so getting overwhelmed by things, particularly emotions (the 2 recalls the High Priestess, the figure's seated pose resembles the High Priestess, directly behind the figure we see a large body of water - all connecting to the emotional, cups energy). alternately, though, she could see him as someone removing the blindfold and communicating - maybe with the ii of swords relating to the two remaining upright cups on the v of cups, suggesting that it's through this communication and openness that he's able to lend support, or maybe this communication and clarity is tied in some way to the self-awareness she has of what remains important in the face of loss. but in this thread of interpretation, she really sees him as someone who is now seeing clearly, speaking honestly, really communicating, again particularly about emotional matters (given all the water elements i listed above).

how w sees the relationship: Wheel of Fortune reversed

and finally we look at how wonyoung sees the relationship itself, and i pulled the Wheel of Fortune reversed. the Wheel of Fortune is the tenth card of the major arcana, and it is very much connected to the idea of cycles ending, the mysterious hands of fate turning the wheel, the inevitability of change and forces beyond our control - an earthquake, a random car accident, a layoff, an illness. so, this card often indicates a period of time in which events beyond the querent's control are changing the circumstances of their life. upright, the sense is that this person is adapting well to the change, or is taking this opportunity for greater understanding of her own life - seeing clearly what things are beyond our control is really important to understanding what is within our control, what we actually can do. reversed, there is a sense of struggle - you don't understand what's within your control, so you fight against things you can't control, or you fight against something that has already happened, when going back is impossible. one of the more niche interpretations here but an alternative is that, particularly for people who have been letting themselves be controlled by the wheel - who see too many things as just turns of the wheel of fate, like life just happens to them - the reversed Wheel can be an indication of a new awareness of the power in their life, a sense that it's not just all the Wheel.

so, i mentioned a niche interpretation, but most often the interpretation is the more traditional one - wonyoung sees the relationship as fighting against the tide, as maybe already at some kind of end or turning point (connected to the ten as cycles ending and beginning) and fighting against changing circumstances. there's especially a sense that this is about something external to the relationship, things outside their control. the sense of fighting against something, refusing to accept change, struggling against the inevitable - all of these call back to the V of cups reversed and the refusal to accept that loss, which may suggest that whatever that loss represents, it's something that is tied to the Wheel of Fortune - something external, driven by forces outside of her control. i brought up the niche interpretation, though, as this awareness of power in life could be connected to the awareness of what remains important interpretation of the V of cups reversed and the communication / clarity interpretation of the II of swords reversed as well. so, synthesizing, one potential interpretation of this first line of cards suggests that some kind of external change in circumstances led to a loss that in some way impacted the relationship, and herself as refusing to accept this loss and the relationship fighting against it, mingyu ignoring the issues, willfully blind and overwhelmed. an alternate interpretation, though, is that this same loss led to open communication and clarity with mingyu, and him providing some emotional support or clarity in the face of that loss for wonyoung, leading to the relationship or the two of them getting this new awareness of the power they do have in life, understanding what is and isn't within their control, what's important in the face of that loss.

and those two things may seem very different, but i do think it's a good illustration of the uncertainty of tarot and the role of free will - there's a lot those two circumstances have in common, and you can see all kinds of push and pull energy involved in the situation - grief and sorrow, avoiding problems and emotions and pushing them away, or being driven closer together, communication. and there are all kinds of other influences on every situation, and so it's most likely not 100% one or the other circumstance, but rather a kind of sliding scale, some moments more one way, some more others, based on our free will and our understanding of the lessons that may be there. so like, if wonyoung were sitting here, as a present querent, i might say that pushing for that communication from mingyu could help bring about more of the clarity aspects seen in the other cards.

how mingyu sees himself: IV of swords

that was a lot! but moving on to the cards looking from mingyu's perspective, first we look at how he sees himself. here, the IV of swords. this card actually came up in just the last reading i did, on nicholas galitzine, so i'll direct you there for a more thorough description. in short, though, to me this card has the energy of meditation - retreating inward in order to get your thoughts in order. and as with all of the swords, there's an edge here - this can stabilize you and give you strength, or it can be just about avoidance and isolation, and so it's not very healing.

we're in swords again, an interesting parallel between the way that wonyoung sees him and how he sees himself - both situated in that air energy of the swords, but where she is looking for that emotion and connection (tying into the water energy with the two) and reads the air energy he has as avoidance, he sees himself as in this kind of meditation retreat space - taking time alone, focused inward, to put his thoughts in order. and maybe that makes the communication interpretation of the II of swords reversed less likely, or maybe this time to get his thoughts in order is what makes it possible for those conversations to happen, and to really have the clarity that we saw in earlier cards.

how m sees w: queen of pentacles

next, we look at how mingyu sees wonyoung, and i pulled the queen of pentacles. so, the queens of each suit represent a sort of flowering of each suit, and in the queen of pentacles, we see a figure who expresses all of this pentacles energy, closely resembling the Empress. the queen figure is deeply nurturing, stable, connected to nature and more broadly the mundane experience of her life, finding deep meaning in it. i always see the queen of pentacles as a little bit like the quintessential well-off hippie mom, who's always nurturing those around her but also deeply in tune with herself and the world.

as far as interpretation goes, i think this card in this position is very straightfoward. while court cards can be an external influence, in the position of how he sees wonyoung and especially given that the significator was a knight of pentacles, to me mingyu sees her as very much embodying this queen of pentacles energy, this kind of nurturing, abundant, successful energy. it's interesting in the difference between this conception and how she sees herself, in that place of grief and loss - potentially suggesting either that he's not seeing this about her (when we imagine someone as so stable and nurturing, it's easy to miss when this kind of person actually needs to be nurtured) or could tie into the idea of awareness of what's important after loss, maybe he sees her as dealing with whatever the situation is better than him. it's also the first time we see pentacles energy in this reading, but far from the last.

how m sees the relationship: X of pentacles

finally, we look at how he sees the relationship itself, and i pulled the X of pentacles. so, right back in pentacles, and we have the ten - a card of completion, showing the fulfillment of the suit's cycle. in pentacles, we get a card of success, achievement, legacy. an old man sits surrounded by his family. they're surrounded by pentacles, throughout their daily lives, but they don't really pay them attention, sometimes feel a little restless but the predominant energy is this success and legacy.

so, we have a bit of an echo of the Wheel of Fortune here - the Wheel is the tenth card of the major arcana, connecting to all the tens. and so, they're both seeing this relationship in similar terms - the end of a cycle, potentially something coming to a close, potentially motivated by external forces indicated by the Wheel - but where mingyu sees this in this positive way - success, legacy, tied to the pentacles energy that he sees her as exemplifying - she sees it as resisting something somehow. there's a sense of change that always comes with the Wheel of Fortune that is really at odds with the very settled, legacy energy of the X of pentacles, so potentially he sees things as stable and she sees things as threatened by some change in circumstances that they're fighting against.

relationship strength: IX of pentacles reversed

next looking at a relationship strength, and we remain in pentacles, this time the 9. so, the 9s connect to the hermit, and have this energy of almost the end of the journey, of success but also some sacrifice that has been made to achieve it. so, upright, the ix of pentacles figure closely resembles the queen of pentacles and the empress, but the key difference is in that sense of solitude and sacrifice. the ix of pentacles represents someone who has been successful in creating the life she wants through discipline, borne out of a deep self-awareness - you have to know what you want in life and what you have to work from in order to create this kind of successful life. reversed, at a deep level, that self-awareness, that connection to the world and groundedness that's so important to pentacles, is lost. so, one way that can be expressed is through a lack of discipline - someone who always seems to move from project to project, no real connection to any of them, struggling to actually channel energy into useful purposes. but the other way that this reversal can be expressed is in understanding that lack of self-awareness. the satisfaction that should come from the disciplined success isn't there, and so we realize that maybe we haven't actually been successful, the sacrifice wasn't worth it, because we weren't acting from a true knowledge. because of the pentacles connection to wealth, this is often specifically a moment of realizing we can't depend solely on material wealth for happiness.

so, in the position of relationship strength, i think the lack of discipline interpretation is pretty unlikely. more likely is the latter interpretation, where the relationship in some way helps bring them to an understanding of what's truly important, what you truly want, something connected to that grounded pentacles energy - potentially related to materialism (especially in light of the ace of pentacles reversed below). i think this feels really tied to some of the earlier potential strands in the reading, especially coming from wonyoung's side - the awareness of what remains important in the v of cups reversed, the sense of clarity and communication in the ii of swords reversed - and, together with mingyu viewing wonyoung as the very grounded queen of pentacles, suggests that maybe this is a lesson he's learning, or that she has a firmer understanding of things so far.

relationship weakness: ace of pentacles reversed

the flip side now, a relationship weakness - and once again, we remain in pentacles, this time pulling the ace of pentacles reversed. so, all of the aces have this gift of the universe energy, a period of time infused with some new rush of the energy of their suit. in pentacles, this energy relates to nature, hard work, security, domesticity - the home and the family - and, most obviously, wealth. reversed, there are a few different potential threads of interpretation. most often, and clearest, the ace reversed can represent that corrupted pentacles energy - overdependence on security and comfort, and relatedly, mistrust of others, selfishness, extreme competition. and of course this can be specifically about materialism, but it can also manifest in, say, the workaholic - even if they're not obsessed with the wealth produced by their work, it's about this overvaluing of pentacles energy, detached from that which makes it really meaningful. this is one of the more negative interpretations of this card, but there are a couple of related and less negative interpretations. for one, the garden shown on the card can represent this Eden-like garden, a time in which you're sheltered and protected from the problems of life - possibly by family or other people (like living in your parents' house long after you can and should be moving towards independence because it's more comfortable) or possibly wealth is what creates the shelter - but in either way, the reversal indicates a time to leave the garden, to become independent and begin planting one's own garden. also in a similar vein, we see in the background a gate out of the garden, and framed through the gate, mountains (which symbolically tie to air, swords, wisdom). so, again, a call to leave the garden (and its pentacles energy) and move towards wisdom - often with these undertones of rejecting materialism, gaining a deeper understanding.

so, i went into a lot of the different interpretations of this card, but i do think that in the position of a relationship weakness, the most likely interpretation is that first one - a sense that the two of them or the relationship are overreliant on material security and comforts, mistrustful of others and competitive, too focused on work. but i went into all of those interpretations because it really strikes me that both the ix of pentacles reversed and the ace of pentacles reversed are really both speaking to two different sides of the same thing, speaking to a real potentiality, in my opinion. so, as a strength of the relationship, we see this potential for new understanding of what's truly important, what is necessary to ground our understanding around materiality and work, and as a weakness of the relationship we see this tendency towards the negative aspects of pentacles energy - suggesting a kind of push and pull between these forces, this potentiality for things to go either direction, a lot of uncertainty or flux.

relationship's direction: The Empress

last two cards, and first we look at the relationship's direction, where i pulled The Empress. The Empress continues this theme of really dominant pentacles energy, since (like the Magician is connected to fire / wands and the High Priestess to water / cups) she is connected to the earth and pentacles. So, the Empress is an expression of that energy - nurturing, motherhood (or, more precisely, a gender neutral expression of those maternal qualities we culturally assign to femininity/motherhood), fertility, sensual pleasures, free expression of emotions and pleasures. the card often represents a time of passion in life - a time when you really experience life through the physical, material, mundane, through your emotions, rather than through the mind, thinking. in its most positive expression, there is a satisfaction or even an understanding gained through the emotions, but in its more negative expressions it can point to an emotional approach when a more rational one is needed, someone who stubbornly refuses to put aside their emotions and look at things rationally, or indulgence when restraint is needed.

so the earth / pentacles energy is continuing into the future, based on the Empress, suggesting a period of time where passion, the emotions, the sensual or material enjoyment of life. i think the different ways that the Empress can be expressed - either satisfaction and understanding gained through emotions or stubborn emotions, indulgence - really resonate with this kind of push and pull, potentiality energy throughout this reading, where it feels like things are in flux and could very much go one way or the other - either towards excessive materialism or towards this understanding through emotions. one way of thinking about this would be that the continued pentacles energy is a bad thing, that if, say, materialism or workaholism is a potential issue, then what we need is something totally different. but pentacles energy isn't a problem in and of itself - the Empress resembles the queen of pentacles, reminds us of the potential and joy for truly grounded, aware pentacles energy. and the connection to the queen of pentacles suggests again that maybe it's wonyoung who is playing a bit of a greater role here, possibly the one who's looking for this new understanding, pushing for it.

advice for relationship: VII of swords

finally, we look at advice for the relationship, and here i pulled the vii of swords. so, the sevens are cards of victory, tied to the Chariot, and in swords we see a kind of victory, but it's a sneaky sort of victory, one that comes about through scheming, but in the illustration itself we see the card warning about the shortcomings of this kind of victory - the figure sneaking away can only carry five of the seven swords, leaving two behind (the two remaining also emphasizing the isolation of the figure sneaking off). there's a sense of craftiness in the vii of swords, a sense of hiding one's true plans or ambitions, trying to achieve victory through deceit and tricks.

as advice for the relationship, i see two potential strands of interpretation. in the first, we embrace the vii of swords - there are circumstances where this kind of trickiness is needed, is maybe the only path to victory, despite the shortcomings, so maybe this is a situation similar to the one they are in - or this card can be an encouragement to go it alone, to leave those two swords behind if necessary in order to get out. alternately, this card represents a warning - the two swords remaining recall the two cups left standing in the v of cups, where we started this reading, as well as the two of swords reversed. there's a sense, then, that any victory through these crafty schemes would involve leaving this behind - suggesting the hollowness of this kind of approach and what it would actually cost to leave these two swords behind.

[elisedonut]

18 and 35 for the ask game please!

How i would combine a Circus AU + Bathtub Fic

thank you for participating with me!!

OK!

So!

First thought was Weasley family circus au where the family itself is a travelling cirrus i have no idea if that's a thing i know most media I've seen is very found family vibes with characters coming into a new family. (or you know abusive situations but I'm electing to ignore those so yes

Weasley Family Circus

maybe it's still a magical world maybe its not

if it is magic somehow then i imagine it be a situation where they had to run during the first war instead of hunkering down and hiding

eventually figuring out they could make money by putting on shows and it spiraling a bit

but that depends a lot on how you think the statue of secrecy works

i think you could hand wave it by making it something that only matters when using wands which I've seen a few times

so like if they enchant say a balance bar to not have to worry so much about not falling off it since they didn't do that in front of the audience it doesn't count

or

the "if the audience doesn't realize its like legit magic then it doesn't trigger whatever they use to tell its been broken because its just a non issue" method which is also very fun imo though cant say I've seen it very often

so pretty much this is all set up for someone who also has magic

i don't know who because i would want it to be someone who doesn't know Percy but it needs to be some bad at keep their mouth shut i think

but someone visiting said circus and getting absolutely drenched but like not water

(what is it? Fred says you don't want the answer)

because of something the twins invented because i just think they would love being in the circus especially because i could see them getting more like support? from Molly specifically since its directly helpful to their act and such

but whatever it is. its obviously not muggle so the person outright asks about it and loudly which obviously they are brushed off but Percy still brings them to the family tent with the intention to get them a towel and maybe a change of clothes

now side note

the family tent has all sorts of muggle charms on it to make it look like well normal so it just looks like a few fairly large tents (it originally looked like a single one but as the kids got older Molly

(and by Molly i really mean Bill, she thinks it was her idea though)

started to notice people talking about them squishing the kids in such a small place and chose to adjust to wards to look like multiple

point is obviously that only effects Muggles so to magic people it looks like one large tent on the outside and obviously looks expansive on the inside pretty much the burrow but its a tent

also because the other prompt is bathtub fic I'm choosing to believe in this au their tub is actually pretty large and kinda nice because the tent was originally a fancy camping tent with a large one meant for relaxing that Arthur found on sale for cheap when Percy was 13

ok back on topic

Percy notices immediately that the person is also magic sense they look far too interested in what should be nothing and ends up letting them use the bath and then you get that fun scene where they get out and are really cute

and Percy gets a crush and penpal for awhile before he leaves the family behind after a few years because he wants to actually settle down somewhere and stuff still leads to a fight and a strained relationship because of the closer nature of the siblings (and because unlike og in this world Percy's the first to leave)

but uh yeah

a smaller secondary concept that crossed my mind was stealing the water transportation from kyo kara maoh but instead of the alternate word being a typical medieval-ish fantasy world its instead still a fantasy world but like Percy taking a bath in the prefects bathroom and wakes up in a circus that is also a kingdom

and now he has alternate vers of a bunch of people he knows wanting his attention due to some vague prophecy nonsense about the one who marries the visitor will prosper but like make it silly

on top of also having to solve different problems and always having a chance of being sent back to his world every time he takes a bath

in other words Percy Weasley gets to play an Otome game but in real life

[sleepyowlwrites]

Mother Dearest I hope this Blorbsday finds you well. How are you and the Blorbos? Will you tell me a story about them? Maybe one where it’s Jet’s birthday and the other characters want to buy him a present. What will they get him? Will he like it?

[I've been thinking about this, and wondering what on earth they could get for him that wouldn't make him want to like, run away.]

Jet likes to imagine that he still has fine lines running through his liminal spaces. That he has fences set up between him and the world, and thinner, more invisible fences between him and the people who have decided they're his friends. And maybe he also considers him friends, but that means reordering his priorities and he doesn't want to bother. It's bad enough that Rune has emerged triumphant at the top of the list, scowling and shrugging him off even while he makes space for her and her chains. Copper sits next to him, not even on the list, too important to order and too precious to hold onto.

What he has in his life is a set of fence-breakers, and ones that he's becoming increasingly fond of, and it’s tearing at him underneath his armor. They smile at him and tell him jokes and insist that they want to help him out of the fights he puts himself in, as if he ever asked for such a thing.

"You don't have to ask," Yarrow tells him the day after the bloody fight with Rune, when Jet is pretending he's the only person in this garage.

Jet continues ignoring him despite the tingling in his fingers.

"Because we see you being alone when you don't have to be," Yarrow goes on, unbothered as always by Jet’s non-participation. "So even if you don't ask, we'll support you."

"Why." Jet just says it, because it's not really a question so much as a challenge. "If I haven't asked, that means I don't need you."

Yarrow crouches down beside Jet, and, in a blatant display of foolhardy bravery, takes hold of Jet’s chin with paint-stained finger, turning it to face him. "No."

Jet freezes where he sits, elbows balanced on his knees as he holds a rag in one hand and a wrench in the other.

"You need it, you just don't ask because you don't think anyone cares. Which is incorrect, as I have just told you."

The wrench taps Yarrow’s fingers away without force, but they release him and Jet can breathe easier.

"By the way, Copper says it's your birthday soon, and I know you'd hate a party, but if I bring my mom's gingerbread cake and stick a candle in it, will Copper blow it out?"

"Copper would love that," Jet says as normally as he can manage. "Don't you dare get me a present."

"What about a very soft flannel shirt with your favorite colors?"

Jet bounces the wrench in his hand. "You've already gotten me one."

Yarrow smiles, blindingly so, as only he can. "I won't wrap it. I'll just give it to you, like it doesn't even matter."

It would matter, and it would hurt, but Jet recognizes somewhere inside him that this is just what friendship entails, and that he was stuck inside one regardless of how good or bad he was at it, and so he shrugs.

Yarrow pats his head- the absolute gall of this menace- and leaves.

Jet doesn't bother trying to reset his fences. Yarrow can clearly just climb over them anyway.

(So congrats, Rainstorm, you got me to write a city story scene after...3? Months?)

Oh, I guess taglist: @zoya-writes @selene-stories @enchanted-lightning-aes @oh-no-another-idea @diphthongsfordays @wildswrites and also @drippingmoon @klywrites @kaiusvnoir @blind-the-winds

[liaromancewriter]

Do any of your pairs feel they don't get enough time with their children once they're born? Or do they not get enough time with each other? Does having kids impact them in a negative way?

Both my pairings have busy lives, so there are times when they feel they're not giving each other or their kids enough time. I think that the balancing act is natural when you have a family and a career. At the same time, both couples have nannies and a good support system. So, while having kids doesn't impact them negatively on the whole, there are moments when it occurs.

Ethan & Cassie:

By the time the twins come along, Cassie's career is on the rise, and Ethan has already achieved everything he wanted to. As such, he doesn't see the need to constantly push himself to the brink. He finally listened to what Naveen had been saying all these years: there's more to life than medicine. At the same time, he encouraged Cassie to go for what she wanted, supporting her completely.

Ethan and Cassie took a 6-month sabbatical after the twins were born. Her pregnancy was an unexpected and difficult one. She needed time to recover, and they felt it was important to bond as a family. They could afford it, so why not? Going back to work was hard for them, but eventually they adjusted.

If you've read any of my fics, you know their girls can be a handful at times. In the early years, finding alone time was hard. Often, they felt like the only time they spent not talking about kids-related stuff was when they were at work. But their regular coffee date at Derry's kept them connected.

Still, there was a period of time when they started drifting apart. It got worse when Louise died, and Ethan was wracked with guilt about not doing enough for her. Eventually, they did couples counseling and had a heart-to-heart about their relationship and what each of them needed from the other. Learning how to balance that with their family and being there for their girls was a huge part of it.

As an aside, Ethan, in canon, was ambivalent about having a family. In my world, Cassie is equally so at the start of their relationship. It took her time to see herself as a mother and even longer to adjust to actually becoming one.

Max & Sienna:

I've probably shown more of this topic for Maxenna than Ethan & Cassie. Max and Sienna's family started quite unexpectedly, and neither of them was ready for it that soon in their relationship. They were barely married four months and hadn't even reached the first year anniversary of officially becoming a couple. That caused a lot of friction at times, before and after Noah was born. I've written a couple of fics about this topic with Party of Three being the first one.

All Fall Down is a pivotal moment in their relationship, one that scared both of them. After that, they made a pact to never forget the fundamental promise they made to each other when their friendship had begun to shift to love: open and honest, no matter what. In Night Adventures, you see them discussing getting non-kid alone time and how important is to their relationship after becoming parents. Max & Si Time is blocked off in their calendars.

Still, Max's job requires a lot of long hours and travel. Plus, he and Sienna have social commitments because of the Valentine name. So, they do a lot of juggling between work and their family. Sienna switched to part-time during her second pregnancy and stayed that way. Eventually, she started doing a YT Cooking 101 channel, which led to cookbooks, and she got busier than ever.

They do struggle to give their children time, and Sienna feels guilty about it more often than not, even though their kids are well-adjusted. They make a point to spend time as a family, though (see Family Vacation).

Thanks for the ask.

Character Asks: @bluebelle08 @cariantha @crazy-loca-blog @coffeeheartaddict2 @lucy-268 @jerzwriter @lady-calypso @quixoticdreamer16 @rookiemartin @tessa-liam @trappedinfanfiction

[priestess-of-yuri]

Hi, Alice the witch. I am at a complete dead end currently in my life where I so desperately want things to change for the better but I have no way of knowing if the path that I am choosing is the right one for me. I sorta feel like my whole life is just gonna feel like this, where I just fall into a job I dont like, live in a city I feel is too small for me and that is just the way it is supposed to be for me. At the same time I am so sick of the suffering and pain. My whole life just feels like a dark shadow where if I get hopeful about something, it is ripped away from me momentarily. What can I do in this situation? Is there any possibility of things becoming more clear to me in terms of my career? Sincerely, Ghastly confused 20year old going through a quarter life crisis for the entirety of my life actually. Thank you in advance :) <3

hi there :) i hope i can lend you some perspective and shine a light on things for you. let's get into the readings! 🍃🦋💗

for your tarot reading:

Justice in reverse -- with this Major Arcana card casting a theme over your reading, you are called to learn from all of your past experiences. not just the good, but the bad, and the "fugly", too. everything that you have been through is at your disposal and can become something that is useful to you. seek balance. seek a life of balance. of light and shadow, "good" and "bad". because it's all important. through seeking to understand how it can be balanced in some way, you will be able to learn how to move forward in a way that feels authentic to you. you're not a lost cause, you have so much potential within you. you simply need to face your fears. your fears are not your enemy -- they are there to guide you. protect you. serve you. every shadow you have is the same. light isn't always good and shadow isn't always bad. learn the difference, learn how to be discerning, learn how to be introspective in a way that cherishes kindness, forgives curiosity, adores patience. no matter where you go, no matter if your life gets chaotic and seemingly unpredictable or confusing, your path is always one of love.

Knight of Cups -- in this, i see you are a true romantic at heart. you might love romance, you might long for a happily ever after. this isn't wrong of you. this is your truth, and your truth is crucial to your life. live following your heart, seeking connections, being creative. since you asked about your career, you may be being called to something creative specifically. this can be stem, but usually it is indicative of the arts or even something extremely non-traditional. again, i will say this: follow your heart. magic is real and you can create the life you desire with your own hands -- remember that you are supported in this, too. the Universe cradles you gently, and wants you to succeed.

8 of Cups in reverse -- this is a card of literally being disappointed with your life and walking away from something... but also you know what else it says? choosing your sacred path is the biggest act of self-love you can enact. once you choose your sacred path, you choose yourself. that is love. that is self-love. it's so so important right now for you to let go of that which doesn't serve you. it can be anything, and only you can decide what it is. you don't have to do anything immediately either. but know that by shedding outgrown expectations, hopes, people, ideas, beliefs, guilt, or ways of being -- you can grow. you can realise your dreams. you can blossom into something new, but that which you always had the potential to become.

for your oracle reading:

(side note -- this is insane to me, but i did shuffle this deck and got EXACTLY THE SAME cards that i pulled for myself in an earlier reading. 🚶🏽 omg. GDNDHDDJ we must be resonating deeply or something...)

The Seas of Mintaka -- Mintaka is said to be a planet that had crystal clear waters the likes of which you could not even imagine, so clear that you could see for miles deep down. water usually represents emotions or the subconscious, so this is a calling to delve deep. feel yourself through your emotions instead of rejecting them outright. they are not your enemies, they are your dear friends telling you information about yourself and your situation. you need to simply learn their language. learn your internal language. carl jung once said "that which we do not bring to consciousness appears in our life as fate". you can practice diving deep so you can harness your fate. try speaking your emotions aloud more, empathizing, and journalling. this is the key to unlocking more and more of your soul.

All Paths Lead Home -- you can learn to trust your instincts, your intuition. it's so normal to look to the external to seek guidance, but what's revolutionary is turning your gaze inwards. you're being called to develop a feeling of connection with your soul. deep, deep down there is a place where you can feel at home, and when you act in the physical world, you can come from this place -- come from it and be kind, and unshakeable. you're being called to develop this feeling of "at homeness" -- by practicing relying on your intuition. you know yourself best. you know what you need and want. you are the only one that can decide what your true path is. all these things are true, but not because i've said them. these things are true for everyone, and for you, too. how can you develop your connection, or relationship, with yourself to become more secure and certain?

Baby Steps -- you don't need to know where you're heading to begin your journey. you don't need to know where your path leads to take the first step. so take that first step, and keep walking. one baby step at a time. this is a card that signals you are already on the path to fruition. intuition doesn't show you the end result -- even if we want it to. intuition shows you a general direction, a distinct sense of "right", and then you can follow it. and that's all you need to do to live authentically. you don't owe anyone explanations -- anyone who supports you will do just that, unconditionally. "it feels right" is more than enough reason for you to do something.

The Blue Flame -- these beings are talking about healing. integration. activation. any past pain or hurt you're feeling has so much potential to be healed right now. you're likely feeling it, like an internal storm whipping winds and rain about inside. that's normal. you're healing. it may take effort and time on your part, but it's so possible to become more yourself. you need only listen to your intuition, face your fears, and take baby steps.

thank you for reading, dear traveller ✨🍃🦋💕 i hope you found this helpful. remember to leave feedback on my site so i can thank you by putting it on my site.

and to the rest of you, see my pinned for rules when requesting free readings!

[peonyblossom]

6, 34, and 49 for syd and sadie :)

from this ask list

6. Suppose your MC is dealing with a really tough case and would have to break the News to the patient. How would they deal with it? Will they offer a shred of hope or will they be blatant in the severity of the case?

Sadie: She will be direct, but still attempt to offer hope. Obviously there's only so much she can do, but she will do her best to educate the patient on all of their options and which ones she thinks might be best for them.

Sydney: Again, direct but still try to offer hope if possible. He will definitely convey the severity of the situation so that the patient can fully understand and deal with it.

34. In case your character is in a relationship, what is their approach in managing a work/life balance, all while working 16-18+ hours a day?

Sadie: Sleep when you can, where you can lol. She also makes sure she doesn't bring her work home with her and also makes sure that Ethan does the same. She also takes advantage of days off by spending time doing her hobbies and engaging in self care!

Sydney: He spends as much time with Ethan as possible whenever they both have time off. Also when they're both working lol. Just whenever he can. They tend to go on break at the same time when they're both working and they'll go get lunch/coffee/etc. so they can spend some time together during the day that isn't work related.

49. How was it for them to be "out" in public? Former boss/employee relationships are tough to handle, despite now being colleagues and working side by side. And with Ethan being a public figure himself, it is likely things might go sour. (Bonus: If your character is male/non-binary, how do they, as partners, handle public homophobia, if any?)

Sadie: It wasn't great at first. There were definitely people who thought she slept her way onto the DT no matter how much she told them she didn't. As time went on people became more okay with it, but as a woman there are always going to be people who believe that that's what she did. Mostly Sadie and Ethan just try to ignore what other people say if they can. They know what their relationship really is and that's what's important to them.

Sydney: Definitely not great. In my HC, Ethan isn't the kind of person who really comes out, he just kind of lets people figure it out, so a lot of people didn't know he was bisexual, until he and Sydney went public. They don't try to keep they're relationship low-key or anything (I mean, they remain professional when working, but that's about it), they just do their best to not acknowledge any bullshit people have to say. Again, there were people who thought Sydney slept his way onto the DT. For the most part, they try to ignore any hate, but when they need to they will lean on each other for support to get through some tough times. They've both dealt with homophobia before so they know how best to support each other when they have to deal with it.

[alianoralacanta]

When Media Collide (26-10-2007)

Context: I saw three different countries' coverage of various parts of the Brazillian Grand Prix (Speed TV for the USA, the channel that had the Spanish coverage and ITV for the UK). This inspired me to have a big long rant about press coverage. Some things never change.

I saw Speed TV's coverage of Brazil qualifying this year (long story involving an internet connection and some possibly-illegal behaviour), since ITV wouldn't broadcast live. While some aspects were really irritating (the whole thing was delayed 15 minutes to make way for NASCAR truck qualifying, and they missed loads of Q1 and Q3 due to ads), I envied the Americans their sane and balanced commentary line-up. David Hobbs seems very fair-minded, and although Peter Windsor has some biases, he seems to keep them much more restrained than James Allen.

In addition, I accidentally stumbled on some Spanish commentary some time later. I have no idea how the Spaniards put up with it, because the commentators seem to have the habit of talking over one another whenever anything exciting happens. While this may convey the excitement of F1 well, I cannot say that it increased my understanding of what the commentators thought very much…

ITV do have serious bias problems, and is clearly aimed at part-time fans. This increases ratings at the expense of commitment - and you need commitment to stick with F1 any length of time. Thankfully, we have Martin Brundle, but I have taken to watching the music channels for the first half-hour of ITV's hour-long build-up to avoid the outbreaks of Lewisteria the other people on ITV have got. I also stop watching the races as soon as the podium ceremony is done, unless a driver I support other than Hamilton has made it to the podium, for the same reason. Consequentially, I haven't watched any post-race press conferences this year.

Most races are currently directed by Bernie's organisation. I sometimes suspect they hired all the Austrian GP camera directors, because the same problems of bias and looking at fresh air are evident in the shots as they were in the coverage of the Austrian rounds before FOM got greedy. If only they'd asked one of the better countries to take over the camera work, we'd have a much better result.

The internet coverage is abysmal. I can't get formula1.com to work on my computer most of the time, so I can't comment on the live timing. What I can say is that on the rare occasion I have been able to get onto the site, the usability for people like me has been virtually non-existent. The FIA's site is not much of an improvement, and is in fact less usable and reliable than in its previous iteration (and Ollie, you needn't feel inferior on this sort of matter - this blog is highly accessible and would score well on any internet usability test).

The solution for the internet is three-fold:

1) Let people put clips on YouTube and similar free non-downloadable sites, so long as they were short (I believe YouTube's limit is 10 minutes a clip, and I think this is sensible to allow step 2) to work). 2) Have a central place where full races can be watched on a pay-per-race system (perhaps £3-5 per race). These basic races would have just the FOM-recorded video and sound, and would go from the 5-minute mark before races to the end of the race, plus podium and full post-race press conference. For an extra fee (£1, perhaps), the user could access the commentary from the professional provider of their choice, including all pre- and post-race content (this would be identical to whatever that channel broadcast, except without ads and with any content the broadcaster would like that would only work on the Net). The £1 supplement would go entirely to the broadcaster whose content was being viewed. This would set up competition between the broadcasters (all stations like extra money!), would reduce bias considerably (to get more viewers) and garner extra money for FOM (the FOM loves extra money!) 3) The third-party internet world needs to be embraced. Since the protaganists have, for the most part, proved completely unable to understand or cater for the requirements of the obsessive internet-based F1 fan. The likes of itv-f1.com would benefit from acknowledging these sites, perhaps by adding links to more detailed sources at the end of their news items (ITV itself is generally slow on the uptake as well as low on detail). Also, the good sites should be elevated in status, to the point where they are considered the equal of any traditional credentialed source.

The FIA's idea of posting regulations to the internet is good, but it is rather lazy in its uploading of said rules (new 2008 and 2009 Technical Regulations were announced yesterday and still haven't been posted!). Plain-language explanations would not only benefit us - given the problems various teams have had in the last couple of years, it would surely improve the running of the sport as well. But that's another story.

[selfpivot]

Combating Workplace Stress: Burnout, Mental Health, and Self-Care

Combating workplace stress means recognizing burnout, taking care of your mental health, and using self-care to stay balanced and productive.

Combating Workplace Stress as Burnout Gradually Sets In

The kind of culture that we live in it usually rewards you for working too hard, working to the point that you are breaking your back (Narayana Murthy comes to mind)

Interestingly, it’s not just how employees are treated but also the belief that exhaustion means you’re working hard enough.

The intention is all in the right places, desire to excel, to achieve, desire to have a good image, but then there is this hidden insecurity that makes you take on more than you can handle and at other times you are forced into it. Burnout slowly creeps in.

The way we usually perceive burnout is that it is sudden and suddenly it affects your body and your capacity to think. The truth of the matter is, that keeps building up.

The subtle sign of neck pain that you ignored, the help you provided despite not having time for it, the sleep you sacrificed, the cognitive load of having to process so much information, the emotional load of suppressing, sucking up, and doing the work slowly keeps aggravating.

Eventually, it reaches a stage where you cannot function anymore, you are demotivated, exhausted as well and restless because so much of the work is now pending because of that lack of functionality. It affects your sleep, appetite, physical and mental energy, not to forget your relationship with other humans.

Combating Workplace Stress: Practical Steps to Manage Burnout

While this might not be news to you, an important reminder is that we can take decisions before ourselves before our bodies make decisions for us.

1) Regular check-ins-

The best way to recognize burnout is by noticing when your body is constantly in fight or flight mode and eventually starts to collapse. Pay attention to when you’re feeling stressed or unsettled.

The easiest way for us to identify this is by asking ourselves regularly,

How do I feel physically and mentally?

Is there something I should be paying attention to?

2) Notice the self-notions that lead you to unknowingly increase your work pressure.

For example, what if my coworker gets upset, I should take on that workload, what if I am not doing enough to prove my worth?

3) Compartmentalize – There is always scope to alter how much we take on.

1. Are there things that can be delayed

2. Are there things I can say no to

3. Are there things I can get help for

4. Are there things I can choose to focus on right now

5. Are there unnecessary tabs open?

6. Is there space to delegate?

7. Can a certain aspect of work be negotiated about?

4) Being conscious of one’s values-

This is not only something that would help with burnout but even before you start working. Values are guides on how you want to curate your life.

For example, if for me the value of creativity is important, I will probably look for an environment that promotes creative work and creative thinking.

If for me leadership is important, I would consciously practice being assertive at my workplace

If having a balance is more important for me than competing, I will accordingly decide on how my progress should look and will try to be comfortable with the idea that others around me are working with some other idea in mind. Explore how our Online Therapy options can provide the support you need to improve your mental well-being

5) Create and discuss your list of non-negotiables-

It is important to know what you will not compromise on no matter what, for example leaving the office at a certain time, having 30 minutes of physical activity, having 7 hours of sleep, not touching work after reaching home, spending time with friends, partners, etc.

6) Work with your fears-

A cognitive bias that we often get to see is catastrophizing- often with a constant pile of work one can start feeling like if I lag in one project I will be kicked out or I will be left behind. I will not be able to come out of this mess etc.

In such circumstances, the situation is usually much worse in our minds than it is in reality. So, it’s important to assess each situation and distinguish between a real catastrophe and what’s actually happening.

7) Pause –

The most powerful tool there is can be explained by just one word. Pause.

You should do this not just in extremely overwhelming situations but whenever you sense even a hint of tension in your nervous system.

While these are some guidelines for general circumstances, sometimes life brings us to paths where there are genuinely no options but to continue working in a toxic situation or where negotiation of any kind is impossible.

Even in those situations, pausing for some time, taking deep breaths, and finding some way of releasing the pent-up energies can be far more effective than, completely ignoring it.

Finally,

Follow the advice you would give to your friend

Follow the advice you would give to your friend who was in the same situation as you, (keeping in mind that it is a pro-health choice) – for example, you tell your friend to catch a break and follow it

Conclusion:

To effectively combat workplace stress and prevent burnout essential to take proactive measures and prioritize self-care. This requires recognizing the signs of burnout and understanding its gradual onset. Regular self-checks and being mindful of self-perceptions that may contribute to work pressure are essential in managing workload and promoting mental well-being. Setting clear boundaries and prioritizing personal values can also support a healthy work-life balance.

Confronting fears and incorporating mindfulness techniques, such as taking occasional breaks, can alleviate stress and prevent burnout. Ultimately, prioritizing personal health and finding a healthy work-life balance is key to effectively managing workplace stress and preventing burnout.

If you are going through workplace stress, you can get in touch with us for Online Therapy in Kolkata to manage your stress and prioritize self-care for a healthier work-life balance.