#no more idolizations or metaphoric pedestals

[mumuqings]

losing my mind over this too. bc now they’re finally equals :’)

[somewhereincairparavel]

Alright. I came across someone saying that Rick "put Jason in a pedestal" and "overhyped" him by emphasizing how good looking he is and that Jason shouldn't have been so attractive looking. (Tbf tho that person made it sound like they seemed more mad bc their least favourite character was considered good looking lol) but I'll yap about the significance here anyways. Beware of a very long yapping session below.

I do understand their frustration though, because jason getting told that he looks good all the time makes it seem very shallow and unfair to the others.

And let me tell you, Jason is SUPPOSED to be gorgeous looking in everyone's eyes. He is supposed to be conventionally handsome, Rick didn't intend for his looks to be "beauty is in the eyes of the beholder " or something like Percy's (like how Piper didn't find him as impressive) Percy's is supposed to be more authentic. Percy's character isnt centred in people idolizing him, everyone can acknowledge that he's handsome looking, but it isn't in a "perfect" type of way, he's a carefree spirit and that reflects on his looks. While Jason is hardwired as this ethereal looking hero in people's eyes that not even ONE can deny that he looks good, bc ppl in Rome had set him as the "standard". Jason said this before in the lost hero, that him being a son of Jupiter, makes him feel like the support he gets is only because his dad is a very regal and intimidating figure.

That's kind of the whole point, he's supposed to look like this perfect man who can do no wrong. His "Golden noble boy" arc is literally the whole concept of his character. Why else do you think rick wrote Aphrodite approving of Jason's looks saying that he needed no improvement (which she rarely does) ?

Because Jason is supposed to be put like a statue to admire and idolize, that's ALSO why rick made sure to add that Jason looks like a Roman sculpture, bc that's like a metaphor for his inner conflicts. The guy was put like an artifact for people to ogle at in camp Jupiter ever since he was a kid of 4. That's part of the tragedy.

Annabeth said it perfectly “Annabeth tried to hide it, but she still didn’t completely trust the guy. He acted too perfect - always following the rules, always doing the honorable thing. He even looked too perfect. In the back of her mind, she had a nagging thought. What if this is a trick and he betrayed us?” Mark of Athena, page 6.

His mother, whom he's supposed to look like, is also a literal world wide tv actress. So you can't expect anything less either.

Also, Jason is supposed to mirror Percy. And let's be real. Rick put Percy in a VERY high pedestal looks wise, aswell, Not just Jason. And that's okay.

Rick made Hazel mistake Percy for a literal god because he was just that good looking (tbf, in a way, when I was younger, I found this to be a little bit of an exaggeration, bro was covered in mud and seaweed and was compared to a god, it was rlly funny to a 10 year old me 😭 yeah but don't mind this though, this was just a younger me jealous that I couldn't be as pretty as Percy was in mud lol) If Percy can be "hyped" up so "unrealistically" in that particular situation then so can Jason. They are both literal half gods, so unrealistic praise is very normal) and rick also made sure to emphasize that almost all the teen characters had a crush on Percy. So apparently that isn't called putting a character in a pedestal but Jason's is? They are BOTH put in pedestals, because they're both heroes.

Jason and Percy are supposed to be equals, so both of them being in the top two when it comes to looks makes SENSE. Because people are supposed to argue about who is better looking, since they're written as foils.

You cannot expect rick to make Percy look like a god and Jason look like a rat 😭 then there's no point of having them as parallels if one has the upper hand in something. Rick did a good job by conveying that they are BOTH attractive, but in different ways. That's why the Percy/Jason looks debate always have mixed answers.

Jason getting complimented by Aphrodite, the GODDESS of beauty, for his looks and her saying that he didn't have anything to "fix" in his face BC it already looks gorgeous = Percy getting compared to a gorgeous Roman god by hazel. They are both equal comparisons in slightly different tones.

[penultimate-step]

Oshi no Ko 145 Reaction

Live Crow Reaction

I debated if I even wanted to do a chapter react for this one, I did for the last two and this is a series I generally have a lot of thoughts about, but perhaps I was spoiled by how those chapters were deeply concerned with the character arcs for Ruby and Aqua, some of my favorite parts of the manga.

This one instead focuses on our mysterious crow girl, Tsukuyomi. Which is good, she has desperately needed some fleshing out, but....hmm. It feels very strange to go from essentially net zero information to having her whole backstory and thoughts about the other characters dropped on us all at once. The fact that the backstory is so completely out of left field just makes it worse. Like. Okay, so crow girl is....an actual crow? sure, let's go with that?

Would I be taking lethal amounts of copium to think this might be some kind of metaphor? I don't think it is because that would be too misleading for what OnK usually does but like. what is this development here.

I think the main reason this bothers me is because it feels incredibly one-sided. The hints that crow girl's previous life had a connection to the siblings was interesting, and spurred speculation on what the nature of that relationship was, but the actual answer here seems kind of...the least impactful way to go about it? It would have felt Weird and fanfic-y to suddenly introduce a random OC who was important to both Gorou and Sarina in their past lives, given that their isolation and loneliness were kind of key to their characters. But introducing a literal animal in the role feels kind of like a cop out. You want a character who could be seamlessly inserted into the character's backstories, without changing the trajectory of their arcs whatsoever? okay, she's the stray bird they met that time. In essence, it means Tsukuyomi gets to have a connection to Ruby and Aqua, but they don't have one with her. It's one sided.

Which, if I'm being charitable, could be the point - another way to explore the themes explored in previous chapters of people having different views of others. A crow viewing the pair from a distance without even being considered a peer could be an interesting counterpoint to previous thoughts on placing idols on pedestals - a god looking down at people condescendingly, even more so.

By the fact that she sees them as kids, even Gorou, who was in his thirties, it's clear that her view of them might be divine, but it sure isn't objective. But that's getting back into the supernatural elements of the series that I don't have any explanations or context to talk about.

I don't know, I can find explanations and ideas that make me think this could be cool when thinking optimistically but when speaking honestly I'm not super enthused by the execution in these few pages. And this is meant to be a reaction, not an analysis, so even if it isn't super professional of me I'll leave my conflicted thoughts up in the post.

This isn't a terrible revelation, I don't think this ruins the manga forever or anything, but it does feel like a bit of a wasted opportunity right now. makes me feel a little down about the chapter. But this is a serial, there's still time to make this all come together, in many different possible ways. Who knows, maybe in a few months after this arc wraps up I'll be talking about how crow girl is my new favorite character.

[authoralexharvey]

INTERVIEW WITH A WRITEBLR — @magic-is-something-we-create

Who You Are:

P.K. Finn || He/they

I'm a queer, neurodivergent creative that's been elbow-deep in art of all kinds since I first started having control of my hands!

What You Write:

What genres do you write in? What age ranges do you write for?

Adventure, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi. New Adult and Adult

What genre would you write in for the rest of your life, if you could? What about that genre appeals to you?

I could write the blurred line between Sci-Fi and Fantasy until the heat death of the universe, honestly! The absolute freedom to change reality and stretch the boundaries of what my mind can come up with when making new worlds is one of the most fun and interesting things I've ever done, and once I started on the path of world building, I realized I couldn't stop. Even just world building, without a story attached, is one of my favorite pastimes.

What genre/s will you not write unless you HAVE to? What about that genre turns you off?

I personally don't enjoy writing anything set in the real world - whether historical or contemporary - if it doesn't have at least a bit of magic or speculative science attached. While I like reading realistic fiction on occasion, I've always found myself drawn more to what could be than what is on the creation side of things.

Who is your target audience? Do you think anyone outside of that would get anything out of your works?

It depends on the story! My blanket target audience is the same kind of reader I am: those who like to pick apart stories and draw plot threads and foreshadowing to their potential conclusions as they unfold, and can't help but analyze it every step of the way. Rereading to find all of the places where hints were laid, to see what about the story changes once you know the end - are there lines I glossed over the first time that, with the new context, have taken a whole new meaning or emotional toll? How often was a reveal teased or cloaked in metaphor before I was given the information I needed to actually see it? Where is the plot mirrored in little ways, where are we told blatantly what will happen in a way we don't notice at first? Those kinds of readers are who I write for, as a whole. But I also know that those won't be all of my readers, and that each story will attract a different group that needs it, so I try to tailor those accordingly if I can.

What kind of themes do you tend to focus on? What kinds of tropes? What about them appeals to you?

One thing I've found to be a recurring theme in everything I create (not just novels and other stories; it's leaked into the D&D campaign I'm running for friends, too) is the idea of Godhood/Idolization/Ultimate Power and Responsibility being unfathomably isolating and traumatic. With that also comes the idea that even deities are still people, capable of just as much emotion, mistaken belief, and regret as the rest of us, and often with far less control and power than worshipers might think. Hand-in-hand with that, I tend to end up with narratives where the antagonist(s) are a mirror or exaggeration of the protagonist(s), because I love making my protags question whether they're the ones in the right, when they may agree on many or all points of the antags opinions, just not on their methods or the lengths to which they'll go. And I also love to make the protags understand and sympathize with their antags - and by extension, try and get the reader to do the same - because one of my favorite things to explore is the common root of all good AND evil being one and the same, and those concepts at all being subjective and fluctuating.

What themes or tropes can you not stand? What about them turn you off?

I've never understood stories that place certain characters/concepts/actions on pedestals or trash heaps without ever stopping to explore anything beyond the shallowest why, if that. I want to question which side is in the wrong, or whether wrong and right exist at all in this story. I want the characters and/or the story itself to examine what they're doing, why, and what the lasting consequences will be - because there will be lasting consequences for everything they do. If the enemy army is shown as irredeemable and inhuman (derogatory), show me a deserter with friends still on the front lines. If the Good King goes unquestioned in his altruism by those around him, show me what machinations he hides behind locked doors to silence the dissenters.

What are you currently working on? How long have you been working on it?

I'm currently drafting two different stories set in the same world: The Millennium Saga is a high fantasy epic that's going to be between 5 and 7 books long, and I'm in the midst of drafting book three; Whispers is a tragic dark fantasy noir set 10-12 years after the start of TMS, planned to be a standalone that doesn't need, but is enriched by, the world context that TMS brings. I've been drafting it since mid-December 2022 as a bit of a break from TMS, which has gone through 10+ years of plot marinating and 2 years of frantic drafting now that my ADHD brain finally has the tools to sit down and do it.

Why do you write? What keeps you writing?

I write so that I can get the stories that play on loop in my brain out and inflicted on others. :)

How long have you been writing? What do you think first drew you to it?

The first thing I remember writing for fun was a short story about dragons that I wrote in third grade for school. I fell in love with the idea of being able to write my own books not too long after, because I realized that it let me decide what a dragon could and could not be, what an elf looked like and what powers they wielded, and what I thought a Loch Ness Monster Animorph would be based solely on the covers of books I never read.

Where do you get your inspiration from? Is that how you got your inspiration for your current project? If not, where did the inspiration come from?

My inspiration comes mostly from interacting with other peoples creations! I often get into an art or writing mood after watching drawing videos on YouTube or listening to the playlist I've Pavloved myself with, and often those initial sparks inspire what I do with them that day, whether it's practicing drawing architecture because of a speedpaint or writing a fight scene because I listened to a particularly energetic song. I don't usually get inspired for entire stories from those things, though; I couldn't tell you where the inspiration for my current works came from, because the ideas first came to me years and years ago, and have just morphed over time as I've grown.

What work of yours are you most proud of? Why?

The Millennium Saga! That story in particular has been occupying my brain for more than a decade, and while the current form of it is unrecognizable from the original version I wrote on the bus on the way to school, it is by far one of my favorite things I've ever done, if only for the amount of time and brainspace I've dedicated to it. It's how I figured out my current writing style, and it's a story I know I'll hold close to my heart long after it's done. And this isn't to say I'm not proud of my other projects, especially Whispers! They all hold equal weight in my mind, I've simply had more time to put the puzzle of TMS together than anything else, and I'm most proud of pushing through the blocks I hit along the way.

Have you published anything? Do you want to?

I have not, but I really want to! I started looking into the tradpub querying process in December with publishing TMS in mind, but since I put it on hold for Whispers for the moment, I've put that by the wayside as well. Ideally, I'll go the traditional route with maybe a webcomic and webnovel somewhere between official releases, but I'd be more than willing to figure out how marketing works for self publishing if that doesn't pan out.

What part of the publishing process most appeals to you? What part least appeals to you?

Traditional publishing is appealing for me because I (theoretically; I know the industry is in a bit of a hellscape right now) wouldn't have to be in charge of anything more than writing the books. But, like I said, that's in a bit of a weird limbo state right now, especially in regard to authors self-marketing, and that is, I think, the most intimidating and unsavory part of the process for me. Self publishing appeals because I would have a bit more control over what the book looked like overall, but again, marketing is not my strong suit. I'd much rather just be able to sit back and write and let someone else do the talking for me.

What part of the writing process most appeals to you? What part is least appealing?

My favorite part of the writing process is those moments where things start to fit together into a complete picture! I tend to avoid outlining ahead of time because it dampens my enthusiasm and always tricks my brain into thinking its a set of hard-and-fast rules rather than gentle guidelines, so when the threads I've laid out start to weave themselves into a tapestry through both editing and latter-half drafting, it makes every stumble before then worth it. The least appealing/fun part of the process is less about the actual writing for me, and more about the struggles getting past the blocks imposed by my brain chemistry. Executive dysfunction makes sitting down to write at all a chore, no matter how much I love it once I've gotten into the zone.

Do you have a writing process? Do you have an ideal setup? Do you write in pure chaos? Talk about your process a bit.

My process depends on the story! For Millennium Saga in particular, I've found I have to "script" chapters before I draft them, with a special emphasis on the dialogue and vague choreography, or else I get stuck super easy on the transition sentences between beats. But with Whispers, I've scripted only one or two conversations over the entire 40k words written so far, and haven't gotten stuck once. As for setup, mine is pretty particular in some ways, and wildly varied in others. I write in FocusWriter so that I don't get distracted with formatting, and can have a background/theme that's easy on the eyes and fitting for the scene I'm working on - but that theme changes on a regular basis, along with the music I play in the background and, often, where I take my laptop to write in the first place. I'm also a fan of doing writing sprints to get my brain moving, sometimes with friends on Discord, sometimes on my own, and at this point I do more writing without sprints at all. Sometimes I need the clutter of my desk to kickstart my brain; sometimes I need to be curled up in an armchair with no other distractions in order to focus. It really depends on the day.

Your Thoughts on Writeblr:

How long have you been a writeblr? What inspired you to join the community?

I joined Writeblr officially in March of 2020! While COVID might seem like the obvious culprit, it really wasn't at the time; it was really because I'd graduated the year before, and while my friends went off to college, I decided to double down on my dream of writing and drawing for a living, and realized that I wanted to have more people to share my ideas and stories with in the interim to help motivate myself to work on them. From there, it was just a matter of making the side blog, and the rest is history!

Shout out some of your favorite writeblrs. How did you find them and what made you want to follow them?

@/aritany was one of a bunch of others who joined writeblr around the same time as I did, and one of the first whose writing style really spoke to me and inspired a bit of my own! That, combined with their rather unique ability to get me invested in contemporary and semi-realistic fiction drew me in and kept me on board throughout the whirlwind we've both been through over the last few years. @writeblrfantasy is an absolutely delightful human being who I met one fateful world-building wednesday when she unlocked my rambling by asking about Goblins in the Ehlverse and received a full-blown illustration reference in answer. She's also one of a limited few who writes the kind of romance that gets me invested, and she has an absolutely godly drive to write an ungodly amount day in and day out that inspires me to no end! <3 @lanawritesalittle is someone I don't remember meeting, but whose stories and style I adore to no end. They're, like, top-of-my-list of those who haven't published yet, but who I will be frothing at the mouth for a copy when they do. They have a 100% hit rate of making incredibly compelling characters that I can't help but love no matter what atrocities they get up to. @ashen-crest first crossed my dash when she joined, and I remember reading one (1) excerpt of The Stray Spirit before falling absolutely head-over-heels in love with her style of cozy fantasy. Everything she does just feels so warm and full of love, it's like home, and it all only gets better with time. @zonnemaagd caught my eye first from her poetry blog, and then from her writeblr, and her descriptions and narrative voice are so incredibly unique and gorgeous that I literally cannot think of a single published author that compares. Gust, in particular, is a writeblr wip that will always live in my head rent-free, and someday I hope to be able to read it all and bask in the world the way it deserves. And, of course, @authoralexharvey (don't you dare think you can get out of being complimented in your own interview). Their worlds are so lovingly built and their voice is so compelling, and I don't think I'll ever be able to get Nadia and Simone of ASMLP out of my brain. Their stories are just so amazing all the way through, even at the drafting stage, and I love every single one that I've gotten to sink my teeth into.

What is your favorite part about writeblr?

The connection and sense of community! At least from the angle I've seen it, it's a truly wonderful space of encouragement and inspiration that I wouldn't let go of for the world.

What do you think writeblr could improve on? How do you think we can go about doing so?

I think one thing that a lot of us agree on is how it can sometimes feel like we're pouring our writing hearts out into the void without a response, so one of the things I've been trying to improve myself (and that I think a lot of us would benefit from practicing), is voicing the things we love about what we read on here where others can see it, unabashedly. Finding something to love in even the smallest excerpts from last line tags, whether it be a particular word choice or a mood that seeps through the page, and pointing it out in the tags or body of a reblog. And, when someone does that for us, thanking them without self-deprecation - because the more we foster that kind energy and enthusiasm for each other, the more we're able to remember that when there's something lovable in every piece of writing, our own writing is included in that, too.

How do you contribute to the writeblr community? Do you think you could be doing more?

I do my best to reblog and comment in the tags on everything that I read - and while that tends to mostly be things I'm on the taglist on, I also try to take advantage of the days where I have the spoons to read more of what I scroll through and add it to the queue no matter who it's from. Something I could absolutely do more of is consistent participation in ask and tag games; I know the kind of fire that gets lit when I get a particularly interesting WBW ask or when someone sends me a tag game that I'm excited to play, and I really want to pass that on more often.

What kinds of posts do you most like to interact with?

Excerpts, intros, and updates!

What kind of posts do you most like to make?

Excerpts and updates!

Finally, anywhere else online we may be able to find you?

I do writing and art streams on twitch.tv/alittlewarlord (ALEX: Watch and interact with Pax, he's so lovely!!), and VODs are posted on my YouTube channel of the same name. I'm also on Ko-Fi as alittlewarlord, and Patreon as P. K. Finn, both of which feature a bonus weekly write-in on top of the other streams.

[lokisransom]

Take Me Back To Eden

you radiate a warmth that loki craves, it reminds him of Asgard when he was young, before he thought of it as a place of unjust bias resulting in the anguish of their people. Since the day he saw this father for who he is loki only craved the familiarity and comfort of what felt like home to him. it had always seemed just out of reach, as if the world around him needed him to feel cold and alone, ironic considering his lineage.

The day he met you he could've sworn the universe was just putting him in his place, just another desire just out of reach, something he convinced himself would solve all his problems, or at least help him relax once in a while. You seemed almost ethereal, Moreso than even the god was prepared for. No one on the compound had told him they'd be getting a new teammate or that said teammate would give off an almost hypnotic aura.

Loki knew he needed you the second he laid eyes on you, it took him days to come up with a plan that he thought would succeed, he placed you on a metaphorical pedestal, convinced himself that even his best schemes couldn't trick you into spending time with him no matter the context.

Loki almost idolized you, he'd do things with the justification that you would want him to or that you would approve of his actions, most of the actions using those justifications were selfcare themed proving himself kind of right and definitely not wrong (his favorite type of right) 

he'd gotten into the habit of going off into his own world while in meetings and especially while outside sunbathing, you were always the center of his fantasies, although innocent in nature they were still very distracting. in fact they were so distracting that he didn't notice you standing over him with a smile on your face until you kneeled down next to him  where you poke his sides to get his attention. his eyes snap open the second you touch him, a moment ago he had thought your scent was just his overactive imagination.

the panic set in almost immediately, none of this was how he'd imagined the two of you would talk for the first time, he had always thought one day he would finally walk up to you after a mission, or maybe save you from imminent death, making him your saviour but here you sat with an eyebrow raised in curiosity.

"hey?" your greeting sounded more like a question than you had meant it to but you'd also expected loki to cause chaos at every chance 

"h-hi" the only thoughts running through his mind was how perfect you were up close, he wanted to lean into you and never let you go but he refrained from doing so. you could read him like a book, his every though projected from behind his eyes, his body language screaming that he just wanted to fall into your arms and never leave. 

"you're so much more docile than I expected" your head was tilted and your tone curious. Loki's paused for a moment, thinking over his most recent actions and how they'd been sub par for his standards. he hadn't thought he'd let you distract him that much but he hadn't gone through his usual weekly list of pissing people off with minor inconveniences and moving furniture an inch to the left. his methods have gone soft but he tells himself its just efficiency. 

"i guess i have been more docile recently, you're right to have expected more of me." his gaze drops to the grass below you, the last thing he wanted was to disappoint you.

"n-no, its not that I expected more of you, I've just heard rumors, none of them exactly pleasant. i think its a good thing that you haven't been wreaking havoc. it makes you seem a little more approachable. " your smile softened and your brows furrowed. 

"they don't speak to you much do they" you intended it to be a question but it was really more of an observation. loki just shook his head, he'd always been a loner, always craved recognition and reassurance, always just wanted to have someone to lean on and he seemed to have accidentally chosen you. he really didn't mean to but you just had this atmosphere surrounding you. 

you placed your hand under his chin, gently pulling up so that he'd look you in the eyes, you felt the need to make him truly understand your intentions.

"they don't deserve a glimpse inside your mind, frankly neither do i but id like to change that if you'd let me" if it was the placement of your hand or the tone of your voice he wasn't sure but you had left him breathless, he nodded in response to you, not trusting his voice or even knowing what to say. all he knew was that he needed you, that he'd run to you any time he had the chance, his mind raced with possibilities, plans for long walks, places you might enjoy, he suddenly wanted to know everything about you, your favorite foods, if you had allergies, your favourite color. he needed to know it all, he wanted to crawl inside your mind and aimlessly walk till his legs give out.  

you decided you would join him in the grass, sitting just out of the sun under a tree while he continued laying in the direct sunlight, he turned onto his side to face you, not ever wanting to miss a glimpse of you. even in the shade you seemed to be glowing, it was a nice warm glow that reminded him of an oil lamp or a camp fire on a summers night. 

the sun had started setting, you and loki had fallen into a comfortable conversation that jumped from topic to topic, he would hang on your every word and you returned the interest. it seemed the two of you really were polar opposites, although you'd both spent much of your lives searching for something to even you out, for him that meant sunbathing for hours a day and for you that meant long walks on winter nights. 

loki had kept in the back of his mind that you two might be able to even each other out more so than your current solutions, he didn't want to push his luck though, he had just gotten to talk to you today and he didn't want to push you to far or scare you off, although he did hope that you had the same thought process as him.

of course you had, it was what initially made you want to go to him, you'd heard rumors of him being cold, both physically and metaphorically. you'd always felt like you burned to bright for your own good, like at at any moment you'd combust and be left with nothing but ashes.

you'd always felt like Icarus, flying to close to the sun but not sure you could resist even if you wanted to. it had popped into your mind at some point while you and loki spoke that he could keep your wings from melting in the hot sun, although it would run the risk of the cold shattering the wax that kept you afloat. it felt like you had known him all your life, as if he was there from the start. 

you thought to yourself that maybe both of your lives would have been better if you had known each other from the start, that maybe if you had been Asgardian or if he had been thrown to Midgard at a different time maybe together you would've been  able to avoid the growing pains of life. maybe you would've been able to save his mother or avoid some alien invasions, maybe you could've saved him before he fell and maybe he could've held you before the collapse. 

the chill in the air and the darkness surrounding you is what snapped you out of your train of thought, you'd both spent so long talking that your voices were hoarse and the sun had long gone down, the moon cast a blue sheen on Loki's skin making the green of his  clothes stand out  just that little bit more. the reflection in his eyes drew your attention, he seemed less at peace under the moonlight, almost as if nights in the past had left him sleepless and numb. 

in reality it wasn't the night that was at fault but instead the endless expanse of space and the creatures that occupied it, particularly the ones that dedicated their lives to hunting him down and making him suffer, the sun helped him forget about the darkness that followed him across galaxies. you crawled towards him sitting back on your heels, you rested you hand on his back softly as to not startle him. the look on his face told you everything you needed to know.

"you know you don't have to run alone right?" your words were far softer than either of you had expected, the implication that you'd follow him across worlds hung heavy in the air, although he did understand where you were coming from. in the short time you'd been speaking to one another you'd become closer friends than loki had ever had. 

he nodded in response before hesitantly responding "I know, but its safer if I'm alone.. less people get hurt when I'm alone" his word stung you in a way you didn't quite understand. you knew he didn't want to be alone and that he meant it towards everyone and not just you but you felt the need to prove him wrong which would prove to be a difficult task.  

after a short pause you decided on actively asking him questions that would force him to second guess his train of thought and re-evaluate what his options actually are.

"is there really no where you could go that would be safe? even just for a little while? what about Asgard?" your spitfire questions almost threw his off, he'd never had someone try to problem solve with him because most people just wanted him gone. 

"I mean, technically Asgard would be fine for a while... i never really thought about going back home. there really isn't anything there for me other than potential safety and inevitably the past." that answer felt almost to easy. the only real downside would be the lack of purpose. at least if he stayed here he would have something to fight for even if it wasn't something he was passionate about it was still a reason to get out of bed every morning. he also realized at the thought of leaving he felt an almost dread, not because he'd miss the things he has or the general area but because he'd found a new friend that he really didn't want to get to the point of missing. he didn't want to miss you. 

"if you go to Asgard are you going alone?" you didn't want to outright ask if you could go with him but you were really hoping he'd let you, if nothing  else it would be nice to see a new planet. he could've sworn that his heart fluttered, maybe he could have the best of both worlds.

"would you be willing to go with me?" a smirk creeped its way onto his face and with that you knew you'd finally get to see the chaos loki could bring, a trickster back in the places he learned how to trick people would be a recipe for fun, for him at least. 

A/N- i will be making a part two fairly soonish, also i apologize if this seemed all over the place, it was written in the late hours of the night across several weeks and I'm not great at reading over things before i post them, maybe some day I'll learn ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

PS. this was 2k words, v proud of myself 

[ruinakete]

☽ ・WHAT MAKES A PERSONALITY.

a template ( created by the wonderful Ree ) for analyzing features of a personality beyond listing adjectives. written beneath a readmore because of length, not spoilers!

SELF-CONCEPT

VIEW OF SELF: highly upheld on a pedestal created by her late tribe and the hierarchy of Fell Churches. though clouded by a heavy sense of superiority, there is the slightest chance of self-awareness from her, though it is an introspection that takes time. what is important to her is that she, above anyone else, knows her heart and mind. no one else can claim to relate to all she has lived through and she knows this; though the level of tragedy she connects this with is debatable. likewise, her view of self is duller than her view of others, as she truly does not care for herself at her core. this is not self-deprecation, rather it is the monotonous feeling that comes from knowing that, at the end of the day, she is what her tribe and Sombron have made of her. there is nothing else and nothing more.

VIEW OF OTHERS: hardly memorable. unlike her, time will pass for them and they will die, so their only purpose is to serve until their last breath. will she remember their names? hardly, but the impact they have will outlive their body. as a direct result of her behavioral inconsistencies and traumas, she alienates herself from society and, thus, does not view humanity and other immortal beings in any positive light. they are only useful under a leash. they are only useful if they can be wielded as pawns. if they stray from their fated path, then they must be punished. it is as much a law as it is instinct. either way, none of them will equate to the space necessary in the void of her heart; what she needs is a family, and other people cannot give this to her.

VIEW OF WORLD: unforgiving. selfish. the world is cruel to those who surpass their fate and, thus, she bares her teeth and takes as much from the world as she thinks she deserves; which is everything it has to offer. in her eyes, the world is ever-changing and will not wait for you to mend your wounds, no matter how closely you hold it at heart. you will not survive if you are not the aggressor. her environment taught her that pain is love and such love, one strong enough to destroy what it has created, is punishment, in its own way. to love was to hurt until you knew nothing else; to grieve was to love with all your heart. if you sought love then you had to seek the pain that is obligated with it upon your faults. thus, all relationships of value between her and the world were, and will always be, transactional.

MOTIVATIONS & GOALS: serve as Lord Sombron's greatest follower until he sees her as fit to be the mother of his child. whether it be one or plenty, she hopes to bear them and give fruit to lives of her blood. upon birth, they are hers, as a mother and idol and god. and that, the idea that, one day, someone she brought into the world will revolve that very world around her, is what keeps her focused on the future. but somewhere, along the line, another motivation has formed upon her arrival; protect the Four Hounds and restore what they once were.

WHEY THEY VALUE MOST: family, both in the physical and metaphorical sense. the idea of having and taking from someone who owes you their entire life for giving fruit to theirs.

EMOTIONAL REACTIONS

REACTION TO STRESS: most, if not all, negative emotions end in her lashing out in an attempt to regain the control she once lost. so, when stressed, her composure falters; she becomes jittery, scheming, and distant. she'll refocus all of her energy on picking apart the stressor and, upon recognizing what it is, eliminating it without hesitation. this could mean directly destroying the stressor or completing it, but whichever it is, she does not ignore it. it, also, does not matter what this stress comes from; whether it be a responsibility, environment, or person. the execution, however, of this determination is usually heartless and selfish, as she will go through anything and anyone to calm the nerves of her heart.

REACTION TO FEAR: though fear, too, is a negative emotion, it does not necessarily end in an unwavering sense of hostility. to fear something is to think that it has the weight to actually affect you. and, thus, it is fine to say that fear isn't an emotion she's faced often in her thousand years of life. upon first face of this subject causing her fear, she's incredulous. confused or shocked, rather than frightful. but when the emotion sets in, she becomes quieter. curt. this silence is not submissive, lest it be in the face of Sombron. her following reaction will be to right what has been wronged; control. she will combat this fear with confrontation if the risks prove to be lesser, but she knows her limits and will not provoke the fear if it will bring her harm.

REACTION TO SUCCESS: to revel in her success is not rare. this is, usually, done in the form of taunting the losing party. however, her reaction to success differs between the success of herself and the success of those she deems as hers. for the former, she does not seek praise. it is not the acknowledgment she requires, as that is flawed and not taken at heart's value. if not from Sombron, then she does not want it. however, praise is what she requires when her pawns succeed. for them to win is a win for her, as it reinforces the greedy pride of being able to create something worth loving. otherwise, success, to her, is conditional and can always be revoked. it is not something worth celebrating by the masses. in fact, it could be argued that success makes her hungrier for the possible retaliation that will follow.

REACTION TO FAILURE: depends highly on who she fails regarding the event. in light of disappointing Sombron, her apologies are swift, curt, as there is nothing else to say. her willingness to right, again, what has been wronged is high and she will take no other answer unless she's given the other chance. there is no guilt, as she does not recognize such a feeling, but the feeling aches similarly. if in the case of failing herself, her reaction is duller. again, at her core, she has come to terms with the fate she's been given, so all she is to do is find her way back unto the path paved for her. she'll try again, more determined, but emotional reactions are little to none. she understands herself best and will right herself accordingly, aiming to engrain into her the teachings that made her who she is.

DEVELOPMENT

IDEAL SELF: is constantly changing, to the point where she cannot fully recognize where she, herself, wants to be. what amount of development would be enough? from whom would this development come from? all she knows is that the ideal life she sees fit for herself is that of a mother, as it was the only thing able to fill the void in her heart. key word: was. new events have shone a light on her ideals and hope to shift them. unfortunately, because of her lack of concern for who or what she becomes, as her fate will always be written before her, the exact ideal self is unknown.

AREAS OF GROWTH: as mentioned before, loneliness is still a factor she hopes to heal. being alienated from others, even dragons like herself, because of the behavior she adapted to in hopes of defending her heart will always prove her efforts futile. to grow requires the knowledge to understand exactly what is necessary beforehand. thus, her concept of what can heal her is false and flawed. it's simple and, if she does not recognize her emotions and pick apart the years of manipulation, all will be hopeless.

BARRIERS TO GROWTH: the inability to wear her heart anywhere that is not the steel bars of her ribcages; the continuous conquest of favor for Sombron; the inability to recognize how she has affected the world and vice versa; the inability to be truthful lest she fear bleeding out on the spot; and time wearing away at the familiarity she should have with her own emotions. there is a lot that stands as an obstacle to her development. none of it will disappear quickly, so she must approach it slowly and with patience.

[hopefull-mindset]

Nagito is definitely more complex than some people give him credit for. He's also pretty tragic when you think about it.

Like he's been through horrible things, to the point that it's almost too outlandish to take seriously (which is something that bothers me but that's beside the point), and has become desensitized to tragedy. He has no control over his own life or even his own mind and body considering his medical conditions. And deep down all he wants is a normal life without his luck, but he can't have it, so he latches on to this hierarchical ideal of hope and talent as a way to cope with it.

And he is selfless in the sense that he doesn't value his own life and will readily sacrifice himself for his perceived greater good, but he still has his own agenda.

He's not really a good person but he's not really a bad person either, he's just fucked up.

Also I can't help but wonder if his obsession with hope overcoming despair is a projection. That it's him secretly/subconsciously hoping (heh) that his own life could improve, even if he doesn't think he deserves it.

Anyways sorry for rambling he drives me insane (affectionate).

No, it’s okay. I can see you want to start a conversation so I’ll give you a conversation to build off your points! Your speech pattern reminds me too much of my own, so it feels like I’m talking to myself LOL. A good rambling is always never not welcome, whenever I do it’s too organized to call a ramble though.

With the outlandishness of what Komaeda has experienced, it’s always topped off with his own casual speech pattern. It’s pretty hard to take seriously when Komaeda is speaking about it like he’s talking about the weather. His desensitization to what he had gotten used to as daily life has created this depressing yet self-centered view of living.

Now, self-centered? I know what you’re thinking, “but Komaeda’s view of the world is incredibly giving” and “Komaeda’s self worth would never let himself be the center”, and yeah that hasn’t changed, but take two steps back from being in Komaeda’s mindscape and you’re able to view the fact that a lot of what Komaeda uses to process the world is based in his own experiences. Everyone knows that it’s a coping mechanism, but what does that entail in reality? I can tell you.

Komaeda has experienced more misfortune than the average human being should ever be exposed to, so he’s chosen to cling onto this idea that everyone else also operates on hope and despair the same way his luck has put him through his entire life. He’s chosen the ultimates to be apart of these views because the talented are considered to be the pinnacle of human life in society’s collective, something unattainable unless you were born with it and the utter hope of a society’s future, so it makes it easier for Komaeda to justify what’s happened to him by making sure they stay up on that metaphorical pedestal, and that keeps him down there. His beliefs are distorted because they don’t align with how reality actually works; It’s why he treats them like he does because his belief in them is based in shallow, exaggerated societal expectations, so he’s going to treat them as nothing more than their talent.

This is exactly what I meant by self-centered. This type of belief does not consider anyone else as individuals with feelings or wants, and purely for his own religious-like faith in that this is what is going to save him and if not, he would gladly be the martyr to its cause. It’s either going to save him or destroy him, and what we’ve seen, has only destroyed him. Like you said, this doesn’t make Komaeda a good person, but it doesn’t make him a bad one.

If Komaeda does not have confidence in his luck, then all of that will crumble. So if any of you were boggled by his relationship with his luck, there you go. He doesn’t think it deserves to be a talent among the ones he idolizes, but he believes in it because it’s what he’s known all his life.

Like I said, this will and has destroyed him. In UDG and Chapter 0 of sdr2, it’s gotten to a point where he’s visibly confused himself while still in full confidence of an even more warped idealistic system, and seeing hope for himself (reminder that the entirety of first game was on TV) wasn’t enough, he wanted to direct it happening himself and see it up close with Komaru, a normal girl, to cause even more hope.

Even though I have personal problems with the anime as a whole (yes, even the OVA), as the OVA has mentioned, what would really make him happy and help him is a normal life, not some grand thing like absolute hope. However, he doesn’t see any worth in that because his life has always been not normal and there’s no great Hope waiting for him if it does become normal. It’s never going to happen either so it’s no fun entertaining the impossible for him, even as optimistic as he goes on to be about terrible situations.

Ugh, too many words. Too much to say. This is not the time to talk about this, but Komaeda what happened to your perception of your own bodily autonomy?

Besides the fact my head hurts having to put that into words, I agree with your points and I hope I covered everything? I always accidentally do that when I’m trying to talk about one thing at a time.

[livingdeadvamp]

why hello (text tone I just appeared behind you in a crowded space) could you by any chance geek out w me about the sooh lyrics

OMG HIIIIIIIII!!!! I am always happy to geek about sooh lyrics because HOLY SHIT!!

Before Intellectual Property came out, Entertainment was my favourite album because the lyrics were top notch incredible. Then IP came out and it became my favourite because of the lyrics being the perfect balance of the deep metaphorical lyrics and blunt straightforward lyrics. The album builds such a rich narrative in the way that none of their albums have before. And sooh is the same as IP with that style of lyrics. It's not even out yet but it's one of their best songs. AND WE GET IT IN TWO DAYS!!

The opening lyric is fucking genius. "Highkey when we fuck I feel like I'm struck by your lightning" like who wasn't screaming when they first realised that wasn't the lyric?? "Highkey when we fuck" is blunt and so overly sexual that even tho Parx just released an album that was, in Awsten's own words, hypersexual, you still find yourself shocked. Immediately hooked. And then it immediately goes onto "struck by your lightning" which just. MAN. It sounds so fucking dramatic. It also implies off the bat that this person is bad for him because being struck by lightning is painful and could literally kill him :( Also, God controls the weather and shit, so him saying "YOUR lightning" immediately puts this person on this religious idol pedestal. Which links to the FUCKING AMAZING chorus where this person has to sneak out of heaven and defy God just to be with him. He views them as sacred in quite a heartbreaking way. And plus he calls his attraction to her a "secret thing" because again, this person who's a God-like angel had to sneak out to see him, so he can't draw too much attention to his feelings. But he then sings "just one more chance to adore you" because despite how secretive they have to be, he still feels so much for them that one more time is all he really needs

I could say SO MUCH more because the song is insane but I wanna hear your thoughts too because shit I have loads!! SOOH MY BELOVED

[qourmet]

it's weird tho right

cos i don't see the wen siblings the same way i do the jiang siblings despite them having relatively parallel relationships to wei ying

where jiang yanli always felt like she was an infallible presence via wei ying's perspective, wen qing actually felt like a big sibling. both of them took care of him & towards both of them he felt indebted & both of them made sacrifices for him that utterly shattered his heart but ? idk maybe it was the shotgun-speed, the near-whiplash feeling that he spent with the wens that does it for me

that as a man in his late teens early 20s he was less prone to putting the wens on a pedestal and idolizing them, that their extended family treated him like shit while the inner family treated him like, well, family, & ig u can say the opposite is true for the jiangs. that all the outer disciples & yunmeng jiang as a whole treated him like a little rascal to be endeared & loved, & yanli & fengmian would be the exception but ziyuan & cheng were two people in his innermost circle that he had in his most formidable & vulnerable years that just

idk resented is the wrong word for it. like jiang cheng was a product of his environment in Too Many Ways & that just came back to be something to metaphorically stab wei ying with. the envy, the resentment, but the idea that he'd been focusing and meditating and was protected from a Very Early Age that half of the reason Wei Ying was liable to being the founder of demonic cultivation despite having a more positive outlook on life and less outward-facing animosity was cos he Didn't grow up with that level of protection.

meanwhile wen ning was the opposite of cheng in that he went way too far out of his way to use honorifics and shamelessly help wei ying for One selfless act, & while it drove wei ying to some amount of annoyance, the difference in attitude between the two is so night & day. like you can make the argument that wen qing is closer to jiang cheng in terms of dynamics towards wei ying but like her brother, there's nothing left for her to lose. not pride, not social standing, not political relations, & jiang cheng was Too Prideful & would have benefited from keeping Wei Ying close but decided to put him at an arms length cos he couldn't stand being compared to his martial brother. man jgy was Right LMAO jc is stupid for that by a Lot

having wei ying be the main character makes it so that wen ning's idolizing of him is just a cute socially awkward quirk, like he doesn't even call him xiong he calls him gongzi, while wei ying's idolization of jiang yanli is so filtered through a need to do right by her, yanno? there's a psychological barrier that he has against the jiang family, of Wanting to belong but Knowing that his status and relationship with them will forever keep them at an arm's length while the wen family are socially in a similar situation and there's nothing to gain or lose by associating with each other. titles and bloodlines and origins aren't barriers to divide one man from people that he would call home, they just exist to survive one storm after another together

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 18

It's time for the two-parter Marado map. I was feeling nervous about this one, mostly because of all the pegasus knights. My Jill was not doing so hot, so I was afraid she would become overwhelmed by them, and they would swarm my squishier units.

Thankfully, however, I managed to get through the first section without issue. The second section, on the other hand...

I do appreciate Fiona for what she was doing here. I only wish that she got more time to become a good character and/or a good unit. At least she has savior, which helps her not die on this map. The other cavaliers were not so lucky, and quite a few of them died. The amount of times my characters died because I rushed too quickly trying to save the villagers was... too many, really.

I do love this ongoing metaphor going on through this conversation, comparing themselves to shepherds and the people of Daein as "little lambs". It's so demeaning and dehumanizing, which is of course the point. It also shows how they rationalize their actions.

I love you Meg, I really do. And I get it. Meg's young and unfamiliar with the world outside of her small farming town. But this particular plot point always annoys me. Brom, why would you do this? I'm glad that Zihark is a complete gentleman about the whole situation. But I'm sad we never get any resolution over this. Does Meg ever realize Zihark doesn't want to marry her? I do know from her ending that she does end up getting married and having a family of her own, but it would have been interesting to see a little of what happened in between.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Radiant Dawn suffers a lot from the lack of support conversations. The Dawn Bridage, especially, suffer from stagnant character syndrome.

Micaiah getting upset at Pelleas for not having a backbone always puts a smile on my face. She's usually so distantly polite with everyone (with the exception of Sothe), so the times when she reveals a little more of her honest feelings and thoughts are really great to see. And while I adore Pelly, I 100% agree with Miccy here. Grow a spine, Pelleas!

Oh, and while you're growing that spine, maybe also lose the racism. Again, I love you buddy, you are the beorc equivalent of a sad puppy left outside in the rain, but dude. Try to form your own opinions for once.

Anyway, onto the prison break map!

Love these three! Wish they were more involved in the story.

Ahahaha. I don't know if Maurim meant this sincerely or sarcastically, but man. That comment alone probably destroyed whatever "manly pride" Sothe might have had.

The map itself didn't give me nearly as much trouble as the previous one. And luckily, Jill got some good level ups on this map, which transformed her from a slightly weak unit to a dependable one, which has put my mind at ease.

Sothe is so fucking funny. I love him.

Next was the stupid swamp map. For some reason, this is the only screenshot I took, probably because it was the only highlight. This one gave me even more trouble than the second Marado map. I really wanted to save most of the people trapped in the swamp, which meant I took some really stupid risks, and had to restart waaaay too many times. But at the end, at least Edward classed up.

This part of the story is so sweet. Micaiah has lived all of her life in the shadows, keeping her distance, afraid of how people would react if they learned her secret. And now here she is, adored by many, people who look up to her and feel inspired by her. I can only imagine what she's thinking during this scene. She probably thinks she doesn't deserve it, and to some extent, that's true. Or to be more accurate, they are idolizing her, putting her on a pedestal, which is puts a lot of pressure on her shoulders. She doesn't deserve that, because she is worth more than that.

Anyway, it's getting late, and I'm losing my train of thought. I just love this game so much, guys.

See you all in part 19!

[little-fandom-gal]

I know I’m WAY late to the Steven Universe hype train/analysis content, but I just watched it all the way through for the first time and I have thoughts.

1) although a great twist that made everything carry more weight and made a happy ending possible for all the corrupted gems, Rose being Pink Diamond was a terrible decision (will elaborate more later)

2) if they knew from the start Rose was Pink, then they should have included one more episode with her in it to actually SHOW her transition from tyrant brat to the leader she was remembered as

These points are intertwined, so I’ll elaborate a bit more here. Rose as pink retroactively changed every interaction. She went from a brave rebel who may have done some stuff but overall believed in change and in changing things for the better to the very force everyone despised. Now, not only was that image tainted a bit (although they tried to justify her decision saying she had no choice) BUT so much else now was sketchy. The Pearl she was leading on for thousands of years? SHE WAS HER SLAVE! The gems she poofed on the battlefield? THEY WERE SERVING HER! The crew made her irredeemable from this reveal, yet also showed a character that had grown from this in snippets, making me think they were going for the “child of abuse that finally broke free and learned from her ways” angle.

And then Spinel happened and we were back to square one. Here’s the thing, I don’t mind Steven finding out his mom was a horrible person. Heck, it’s a good metaphor for a lot of kids who grow up idolizing the adults around them before they learn how toxic they really were. It would be fine if not for one thing: Pink, the one seen as the CHILD in the authority, was the ONLY GEM DICTATOR NOT REDEEMED IN THE NARRATIVE!

Ignore for a moment all the other things and think: what kind of message is it that the child of abuse who broke free, started a new life with new friends and probably continued living with guilt that their abusers never even considered holding is turned into a villain by the story while all three of her abusers are forgiven within seconds and only told that they need to be nicer? If we are ignoring everything about the colonization and slavery the diamond do (because remember “It’s a metaphor for a broken family, not space dictators!”) why do we never get to see Pink at peace with her decisions?

Why do we never see a moment where everyone either forgives her or thinks of who she became and realizes she really did change? Why do we not get to dive deeper into her obsession with how humans can change and what thousands of years being a clown to some and put on a pedestal by others does to your perception of change in general? Why did we never get to hear her sing the end credit song, which VERY CLEARLY tells the story of a broken woman ashamed of her past who just wants to do one good thing for the ones who love her unconditionally? Why do we never address that part of her maybe was tired of living with it all and wanted to leave something good and innocent behind for those she loved as that single act to “love like” them??

In conclusion, the show was good, but the metaphor is sloppy as heck and not a great message when you dig deeper than a millimeter into it. Good show though!

[pazodetrasalba]

Swiftie (& 2)

Dear Caroline:

So about four years later, you were able to write this follow-up post, and Taylor Swift seems to have gotten a ticket to ride, and it's ok. Cars and driving as a metaphor for agency and freedom can be a bit of a hackneyed trope, though.

We tend to put idols in pedestals, which doesn't really work in the long run unless some level of mythologizing and obfuscation is at work because, ultimately, we are human and fallible, and fail to live up to impossible standards and other people's fantasies. The statues of the heroes of yore rust away in abandoned parks with only the birds as company. Out of all of them we can only find one Happy Prince...

[as a side note: I can't bear reading Wilde's story too often, as it moves me too much]

Talking about iconoclasm: the story about Swift's savviness which I mentioned a couple of days ago seems to have been too good to be true, but the new take is definitely more interesting, even if it feels unlikely: Taylor Swift would have actually signed the documents for the $100M deal, and it would have been Sam who didn't countersign "because the person he was dating liked Taylor and he wanted to spite her. This is in FTX's files and will come out later". We shall see if this is so, but of course, you know the truth of all this already.

Quote:

When an idol falls, you do not replace him. You disperse his power among the people and retire early to bed.

John Kenneth Galbraith

[astrolovecosmos]

Neptune: Deep Dive

Pink petals

fallen onto

night shaded

waters.

Nothing is ever as it seems.

Wood turned to metal.

Reality turned to dreams.

-Natasha Reeves 

The planet Neptune I think is most famous for two things - illusions and dreamy or ethereal associations. A lot of negativity is also commonly associated such as addiction, insanity, guilt, sorrow, denial, and doubt. This planet is complex and just like all the other planets has a huge array of associations. What prompted me to do a deep dive in Neptune? Well for one I’ve been going through the transit of Neptune in Pisces crossing over my IC which has been powerful and I am at the end of my progressed Moon in the 12th House. Also in my own chart I’ve been paying more attention to my natal Neptune placements... which are a lot more prominent and worthy of my attention than I’ve understood and noticed in the past. Honestly I spend a lot more time analyzing others’ charts vs. my own, and I really should have looked more closely at some of my own aspects. I have had a LOT of experience with Pisces influences throughout my life, intense ones. I want to make it clear that Pisces DOES NOT = Neptune. I’ve always wanted to write a whole essay about my experience as a Pisces friend, lover, family member, enemy, etc. An outsiders opinion but that isn’t this. This is a disclaimer because this is going to be both theory and my own experiences. This is a deep dive. 

The Sea’s Love and Wrath 

Neptune in a lot of mainstream media is described as gentle but this planet can be unpredictable and harsh, with erratic energy that could rival Uranus. Neptune can be about tolerance and kindness, seeing past the ego and material. Neptune can embody or promote unconditional love and forgiveness. Because Neptune can be about dissolving and merging this planet allows us to see ourselves in others, maybe even in everyone allowing for compassion, empathy, and the ability to love very freely and openly. But the illusion and deception of Neptune is its shadow. 

Romanticizing and idealizing can be one of Neptune’s downfalls. Many times this is described as putting other’s on a pedestal but this can be applied to any area of life from work to places to ideals. From this those with strong Neptune aspects or prominent placements can find that disappointment is a frequent visitor. Neptune square, opposite, or conjunct Venus can quickly fall for others, trust others, and gravitates towards those they want to help or who have a strong personality they can meld with. Neptune opposite or square Mercury may face the frustration and disappointment of frequently being misunderstood or finding that they easily misread others or trust their words. After feeling tricked there can be wrath to these oceanic bodies. 

Where will their vengeance or anger land? It isn’t fair if they idolize you to get mad at you... sometimes their anger is self-loathing and self-destructive, other times they take you down with them. But the lesson is that Neptune can be as soft and as dangerous as the sea. 

Enlightenment and Madness

Coming down from the high, was getting lost in Neptune’s blue. Dreams and visions dancing in the back of my mind, when reality is so hard to chew. Sensation used to distract and pieces of stories stitched together to where nothing is fact.- Natasha Reeves 

There are many influences that can grant us wisdom or enlightenment throughout astrology, but I don’t see too many writings or posts about Neptune and its connection to enlightenment, nirvana, or eurekas and on the flipside also insanity and denial. Neptune can pull away the fog to give us clarity - especially when looking at the whole of things, the big picture. Neptune can famously also be the fog. 

The transit of Neptune crossing over my IC/4th House brought a lot of light to my childhood and how I was raised. However my IC is in Pisces, while Pisces isn’t the same as the planet, and many astrologers believe Neptune is not the ruling planet of Pisces - it is a sign known for illusions, confusion, and vagueness much like Neptune. I came from a place of a lot of secretiveness and vagueness, but when the “planet of illusions” crossed over I found myself accepting the instability and moments I felt lost or clueless in my life as well as looking back with remembering and understanding. 

Neptune can represent the part of us that is hard to grasp and understand, it also faces us with the idea that it is okay to have unanswered questions, to not have closure, that many times we have to create that closure or solidity ourselves. Neptune much like Jupiter is a matter of faith whether in ourselves or a higher power. 

It should be noted Neptune doesn’t always mean outside sources. Neptune is an introverted, intimate actor. It can represent how we lie to ourselves, trick ourselves, or how we push responsibility off of ourselves. Neptune also allows us to see, understand, more importantly feel what we easily ignore or can’t see. 

Life’s Extremes - Our Extremes 

“Neptune moves between the greatest extremes: from the highest spiritual awareness through imagination, fantasy, and illusion, to the depths of deceptions and disillusionment. The planet of mysticism, glamour, and enchantment, Neptune exerts a hypotonic fascination.” - Judy Hall. 

When many think of extremes they probably think Pluto before Neptune. The blue sphere isn’t going to take away the icy orb’s reputation - Pluto holds tightly in terms of extremes, but Neptune is far from a level-headed, consistent influence. Let’s touch on fantasy and illusion - two things that tends to warn of foolishness or impracticality, but fantasy is part of everyone’s life, no matter how pragmatic or mature an individual claims to be. From coping to manifesting to understanding to enjoying, fantasy is a natural human thing. Think of how often you daydream in an hour, how many books, movies, and games you indulge in, how often you find yourself being tempted by gossip, and how often you find yourself painting a picture of another in your head - negative or positive. 

Neptune symbolizes the abstract, importance, and rawness of our fantasies. Individuals with prominent Neptune aspects can find themselves easily tapping into their imagination, falling into escapism frequently, or have a great use for their wild ideas. If you think of the subject of fantasies or illusion as an extreme - it makes sense. You aren’t going to get an interesting story without the gods and monsters. Our sleeping dreams often are filled with strangeness or strong emotions. Clarity to madness, hopeless romantic highs to deeply wounded sorrows, and dissolving/surrendering to becoming whole/complete are common extremes this planet centers around. 

I have Mercury Square Neptune which tends to make one doubtful of their own opinions and intellect, can increase misunderstandings, and make communication difficult for the individual. Mercury Square Neptune can make someone highly persuasive and deceptive but it can also make one easily confused, tricked, and manipulated by others. Rationality and intuition can conflict. One experience I have with this aspect is usually swinging from extremes to being very withdrawn and quiet to interrupting others, chatting away. I’ve been described by those in my life as always saying something they didn’t expect - few words but impactful or strange ones. This is an example of the more everyday way Neptune can present itself.

“Neptune-attuned people possess glamour in the old sense of the word: the ability to bewitch. They are also impossible to categorize or pin down, demonstrating the planet’s elusive quality. Lacking strong boundaries, Neptune-attuned people are susceptible to outside influences.” - Judy Hall. It is from these lack of boundaries and fluidness we see Neptune’s extremeness. Neptune aspects can have us take on the traits of others and there is intensity in that. Let’s say we are talking about a Neptune to Mercury aspect, here may be someone who is easily energized or put down by the mood of another. Neptune to Mars can create a volatile person who fights, guards, and pursues based on their inner circle. 

Alice: Imagination and Dreams 

Personally I tend to associate Alice in Wonderland with Gemini themes. But I’ve seen her used as a metaphor for many placements and influences, such as Scorpio and Pluto. Neptune’s lostness certainly relates to the character and story. Neptune can be the planet of dreams. Challenging aspects to Saturn indicates someone who struggles to get in touch with reality while easy aspects to Saturn indicates someone who can marry big dreams or imagination to practicality. 

Neptune to Moon aspects can indicate powerful dreaming - almost intuitive or helpful in processing stress or trauma. So does Neptune in the 12th, 4th, 8th, and possibly 9th. Neptune in the 2nd can mean imagination or even dreams themselves act as a resource, maybe this is through inspiration or increasing one’s belief or confidence. Neptune in the 3rd may find themselves always remembering their dreams and keeping a journal. Neptune in the 5th blessed with all of the fun dreams of flying or dreaming of a favorite fictional character. Neptune in the 6th or 10th may find strikes of inspiration, knowledge, problem solving, or important foresight in their sleep. Neptune in the 11th may find comfort or realize important information about self and/or society in their dreams. 

Neptune is a newer planet, many times called the visionary, healer, or spiritual link or messenger. Traditional astrologers can approach the planet with a lot of skepticism. Its exaltation is in creative Leo, detriment in practical Virgo, and fall in usually praised as “visionary” Aquarius. Neptune is still new enough to be a hot topic of debate. You will find many astrologers don’t even agree on the planet’s exaltation, fall, and detriment. Leo is considered one of the most creative sign and on the topic of imagination and dreams Neptune can feel amazing in this sign. It feels confident and shinning in its ideas, fantasies, and magic. Elusive and ever-changing Neptune doesn’t feel comfortable in stable and structured Virgo. But Aquarius is an unexpected challenge for Neptune. Aquarius is about collective action - unity that Neptune also is familiar with. But Aquarius is a cold sign and despite its unconventional side can be highly practical and may dislike unrealistic ideas or approaches. Saturn is Aquarius’s co-ruler after all. Neptune wants oneness as in intimacy, not oneness in action or rebellion like Aquarius. Neptune is the magical moonlit spring to heal all your wounds, especially the emotional and spiritual kind. Aquarius is the soul forge in Asgard from Thor: The Dark World or the hypospray in Star Trek. Aquarius is modern medicine most of the time and when Neptune is dressed in Aquarius’s colors at its best it is advanced medicine we don’t understand yet but are working towards. Neptune in Aquarius can be a genius, but it is about ambitious realism to help others, Neptune at its heart is about helping the individual on the most personal level. Aquarius is random strikes of lightning coming from an active mind while Neptune flows from one spot to another, always connected and coming from an original primal, emotional place. Aquarius is the future, Neptune is outside of time. Aquarius is intellect and Neptune emotions and intuition. Aquarius is rebellion, riot, revolution, Neptune is peace or death and rebirth - Aquarius is the noise and Neptune the silence. 

Some believe Neptune’s fall is in Capricorn, which the struggles exist with Capricorn’s strictness and clinging to reality and control. Neptune in Leo is Alice looking regal like a queen or warrior going to fight the jabberwock, Neptune in Virgo can get dark, feeling uncomfortable and maybe in pain, but still important and empowering. Alice in Aquarius or Capricorn is likely a totally new story, adult Alice putting away the tea parties and white rabbits for a lab coat or pantsuit. 

What about Healing and the Spiritual? 

Let’s get to what Neptune may be most known for. That otherworldly connection, the power of love, transcendence. Neptune is dramatic and it is soothing. Neptune embraces all aspects of the human experience so we can focus more on the soul. Neptune is all about healing and how healing can come in a million ways. It can be fast and hard or slow and revealing. It is painful and messy, it goes in cycles, loops, falls and rises. 

Neptune whether the aspects are easy or challenging, whether in a house focused on the self or others, it gives everyone ways to heal and to connect. As an outer planet it gives a lot of insight into generations but in the unique placement of one’s chart it touches us with humanity. 

Pretty speeches, enchanting metaphors, crazy nights, and charming lovers lead us to our doom and a raw poem, crying ourselves to sleep, old medicine, late night graveyard walks, and maybe a rebound help us pick up the pieces. Neptune many times shows us that the unexpected is what tears us down and what lifts us back up. It teaches us nothing is inherently bad like substances, manipulation, honesty, authority, it is how it is used. Neptune shows us that you are the hero to some and the villain to others. 

Regret, shame, guilt, feeling trapped, isolation, addiction, grief, and sorrow are closely linked to Neptune. I believe many times this is due to the healing process or spiritual associations of the planet. These emotions are heavy and life-changing but they are emotions that many times need to be faced with a lot of bravery and work. They are feelings that also help us come to realizations. Neptune is associated with rebirth and if you examine emotions like regret or shame, sometimes rebirth is the only way you can shed those feelings. Neptune’s fluid nature also allows us acceptance, which is needed to deal with such heavy emotions. 

While we always talk about the lack of boundaries as a dangerous or bad thing... and it can be, these lack of boundaries like I mentioned above can allow for a very giving love and empathy, it also allows us to feel or interact with a higher power, magic, and the spiritual. Whatever your beat is - religion, magic, or the belief we are just star stuff, Neptune symbolizes our relationship with it. 

[canonicallysoulmates]

Hi y'all, how is everyone holding up?

It's been an.....eventful and painful couple of hours. And I want to talk about some of it....

Let's talk about j2, fan expectations, perfect relationships, disillusionment and where we go from here:

I think there's one thing that this situation really brought to the forefront and that is how much over the years we have idolized Jared and Jensen's relationship. We have put it on this pedestal and hailed it as "perfect", because we had only ever seen the highs; we knew and acknowledged that they have had rough patches but they've always seemed distant because by the time we learn about them things have already been resolved. This situation was the first time we've witnessed first hand a low point in the relationship- we had seen the good now we were seeing the other side of the coin.

For some this shattered the idealized perfect image we had of j2's relationship, I think over the years we'd forgotten one very important thing: perfect relationships don't exist. Not the way we commonly think of them with no fighting, always happy and in agreement, and no misunderstandings. The closest thing you're gonna find in real life to a perfect relationship is one that manages to work things out after a fight, one that forgives and understands.

Because real relationships are complicated. Fights happen, mistakes are made, sometimes you hurt the ones you love, misunderstandings and miscommunication occur. But these things don't always signify the end of a relationship.

Do I think things between the boys are perfect right now? No. I think they still have a lot to talk about and work through, and it's gonna take them time but they're gonna put in the effort and the work because they love and care deeply about one another. Like Jared said in his tweet sometimes the road has bumps but that doesn't stop them.

Earlier this morning on twitter I expressed myself as feeling like a child worried that their parents might get divorced. I'm gonna continue with this surprisingly fitting metaphor to say something important; I know not all of you are happy with the way that things wrapped up, I understand that many of us wanted an explanation and an apology but the only one Jensen owed those things to was Jared. We got caught up in an unfortunate situation and ended up hurt but this was never about us.

While a lot of this took place over public platform we are not entitled to their private conversations or to how they decide to solve this matter. And I know there's still a lot of anger and some can't imagine just forgiving something like this but it's like when parents have a fight and the kids get caught in the middle, the kids might end up feeling hurt and betrayed and pick sides between the two but at the end of the day the problem is between the parents and it is up to them how they choose to solve it and we have to respect it and accept it because it's their relationship not ours, how they solve things is not up to us. And there's a lot of confusion and things we're never gonna get the answers to.

I know that for some the magic of j2 is now gone and I'm so sorry about that, I know how much joy these men have brought us and I wish I had some words of comfort to offer you. But all I can think to say is that Jared and Jensen decided that their relationship is worth fighting for and if one stops to think about that...isn't that more meaningful than idealized perfection? Isn't that evidence of how much they love each other? That they're not giving up on one another.

Things after this may not be the same, but that's necessarily a bad thing: sometimes, when things are tested they come out stronger. And who's to say that won't be the case?

So, where do we go from here? Simple, we heal. That's gonna mean something different for everyone, maybe you've already moved on and feel like there's nothing more to talk about, maybe you need a break from the fandom or from the boys, or from social media, maybe you're still angry and disappointed at Jensen, maybe the magic for you is gone or you need to re-evaluate your feelings and opinions, maybe you just need a little more time to process things. That's valid. This situation put us all on edge and left us feeling vulnerable and scared and hurt. It takes time to heal. Take as long as you need.

One final thing before I wrap up, take notice of those who will use this situation to spread rumors and sow seeds of discord, it's so easy to fall prey to them after situations like this and they know it.

Tomorrow is a brand new day, I don't know what it holds. But I know in my heart that Jared and Jensen are going to be okay.

And so are we 💙

[wygolvillage]

hmmm barlowe related thoughts/headcanons:

-barlowe grew up in the same village that richter lived in before it got burned down during rondo of blood, and was a young boy in the 1790s. at a formative age he saw draculas castle rise twice, witnessed lots of destruction, and also saw who he was taught was the greatest symbol of hope for humanity turn towards draculas influence, which influenced his world view as he tried to rationalize this- "if god allowed this to happen then dracula is a factor in gods plan. to worship dracula is to worship an extension of gods will", basically. there might be some timeline complications here lol with how barlowe is 72 + ooe seems to take place in the 1870s based on the technology present. but ooe takes place in an ambiguous year in the 1800s anyway so its fine. cv is very anachronistic regardless lol.

-barlowes logic- "Dracula's power comes from the darkness in people's hearts--our hearts. Ask yourself then, why does he continue to return, regardless of defeat? Because our hearts yearn for Dracula's presence!"- on a more detailed level, boils down to the idea that if dracula only rises in the event of humanity's sin, and continues to return regularly, it means humanity is deserving of his destruction, which should be encouraged. i made a flow chart illustrating this concept a while ago lol. obviously the "darkness in peoples hearts" refers to the people who worship dracula anyway considering the lengths they go to to "cleanse the world in the forge of chaos", which DIRECTLY causes draculas return, and is often evil in nature. its self fulfilling! dracula cultists are pretty united in this core belief even though they sort of prove their own ideas wrong through how they operate. barlowe is the same, shaft is the same, etc etc.

-barlowe studied from the writings shaft left behind in the early days of leading ecclesia. since shaft had worked with using draculas remains before (in sotn, since alucard collects them to interfere with draculas revival in the inverted castle), thats how barlowe gets the idea to concentrate the power of draculas remains into a resurrection spell, which ofc requires a sacrifice to work. shaft also uses human sacrifice (that rondo cutscene where he stabs that lady to revive drac) so it makes sense i think... barlowe builds upon his work. its only after he created dominus that he takes in students to train to absorb it (flavor text says that shanoa and albus were trained to absorb dominus from a young age so i think its only after he creates dominus that he starts taking in orphans as potential vessels). he uses the idea of "taking in poor helpless orphans" to seem more kindly and generous and saintly

-barlowe was closely involved with his disciples growing up, being both an authority figure and a father to them. albus percieved more of the authority side, shanoa saw him as more of a father. albus had a lot of admiring respect for him and idolized his revolutionary magical research, which is also part of why albus pursued glyph research as well, in an "im gonna be just like you, sir!!" kinda way. that pedestal barlowe was on was cracked and destroyed irrevocably when albus realized he was going behind their backs and planning to sacrifice shanoa, which we see in ooe's opening scene. albus's whole view on the person he grew up idolizing and the order he was working for just kind of changes over the course of a day and i think a lot of albus's more questionable and impulsive decisions can be understood more easily when u realize how much that would freak someone out. after all, barlowe only encouraged the building of that metaphorical pedestal. he needed his students to be unquestioning if his plans were to succeed and he needed them to respect his authority. (as a side note, all of shanoas more familial closeness that barlowe had encouraged is absent once she loses her memories, for obvious reasons: she forgot that it happened, and she is unable to form emotional bonds, so during that time she views him purely as an authority to obey. still, barlowe holds it against her: "how dare you! even forgetting who raised you!" and all that)

-barlowe always knew that shanoas memories and emotions would be forfeited and it was an intentional sacrifice, and he always knew that fulfilling her mission meant her death. this is stated in-game but it is worth restating. "some of you will die but it is a sacrifice i am willing to make" lol

-barlowe hearing draculas voice from within the seal was like a religious experience to him. in his final moments he thought of himself as a "martyr for the lord" which has the double meaning of both meaning the lord as in god and lord dracula. on a similar note i think when he says "but i trust the lord's plan over [albus's]" the double meaning is also there. since u know. dracula is the Dark Lord™. dracula and god are like two sides of the same coin to him and operating to the same ends: to truly worship one is to accept the machinations of the other. thats his view, and something that the later cult, with light, led by celia, founds itself upon as well.

-not all ecclesia members were kept in the dark about the organizations true purpose, it was mostly just the disciples. celia fortner is descended from a loyal ecclesia member and a lot of her cults core beliefs come from that. the mantle of leadership over with light is passed down the family and though they were dormant for a while they gained more influence following the events of 1999. as a result there was very little of ecclesias records left, but celias mother revived their beliefs as best she could. from writings mentioning magic sigils, magic seals were born, and at some point "dominus" got misinterpreted as "dominance", causing a false misconception within the cult that ecclesia once had access to draculas commanding powers over souls. the lost village in dos is where wygol once stood, which is around the area of ecclesias operations. celia inherited leadership over with light after her mothers death.

[shini--chan]

Can I get nyoYandereAllies&Axis with a religious, homophobic (not the extreme kind) fem!reader? Same with hetalia but with male!reader pls? If it's too triggering or offensive I apologize, you don't have to write it. As a bi peep I get it. Your writings great btw!

I didn’t say anything against it in the rules and I understand where you are coming from with your ask. Thank you.

A small notice before I begin: Should you converse with a person that holds such believes – don’t scream at them that they are wrong and start to insult them, no matter how much you want to. Doing that will only cause them to dig their heels in and entrench themselves further in their misguided believes. Civil conversation is the best solution, and often times information takes time to sink in.

Tw: Homophobia

Yandere Nyo! Allies – Bias

America

Amelia would be shocked. Of course, being the personification of America and thus containing the Bible Belt in a metaphorical sense, she’d understand that being homo isn’t in by everybody. Yet she wouldn’t have really been banking on encountering it in you. She had put you up on a pedestal, promoted you to the level of the angels, and then you would shatter her idolism with your prejudice.

She would try talking you out of it. However, with all her emotions filling her up and the situation being so completely out of control, she would be quick to lash out. She’d take drastic action, maybe even kidnapping you all with the notion that if you would spend enough time with her then you would shed your homophobia. Her actions would be counterproductive, however, and you would probably use your bad experiences with her to further justify your world view.

Canada

Madeline would be shocked. If anything, it would be a rejection of the hardest sort in her eyes. After all the time getting closer to you, showing you affection and buttering up to you… Finding out that you’re homophobic would be a harsh blow to her and she would have to re-evaluate her plans.

She would take some time for herself, acting very uncharacteristically by letting you out of her sight for prolonged intervals. That time would be used for some self-care – bubble baths, drawing and maybe reading through old letters praising her. Once she would have quieted down and regained a sense of ease, she would mull over the possibilities. Eventually, she would decide on talking to you about your believes.

China

Chun-Yan Wang would take the news with annoyance yet with composure. In a way, she would get it. In her home, while homosexuality is legalized and no longer regarded as a mental disorder, there is still a firm social taboo on it. It took her quite some time to come to terms with her own attraction to women. Maybe you would also just be another case of internalised homophobia? She would sure hope that that would be the case.

Everything would proceed according to plan – she would still take steps to draw you closer to her and make you more dependant on her. With the addition that she would begin the process of normalising homosexuality in your eyes. Chun-Yan would leave art and literature pointing to that, and should the two of you broach the topic, then she would say that she wouldn’t care about the orientation of a person and would lay out her reasoning. She wouldn’t push you – people do learn best from example, after all.

England

Alice would be perturbed. While she would have considered such a problem to potentially up, she would be anything but happy with it. To her, it would be totally grievous (although, it would be rather hypocritical for her to claim that, considering her own past of bias’) and she would set to work on you to correct your attitude.

Depending on how far under her skin you’d have gotten with these opinions, she’d either kidnap you in order to painstakingly re-educate you personally, or she would gradually guide you away from your prejudices. Either way, she would be never waspish, holding back less than usual with her sharp words and harsh glares. It would become completely apparent why some labelled her as a shrew in the past.

France

Marianne would be a bit sceptic and fairly disappointed. Sceptic because she would assume that her wooing would have become a bit too obvious and you’re just using supposed phobia to reject her out of hand. Disappointed because she wouldn’t have thought you’d swoop so low – if you would only sight such attitudes based on fearing how you would be perceived, it would only double. She could go dancing with you and even back in the day, people would have regarded any intimate relationship between you as a romantic friendship. Men being in love with each other was much more of a heresy.

Her reaction would fall somewhere in-between that of China and Canada – she would have a talk with you, although the so-called talk could very well be stretch over weeks as she would aim to gradually change your view. Despite all her raging emotions and obsession with you, she would be patient.

Russia

Anja would be taken aback, but only temporality. While she is rather good at determination what the emotions and believes of a person are, if she puts a bit of effort into it, she isn’t equipped to handle the more deep-rooted notions. But in your case, she would have already been there. It wouldn’t be the first time in her life that she would have been swept aside due to homophobia.

If you wouldn’t have caught on to her intentions yet, then she would sweep all plans of kidnapping or coercing you into a relationship aside and work on establishing a very close friendship with you. For a while it would be enough to satisfy her needs – people don’t have to kiss or make love to be in a healthy relationship, after all.