#no role models to look up to and see what a healthy dynamic looks like

[ickypuppi3]

billy’s behavioural issues starting long before his mother leaves is actually something that can be so personal. the fact that neil has always been shit to them both is so so much better but also so so much more ouchie. because that means that from the very start billy hasn’t really had anybody that’s had his back. he sees how his dad treats his mom so he figures it’s normal when neil starts laying into him too.

this is what i’m saying !!

it only makes sense

like shit was bad before his mom left

[punkeropercyjackson]

Within the structure of Pjo canon,transfem Percy holds a lot more weight than Percy being attracted to any male character does.Percy as a character since her conception was made to defy traditional manhood and while it's true that positive masculinity is something that deserves to be represented in children's media much more often,she's far from the right character for it because the thing is the reason Percy is who she is she's completely lacking in masculinity fullstop.This dosen't necessarily mean she can't be a gnc man but 1.She can be a woman too since genderfluid,bigender and other multigender people exist and they can be transfem by being amab 2.It is erasure to masculinize Percy regardless of what gender you see them as.Transfem Percy is straight up transmisogynistic because in canon she's feminine but transmasc Percy isn't any better because it's just 'you can only be a trans man if you're masc' regurgitation

Percy is constantly said to be different from male characters with an emphasizes on them being men-Piper saying she's not her type because she's not manly looking like Jason,her as a heroic foil to Luke who's pretty much the personafication of ancient greek men and their brutal nonstop violence to ancient greek women,the overhanging theme that Percy never wants to be a god because she dosen't want to turn into her dad or Zeus or any of the MANY men who've hurt her and it's her plot with Zoe to prove herself as nothing like ordinary men.And the thing about that last one is,the fandom loves to call the Hunters of Artemis te.rfy and say they have r*dfem energy but this is more on them because the Hunters never speak of biology,only gender identity and Titan's Curse wasn't 'Not ALL men',it was 'Yeah no men as a group are genuinely awful but Percy's built different than normal ones and that's why Percy's our protagonist and a role model for you'

She herself is aware of this-She's always insulting guys as she uses them being guys as the basis behind her dislike and often wonders what the appeal of being a guy even is,both from an attraction persective as she finds the male gods' extreme conventional attractiveness and stereotypically male to be really offputting and on herself as she frequently complains about having to live up to those things too according to society when she just wants to be Percy instead.She often shows a preference for femininity on both those aspects too and it's very important to note that Percy's positive important m/f dynamics are:Grover who is soft and sweet and considered 'unmanly',Beckendorf who is black and acts like her big brother,Frank who is a transmasc-coded moc and her family member,Jason who is an actual example of healthy and positive masculinity and that she met while having amnesia and most of all NICO who she sees as her kid brother,pseudo-son and is the first gay Percyverse character that was made gay by crushing on her but got over her because he realized she's not the ideal man he thought she was and calls her cute when saying this to her to reassure her she's still pretty because he loves her even if not like he thought because he thought they(her and him!)were something else

Now,i'm not saying Percy can't like boys at all.I actually headcanon her as bi and ship her with a good handful of male characters(Jason,Leo,Ethan,Carter and Magnus)but you are making her not Percy by removing her trauma involving men and resulting discomfort with them and her femme traits because these are major parts of her that make her who she is as much as her sense of humor,attitude and mannerisms do and while i hate him as a person and have since i was 12,Rick has stated that he never intended Percy as liking men romantically and has expressed no interest in changing that or ever stated Percy is cis but he did say he'd be happy and supportive of a poc playing Percy in adaptions and it says quite a lot that people get more angry over afrolatino Percy content-specifically that interpretation,the antiblackness focus in racist Pjo cannot be ignored-because it 'goes against canon' than they do over Percy having who she actually is taken away from her,the representation she provides as neurodivergent and poor protagonist who has zero conformity and is potrayed as cool and hot for it instead of a loser

Pjo fans think it's worse to say Percy's not a skater boy or stupid or lame or an egoist or dosen't has a thing for blondes than it is to turn an audhd abuse victim with implied bpd and ptsd who's an anarchist and works hard to break the cycle of abuse both personally and as a societal structure into a generic male mc.They think Percy would rather give up her entire self to be a man who's obsessed with every man she meets than be a femme trans woman or even just femme and they lash out when she is potrayed as transfem and only accept male femininity in her when it's for sexualizaton for guys they want her with instead of making herself happy.This is,without a doubt,transmisogyny

[designernishiki]

ok gonna be real I’ve never understood the “daigo is like a son to me” route that the writers took with kiryu. they’ve never, at least for most of their time knowing each other, felt like they’ve had a father and son dynamic– an older brother/younger brother one sure, or maybe a young uncle/nephew one. because I mean? they’ve known each other since they were both kids and they’re literally only 8 years apart in age. in y0 it’s implied that kiryu played with him and babysat him more or less when he was around 16-20 and it just doesn’t feel like a Dad sort of thing At All. kiryu was also a kid. just an older kid. daigo was a little brat to him just like an annoying little brother while secretly thinking of kiryu as a Cool Teenager he looked up to and wanted to be more like. it feels way more like an older/younger sibling sort of thing or something akin to that and it only starts being a little more like a father/son dynamic some time after daigo loses his father and feels the need to fill the void– which he couldn’t even begin to do until at least ten years later because kiryu was in prison. and it’s not particularly in a healthy way either, considering. well. like I said. kiryu’s never actually been like a father to him. I don’t even mean that in a negative way in this case, it’s just literally not the role kiryu fundamentally had in his life (especially because their age difference is a good 10-20 years too close to be that of a parental relationship.) so idk. having kiryu say all of a sudden that he sees daigo as a son (especially rather than as family in some other way) just feels kinda. wrong. and jarringly unfounded.

I mean shit, even majima would be more of a dad-ish figure to daigo realistically considering kiryu basically assigned him to look after daigo for like. years. while kiryu just kinda left without any known plans of reconnecting at all. or even kashiwagi on a certain level because of how he stepped in alongside yayoi after sohei’s death. kiryu has barely been around, hasn’t really showed any interest in legitimately being in his life, and has barely had any deeply personal interactions with him since they were basically both kids. and as much as I think how long they’ve known each other and what they’ve both been through is a means for a familial bond of SOME kind, there just seems like no room or evidence for a paternal role being taken on.

at least nothing healthy in that regard; if kiryu’s like a dad to him then he’s undoubtedly a deadbeat one and perhaps feels like a dad to daigo in a way because daigo’s paternal model (his birth father) was also emotionally (and probably largely physically) absent and near-impossible to live up to. that’d at least make sense, regardless of how unhealthy it’d be, but it STILL really doesn’t explain kiryu saying he thinks of daigo like a son.

it’s just. it’s such a weird thing to have him say and I wish it was this confusing because of nuance but honestly I just think the writers watered their dynamic down to supposedly father/son because it seems more emotionally impactful for kiryu to say “you’re like a son to me” than anything else he could’ve potentially said about their bond.

[varietales]

meta + Jenny + other women

send a meta topic // always accepting

In canon, Jenny has few interactions with other women (that i can remember) and it seems to paint her as the type that would have rivalry with them. With Mira, this is particularly understandable as they were models at the same time and both doing their best to promote their own guilds and whatnot (plus i have some other hcs about their dynamic that i need to work through).

In canon, Jenny aims to humiliate Mira twice (once with the bet and then at the water park by stealing her bikini top). I have opted to tweak the bet and remove the water park incident. Another notable interaction is a brief glimpse of her and Evergreen at Blue Pegasus, where the two seem to be squabbling and making digs at each other. Obviously that's not something I see for your particular portrayal or my Jenny.

I can definitely acknowledge that there are circumstances and factors that would lead to Jenny having difficulties with other women. She was/is in the modelling business where looks and popularity are Everything, and this can bring out great insecurity and a need to best everyone. It's not a good environment, and (my) Jenny does struggle with a level of insecurity at times as she grew up feeling unwanted.

(My) Jenny also admired Karen when she was younger, and we all know what a toxic person she was.

The key reason why my girl has not become a terrible women-hating lady is Master Bob. After Karen died and he started to see Jenny's attempts to emulate her, he talked sense into her and encouraged her to be herself. As she ventured into the modelling industry, he also took care to ensure she would not get consumed by it and the vanity of it all, he is a responsible guildmaster and looked out for her. Hibiki is also an important influence on her, as he is someone who has always accepted and valued her for who she is.

Adding to that, while her friendly rivalry was with Mira at the time and she could feel herself falling into bad habits, it was Mira's 7 year disappearance that also caused a shift in her - she could have been pleased that her rival had disappeared, leaving the top spot to her alone, but it was tragic and something that made Jenny value the time that she had.

Along with Bob and Hibiki, Evie has also guided Jenny at times, having gotten to know her through Bob and the bond between their guilds. Evie was an excellent role model for Jenny and always encouraged her to support other women.

I'm not going to say Jenny doesn't struggle at times, and that her competitive streak doesn't rear its head sometimes, but she is overall healthy when it comes to other women. She understands from her own experiences too, that sometimes women get treated unfairly or inappropriately, so she is quick to step in when she can and be on the woman's side.

In terms of female friendships, she has a few within her guild, and outside of the guild, she has developed bonds with Levy, Lucy, Kagura, Millianna. She still has a bit of an odd dynamic with Mira in my mind, but there is a respect and friendship there. I also do like to imagine she and Evergreen got along well while Evergreen was in Blue Pegasus, and I've always loved the idea that she and Sherry became good friends too.

Also, while i haven't gotten into depth on it anywhere, Jenny can and will flirt with women at times, and can certainly appreciate a good looking lady. Let jenny have a gf

[tea-with-evan-and-me]

Girl, I love your blog and your smart replies💕 That’s why I wanna know your opinion about the topic Evan and his relationships. Don’t you think he might be toxic too? Let me clarify: We all assume that Evan is the good, sweet, introverted guy looking for a serious relationship with a good woman but unfortunately he always ends up with someone evil and toxic. But I can’t believe he never met at least one good woman in his entire life, someone he could have a healthy relationship with. For this reason I’m quite sure he’s only looking for women like Emma before and like Frances nowadays cause he loves the thrill of the toxic bond. Someone healthy in my opinion even bores him. This entire dynamic is not only toxic but also dangerous especially since he is no longer a baby boy but a 36 year old grown man and break this toxic cycle could be very difficult. It’s like he’s destined only for this type of relationship (even in the workplace, see for example his relation with Ryan Murphy). I feel bad for him and only by working on himself he can possibly change his situation. Sorry for the long message but I wanted express my opinion☺️

thank you so much, i really do appreciate this feedback <3 let me reiterate these are just my own opinions..

i do feel like the situation isn't black and white like it can sometimes appear on the outside looking in. and what i mean by that is: publicly, evan has a good reputation - we don't get reports of him exhibiting bad behavior on set (minus the fighting with emma during ahs but even that was minimally reported), in hollywood, or from anyone close to him who has spoken out in the media. no diva behavior or abusive tendencies. by contrast, there is lots of public information available about some of the women he's seriously dated that would lead us to believe they are a problem. note i said a problem, not the problem. chaos can't thrive in a relationship without two willing parties who partake. even if we were to believe evan was never in the wrong (which is impossible, he is human and he is a man, ahem) there's still something to be said about a man who is in his late 30s with so many failed relationships with women who had obvious problems. again, as someone who doesn't know evan personally, if i had to throw out some reasons that i think he has not been lucky in love, i would list off poor self-esteem, self-doubt, substance abuse problems (hopefully resolved) and far too high a tolerance for drama. he has stayed with women who cheated (emma), beat him (emma) and used him for money/clout (frances) to name some of the bigger offenses. and i fully believe he feels indebted to ryan murphy for jumpstarting his career and would have a very hard time telling him no. evan doesn't believe in himself as an actor and i think he feels stable employment with ryan is a necessity, even when the types of roles he's receiving drain him mentally and emotionally and have pigeonholed him to a certain degree.

i agree that he's doomed to keep repeating these types of romances until he addresses his own personal issues. people who have toxic relationship after toxic relationship are absolutely addicted to it and feel insecure in healthy ones. if he ran into a successful, beautiful, stable woman in her 30s he would probably feel deeply insecure to pursue something with her because, in my humble observation, he has a low opinion of himself and by his own admission suffers from imposter syndrome. it's easier to date a 20-something onlyfans model who had a teenage crush on you, is likely impressed by your career and net worth, and will keep your ego boosted so long as you're spoiling her.

thanks for the great discussion topic anon!!

[madhukumarc]

What is a Marketing Mix?

A marketing mix refers to the combination of various marketing tactics and strategies that a business uses to promote its products or services. 

It is a crucial concept in the world of marketing, and understanding it is essential for any business owner or marketer looking to create an effective marketing campaign.

The marketing mix is made up of four key components, which are often referred to as the "Four Ps" of Marketing: product, price, promotion, and place. Let's take a closer look at each of these components. 

Marketing Mix Components: 

1. Product: This refers to the actual product or service that a business is trying to sell. It includes things like the product's features, design, quality, packaging, and more. 

Businesses need to ensure that their product meets the needs and wants of their target market and is differentiated from competitors' products.

“A shocking 74% of buyers say sellers don't listen. How can you provide value and help buyers see how your products and solutions will help them if you don't understand their current situation, needs, and desires?” – MarketingProfs

2. Price: This refers to the amount of money that a business charges for its product or service. 

The price needs to be set at a level that is both affordable for customers and profitable for the business. 

Factors like production costs, competition, and perceived value all play a role in determining the price.

"AI technologies use dynamic pricing models to help predict customer behavior, supply, and demand to alert salespeople when to increase or decrease the price of a product or service" – HubSpot

3. Promotion: This refers to the various ways that a business promotes its product or service to potential customers. 

It includes things like advertising [online and offline], public relations, referral, and personal selling. 

The goal of promotion is to create awareness about the product and persuade customers to make a purchase.

“With every channel on the rise, marketers need to consider which channels are a good fit for their marketing mix. In 2023, video content remains among the top trends and TikTok is the center of attention” - State of Social 2023 Report [EMEA Edition] by Meltwater

4. Place: This refers to the distribution channels that a business uses to make its product available to customers. 

It includes things like physical stores, online marketplaces, other online marketing channels, and direct sales. 

Businesses need to ensure that their product is easily accessible to their target market and that they have an effective distribution strategy in place.

“It’s good to have a healthy mix of traffic sources rather than relying on a single channel, so work to grow and diversify your presence through various methods” – SmartBug and rockcontent [Report for 2023]

The marketing mix is not a one-size-fits-all solution, and businesses need to tailor their approach based on their specific product, target market, competition, trends, and industry. 

However, by considering each of the four Ps in their marketing strategy, businesses can create a comprehensive and effective marketing campaign that maximizes their chances of success.

In order to maximize the results, this also helps in understanding competitors' strategy.

In summary, a marketing mix is a combination of different marketing strategies and tactics that a business uses to promote its products or services. 

It consists of components such as product, price, promotion, and place. By understanding and optimizing each of these components, businesses can create an effective marketing campaign that drives sales and growth.

Here's related information that you may find helpful – Ways of Attracting and Retaining Customers? [Top 7 Proven Ways]

[tarotlogy]

THE KING OF WANDS – THE LEADER

KEYWORDS

Mature Masculine Fire, Dynamic, Powerful, Strong, Leader, Ruler, Boss, Director, Experienced, Mentor, Role-Model, Goal-Setter, Take-Charge, Proud/Pride, Admirable, Dependable, Integrity, Strong Principles, Autocratic, Virile, Energetic, Agile, Physically Fit, Healthy, Sporty, Sexy, Macho, Bold, Protector, Resilient, perseverance, Adventurous, Spontaneous, Heroic, Courageous, Fearless, Volunteer, Spirited, Charismatic, Charming, Stimulating, Exciting, Eager, Self-Confidence, Self-Belief, Self-Esteem, Respected, Go-Getter, Daring, Creative, Inspiring, Visionary, Foresight, Risk-Taker, Speculator, Ambitious, Competitive, Enterprising/Entrepreneur, Self-Starter, Innovator/Innovative, Inventor/Inventive, Initiative, Talented, Genius, Versatile, Variety, Friendly, Warm, Enthusiastic, Positive, Optimistic, Ardent, Forthright, Assertive, Persuasive, Fulfilled

MESSAGES

Take control of your life, Be assertive in this situation but not forceful, Remember that you are in charge, Show them who is the Boss, Ascend your throne, When you show belief in yourself others will too, Go for it!, Take a chance, Think Big, Where is your sense of adventure? You can beat the rest and come out on top, Come up with, some new ideas, Find a novel approach, Express your originality, You must have the enthusiasm, energy and motivation to finish what you start, Dare to be different, If you believe in it don’t be put off by the negativity of others, It doesn’t matter what others think, You have the experience that is required, Respect must be earned and not expected, Stand on your principles, Be the hero in this situation, Make a grand gesture, Set a good example,  Others are looking to you for guidance, Lead the way,  Motivate and enthuse those around you, Look to the future,  See the Big Picture, Share your experience by mentoring someone, Stay healthy and strong by exercising, Get out and about,

Do I finish what I start? Do I feel in charge and in control of my life?  What are my goals? Do I use my power wisely? Do my staff respect me? Am I a good team leader,  How can I inspire others? Why do I always have to lead the way? How good am I at delegating? Do I want to do it all myself? Is there someone who could benefit from my experience? Do I feel enthusiastic and motivated? When is the last time I helped anyone? Do I get enough exercise? Is my position safe?

From The Above Messages Try to Work Out Some Messages for Reversed

Now explore the personality of the King of Wands below. If he has turned up in your reading it means his energies have special meaning for you at this time.

You must ask yourself:  Who is he?  Who does he remind me of?  Is he having a positive or negative influence in my life?  Am I exerting discipline in the proper areas of my life? How can I embrace or avoid his energy?  What is he trying to tell me?  Is this how I am behaving?  Is this how others perceive me?  Do I like him or not? Do I want to be more like him? How can I be more like him, If he is not a person then what is his energy trying to tell me? How would this King handle my situation? Which part of this King am I trying to deny?

PERSONALITY PROFILE

The King of Wands combines the outward focus of a King with the positive, creative and dynamic energies of Fire.  He uses Earth to ground this energy so he may be of use in his world.

Here we meet the Knight of Wands all grown up.  The maturity of the fire element realises its full potential in the King of Wands.  The King of Wands combines the outward focus of a King with the indomitable spirit and positive energy of Fire.

Regal and stately, the King of Wands sits on a throne which is adorned with salamanders and lions.  He wears a majestic yellow cloak richly detailed with large salamanders. These salamanders appeared on the cloak of the Knight of Wands but if you compare the two cards you will notice that in the King of Wands, the salamanders have closed the circle. In the King of Wands, the salamander’s tails connect to their mouths to form a circle. This symbolises the ability and potential of Fire, once discipline has been applied, to successfully complete that which has being started.

His brilliant deep orange gown confirms his connection to his governing element, Fire and suggests the passion, ardour and eagerness he puts into everything he touches. The green mantle and green shoes remind us that this King is the Earthy part of Fire. Through self-discipline, he has learned to control and harness his eagerness and enthusiasm in order to produce something of worth for all the effort expended.  Both the lions engraved on his throne and the lion’s head pendant around his neck symbolise this King’s incredible inner strength, courageous leadership qualities, powerful presence and intense pride.  The young salamander sitting beside his throne suggests the King of Wand’s incredible ability to regenerate, recreate and reinvent himself regardless of age or circumstances.

This King holds firmly his wand as he looks out and away.  We may wonder if he is reminiscing about all the wonderful exciting times and travels of his youth.  Is he reliving the numerous challenges he rose to over the years and all his conquests?  If he is, then he probably realises the futility of many of them and how he could have better handled different situations.  Over the years he has become aware of the mighty and sometimes dangerous power of his governing element.  As a Knight he was sometimes guilty of letting the Fire lose because it was so exciting to be around.  However, he understands that he was just an apprentice with his element and had yet to fully respect it.  He had let the Fire get out of hand at times and can now acknowledge that others had got burned by his reckless behaviour and cavalier attitude.

This King has no regrets though as his attitude would be, that if he had it all to do again, he would do it the very same way.  He realises that life in itself is boring and monotonous unless risks are taken and fears overcome.  He understands life as it should be; adventurous, spontaneous and exciting.  He never expected guarantees or assurances on how it would turn out.  Where would the fun and gamble be in that?  Why would one bother getting out of bed every morning if one knew how each day would be?  Yes, he admits that he made many mistakes in the past by being too hasty and by getting overly enthusiastic about things but if he had not explored all his options back then how would he know now if what he has is really what he wants?  If he had chosen the safe and predictable, hadn’t moved outside his own territory, had settled for the boring and mundane he would certainly have missed out on the wonderful exciting and hell raising experiences that have shaped him into the person he is today.  He can handle anything that is thrown at him for he has been there and done it all.  He can now ascend his throne with pride and take ownership of his realm.  He is in charge of his own world and rules fearlessly over his entire Kingdom.

The King of Wands appears poised as if ready to leap to his feet at any moment should he see or hear something that catches his attention.  Not one for sitting or moping around, he probably hankers after the days when he had a backpack or suitcase ready at all times.  This is not to say that this King has become a home-bird.  Most certainly not for he loves to travel and gets away whenever he can.  He loves exploring new environments, new cultures and tasting new foods.  You will not find this King heading off to the same holiday destination year after year.  However, as the mature King of Wands, we must presume that his life is more settled now than in the days of his Knighthood.  He most probably, if not definitely has responsibilities that need his constant attention and obligations to others rather than thinking of just himself.  He may have an empire to run, a country or team to lead, a campaign to champion or a project to manage.  He might indeed have a wife to consult or even kids to take into consideration when making decisions.

Yes, the wander-lust days of the King of Wands’ youth may be behind him but that does not mean he has lost the ability to enjoy every moment of life or to seize any exciting or adventurous opportunity that might come his way.   This King may have grown up and matured but he has most definitely not lost his fire.  He has become master of his element and understands its volatile nature.  He uses Fire wisely not just for his own benefit but also for the greater good of all who share his environment.  This King will remain eternally youthful and open-minded.  He will never lose his sense of spontaneity and enthusiasm for what is new and inspirational.  His creative genius will never dull or dim.  We most certainly will not find this King slinking into old age without a darn good fight.

This King, along with the Emperor of the Major Arcana and the Knight of Swords represents the Sun sign of Aries.

Self-confident, positive, proud and honest this King has much experience and advice to bring to any situation he is involved with.  The King of Wands bases his knowledge on a life time of systems and approaches that have been well-tried and tested by him on numerous occasions.  He is a take-charge kind of guy, who commands a powerful presence.  His extremely persuasive nature motivates others to follow his lead and offer their loyal support.

The King of Wands is a born leader who never tires of challenges or finding new approaches.  He is the first to step forward or volunteer when a difficult situation needs to be addressed or risks need to be taken.  His natural confidence and self-belief make him fearless and courageous.  A role model to many, the King of Wands sets examples and standards that others want to follow.  They look to him for guidance and mentoring.  His enthusiasm and motivation are infectious.  When this King is around everyone feels stronger, more able and oozing with positivity to take on the world or any other challenges that may arise.   Assertive and strong-willed he generally gets his way through willing compliance and not by force or intimidation.  He is well-respected by those around him who admire his strong principles and forthright manner.

The King of Wands holds high aspirations for his life.  He despairs of old out dated modes of thinking and behaving.  He is always on the look-out for novel ideas or concepts, new inventions or state of the art technology.  He has lost none of the Knight’s fascination and originality.  He may have left his maverick days behind as a Knight but as King, he has matured into a mastermind.  The King of Wands is famously known for his amazing Entrepreneurial success.  He has the vision and foresight to spot a hot opportunity long before anyone else has.  He sees the big picture in the smallest of things; sets his goal and boldly pursues it with the strength and perseverance of a champion athlete.  He is wonderfully creative and artistic in every walk of life and can apply these natural talents when developing new inventions, new strategies or setting up fledgling businesses that will grow into empires.

The King of Wands is future oriented and has big plans.  He doesn’t sweat the small stuff in life preferring to aim high by taking chances and risks.  He has the courage and conviction to take the necessary gamble when others fall back in fear.  His deep belief in his abilities and obvious success drive him on and on.  This King is strong and decisive and has not lost the Knight’s love of action and adventure.   However, as the King, he has become aware that actions determine results. Therefore he has learnt to pace himself and to finish that which he has started.  The King of Wands knows what he wants and only goes after what he wants.  He does not waste his energy on those things that do not interest him.  Unlike the Knight, the King does have a plan.  For those who are inspired by his optimism and chose to follow or join his team, they will be part of his success and enjoy their own success too.

Dynamic and charismatic, the King of Wands is ardent and honest.  Direct and outspoken, he does not believe in holding back when voicing his opinions.  Though the King is charming and friendly his very candid and frank nature can at times come across as arrogance and insensitivity to those at the receiving end of it.  This King does like to be in control and dominate his environment.  His presence in a reading often suggests the desire to express yourself or your creation to the world.  The King can often appear pushy or forceful in this state but we must remember that his eye is on the big picture and those who stand in his way, delay or restrict forward movement towards his goal will be dealt with in a hard-handed manner.  He will become confrontational with opposition or when others try dismiss his ideas or beliefs.

Assertive and Proud the King of Wands has good intentions.  He has strong principles and will stand his ground for what he believes in. Like the Queen of Wands before him, he will also come to the defence of others should they be oppressed or abused.  He likes to fight for a good cause and will become passionately involved in any organisations or campaigns he puts his name to.

The King of Wands is healthy and fit.  He enjoys sport immensely both as a player and as a spectator.  Fearless on and off the field, he likes highly competitive games and extreme sports.  He works out regularly but needs a variety of exercise regimes to avoid boredom setting in.  He is always on the go one way or another so will have a high metabolic rate which will keep his weight under control despite his love of food.

This King is a joy to have around the house as he is the perfect DIY guy.  He likes nothing better than spending his weekend sledgehammering walls down and kango hammering holes in the back yard.  He is drawn to power tools like women are drawn to diamonds and will spend much time playing with them.  He will work tirelessly from dawn to dusk on a renovation project or new build.  He would stay at it all night if only the neighbours would stop complaining about the noise.  The women in his neighbourhood will greatly admire him for his handy skills and often call upon him when something falls apart in the house.  He is very obliging and always turns up when asked armed with power tools and a big smile.  They hold secret crushes on him while the men silently envy him.  They would be very happy to see him move out just to take the pressure off them.

In relationships, the King of Wands is in charge but this does not mean he likes a submissive partner.  On the contrary, he is drawn to strong women.  However, as in every other aspect of his life, the King of Wands will assume the superior role in his relationships for he is used to being the boss.  If his partner happens to be a Wands type too then there may be power struggles within the relationship and hell raising rows to deal with when tempers flare.

This King is not the great romantic.  He believes that emotions often get in the way of one having a good time.  Therefore, he would avoid clingy women like the plague.  The King of Wands needs his space and must have freedom of movement with few restrictions.  If his relationships are to be successful, then his partner must understand and accept this aspect of him.  His partner must understand that she needs to trust her King by giving him as much rope as he needs.   To be honest, the King of Wands would be horrified at the very notion of any rope or even a loose leash, for that in itself is restriction which brings about suspicion and having to account for his actions and whereabouts.  Neither does he like to be held to strict time-keeping or God forbid that his partner may try to lay down the law with him.

It takes a strong partner to understand the needs of her King of Wands and what can sometimes be viewed as a selfish and self-centred nature.  However, the King of Wands has never declared himself as anything else and would have spelled it out crystal clear from the beginning  that he is his own man and so lives his life as he chooses.  He does like to have an independent life from his partner but this does not mean that he wants to be free to flirt or that he takes his partner for granted.   He finds routine boring so a partner who is expecting him home at a certain time every evening will be sorely disappointed.  In fact, if at any stage he feels he is being hemmed in or controlled by his partner, he will rebel and cause all sorts of show downs.  Fiery outbursts can follow and the relationship can become increasingly rocky.  Disaster will surely follow.

The ideal partner of the King of Wands will be quite like him in personality.  She will be strong, independent, confident and assertive.  She will happily enjoy a separate life outside of their relationship by retaining her own circle of friends and happily engage in activities that do not involve her partner.  This helps to maintain a freshness within the relationship, where both have something new to bring to the dinner table at night and both look forward to seeing each other.  She, like the King of Wands will be sporty and physically active.  Though they may maintain their independence, as a couple they will share certain important interests.  If this relationship is to be successful then the partner of the King of Wands must share his love of adventure, spontaneity and travel.

Although, the King of Wands may not be up there with the King of Cups when it comes to romance, he is very macho, virile and sexy.  He enjoys a very healthy, active and regular sex life.  He is physically fit and handsome.  Once the King of Wands finds his perfect mate, he is quite happy to commit and will be loyal and faithful once the above rules and conditions are followed.  If they can get it right then this couple will have a very dynamic relationship with plenty of excitement, outdoor pursuits and travel.

Career wise, the nature of the King of Wands speaks for itself.  As a born leader, the King of Wands likes to sail his own ship.  He is the successful Entrepreneur who is known for taking risks, often appearing pushy and aggressive to get where he is going. He is a self-starter and not afraid to go it alone for something he believes in even if no one else does.  As mentioned earlier, he is a visionary and this ability comes into its own when applied to business.  He sees the potential in things that others are quick to dismiss.  He looks for gaps in the market while others stay with the safe and predictable.  He moves quickly on ideas while others ponder for weeks debating the pros and cons.  The King of Wands takes action and manifests his ideas in the real in the world with confidence, agility and great success.

The King of Wands also likes to work with people who think and act like him.  No one doubts for one moment that he is the boss but this man likes to get close to his work force.  He moves among them, works beside them, is eager to hear what they have to say or any ideas they may have.  His office door is always open and he is very approachable.  He encourages his employees to think big and out of the box.  He views problems as challenges when they arise in the workplace and will call everyone on board to find solutions.  His mind is open to suggestions and new approaches.  He demands loyalty from his staff but will never stifle initiative or personal ambition among them.  He will have a few diehard long-term staff who he will view as indispensable. These will be the employees who look after the more tedious end of business which allows him the freedom to do what he does best.  He likes to recruit the young and ambitious before they turn stale and un-adventurous.  He will hold weekly brainstorming sessions and reward his staff well for their enthusiasm.

This King is strong, brilliant and bold in the workforce and an exciting person to work for.  However, he does not suffer fools too well.  Nor does he understand weakness, or indecision.  He himself is never ill so he does not expect to see it in others.  His staff will be expected to turn up one way or another come hell or high water, flu dose or tummy bug.  He likes a work environment that is vibrant, noisy and fast paced.  Don’t apply for the job unless you can keep up!

As the boss, the King of Wands will be definitely enjoy a hands-on attitude.  Not afraid of hard work, he will roll his sleeves up with the rest and get stuck into the dirty work as often as necessary.

One very important aspect to remember about the King of Wands, and this applies to all areas of his life is the fact that he cannot stand boredom and restriction.  Any job or career that requires him to turn up at the same office day in day out doing the same old duties over and over again from 9 to 5 will either drive him insane or turn him into a flat, lifeless and disinterested spirit.  He needs regular changes of scenery, challenging duties and a work day that brings constant surprises and interesting people. He doesn’t mind working weekends, late nights or during the holiday time if what he does holds his attention and interests him.

As a born Leader the King of Wands can successfully adopt a career in politics, working tirelessly in his constituency.  If he does enter politics then this King has the fire in his belly, drive, energy, self-belief and mass support to make it to the top.  He could easily enter the race for Presidency or seek election to be the next Prime Minister.  He would whoop up a storm of enthusiasm on his campaign trail gaining support everywhere he goes with his visionary plans for change and reform in the country.

The King of Wands is also well suited to a career in sales where he will be determined to break all targets.  Challenging careers such as advertising and marketing are other key areas of interest for him as they offer an ever-changing and stimulating work environment where new ideas and concepts are part of the job specification.

The visionary and creative aspect of this King combined with his originality, uniqueness and novel approach can find him dedicating his life to inventing new products, systems, machines, gadgets – things no one else would ever have thought of before.

The King of Wands is the archetypal Hero who risks all to rescue those who cannot help themselves or are in danger.  His fearless nature can find him seeking a career in fire fighting, search and rescue or bomb defusal.

This King can also become a successful sportsman or sports presenter.  This King could enjoy the prestige, fame and success of a Formula 1 driver if he so chose.  He also enjoys the freedom that the outdoors brings so any career that offers it to him will be of interest such as project managing a building development, site engineer or haulage.

He enjoys meeting people and likes to mingle with celebrities so a career as an agent, photographer or journalist might appeal.

Being a strong Fire sign, the King of Wands likes to be centre stage and to be admired so a career in acting or singing would be appealing, especially if he had the ability to become a rock star.

The King of Wands has an indomitable spirit and even as he ages, he will still be up for a new challenge.  As a result will find it hard to let go of the reins and hand them to someone else. His enthusiasm and inability to rest and put his feet up will have him working in his business or manner of employment till the day he drops.

If this King decides to retire he will have made sure he has enough money saved to travel. He might even take the time to return to the pyramids and at leisure explore the third one that as a Knight he hadn’t the patience to view.

Yes, the King of Wands has certainly learnt to be more patient as he got older but only just.  He is still intolerant of those who he views as weak or boring.  If an opportunity arises that excites or challenges him he will be the first up off his throne to take advantage of it even if he is on a walking stick.  He will remain a big sports fan, will stay very active and keep physically fit until the day he dies.

As a father, the King of Wands can be firm yet controlling.  His kids know he is in charge and would not dare challenge him.  This does not mean that they are fearful of him.  His children look up to him and accept his authority with ease.  They know he is there for them whenever they need him and are very proud to have him as their Dad.  He is a very caring father but not in a mushy way.

The King of Wands is a wonderful role model for his children and provides them with a constant source of inspiration.  Their friends think likewise and find him exciting and fun to be around.  He is greatly involved in his children’s lives and will turn up at all their sporting events cheering them on and offering tactical advice.  He may even be involved in their coaching if he has the time.

He has to be careful not to take over as his personality is so strong his children may find it hard to express theirs should they differ.  He is immensely proud of his children and wants the very best for them and for them to realise their full potential in life.  He is always striving himself and pushing the boundaries but will find it hard to understand or accept if any of his kids do not share his unquenchable thirst for challenge.  He may deem it as weakness of spirit and attempt to rectify the situation.  He may not realise that not everyone is like him and that his children have their own unique path to follow in life.  The hard thing is if their path is very different from his.  This situation can immediately present itself when he discovers that his young son is either not interested in sport or not terribly good at it.  Teenage years can be difficult when the Wands Dad cannot relate to his kids lounging around in bed half the day proclaiming they are bored with this that and everything. This King enjoys his own freedom, but his teenage daughters best prepare themselves for a clamp down on theirs.  He will not take kindly to losing control of them and remembers only too well, the antics he got up to as Knight.  Boyfriends will be grilled and only the strongest and bravest will gain entry into the inner sanctum of the family and given permission to date a daughter.  When in conflict with his children the King of Wands can become forceful and fiery clashes can occur.  His temper when it explodes will terrify his children.

Having a King of Wands as a Dad will mean exciting action-packed holidays to all sorts of destinations.  Mostly the King of Wands likes hot climes but will enjoy any destination once it promises adventure and places of interest to visit.  Not a fan of organised or package holidays, he prefers to plan his own itinerary.  Of course when he was Knight, he would simply fly by the seat of his pants or just decide as he journeyed along, hoping on trains, boats and planes as he pleased.  With a family in tow, he has to be slightly more organised than that, but only just.   His partner and kids could very well find themselves sleeping in makeshift tents on safari or backpacking through the Australian outback avoiding lethally poisonous snakes and spiders as they go.

The King of Wands will always be up for it and will want to impress on his children the importance of exploring the world they live in.  He will enthuse his children with anecdotes of all the far off exotic places he visited in his youth.

All in all, the upright King of Wands is a fantastic Dad to have around.

[littleprincessfawn]

- Journal Entry - 29.3.24

Visiting my mum's place at Bribie Island, and one of my brothers is here too, with my little niece. My son taught her how to play Mario Kart and he let her win. I was so proud of him for how good a teacher he was and how kind and non-competitive he was with her. And very protective too, when she chose bowsers castle map he said hmmm actually... this one is a bit too scary let's choose another one (he's 10, she's 5).

It's healing for me to be away from my ex. My family doesn't quite understand how dizzy and fatigued I am from the leukemia meds, but that's okay. I love both my brothers so much and they are both such great men. I'd love to see them more often so my kiddo could have good male role models. My eldest brother is hopefully coming up either later tonight or tomorrow night.

I'm sore, tired, have a headache blooming, but I feel happy and relatively safe. My child is a good human. I hope he gets to relax on this little mini holiday. And then I hope I get the courage and strength to tell my ex to leave, that I can look after myself without him.

I just wish I had someone to live with, to share my ups and downs with. I wish I had a partner. But my ex isn't my partner, he's not that person. I know he genuinely tries to help me, but our dynamic is so toxic. He makes me feel weak. I want to be with a partner who inspires me to be strong.

But I also don't want to date anyone because I don't want to wish my leukemia on a partner, I don't want that for anyone I love, for them to watch me go through these hard days. I wish I could avoid it for my child but I can't. This is what it is to be human, to love another and to be pained when they are hurting. Maybe I wouldn't be such a burden. Maybe I could have good things to offer as well.

I'm loyal and caring. I don't cheat, I'm honest. I let people know when I'm upset and why, and if I'm quick to feel emotions I'm also quick to forgive, to get over myself, to return to love. I'm a good listener (in person, I'm not as good on the internet). I like to support my partner and cheer them on with their goals. I like sex and have a healthy relationship with my sexuality. I'm cute and weird, I'm self-aware. Sometimes I'm a little funny or wise. I'm always willing to work together to solve any problems that come up. I'm a good mum to my kid (I think).

But I'm not rich or beautiful. And I'm not currently employed. I'm not spectacularly talented in any useful kind of way. I have ADHD and am disorganized in general. I feel things deeply, which scares a lot of people who prefer gentler souls. I'm very passionate and emphatic. I express myself. I'm not quiet. And I've been through severe traumas in my past that have shaped me, and sometimes still find me in the night.

I wonder if there actually exists a person who can love me? With all that I am, and all that I'm not. Am I loveable as I am? Or am I not worthy of love?

[worstloki]

i think fandom missed a big change with not analyzing and looking at mobius and loki's dynamic as a father-son kind of relationship instead of romatically shipping them me thinks

i like the father-son dynamic way more even with the grandmaster because. just imagine you're living your life doing your thing in your unchanging timeless realm of existence and everything is great and then this guy shows up and he's very clearly got no clues on what's going on and looks dodgy so you decide he needs to have an eye kept on but it's a trap because now you're emotionally attached to this flamboyant thousand-year-old who clearly lacked a childhood and has issues he refuses to talk about on purpose and who lights up far too much when you tell him you'd love to hear what he thinks the secret to the drink in his hand is

[drink-tang-gang]

I think irl and in canon ppl are baffled by what Bugs sees in Daffy, as if Daffy’s Mr. Wrong.

But…. It’s kinda switched once you think about it??

Yes, Daffy’s flaws tend to outshine his better qualities, but his friendliness and cheerfulness is overlooked. Like, he’s best friends with one of the most temperamental yet patient everyman there is! Daffy’s selfish, but he knows how to be part of a team. In both the meta and literal sense, he has the unparalleled ability to slips into various roles to accommodate a dynamic, and still be true to himself (Duck Twacy, Duck Dogers, Porky’s Husband friend or enemy, Danny Boy) His affectionate gestures are quite sincere compared to the rest of the tune cast. (and again, as a rule of thumb any sincerity is offset by a gag, so take that with a grain of salt) Bugs on the other hand, operates in a way that teamwork or camaraderie is out of the picture. Without trying, he dominates. He’s unreachable in ways that make it hard to be friendly with him, or engage in conversation without him (somehow) talking down to an audience. Have you noticed he has that air about him?? Even with his peers, he’s always on a pedestal. And Bugs has never been cast as anyone but himself… he’s inflexible.

Bugs can be at once, affectionate and manipulative. He’s very hard to read, and his few positive relationships make it unclear when he’s being honest or not. That’s not to say Bugs can’t be kind, generous or polite, I think compared to Daffy (and most tunes) he exhibits better etiquette. He’s more charming by design. Daffy, for better or worse, has no filter for his motivations or deeper emotions. He’s supposed to be relatable in that sense.

So what does Daffy see in Bugs?? Longtime WB producer and director Tony Cervone has stated multiple times that Bugs finds Daffy entertaining, his unpredictability fascinates him. (and further cements the insinuation that team ups have been initiated by Bugs, i.e, he pursues)

So, I think for Daffy, ironically, it’s complicated. It seems what draws him to Bugs, are also what he despises him for. Ok, the elephant in the room: Bugs models the qualities Daffy lacks. Stardom, adulation, effortless appeal, knowing what to say and when (tact is something Daffy desperately needs). It’s very easy to look up to Bugs, and as I said a couple posts ago, he once and (kinda??) still does. But, Daffy also has the hidden ability to being people to his level, and after spending enough time around Bugs I think he recognizes he’s not as untouchable as he (and his audience) makes himself out to be. Bugs is the type of person who masks imperfection well. Fortunately, Daffy’s drawn to mystery (in canon and in his roles in shorts), so I can see him quietly trying to investigate the parts of Bugs that never reaches public eyes, like a case study. So, is this a positive or negative draw?? it depends on Bugs’ attitude and Daffy’s mood. I guess it can be said that the fascination is mutual, Bugs is entertained by Daffy and Bugs gets under Daffy’s skin.

And of course, we CAN’T ignore the surface level of Bugs’ appeal to Daffy. Bugs’ generosity gives Daffy many opportunities to exercise his materialism and lavish lifestyle. He gets free dinners, Bugs covers all their vacations, and (a big plus for Daffy) he doesn’t mind relinquishing treasures and fortune when they come across it. Don’t call Daffy a gold digger don’t call Daffy a gold digger don’t

So yeah, I went off on a tangent but I hope I cleared up the misconception that Daffy’s Mr. Wrong, both of them—Bugs even more so— are the ‘odd’ choice.

This clear up doesn’t help paint their relationship in a healthy light. There’s ulterior motives and mutual selfishness, but I believe there’s never a fundamental misunderstanding of the other. If they were both more introspective, they’d find to their horror no one understands them the way they do each other. For two stars with excruciatingly large egos, that’s probably the best and worst quality of their weird relationship, ‘being known’, haha.

[eyrieofsynapses]

Redemption Panel Highlights and Reactions

GATORS

i.e., Beth Riesgraf and Christian Kane (mostly Beth) talking about filming the scenes in (what I presume is) The Rollin’ on the River Job, where they’re pulling some stuff out of the water, and finding out the next day that there was an absolutely massive alligator pulled out of the same place just a little while after they filmed it

Beth’s impression of the wildlife folks warning them about the alligators

Beth scaring the hell out of Noah Wyle by yelling “GATOR” at him just after he finished his scene

seriously that was an absolutely WILD part of the panel

Everyone showering Aleyse Shannon with literally all the love!

Aldis Hodge in particular big-brothering her, and also the older actors calling her out for not giving herself enough credit, and Dean Devlin talking about how she blew him away at the auditions with her ability to turn on a dime

Seeing Kane with his glasses off wiping at his eyes, momentarily thinking “you okay dude?” and then realizing that he was laughing so hard he had tears in his eyes

(same)

The The Bucket Job clip! I’ve been a bit meh on a lot of Redemption, just in how it didn’t feel quite right, but that is possibly the absolute closest I’ve seen it get to the original in the best way. Brilliant

Which comes as no surprise since BETH RIESGRAF directed the episode!!! And apparently put an insane amount of effort in!

Beth’s utter delight and joy at both directing the episode and having the crew behind her

THE CHAIR

So apparently she and Christian went to town on the fight scene and he winds up tied up in a chair somewhere along the line and there’s a whole wild scene, which I am really looking forward to

Beth knowing how insanely particular he’d be about things like zip ties vs rope and what kind of rope e.t.c. e.t.c.

Apparently this is also tied into a VERY DEEP scene with Eliot? It sounds like they’re going to go super hard on his backstory, which is terrifyingly exciting

Just. Beth and Christian going very hard on that episode together

Speaking of: the panel’s going amazingly, I’m laughing so hard my stomach hurts, things are relatively light, and then, of fucking course—

Kane hitting us over the head about Eliot being a mass murderer who can’t be redeemed, is trying to stay static so that he can maintain the place he’s in, and is thus LIVING VICARIOUSLY THROUGH HARRY

What the FUCK. This is of course incredibly insightful and perfectly on point (because it’s Kane) but also, EXCUSE ME, OUCH, why would you DO THAT to us?

Everyone talking about having their families on set and their kids!

Beth’s son growing up on the original Leverage set and now going into being a director himself!

Gina’s daughter also growing up on set!

Noah Wyle’s daughter is playing Harry’s daughter I REPEAT NOAH WYLE’S ACTUAL DAUGHTER IS PLAYING AS HARRY’S DAUGHTER

Gina Bellman remaining relatively stoic throughout much of the panel (seriously, this woman, how the heck does she do it) and then losing it when they’re asked about running/inside jokes

A lot of them are, of course, apparently not appropriate to be spoken on-panel

(A lot of the others are the little inside ones that are special enough not to be ones they want to share, which is sweet!)

Everyone collectively losing it over having LeVar Burton on for The Bucket Job

Devlin and everyone laughing about collecting the various Star Trek people on Leverage

Beth talking about Burton coming over while she’s getting ready and asking her if she’s living on coffee and water, her laughing because he was absolutely right, and then him gently reminding her to remember to eat, which is the sweetest thing in the world oh my gods

Kane apparently choreographing an intense scene with Burton and being scared out of his mind, because Burton really wanted to go for it, but to Kane it was like he’s a figurine that’s not to be messed with because he was so worried about hurting him

Kane choreographing a massive amount of the show, which I knew already, but seriously, this guy blows me away

Gina and the crew talking about how he’d be away for a day of shooting a fight and all of them would be missing him and thinking about him

Family Vibes

Everyone talking about how they’re very noisy and loud together on set and it’s a bit like walking into a group of people having Christmas dinner (or something to that effect) because they’re just Like That together

Aleyse being the most surprised by Beth when she met her because she was like a little angel of light during the auditions but turned out to be an absolute ball of wild energy on set

Gina going “wait you were a MODEL” at Beth

Aldis talking about how much he loved how Parker and Hardison’s relationship had developed and grown!

Also, Aldis apologizing when the New York (iirc) background noise got loud and everyone going “no no we get you”

His outfit is ON POINT today

Gina saying that Christian is the goofiest and wildest out of them in terms of humor

(she goes “some of you may not know this,” which, fair, but also, if you’ve seen more than ten minutes of this guy outside of character you know he’s an absolute ball of sunshine)

Gina, Beth, and Christian talking about how they’d challenge each other to stay off sweets back on the original set, because they knew they needed to stay in shape and also just because they’re competitive (apparently all of them are major sweet tooths) and hide brownies and things from each other, while Aldis is just. doing pushups. eating all the healthy stuff. and then wanders into the room with a literal cupful of chocolates

(and Aldis going “well yeah I have to work off the sweets SOMEHOW”)

Beth explaining that sometimes they’d order a “Kane burrito” from Christian and he’d alter it slightly

Like, you know, chopping up hot jalapenos super fine and mixing them in, and Beth practically not being able to talk after the first bite

Apparently Aldis still went back a lot even after that

(Christian just seems very pleased with himself over it)

(THESE PEOPLE)

Gina goes “hey we should have an episode where we all swap roles,” Devlin going “WAIT FOR SEASON ONE TO BE DONE,” and then somebody (maybe the moderator?? I don’t remember exactly) going “uh actually. We did that”

Cue immediate scramble of “WAIT WHICH JOB WAS THAT”

(paraphrasing) “Yeah you remember the bit where you put on Parker’s harness and went off a building?”

Turns out half the cast had actually forgotten that that existed and only remember when reminded

The original cast all think of the episodes as “jobs”!!!!

Everyone talking over each other, Devlin going “it was with Sterling when we blew up the offices,” deciding that it was the season one finale, and then trying to figure out what episode title it was (eventually they figure out it’s the David jobs)

Moderator and Devlin accurately commenting that the fans know the show much better than they do

Noah Wyle very correctly explaining how Electric Entertainment is like a family and Devlin just. Keeps people

Aleyse and Aldis talking about typing when they’re hacking and going “WHAT THE HECK DO WE TYPE”

Aldis goes “yeah I just type all the bad words that we’re not allowed to say”

Aleyse saying that she’s always a little worried they’re hiding a Word document behind the blue screen and they’re going to pull up what she’s typing at the end of the day and print it out and put it in her trailer going “what the HECK is this”

Noah talking about filming The Golf Job and just getting to direct Jason Marsters and Christian together

Apparently their dynamic in that episode accurately mirrors the one with their characters in Angel!

Which promptly goes straight to the comment that it was very hard to make Marsters look like a golfer (pfft)

(Also apparently Christian plays golf for fun with his friends? Not necessarily something I would’ve thought of!)

Aleyse happily talking about how she loved the dynamic on set and it was very different from what she was used to

Also Aleyse talking about doing stunts and everyone else praising her for going whole hog

Beth especially praising her for the bit where she’s hit with the paralysis injection (I don’t remember which ep it’s from) and her acting for it, because it was incredibly hard to drop off screen in the particular way she did

Aleyse promptly answers that she was terrified with some of those, especially one where she had to keep a clock from falling and breaking

Everyone discussing how they see a new aspect of Breanna’s character in The Train Job

Also, to get serious for a moment, Kate Rorick in particular talks about how Breanna’s part of Gen Z and how we didn’t get the “days of yore” where everything was chill. We’ve basically been living in a world of hostility the whole time. It’s something I deeply appreciate, as someone who’s part of that group, and I love how they emphasize that for us.

This panel was pure chaos and I loved every moment of it! My stomach was actually hurting from laughing so hard, I swear. They had me cackling well over half the time. I would happily take panels double or triple the length of this, this was amazing. I also adore how the second you drop these six people in a room together, they immediately take off and literally just run and give you everything you wanted and more. (It is also evidently very hard to get them to STOP talking.)

I’m also just going to stop and take a second to fawn over the effects for the 3D room. It’s gorgeous—I love how they replicated the headquarters, especially with the stained glass ceilings! Super impressive, especially with all the photos, and I just love the whole thing. Kudos to whoever put that together.

Anyway, I’m definitely missing some stuff too; seriously, there wasn’t a second wasted in this thing, they were cracking some kind of joke or dropping some really interesting piece of information practically every thirty seconds. (And I haven’t even gotten into the clips OR the bloopers. I miiiight do a separate reaction purely for those.) It’s still up right now if you missed it and you want to watch it! I’ll probably watch it again, honestly.

[theladyofbloodshed]

Here is the thing about Cassian and Azriel. How is their influence in Illyria? I know Cassian is actively trying to change his people even when the progress is slow. And Azriel, he hated his people right? It is understandable. But i kept thinking, how will you change your people if you spend most of your time in Velaris? I know Cassian have his room in House Of Wind and practically lives there with mor, az. Then think of his people feel about this. Their general lives in velaris, safe warm clean no clipping wing. As if their own general is running from illyria and they know of it.

If it was me, I feel rather sad and offended. Sjm keep using this "bastard" excuses for cassian to be outcast from his people. But that somehow dont make sense. There must be a few male willing to be his friends if effort is make. Not all illyria is horrid as depicted. And jf he had no friends in illyria, how is he going to change his homeland?

"A man with no friends, is a man with no power". I stayed true to this and I believe Cassian is accepted as general merely because of Rhys. If Rhys is discarded in this dynamic, where would Cassian stand? I feel as Cassian whole life is too dependent on Rhys influence. Make friends with your people, Cassian. Learn them, show them, win them. You need friends outside your inner circle. Apart from feyre having no friends outside the IC, same goes to all of them. They need friends outside their IC, outside velaris. It so weird you know being so tied to your circle. It is not healthy.

Bit by bit, Cassian can change Illyria, he can do it without Rhys if he plays his role as friends well. To influence a person, surely you need to be likeable, at least relatable, then you became friends. As for Cass, he is already Illyria, stay true to his people, this can be a start. Convo about the celebration, food, song. How can he not have a single friend outside IC?

It is not surprising Illyria wanted to rebel. I would too. Their only voice to the HL is their general. And EVEN their general has little voice in it. They are not heard you know. Despite all the power Rhys have, his influence stand behind this 'fear' he created, not from the respect of his people. Same thing goes his people in hewn city. Who is Mor to them? What influence Mor have on them? Did she have friends in hewn city? No, she practically ditch them to be this 'dreamer' while the rest left in their nightmare.

Then we have this whole Feyre and her wing. Goodness, what does Azriel see and feel when he taught her to fly? Then goes back to his mother and see the wing clipped while his High Lady flaunt it? Goodness, it riled me up thinking about this.

Cassian could be pivotal to change in Illyria. If the society is as bad as they say then there would be many more little boys - just like Cassian - who are abandoned and have to fend for themselves. He could be their role model. Someone like them who now stands alongside the high lord. He could be the one they look up to and respect. Cassian could give them hope that they aren't just bastard born, lowest members of society. Instead, they have to start from the bottom rung of the ladder, fighting for any scrap of respect - and never receiving it because "that's how Illyria is".

I absolutely agree with you that it's crazy that they don't have any of the IC residing in Illyria or the Hewn City. How can they spearhead change if they hate to be in the place? They don't have the respect of the people because they don't deserve it. They have utter disdain for Illyria and the Hewn City. Their only appearances are to belittle them or to recruit them for a war.

It's the same attitude of Mor; well I got out so too bad to the others! In ACOMAF, when they arrive at Windhaven, Mor says the place should be burnt to the ground - literally as they arrived there. They all have such disgust for the place, but none of them will put in the work to change it. It is your job!! You are the leaders!!

Feyre could literally shift to any sort of wings. Fairy wings. Butterfly wings. Bird wings. But she chooses Illyrian. It's such a slap in the face to all the Illyrian woman who have to bow down to her as high lady. I think if Rhys' mother had her wings clipped - if his father arrived a minute too late - then maybe they'd have started to change things. I never actually considered what it must be like for Azriel to see it as we believe is still alive (and presumably clipped). Also as he didn't learn how to fly until he was 11 then surely he should be even more motivated to stop females losing their flight?

[lilweaselcanons]

Alright cause I’m in a mood and I’m tired of seeing it , I’m going to throw my hat in the ring and probably piss some people off.

The Collector is not just a ‘misunderstood/confused’ kid who needs to be taught empathy. 

They are a morally GREY being, who while may indeed have disconnects on mortals morals, is not EXCUSED or completely ignorant to these acts and comments being fucked up in a human/witch/mortal view.

        && yes im doubly talking to the people who seem to think that theory is an unpopular one because i can count on one hand how many people DON’T think thats the case, and i see it 4-5 times each time im in the tags.

 But because I’m not going to just whine that other people disagree, I’m going to fully explain my counterpoints to a lot of the stuff I’ve been seeing.

 Lets begin.

1. “ They’re called a ‘child’ of the stars in canon”

Yes; while they are called a ‘child’ this could be a title due to the form they take. As they are petite and look young. 

From what we’ve seen, the collector as a being takes a lot more similarity with a deity / demi-god type being. Which would fit seeing as they are set up to be King’s foil / a being similar to a titan. && Titans are set up in canon to be ‘gods’ of the isles.  It is not uncommon in mythology for gods / demi gods / god like beings to take child-like forms or forms of other things to seem more harmless than they are.

2. “ The collector looks young! They’re definitely like 4-6 years old like an ipad toddler! They’re just a kid!!”

            Fam, even if they were a ‘kid’, which they are definitely not.  they look more closely to gus in height and build so like (12-14). 

           But again they are certainly NOT comparable to a MORTAL CHILD in all legitimacy. The collector is not a kid, if we are to take canon, where they existed long before phillip came to the isles, (long enough to have been trapped by kings dad hundreds of years prior), and have not changed since, there is no aging. there is no growing up. This is an ageless being. 

(which leads to my next point:)

3. “ They just need to grow up and be taught proper morals by someone! / Belos was just a bad role model! ”

        Again, for that logic to make sense, they would have had to be in a position for the ability to change / start out innocent.  They existed for hundreds of years BEFORE phillip existed in the isles. && from what we know was trapped quite a long time before that.  If they were simply innocent and corrupted by Belos, why would Kings dad need to trap him in the first place? Why would he go OUT OF HIS WAY to make a symbol PURELY TO HIDE KING FROM THE COLLECTOR.

        This is not a quirky coincidence. This is not a throw away joke in CANON this is a very important point they made sure to emphasize. If the collector was never a problem before Phillips influence, there would be no reason for king to remain hidden from the collector, especially to the EXTENT he was. (The whole island, the collar, the guards?)

                    With him being set up as a foil of king, would also make sense, as king is set up to grow and change, and learn. While the Collector is ageless, and is likely the way he was thousands of years ago and will remain that way. They seem to be set up as a being who is far more disconnected from mortal lives/way of life than the titan ever was.

4. “ I just think it would be interesting if the collector was just a misunderstood lonely kid-god who needed to be adopted!”

         A couple things, 

A, that power dynamic would never make any relationship with a witch/human/mortal being and the collector a healthy one. Sorry. not sorry. Power dynamics like that are automatically unhealthy I don’t care how much genuine connection u put there. Theres no way for a mortal creature to be friends or otherwise with a being that could wipe them out of existence with a flick of a finger.

 B. I’ve seen this EXACT take with so many characters in the fandom and its getting so tired. Amity, The blight twins, Hunter, Steve, you name it I’ve seen it. Please pick a new take I’m begging you. Having every character in a media be the exact same is not interesting or fun its not.

C. You can add depth to an antagonistic / morally grey character without taking away that they are in fact, an antagonist or morally grey. (cough belos apologists cough)

D. King. The character you’re talking about is literally King. King is literally set up as a deity (Titan) Who can learn, grow, and has bettered himself over the last few seasons. He’s literally a kid, and has been adopted by Eda. You want another king. We already have that. Lets have something different now.

5. “ The collector is just a kid so its okay that he helped with genocide and made jokes at mass murder! He’s a kid who doesn’t understand empathy”

 Uhhhhhhhh lemme ask you---when did you ever meet a 4-6 year old who went around laughing at genocide/ trying to murder people as a default? If we’re going to go all the way with ‘hes a little kid!’ narrative, then lets be honest with ourselves. Kids are usually the ones with the MOST empathy and compassion by default.  Hate and aggression are LEARNED behaviors. You do not start out this way. But please, show me evidence that this is a default state of kids, because you must be around some really disturbing children.

 ** && if you’ve gotten to this point and start with the ‘but phillip!’ nonsense, please read my previous points because you didn’t.

6. “ Its SO unpopular to think the collector is a kid I’m being victimized for having that opinion!” 

      No. You aren’t. Literally everyone in the fandom agrees with the kid thing--to the point where ive seen more ‘ipad kid’ edits of the collector than actual interesting dynamic art. If this is the opinion you wanna have. sure fine whatever makes you happy. More power to you. But don’t cry that someone is victimizing you when someone else disagrees its really gross. 

I’m tired of this fandoms weird fixation on everyone needing to conform to the favorite opinions or they’re bullies or smthn. Having different takes on media and characters is what is supposed to make fandom spaces fun. Does that mean i cant put my own counter into the ring? No

. Me making this post doesn’t isn’t going to do shit to dissuade people with the kid-llector nonsense and i know that. But if yall can talk so can I. 

7. “ You just think the collector is pure EVIL!!”

No, I don’t. Actually. I even agree with some of the interesting points about the collector having a complex about being alone for so long. Where i draw the line is excusing the collector’s shitty behaviors and saying he just ‘doesn’t understand’ or is a good person deep down. 

Thats not interesting when its your take on every character.

        The collector can have feelings/complex issues and still remain morally grey/chaotic / disconnected with what you or I would recognize as morally right and wrong. The character doesn’t need to be reduced to a little baby who just needs a good role model.

8. “ The collector is short / childish so they’re a child!”

This take always irks the hell out of me regardless of character and regardless of fandom. Short people exist. Short adults exist. I am literally 5 ft. I’ve known several people (full grown adults) around the same height/shorter. We are not kids because we’re petite.

                && Saying someone’s childish personality makes them a child is ableist. There are plenty of people with mental illness who act younger than they are ( and some who aren’t mentally ill that do!). Fully grown adults. This does not take away that they are adults. This alone is not evidence enough to prove he is a child. Unless Dana herself comes out tomorrow and says they’re 10, you cannot definitively declare this as canon. HC it all you want, but again, using that as the reasoning is maybe a take to reconsider.

              && Finally, for those who still want to insist the collector being morally good but misunderstood is ‘canon’

Dana herself literally said the character is morally grey and chaotic. This is not a disputable thing, this isn’t my opinion. She literally said this as canon, as fact.

      So regardless of ANY head cannons or opinions, that is one thing that is pure fact. 

JUST A DISCLAIMER; This is simply my take on the character, and like everything else on this website, is just that. my opinion. I’m not trying to pick fights with anyone over a tv show. But If I have to see ‘baby’ collector all the time in the tags, I’m allowed to have my own opinions too. 

[mcmactictac]

You know I wasn’t planning on watching the Tommy vlog with Logan Paul but seeing everyone talk about it convinced me. Please enjoy some of my thoughts.

Like was it incredibly awkward and uncomfortable at times? Yes. That being said I did enjoy the clear moments Wilbur and tommy had of being genuinley good people essentially babysitting Logan. It’s ironic because it’s all about “Logan watching tommy” when tommy spends half the time stopping Logan from doing dumb stuff.

And I guess it’s comforting to see that Wilbur and tommy are just as uncomfortable with his behaviour as I was? Like with Wilbur crawling under the bus seats and tommy trying to stop him catcalling people? Like obviously I know that they’re good people but it’s just nice to watch it and go “yeah I picked the right people to support here”. I’d much rather stand behind the guy crawling under bus seats, instead of the guy just being a massive prick and making people uncomfortable.

That being said as the older sibling friend? Who has a friend who is like a little brother to me? This was incredibly challenging to watch cause all I want to do is get Logan away from tommy. Like I know he’s smart and can handle his own and they don’t NEED you to help them but it’s still like. You have to fight that urge to protect them. Like you know damn well that person is not a good influence and although you can’t stop them from interacting, you can be there to moderate. Like when things start crossing lines you can step in and go mhm ok this is not smart let’s stop this before it gets bad. You can see Wilbur fully stops tommy from going into the casino like “this is illegal and not worth the content”. You can see it with Wilbur picking and choosing times to genuinley come in and get defensive of Tommy

“Damn, that kid is fucking awkward huh?”

“I- I think he’s just polite. He’s kind”

It’s so funny you can see Wilbur is only here because Tommy asked him to be.

“I think you might be slightly socially awkward. Which is fine, but I see room for improvement with your dialogue with other people”

“I think you’re just polite tommy. I think you’re polite. You’re doing a good job”

And I don’t know how much of it is planned and how much of it is natural but it is really interesting to see the irony. Wilbur steps back and lets tommy do his thing for the most part, just stepping in when things start to go too far. And Logan is trying to show tommy exactly how to be and is less of a “brother figure” and more of just. Someone who sees tommy as an extension of who himself? Wilbur mostly gives tommy the space to breathe and make his own choices and Logan just tries to guide Tommy down his path and do things his way.

It’s why I’m such a big crimeboys fan is because their dynamic genuinely fits well and it feels healthy. Like you can see how protective Wilbur is over tommy and you can see that tommy really respects and looks up to Wilbur. They balance each other out well and give each other what they need. Tommy gets a positive role model who cares about him and helps him grow, and Wilbur gets this little brother to make him smile, to help him get out of bed when stuff gets hard, to have someone fully believe in and care about you. And then all of that just gets sibling banter over it you know? Like they don’t have to say it, you can just tell. It’s truly an immaculate dynamic and how close they are is only amplified by how awkward Logan and tommy are. As a crimeboys enjoyer, I really liked this vlog for that reason.

I know I’m totally over analyzing this this is not meant to be taken super seriously as obviously like some of it is clearly a bit and some of it is real. So is this intentional or is it just the dynamics? Totally unclear I just think it’s cool. That’s all!

(EDIT!!:) ITS A HURT COMFORT FIC SETUP. THATS WHY I LIKE IT SO MUCH. ITS THE DISCOMFORT AND AWKWARDNESS AND “HURT” OF LOGAN CONTRASTED BY PROTECTIVE WILBUR BEING A GOOD ROLE MODEL AND TAKING TOMMY TO GET ICE CREAM. ITS LITERALLY A HURT COMFORT FIC SETUP I AM SO BLIND

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon.