#that he just. doesn't. he does not acknowledge the weird vibes.

[arcademyth]

something doesn't feel quite right

[mr-bas00nist]

Hope you are having a good day/night

I was wondering if I could request TF 141 x male reader, reader is supposed to be nobody, there was nothing on his file (in less his file is fake?) Reader was given a choice death row or military it's not like reader had anything to lose so he joined. For a newbie reader's skills are above average as if by design, even his file says he has never killed but he's to cold and ruthless to not have.

Reader never used to be like this but he just learned earlier life can be cruel and if you want live you have to fight (if it's okay can reader have PTSD & depression from things like abuse/SA??)

Maybe reader is asked to do secret solo missions as favors holding the I gave you your freedom back card over his head?

How would the team react to reader and the lack of information? Would they confront him? How would the react to reader not knowing what true kindness is growing up in the a world where he was taught kindness doesn't come free?

Sorry this took so long btw! I chose headcannons though and what the boys are like to you.

Price, Gaz, Ghost, Soap and Alejandro

141 and male! Reader

Simon

•When you first came to the task force Simon was threatened by you in a different way

•You we’re scary

•You had nothing on your files and you looked like you had just come out to the deepest pits of hell

•He thinks you’ve probably massacred millions

•He does not trust you

•Something about your vibes and vagueness of everything about you

•Ghost is honestly an asshole just not outright

•He definitely keeps his distance and ignores you

•Until Price recognized his cold behavior towards you

•In a team everyone needs to trust each other

•Price knew that Simon had to get over his bullshit and at least talk to you

•One day in the barracks you were sitting on your bed reading

•Simon looked at your form

•You always looked tense and angry

•He sighed as he finally walked over to you

•You stared at him confused

•This was the first time he even acknowledged your existence

•He began to talk to you, about random stuff

•Than the conversation began to get deeper and deeper

•He talked about his rough childhood as you talked about yours

•As you two began to talk he realized how similar you both were

•By the time he was done talking with you he understood completely

•After that day you guys became friends

Gaz:

•Gaz found you scary when you first came in

•When he heard rumors that you had no files that terrified him even more

•But he never judged you for it

•He began to talk to you

•he was curious about your background

•When you finally told him he was very understanding

•He doesn’t treat you any differently

•He’s that one friend you can always lean on

•And laugh too

•Ver nice boy 💪

Soap:

•He honestly does not care

•It interests him for a little bit but he doesn’t press you about it

•He just talks to you

•He likes to see people’s personalities in person not on paper

•So when he begins to talk you he immediately likes you

•Your very serious and mature but your also very nice

•He’s used to Simon’s shit so he’s used to you

•When you finally tell him your story he doesn’t really say anything

•He just listens to you

•He wants to make sure you know he cares

•Well he kind of has to confront you

•Your being assigned to his team and your a blank fucking slate

•He’ll be respectful but he has to question you

•Where you came from, your values, personality, troubles and all

•When he finally did some deep diving on you he honestly wanted you out

•You we’re practically a lunatic

•Price decided to ask you personally though

•He wanted to know where you came from and how your early life was

•You can’t see it that well but his demeanor softens a lot

•His eyes aren’t as hard and his muscles aren’t tightened

•He sighed after you told him

•He sent you on all the stealthy mission due to your skill for a newbie and everything

•He does his best to make sure the boys are being nice to you too

•Don’t expect him to pamper you though

•Alejandro’s a weird case to be fair

•He won’t engage that much with you

•He heard about your documents and files and he didn’t really trust you

•He just keeps his distance but if you talk to him he won’t ignore you like Ghost

•He saw your skills before and was incredibly impressed and understood finally

•You 100% have definitely been through something

•So one day he confronted you

•You two hit it off and you began talking

•You two talked for hours

•He felt a little bit bad for judging you but you didn’t take offense

•It’s the military, not a playground

•But don’t worry, Alejandro’s got your back

•He’s got everyone back no matter where they came from

[mari-lair]

Akane is a popular kid, arguably the most popular student outside Aoi and Teru, at least in his own class, so let's talk about it!

In his introduction, we are told the basics: how Akane is a childhood friend of Aoi, dutiful, obsessed with her, and so on. During this exposition, we get this small panel of two guys looking at him with a positive opinion of him:

It's important that the stripped shirt guy is the one who says "Akane is so nice" cause it is implied he has a crush on Aoi, or at the very least, that he considers her really cute, blushing when she is just living her life.

So even people who should consider him one hell of a romantic rival don't think badly of him. I would go as far as to say that they are invested in his obvious crush on Aoi because of the amount of attention he gets after being enchanted by the confession tree.

In an arc where everyone starts to get together, is hard to notice or even care about new couples.

But the whole class stops when Akane and Lemon claim to be dating. They surround the boys and talk about it, openly staring at them. (shout out to @bpzau-d-r-a-w-s for pointing out this crowd)

Which I would have assumed is homophobia if it wasn't for how many guys confess to Teru on the daily without being spared a single thought, or the way no one is trying to comfort Aoi.

If he was only known as 'that dude that follows Aoi' the class reaction should be "Great! Her bodyguard is not in the picture anymore! That's my chance!" but they don't spare Aoi a glance. No one cares that "our calm and composed popular queen is crying in the middle of class." right now. They are just... focused on Akane, too shocked by his change of heart to care about much else.

I know is Akane getting this attention instead of Lemon because the class reacted the same way once Akane started studying like crazy to win 'Teru's challenge' in chapter 59.

People don't dismiss his behavior as "hum, weird, well whatever" like when Nene talks to 'herself '(talk to Hanako) in class, they keep crowding and talking about Akane, they are invested, aware of the context of the situation (so they asked him) and familiar enough to take a guess that his behavior is related to Aoi.

So they care about what this weirdo is doing, he is a soap opera to the class! Just look at how invested people get when he says no to Aoi, even the background crew are open-mouthed or confused.

This idea Akane is a boy people pay attention to is everywhere in the manga.

Even for a class representative/council guy, it is ridiculous the number of people who want his help. He is always surrounded by people wanting his help.

I personally can't see that many people approach someone just to take advantage of them, he makes others go "Oh it's Aoi! I can trust Aoi to be of help :D" but I acknowledge that can be seen as a sign of how incompetent his class is or just people wanting to take advantage of him, so I'll talk about the cases people run to him that are nonrelated to his duties, is just his vibes:

Tiara gets super attached to Akane in no time, literally clinging to him out of everyone in the room, running to his side whenever there is an opportunity for it.

Hanako, who is apathetic towards most humans and supernaturals alike, loves his guts. Even if the admiration is not mutual.

Teru and Aoi are prideful people who have the whole school paying attention to them. They look at Akane the most.

Girls especially seem to like him.

We don't see him interact with many girls considering Aoi's jealous nature, but enough to tell the boys in his class call him 'Aoi', and the girls call him 'Akane-kun.' (shout out to @iamhereinthebg for pointing that out)

I am convinced the reason he doesn't get many confessions is because he brutally shuts down anyone who tries.

He isn't like Teru and Aoi, he does not believe in "I'll let them down gently, give them a cute smile to soothe the pain of rejection" he just crushes their hopes without hesitation and makes it clear they have no chance.

The one girl we explicitly see confess to him only ever hoped Akane would accept her chocolate, having no hopes her feelings would be returned but caring enough to let him know anyway.

And Akane still rejected her chocolates.

He seems to be relatively used to confessions, to the point he panicked when Nene said "I've meant to talk to you for ages" and immediately assumed she wanted to confess to him.

His answer is so quick, almost scripted "My heart belongs to another. I'm sorry." it makes no sense if he isn't at least somewhat used to getting love confessions.

Considering how... Unpleasant confessing to a guy who everyone knows has been madly in love with someone else for more than a decade must be, I am not surprised almost no one is brave enough to even try to pursue him. His blunt, borderline rude, way of expressing that his suitors are not welcome probably doesn't help either.

Bonus:

He is no idol, people do not trip over themselves when they see him like with Aoi and teru, but I do think he is considered a 'pretty boy' in canon.

Maybe I am reaching cause I am biased af, but I do find it wild that he is drawn super pretty in other's people pov when he is being playful or flirty, and the person always blushes about it.

[tocomplainfriend]

Funny thing (not really) I’ve noticed is that Viv has always fetishized m/m relationships. There’s obviously Stolitz, but it goes back way further. There’s Addison from Zoophobia being shipped with a guy who works at his high school, but to mention that Viv has drawn NSFW of them despite Addison canonically being a minor. There’s also Autumn and Rusty, the former whom gets bullied by Rusty cause Rusty is secretly in the closet. Ten years later and she’s still weird about m/m relationships.

TW: fetishizing Queerness

I tried to search a little for Addison's age. In the wiki, that I know Viv did not write it says he is 18, other post say 17- there are people saying the age got changed too? I know almost nothing to zoophobia- if anyone knows about this claim, share your knowledge and importantly evidence of the age thing in specific? I do know about those snake drawings. And also was Viv 19? Have no clue-so I'm not gonna super talk about it without knowledge.

About the Rusty thing, I don't think Viv is a good enough writer (of relationships especially, cause Stolitz mainly) to pull that relationship or story. I don't think she can pull the idea of the closeted bully, purely by the fact that she doesn't understand or acknowledge the problems Stolitz has. If she needs to put down characters to make Stolas seems better and try to justify the power imbalance. I don't think she could write this if she wanted to. This closeted gay bully is such an old trope, too. I think the worst you can do (also as a non-amazing writer) is actually tried to make a romance out of it? Cause a lot of these tropes are more like "HAHA THE BULLY IS GAY HAHAHA", rather than "aww the bully was just sad and gay all along". I don't like it. (also this includes when the bully doesn't bully his romantic interest)

A lot of problems in mlm stuff Vivziepop does is similar to those Yaoi fetishization shit. Where there are also power imbalance. Also, this treatment of the characters like Moxxie? Like he is bi, and with Millie- and his treatment is so shitty. The hole thing of MILLIE PEGS MOXXIE, and that funny cause is less manly of him? Or where the succubus sexually assault them and that is funny??? (that one is not even Blitz being an asshole to him, it's made to act funny). As soon there is something viewed as feminine from him, the show makes fun of him. His feminine appearance in Unhappy campers also leads to make fun of him. Where he is the most vulnerable and insecure is that episode. He is more objectified in a feminine appearance.

Just the entirety of Stolitz is literally a lot of yaoi-sh problems. Also, I do see a lot of red flags in how they wrote Fizz and Asmo'. Because Fizz was insecure af, that he needed the approval of Mammon as an imp. Mammon was using the power that he had over Fizz to use him to get money. He got his approval from Asmo another sin in a higher position of power. (The power imbalance is not the problem vibes). Plus, The Big dominant protector and the sub small uwu cure relationship. Fizz, compared to the first time he appeared, he is so vulnerable and acts so cutesy. Like, the confidence he had during the S1, disappeared so bad. Acting so nice to Glitz and Glam, felt like cutting out all attitude to "uke-fing" him into needing a savior. They make him so powerless

Fizz, a quad amputee, was put in a vulnerable situation related to his trauma and where he lost all his limbs and horns. All to make Blitz "redeem" himself and make them friends again... THAT SUCKS.

Also, there was the fact of how over-sexual all the male mlm characters are, too. Like, Chaz was so much more sexual than Verosika as a succubus.

IT JUST SUCKS.

[relatableblorbopoll]

Round 1 of preliminaries, group 16

The first two places get a place on the bracket

Little reminder: there will be 2 more rounds of preliminaries, the losing blorbos of this poll still have 2 chances of getting in the official bracket

Propaganda under the cut

Parker (Leverage)

"Some of the weird things she says are so true. Like when she talks about past/present/future parker. Her joy at the things that she loves is so complete. Christmas every year! I too have the urge to stab people with forks when in uncomfortable social situations. And it was great when she made her security code to her…home…Sophie’s real name because it was representative of where trust stood in the team after the prison break. Oh! And her and Alec are total couple goals. (Thruple goals if you add in Elliot)"

Gudetama (Sanrio)

"A lazy egg who really doesn't want to do much of anything and would rather just go back to sleep"

Finn the Human (Adventure Time)

"finn is just a little guy doing his best and trying to help people! he's the only human in the show so he's just like us fr (the entire human race) and he starts off the series as a kid and grows up during it so he really goes through all the relatable ups and downs and friendships and relationships and mistakes and achievements that we all go through. he does a lot of idolising people and having to realise they're not what he told himself they were. sometimes he tries to distract himself from an existential crisis by running around yelling or stabbing things with a sword. relatable"

Rain O'Fire Frazier (Worm)

"Rain grew up in a conservative community that he didn't want to be part of, and rejected their regressive ideology in favor of surrounding himself with people who have gender vibes, mental health issues, and traumas of their own. Also, people give him all sorts of crap in the setting, and while he does fuck up sometimes, he's just a swell dude who's hoping to not get murdered by crazy people. Times being what they are, I think that that's something a lot of people can relate to."

Piper Mclean (Heroes of the Olympus)

"she's SO full of love!!! she loves everyone so strongly!! she has a complicated relationship with femininity, gender and beauty standards. she bullies her friends but would go down fighting for them if needed. she acts out to get her dad's attention. she believes in a balance between emotions and logic, and is not afraid to tell her friends if she thinks they're neglecting the emotional side of a problem."

Norma Khan (Dead End Paranormal Park)

"She is autistic and struggles with socialising (same) She has special interests that she will bring up at any opportunity. She can get overwhelemed and scared being in the world. Norma is also bisexual! She spends her time in a Pauline Phoneix theme park (one of her spins) and fighting demons and ghosts (another special interest). Vote Norma today!!"

"She goes through so many relatable experiences that I rarely see depicted and is just overall an excellent character. The third episode of the show has the most relatable depiction of anxiety I've ever seen (especially the intersection between social anxiety and autistic sensory overload). It's one of those episodes where each character has to face their worst fears, and with how those episodes usually go, I expected her to overcome her fears at the end of the episode and just not have them anymore. Instead, she overloads the villain by having too much fear for him to handle since she has to constantly face her greatest fears as part of her everyday life. The protagonist also acknowledges how much more severe her fear is compared to most other people, which is pretty validating. Her special interest is an actress who turns out to be a really shady person, and she has a lot of trouble processing this because it was so close to her heart. She even gets a musical number about it! I've never seen this particular experience depicted in fiction, but it's one that is sadly pretty relatable to me and probably a lot of other people on here. She also has a plot where she is rejected romantically by a straight friend, which is kinda nice to see (even if it's not nice for poor Norma) since even though this is a really common experience IRL I rarely see it explored in fiction. And she's just really funny and smart and a great character in general!"

[hwnglx]

can you do a reading on what enhypen members think of lesserafim

thought i'd do both groups ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

what do enhypen and le sserafim think about each other?

based on tarot. i do not know these idols personally. energies are always changing. what i say is NOT straight fact. pls take it with a grain of salt!

enhypen > le sserafim

heeseung 8ofp, knofc, 9ofw, queofp - phew, cards flew for him. he has a lot of thoughts for sure. views them as very hardworking and business-oriented women. also very stable financially. might've had a fling that ended on bad terms. some flirty energy and guardedness here. jay 7ofc, knofc - sees them as a group with a lot of opportunities and choices. also get the flirty for energy for him, might be daydreaming a lot about someone in the group. he's definitely crushing. (leaning towards yunjin) jake 4ofw, highpr - seems to get along with some of them pretty well and thinks they're a lot of fun, while other members might seem more mysterious and enigmatic to him. like they're more difficult to approach sunghoon empr, 7ofc&world - thinks they're beautiful, sensual, feminine and gentle. believes they're great at realizing their abundance of opportunities, a wellrounded group sunoo - god i'm sorry but the cards were so confusing and messy, very all over the place for him. i'm taking it as he just doesn't want me to know for now. jungwon 4ofp, devil - might think they're kinda greedy and materialistic. they always want their way and can get selfish or manipulative sometimes. lowkey spoiled too niki 7ofw, pagofc - seems to view them as very defensive and opinionated people who know how to stand up for themselves. also might have a little crush on someone, i'm getting cute little puppy love

le sserafim > enhypen

sakura devil, 9ofw, herm&6ofw - thinks they're kinda toxic. thinks both groups function better and are more successful when distanced, without getting in the way of eachother. she prefers just staying away from them to avoid drama chaewon strengthrx, towerrx, hangm - thinks they're way too unstable and lack control of their emotions and power to stand up for themselves. might think they don't know how to progress because of that. i'm lowkey getting "company's favorite child" like they just do whatever they're told yunjin lovers&4ofc, 2ofp+3ofc - seemed to have rejected someone lmao. might think they just play around too much and have too many girls/people they talk to. getting the vibe she just sees them as too immature still kazuha death, 5ofp, 7ofc+kingofp - doesn't think about them much, like she literally doesn't enjoy the thought. ngl, there's some weird and heavy energy here i don't really wanna dive into further. she does acknowledge they're rich in opportunity though, and good at what they do eunchae emper, knofsw, pagofsw - the only one i didn't get heavy energy from. thinks they're strong, reliable and passionate people. but might see them as kinda reckless and sharp-tongued in some ways. they can get too impulsive in her eyes. might be some gossiping going on here

the nine of wands seemed to be a reoccurring and significant card. i think a lot of the caution comes from wanting to avoid scandals, etc. they're probably aware a single glance can get overanalyzed by crazy fans, so they're more wary and conscious of how to behave around one another.

bottom of the deck in the end was the six of swords and it kept catching my eye somehow. so, i believe it's likely that they're also not really close off cam (def fought a bit, normal between co-workers tho) and might prefer staying distant in order to keep things peaceful.

[be-the-glenn-to-my-maggie]

Noccorro secret relationship au - how would you imagine each person in and around the family 2ould work it out (for the sake of the ask noone can be explicity told)

Lolll what a fun ask. Let's hope this doesn't lean tragic, as nocorro often does for us.

-Kiri finds out first for sure. Before any of the accidental mating drama, she can just tell something is different with her best friend. Kiri is the kind of person who is lost to the world a lot of the time, but when it comes to her people she is very dialed in. Spider is just acting different. Sometimes he's full of energy, he's excited and all smiles. The next day he'll be subdued, lost in thought, almost resigned. On one of those days she sits him down and basically demands to know what's wrong. He doesn't give her anything. He's always been an awful liar, but he just clams right up and doesn't come back to the village the next day. Halfway through the day she's getting tired of Lo'ak bitching at her for driving him off, and she's about to try to ditch him and Tuk so she can go and try to interrogate Spider again. It's not until Neteyam sulks over to Kiri and Lo'ak to ask where Spider is, and upon learning says he'll go talk to him that Kiri starts to wonder.

-I do think Lo'ak is an emotionally sensitive king. He feeds off the vibes of others, and he runs basically off how he feels 24/7. Anyone being slightly off is enough to ruin this mans whole year. So Neteyam and Spider being all weird is throwing him out of wack in a way that it's not for Kiri. Kiri is just worried for her friend (hasn't noticed Neteyam being weird cause he's a master emotion hider). Lo'ak is hyper aware, he's on edge, he feels the weirdness in his fucking bones dude he's gonna go insane. He'll invite Spider to stay for dinner and Spider turns red and says he has plans with Norm, and Lo'ak turns around and Neteyam is leaving to practice night flying manuvers. One time he had Spider meet him at the family mauri bright and early so they can try to find this far waterfall Lo'ak heard one of the other young warriors mention. Spider shows up literally at the crack of dawn, as promised, only to stop in the entranceway and just stare at Neteyam sleeping in his hammock. Lo'ak has to call him a creeper three times in an increasingly serious tone before he hears. Then Neteyam wakes up, notices Spider, makes the most interesting noise, and falls the fuck out of his hammock. Lo'ak laughs, obviously, but the two of them just blush and look away and just like that Lo'ak's entire day is fucking ruined why the fuck would Spider not laugh that was funny. He asks Neteyam later that evening.

-One time, post Neteyam has an accidental mate he won't tell anyone about, Tuk was playing with Popiti and she broke her bracelet when it caught and tugged on a root. She and Popiti can't fix it, Spider had woven it for her and his designs are so much more complicated and intricate than bigger fingers can handle. She's frustrated, almost to the point of tears, and she can't find Spider. She walks into the mauri hoping to find anyone to help and just finds Neteyam and Spider sitting on the ground in front of the cookfire, Neteyam holding Spider's hand and talking to him seriously. When he notices her, Spider yanks his hand away and Neteyam makes a face at him. Tuk isn't really interested in them holding hands, she just wants Spider to fix her bracelet.

-We have discussed Jake lol. He is stalking Neteyam. I feel like Neteyam is super careful at first, but he slips up on that one night Jake catches them. It hurts to be away from your mate, to not acknowledge them and to touch them. Jake also didn't fully know what he was getting into and had to be separated from Neytiri for a while so he was laying in wait, just lulling Neteyam into a false sense of security. I think when he does catch them, he'd just pat Neteyam on the shoulder and say he's always been a good judge of character and he picked well. Then I think he would leave because he knows they don't have much time.

-I think Neytiri could've found out whenever she wanted to, because she always knew. Her entire family have always had a special connection to the demon child (I am COOKING up a Spider platonic soulmates with legit all the Sully's AU, maybe he can be romantic with one). Even when Tuk was born, she loved him right away. Neteyam has always been more subtle about it, and that in of itself is suspicious. Neteyam is not subtle with his affection, but she knows he cares for Spider just as much of not more than the rest of her family. She Sees better than them still, sometimes. She Sees the way he saves a section of the evening meal when he helps her prepare before anyone has asked Spider to join them. She Sees the way he always insists Spider flies with him when all the children go somewhere. She Sees the subtle touches, like they are stolen, a hand on his back to steady him in the trees that even she knows he does not need. A touch to the arm to guide him around the cookfire. Fingers brushing whenever any item is exchanged. She knows, she has always known. But it isn't until her son is bleeding out on the rocks that she accepts.

[bugsbenefit]

i'm mmmmh still thinking thoughts (it's about the poster, of course it is, been fascinated by that since s4)

the last few minutes of every season always drop some major hints for the next season that are pretty explicit in hindsight. some examples

s1 shows the baby slugs Will coughs up that come back in s2, hints El might still be alive when Hopper leaves Eggo waffles out in the forest, and gives Nancy a sweet moment with Jonathan despite still dating Steve, s2 has El living with Hopper and J/ancy going canon

s2 shows the mindflayer looming over the school -> meatflayer is the main threat of s3 (as well as s2 having lumax and mleven dancing who will both be established couples by the start of s3)

s3 ends with the Byers moving away and Max sitting alone in Billy's room, s4 then has the Byers living in California be a major plotpoint as well as Max's trauma around Billy's death almost killing her

and so on you get it. in hindsight there will obviously be some pretty major hints in the last 10 minutes of s4

and some already seem pretty straight forward. obviously the gates opening is the big thing, the UD will be a focus in s5. the camera lingering on the church and Jason's bible quote outside also seems like it's a pretty solid nudge at the vibe in town next season. also things like the hill scene in general with the coupled grouping (doesn't even have to be about "endgames" necessarily, would also make sense as main groups of s5, since they're split into adults, teens (now young adults), and kids (teens) again)

but the whole blood thing going on in the last 10 minutes that comes out of nowhere? i want to know where that is going

we already had a ton of blood in s4, with the lab massacre and nose bleeds for the Vecna victims. so why does the donating blood theme come up after all that, what happens in s5 that makes it warrant the blood teaser (that sounds horrible) when s4 already had so much of it? and it's not just blood in general, there's a very specific focus on "giving" blood, however you want to interpret that

the poster in the hospital room already feels extremely foreshadowy in s4 given how bold it's written, how it's the only legible text on screen, and how it's in the negative space of the blocking the whole time so your eyes are drawn to it

but it's not even just that one poster either. in case you missed that one or didn't bother reading it in the hospital they also give you the blood donations promo table that the shot lingers on, that has so many posters begging for your blood it's not even funny anymore. and hey, even for those not reading background posters, there's 4 separate blood drop graphics so you definitely know they want blood, the show seems to really really want people to acknowledge it

and now they use the same exact poster from these last 10 minutes again? in another location? that's more focus on it than even i expected what are we going for here

be a hero give blood you say? on the show with the constant allusions to being a hero? "heroes" by david bowie, superheroes and powers, "don't try to be heroes" only for Eddie to die when he breaks his own advice? all of s4 was about how you shouldn't try to be a hero and that running away is okay. Max also almost dies when she stops running to distract Vecna. girl you know someone is fucked with that poster, that's a set up screaming for disaster (it's also not lost on me how even the stage show has a focus on blood and !TFS SPOILER! as far as i know Brenner senior even dies after not being able to receive blood donations due to his now abnormal blood type anymore. so there's some weird focus on blood going on even outside of the in show canon now, even specifically about giving blood, or well, not being able to give blood in this case. no one was a hero and gave blood in tfs i guess lmao. what are they cooking here)

the poster is also so vague there's so many ways this can be horrible for the characters. in the actual blood donation to save someone way? would be kind of tame but who knows what lore/plot s5 will deliver. in the sacrifice yourself/get injured to save someone way? or a secret third thing we don't have enough context to guess yet?

be a hero give blood my ass. who's giving blood for what tell me now. also how bad will "giving blood" be for them

[comradekatara]

I know ppl are yapping at you abt Dungeon Meshi so sorry but I’m joining in. Who in the Gaang (or Gaang-adjacent) do you think would enjoy the dungeon most and least? Sokka would be having a grand time, eating cool food and rescuing sisters and learning about biology and doing puzzles. I can imagine Aang on the other hand having a very bad time; even the plants are animalistic so he would feel weird about eating them. He would appreciate Senshi’s care for the ecosystem though.

idk why ppl keep saying that sokka would be laios.... like laios does say that he wishes he could take falin's place and clearly means it, but he also has the mental fortitude to step back and look at the situation more rationally when he needs to. he clearly loves falin a lot, but he's also able to pace himself and acknowledges not to push himself beyond his own limits, so that he can make grand sacrifices when the time calls for it (and even then, he pretty much knew that losing his leg wasn't gonna be permanent). like, my point is, if katara got fucking eaten by a dragon, sokka would not even bother going back up to the surface to the regroup. he would not be able to approach the situation rationally whatsoever. laios wants to take falin's place because he doesn't want to see her in pain (and also because i'm sure there's a part of him that just wishes that he could be a really cool monster too, lol), but sokka would want to take her place because he fundamentally believes that his role in life is to sacrifice himself for her?? and he would feel like he had failed in some grand, existential way if she sacrificed herself for him (but also, falin is not katara, and so katara wouldn't make those same sacrifices either). if sokka was in laios's shoes, he would be acting far more like toshiro, and we know this because "the boiling rock" exists. sokka is someone who is easily motivated by guilt, and feels guilty about basically everything. there's no way he would be enjoying his time in the dungeon if he felt that he had failed the one person he valued most in the world. he barely enjoys doing anything as it is.

that said, if he was simply in the dungeon for work and katara was there with him or safely on the surface or otherwise healthy and intact, yeah he'd probably like the hunting and puzzle solving and the learning about ecosystems. and since magic is something that can be taught, i'm sure he'd also be fascinated by the science behind it and learn as much magic as he can. aang would be fine food-wise because he'd simply pack enough food in advance, which is what most people do anyway. katara would love it because she loves going on any sort of quest-like adventure, and she loves getting to be the hero. she and aang are the resident healers, naturally. toph enjoys it because she likes hanging out with her friends and getting into weird little situations. suki is slashing up monsters with her katana but mainly she's just vibing. zuko is having a bad time unless he has a fixed goal, just like, in general, so he's only going in the dungeon (or anywhere) if he has a very specific reason. people see azula, mai, and ty lee in the dungeon and they're like "that party is way too small they won't last a day" and then they work as such a perfect and efficient team that everyone is just like "okay. i stand corrected." but anyway. if anyone is falin, it's yue.

[acourtofthought]

How would you feel if ACOTAR 5 is gwynriel instead of elucien? In one of SJM interviews she stated that after finishing acotar5 she will be working on the 1st book of a different series. So that means acotar6 will come out 2027.

Disappointed. I think there gets to be a point where an author drags out a particular storyline too long (the Blood and Ash series come to mind) and the writing suffers as a result.

Vassa was taken in ACOMAF, we found out by who in ACOWAR and that she as well as the other girls at the lake have been cursed / kidnapped by Koschei. In ACOFAS we're told her freedom will come to an end and reminded of that in ACOSF.

Spring was destroyed in ACOWAR and in ACOFAS, we're told Tamlin is severely depressed but that they'll still need Spring as an ally. SF shows it's been awhile and Tamlin isn't getting better, that they know they need a strong ally in Springs army.

Elucien's bond snapped in ACOMAF, Elain was turned fae and in ACOWAR she lost her father, stabbed a man, was rejected by Graysen, fought with her sister in SF and was rejected by Az yet we've not once been given her inner thoughts of all she's experienced. We don't even see any of the main characters trying to talk to her about any of those things.

And Lucien, the list is too long to include on all his unresolved plots.

Having Nesta's story told first made sense to me because there was never going to be Elucien progress until Nesta began letting go of her protectiveness over Elain, to accept the idea of Lucien (and technically, Nessian's bond was hinted at before Elucien's bond snapped).

Her healing arc was important to Feyre and Elain's stories too (along with herself of course) however it wasn't very plot heavy. But there was no moving forward for anyone until Nesta's anger wasn't destroying everything in Nesta's path. The series, since book 2, has been as much about the sisters relationship to one another as plot and romance and closing that out before moving into a new era makes sense to me.

But Az having his story before Elain and Lucien doesn't seem to fit especially when a Gwynriel romance would probably need at least 6 - 9 months (meaning that almost another year would go by before we even start getting resolution to the above).

I'm not sure that I see anything in his story that is necessary to lead us into the Koschei storyline.

He wasn't in Feyre's "Let's help one sister before helping the other" speech, he wasn't part of Feyre's "I want them all to be happy" speech in ACOFAS.

To me the Illyrians aren't a bigger concern to their entire world than Vallahan setting their sights on the humans or Beron trying to ally with Koschei or how an entire court is now being neglected by its High Lord.

Dragging out Vassa, Koschei, Lucien's father reveal, the Elucien bond, the girls who were kidnapped, Spring, Elain healing from her trauma while she continues to remain in a court she doesn't truly belong just so Az can have his story which doesn't fit in to any of those things does not make any sense to me and honestly, I think it sends a weird message.

"I think Lucien will never be good enough for her"

"I'll defeat him with little effort"

"I know, I helped rescue Elain after all"

"There is a darkness to the Dread Trove that Elain should not be exposed to"

"She has no interest in him anyway"

Az (no offense) is kind of a dick at times outside of the priestesses.

He makes Mor so uneasy with his behavior that she feels like she needs to lie about what she's doing so he doesn't brood.

He is jealous and bitter towards Lucien and speaks for Elain without ever acknowledging her bravery and strength.

He gives off Tamlin vibes at times and to me that means he needs to be on a time out for a bit. Where he has to really sit and think on why his behaviors were wrong, why he tried to keep Mor and Elain small so he could be the hero, why he had such issues with a guy who is a very decent person.

Giving him a HEA after he treated them like that while Mor still remains unlucky in love, Lucien is struggling, Elain has no found family, it feels like jumping over an important lesson for Az to learn so he can become worthy of Gwyn. Not just in who he is when around her but who he is on his own.

I think Az seeing them happy and actually being happy for them is an important arc for his character.

But, in the end that's just my perception of the situation.

I don't know how SJM thinks, what her plan is, and if Elucien is not next than there's not much I can do but wait!

[charmixpower]

So I've been asked what my ideal relationship timeline is winx would be like for the canon relationships (on discord), so here it is!!!

Bloom/Sky:

This fucking relationship was a mess! Not even a mess in the way Rivusa was a mess, I mean them both imagining a kiss at the end of s1 fucking mess. Help what is wrong with them

For them I would like them to get in a relationship before the Trix try and convince Bloom that she was made by the ancestral witches (Valtor foreshadowing?) and then they break up during the Diaspro event. He gets his ass DUMPED!!! Consequences for your actions you little asshole!!!

They make up during the s1 finale and Sky is like "can we start dating again 🥺" and Bloom is like "No💙". The imagined kiss can still happen, it was so insane, you can keep it

Then s2 happens and Sky is trying so hard to be a good bf "plz take me backkk" and then hes like "I hate Avalon. I'm not even like doing this bc I want you back, that man is CREEPY. Riven agrees and we had an entire civil conversation about it. Baby plz." Bloom is not listening 💙💙💙 and then the dark Bloom thing happens and Sky fights tooth and nail to save her and they make up form like everything from s1 and s2!!! Yaya

After all that they are dating now, good for them, good for them. WAIT? WHATS GOING ON?? ITS VALTOR WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!! SKLOOM IS ON THE FUCKING FLOOR!!! God they are such a fucking mess goddamn

Riven very quickly points out that Sky was under mind control and Bloom feels bad and she goes to save him and they talk about it and they're fine mostly. They talk about it, it hurt them both but it doesn't fuck them up completely

The first movie is the same except they don't get engaged, please calm down both of you, think about this for a little longer, but they're happy and good for them

Stella/Brandon:

Literally the only thing I would change is that they are obviously in a relationship early in s1 and they DON'T break up after the reveal, even though Brandon thinks they're broken up

That's it, aside from that no notes

Musa/Riven:

The show ends after the first movie, the later seasons don't exist and can't hurt me (<- are currently hurting me)

In season one it's established that Musa and Riven met before the season and Musa remembers the interaction a better than Riven does, instead of her seeing Riven act like a dick and then suddenly liking him. She's already seen the soft side of him and she wants the "mean to everyone but me" relationship bc Musa is insane too ❤️

S1 and s2 should vibe most untouched aside from this and Riven and Musa should both acknowledge that they like each other at the beginning of s2 but don't get in a relationship bc Riven isn't emotionally ready 4 another relationship so soon after Darcy and Musa is nomral about it (she's not).

S3 except the golden Kingdom is slightly different, the worry Riven is feeling is shown over anything else. Yeah I'll keep the motorcycle thing in, Riven can't communicate and Musa has a mood disorder they're gonna get into a couple dump fights at first. That's just being mentally ill they're fine. They should like immediately make up tho, like as someone who knows people like this the apologies for being insane bc you had a mood swing or can't read social cues are like so quick

Keep the first movie but Riven doesn't have to relearn any lessons, he is simply vibing and in love with Musa and breaks out of mind control bc of his resounding guilt after being forced to hurt her

Tecna/Timmy:

TIMMY DOESN'T HAVE TO PROVE HIMSELF IN S2!!!! EVERYTHING STAYS THE SAME BUT THAT

Okay and Tecna doesn't explicitly state she doesn't want a relationship bc then it feels weird when she gets into one

But like in s2 when Tecna gets pissed at Timmy for not intentionally picking a fight he can't win that could get him killed?? She's treated as the one in the wrong and has to learn to be more chill than Timmy having to do anything, he literally wasn't in the wrong

S2 was so disrespectful to Timmy I SWEAR

Flora/Helia:

GIVE THEM MORE THAN ONE CHARACTER TRAIT!!!!!

Flora stops having a personality after this, please let her yell at people in begging you. Give Flora a character arc I'm begging you

Helia doesn't have a personality!! He has a bunch of implications and he's literally never around in s2 OR s3!! So often it's the winx and specialists except Helia!!

Let them like express different sides of their personality and give Helia more screen time, that's all I ask

I'm on my knees begging you

I can't even say anything because there's literally nothing to go off of

Take the shab stone comic and put it into the show

Aisha/Nabu:

Please imagine a world where Aisha is arranged to marry someone and that person and her love interest are two different ppl

Keep it the same except Nabu isn't her arranged partner, they meet while fighting on Andros and Nabu keeps showing up because he ran away from home and has no idea what the fuck he's doing without all his servants and he's asking Aisha for help djwbdbwjsbwnwbs

That would be MY ideal for them but if have to keep the large plot points the same I wouldn't change anything, like my problem is the inciting incident of their relationship the development itself is cute, but id want them to become official in s4 instead. Only Florelia (sane people) and Brella (soulmates) can get away with the one season romance and make it feel natural, Aisha would not get into a relationship that quickly, but that's a nitpick if anything

No other Aisha relationships exist and if they did they'd be with Roy and not Nex shut up

[kimwarris]

NATLA Sokka's trauma (contains spoilers)

Okay, some more thoughts of mine about Live Action Sokka.

Most of it is referring to Episode 5 and the flashback to after his ice-dodging test. After having thought about it for a while, I came to the conclusion, that Sokka is the village's weird kid.

He apparently gets mocked by the other boys - the reaction to his ice dodging test kinda implies, that it's not the first time that they are commenting about his lacking abilities as a warrior.

 Sokka knows that people don't see him as that or as a future leader, but he thinks his dad does. Unless, Hakoda doesn't. Sokka has to hear how his father confides in Bato, that he doesn't think that Sokka has it in him to become chief one day.

Something about how the conversation between Hakoda and Bato goes, gave me the impression that it is not the first time that they discussed the matter. Point is, Hakoda doesn't believe in Sokka. Instead, he's disappointed and (at least that's how I interpreted it) ashamed of his own son.

This was really heart-breaking to watch. Honestly, it got to me more than some of the Zuko backstory.

Side note: Gosh, I just loved Bato in this. Trying to convince Hakoda that everything was fine, that the test wasn't as bad as they say. Bato believes in Sokka, apparently more like his dad does. He knows that even if Sokka falls short in some aspects, he has other qualities. I don't know, somehow Bato really gave me Mom-vibes in that scene and I love that for Sokka.

However, apparently Hakoda takes ALL the boys with him when he leaves, except for Sokka and that other one (who was probably too young at that time). He might claim it as needing to leave someone behind to protect the village, but let's think about it for a moment.

Was there any real thread for the village after the Fire Nation raid to kill the last waterbender? Probably not. It's small, meaningless village at the end of the world. The adult women were apparently more than capable, because nobody can tell me, that it was Sokka's task alone to go hunting / fishing for an entire village.

Back to Hakoda being ashamed of him: Personally, I think he didn't WANT to take Sokka with them because he was afraid that Sokka would do something that puts him as a chief into a bad light. Somehow I got the vibe that Hakoda wanted him out of the way to avoid any trouble.

That also explains why Sokka is much more bitter about Hakoda leaving, than he is in the original series.

Sokka knows that there is not much he can do in the village for his father to be proud of once he returns. Thus, his mantra of being the protector of the village. Sokka will tell himself that what he does is of great importance until he believes it. At the same time he knows, that no one is taking him seriously. Not even his little sister.

Which is why the journey is so important for him, because suddenly there are people that respect him:

- Suki doesn't make fun of him or his boomerang skills. She clearly shows him that her way of doing things is more effective, and she teaches him.

- The Mechanist compliments him for his understanding of physics (did you see how Sokka's face lit up, when Sai said that he could see him as an engineer?) and he encourages Sokka to do something else than being a warrior, if that's not what he truly wants. I really loved that scene, because finally someone acknowledged his abilities instead of criticizing him.

- Hahn asking him if Sokka could share his experiences and knowledge of the enemy with them. You could see how Sokka becomes instantly insecure. He is not used that someone asks him for guidance, or values his opinion on such things. (Theory: Hakoda maybe tested him by asking him questions on how to react in a situation or another and usually Sokka's answer would be wrong).

In fact, in this series he is less of a comedic relief. Sokka is much softer BUT they made it make sense. I really like the changes they did to his character.

He is much less adventurous (not wanting to fly on Appa at first, repeatedly suggesting they go home in the first two episodes). He hides behind Katara more than once, when danger is ahead, etc. He's great with kids: a lot less harsh to his little recruits than in the original series and that scene with that little Earth Kingdom girl? Pure sugar.

I think this Sokka has so many issues, something that really doesn't get addressed enough in the original series. I really appreciate that deeper look into his character and I might incorporate some of those aspects in some future fanfics.

Urgh, Sokka has always been one of my favorites, but somehow the live action series made me love him even more <3

[peachjagiya]

https://x.com/taekookiieness/status/1776155729562419570

What is this need they have to be glued to eachother all the time lol. They really are like magnets. Also maybe its just me but I feel like entangling your legs with someone is really intimate no? Like that is something I reserve for my husband, especially if I we are feeling clingy but in company, then our legs will do the talking lol. I get that the members are close on a different level than most friendships but these two will comfortably sit like that for long periods without even acknowledging what they are doing, it's like an unconcious thing and so different from the usual bursts of affection the members have with eachother. It's not like blatant flirting or anything so I get why people brush it off as nothing but gestures like these speak of a certain intimacy and lack of boundaries you usually see with couples.

🥹🥹🥹

I just went to watch a video of them all cuddling up and I noticed a few things:

👉 Joonie and Yoongi don't really seem to do a lot of this.

👉 Jin and Hobi will definitely climb on the maknae line in bed to wake them up or cuddle them but it's always with a purpose. Incidentally these two are most likely to refer to them as their babies.

👉 JK definitely seems to regard his hyungs as like four parents and himself as their baby and gets his cuddles from them accordingly. He's particularly happy cuddling Hobi and Jin, the self-described parents with mummy vibes.

👉 Tae seems less adhered to age dynamics and has his favoured cuddles, namely anyone who doesn't freely give it ie; Yoongi 😂 and trying to get Joonie to hold him in his sleep. Tae seems to enjoy receiving big demonstrations of affection. His Wooga hyungs cuddling him in bed, getting a morning kiss from Wooshik.... I think he likes to feel loved in that way.

👉 Jimin is at an awkward almost middle of the group where it's fair game with everyone.

Then you get to the maknae interactions when it becomes less about parent-child dynamics:

👉 Jimin seems like the cuddliest of the maknae line. Tae is unbothered by this but it doesn't feel like he seeks it out? He's curiously passive in a lot of these hyper cuddly moments with Jimin. But their general comfort levels say a lot about their bond. It's sweet to see. I get ZERO romantic vibes. Like if it's possible to be NEGATIVE romantic? 😂

👉 Jungkook seems less comfortable with Jimin hugs. I'm sorry that's just how I read it. I'm not saying I'm right. *Puts on a helmet* 50% of the time he's leaning away. I don't think this is about Jimin himself. I think it's about JK not quite feeling like baby or boyfriend with Jimin.

Edit: because someone thinks I'm painting Jimin in a bad light - I don't think Jimin is forcing anything and in fact I think Jungkook being like a grouchy little brother about it sometimes is a tried and tested friend dynamic and speaks to their closeness. I think they're close friends and value each other. Ok? Ok. Chill. Jeez.

So bearing their general puppy pile vibes in mind, why does it feel different with Taekook?

👉 The cuddliness is equal. People who claim Tae is all over JK while JK hates it are at best just wrong (and at worse wilfully trying to drag Tae) It's equally distributed between initiating and reciprocating.

👉 The affection is small so it feels more intimate. It's less showy. Never presented with any ceremony. It just seems second nature from their lack of reaction to the affection. No surprise or like "oof, we're hugging now!", just naturally fitting into each others space. It's not just JK getting hugs from his hyungs or Tae requiring outward demonstrations of love. With JK and Tae, it's just easy and natural magnetism.

(On a side note: Does anyone else remember Tae saying that he loves to cuddle in bed and the others are a bit weird about it but Jungkook thinks it's cute and cuddles him? Did I imagine that?)

Thanks anon. I loved this 💜

[callmearcturus]

sup i'm watching rogue nation and just analyzing physicality

i did this with fallout before, time for my fave

sue me but i do really like the IMF plant that ethan immediately imprints on at the start of Rogue Nation, the very slow way he approaches as they poke each other about music history, it's measured and its not direct, he's moving at angles. "Do you know why they called him Shadow?" "Because he had a very light touch." That feels like the call-and-answer to confirm he's IMF, but they immediately are vibing so strongly that it could just be a conversation. It's cute! it's also just fun for me to compare Oldthan versus Twinkthan, bc younger Ethan never felt approachable, he felt like an intruder to be handled. Older Ethan either knows how to turn that default intimidation off or it's not his default anymore.

When Lane makes Ethan watch, there is a completely unmasked rawness in Ethan's face as he realizes this plant he could have probably lingered around the shop to talk music with is about to die and it's a staged act specifically for him. She didn't do anything except be someone to hurt Ethan with. It's kind of an interesting play with the idea of fridging? That is explicitly what is happening here, it's a manipulation on Ethan, and he knows it, and yet it's going to work, it's a hook Lane makes him swallow.

ZOOM IN ON ETHAN'S EYES. like goddamn. McQ. /whistles

WHY DOES EVERY INTERROGATOR IN THIS SERIES HAVE LIL VIALS OF INTIMIDATION?

i am O B S E S S E D with the omnidirectional horniness of the Bone Doctor. there is an almost effete weirdness to him, he has super odd gestures. given how few lines he has, he still has a ton of interesting lil moments, like the putting his finger in his mouth to remove his ring, and the wink when he steals benji and the very off little judgy face when he unmasks benji later. dude is doing a lot, i see why TC and McQ were like "actually he's not gonna die in this scene, we changed our minds, we love the bone doctor"

ethan sees the omnidirectional horniness and sluts it up in response obvsly

FUCKING VAULTING UP THE POLE LIKE A LUNATIC

Punct pointed out that, like, presumably this was Ethan's escape plan the whole time, he doesn't do it until Ilsa is in danger, ergo he could have done it at any time, he was just hanging out to get some info from his torturers first. why the fuck is he like this. also that arm strength is truly 100% batshit

the fucking barefoot combat is so funny to me. yes obvsly both of them are barefoot for this, its a Shared Intimacy. we now know that in the original plan, Ilsa was in those fucking heels for this sequence until TC was like "take em off" so my question is was ethan in shoes before that? because if I was a weirdly astute actor-producer who understood the inherent symbolism of that motif, i would also make sure my character was barefoot to establish that thread of vulnerable connection to one of my two love interests.

lmao behind ethan in the phone booth is an ad for "unhurried massage and domination" its an ad for my fic actually

its small but the way ethan does not know where the fuck to go for a solid moment after everything's gone tits-up is nice. he has no plan, he doesn't know what his next step is. and he's been shot.

also Benji's interrogation scene is delightful

There is that moment of eye contact across the room that's like "well, here we are again" with these two, who have been covering for Ethan this whole time

and RIGHT before Benji starts lying out his ass with grace and poise, there's just this tiny smile of acknowledgement on Brandt's face, it's like two frames before the cut happens, but it just speaks to how Brandt is fully aware that Benji is going to pull this off like he does every fucking week

Rogue Nation really is Benji's movie, full stop

also he is so genuinely happy to be going to the opera. like, he's an IMF ghost, he should be ultra suspicious of winning a sweepstakes to get tickets in the mail, but he doesn't care, his job is miserable and he loves theatre so much he'll take the win

[plutosmainhoe]

☾ Aquarius Moon Tings ☽

Just some observations I have picked up along the way as a 4H Aquarius Moon that married a 12H Aquarius Moon

🚨 By no means am I an astrologer. Please take this with a grain of salt 🚨

🌙 IMO most people know that natal Aquarius Moons don't acknowledge their feelings and emotions very well; But it's much more than that. From what I have seen, they understand their emotions, they just don't process them. Aqua Moons are very good at analysing situations but it only extends to there. If a negative situation occurs, they are likely to analyse and move on and not dwell on the situation.

🌙 Relationship with their mother is strange; depending on aspects ofc. Though, looking away from aspects, I've noticed that Aqua moons tend to have an okay relationship with their mother, it is just complicated and inconsistent. They often want to seperate themselves from their mother figure yet continue a low-key relationship with them. Most rebellion forms from the connection to their Mother.

🌙 Aqua Moons have a thing for music, I swear. It is such a big part of their lives. And it's not to just enjoy the music they listen to, it is how they openly express their emotions. I can give you a song based on how I feel towards my mother, but I absolutely cannot tell you how I feel about her through my own emotions.

🌙 It is awkward talking about emotions, most Aqua moons I have met don't really have the tolerance for sympathy/empathy? i.e. I have a Cancer Venus, I am very compassionate and I have a lot of love to give, but fuck I don't want to hear about how bad your week has been, idk how to fix it for you.

🌙 Depending on their Mercury sign/aspects to mercury, an evolved Aqua Moon can definitely process and communicate their emotions effectively; they just need to evolve first. My husband, 12H Aqua Moon trine 9H Libra Mercury, is bloody awesome at discussing his emotions. I, on the other hand; 4H Aqua Moon non-aspecting 8H Gemini Mercury, am horrid at discussing and processing my emotions and tend to avoid it most of the time (bcos I'm un-evolved asf)

🌙 Adding to above ↑ Just because you have evolved doesn't mean you will magically process your emotions each time. Aqua Moons have a habit of living in their head, though they analyse and move on, they can tend to overthink.

🌙 Definitely have a 'I don't fucking care' or 'Whatever' vibe. It can be hard to connect to Aqua Moons because of this. They can be very straightforward and direct (remember, they display sympathy/empathy weirdly), I wouldn't suggest looking for emotional advise from an Aquarius Moon.

🌙 They be old souls 100%. Old movies, music, tv shows, clothing. Or they may have very different tastes in these aspects to the norm. Aquarius being eccentric, free and rebellious, it is unlikely you will find an Aqua Moon that has the same interests as society (or any Aquarius placement for that matter, my Aqua Sun dad is WILD. He is so fucking weird ilhsm)

🌙 I just want to talk about the 4H for a minute, because I haven't read much on this placement regarding an Aqua Moon. I have 4H Aquarius Moon, Uranus, SN, I/C (ofc) and 3H Aqua Neptune - all conjunct to each other (help). Let me tell you, when I say my upbringing was unconventional, it was fucking unconventional. ☾ I was always travelling, whether it was to family 30mins away or across the country; We were never really at home, always doing something (perks of having a Sagg mum ig) ☾ Traditions are very important, as well as ties to home. However, though these are important to my family, I would prefer to break from these chains (Moon conjunct Uranus) ☾ speaking on my 4H Moon/Uranus friends, how much does it suck that we have to be the ones to break ancestral generational curses? ☾ Black sheep of the family vibes - I constantly fight with my mother about the standards she sets for me and the standards she sets for my sister. (Thnx 3H Neptune conjunct 4H Moon 🖤) ☾ Definitely have a high chance of leaving home young - They seek freedom and being tied to home is not free; especially if there are harsh aspects to the Moon. Using my 4H placements, I left home at 19. ☾ Pluto aspects are super interesting when the Aqua Moon is in the 4H. Depending the aspect, natives can either face easy transformations to their emotions regarding home life/mother/emotions, or it can be super difficult. Mine is sextile Pluto; I am really good a reading emotional atmosphere changes and can pinpoint when a change is happening with my emotions internally. Harder aspects (Square, Opposition, Conjunct) will make it difficult to understand when a transformation in atmosphere/emotions is present.

🌙 Notice how Aqua Moons have a small, tight group of friends; no matter their Sun sign? I've noticed it is because the people they pick to become close friends with have something to give emotionally. We don't understand our emotions, but someone else does. You could have a Gemini/Sagittarius Sun and have a massive group of friends, but if you have an Aqua Moon alongside this, you will likely have a large group of friends, but a select few that you actually connect well with.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! ~PMH 🍃

[that-ari-blogger]

One Last Hurrah (I'm Not That Girl (Reprise), As Long As You're Mine)

Those who are familiar with my blog will know that I don't particularly agree with the concept of genre. I think it is restrictive, and the dynamicism of storytelling makes it less important for writers than the general public is aware for.

Wicked backs up my claim, I think. The opening number is a booming epic that Glinda switches to a more quiet tragedy, at which point the first act becomes a love story set in a boarding school. The second act mirrors this, slightly, crashing in with a full scale war that Glinda again pushes back to a love story. That same love story and love triangle then takes precedent in act two. Until it abruptly doesn't.

As Long As You're Mine is the finale of the romance arc of this story, and it centres around enjoying the life you have before change takes effect. Although, the romance is a love triangle, Elphaba and Fiyero get a song, but Glinda? Where does her romance end?

With Elphaba. The love story of this musical ends with Glinda thinking of Elphaba.

Let me explain.

SPOILERS AHEAD: (Wicked, Dead Poet Society)

"Don't wish, don't start Wishing only wounds the heart There's a girl I know He loves her so I'm not that girl"

Well gee, this looks familiar.

This is an interesting case of thematic association. Because on it's own, I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) isn't really that important or interesting. It's a nice melody about unrequited love, which is heartfelt and everything, but not really saying much.

But the word's "on it's own" are doing a lot of heavy lifting in that paragraph. This song is the reprise of an earlier number by the same name, and that means all of the meaning from that song gets carried over to this, and it gets to give its own take on those themes, which is interesting.

In the internet world of oversimplification and memes, one will probably come across the idea that teachers overanalyse things. The "the curtains are blue because he likes the colour blue" joke. The weird thing is, this joke is correct, but it misses the point entirely.

Yes, overanalysing media is exactly what folks like me do. Technically, you don't need to engage with anything more than the baseline of what you have been shown. If your takeaway from blue curtains is that the owner likes the colour blue, go for it, nobody is stopping you, and that is perfectly reasonable. The key, is that that approach is not inherently more or less valuable than an overanalytical one.

I will wager that blue curtains will evoke a certain emotion in you. Maybe they are a deep blue, like the night just before dawn, giving you a tired, more chill vibe. Maybe they are much lighter, like the sky, giving a more youthful atmosphere. Or maybe they do not match with the rest of the room at all, to comedic or unsettling effect.

The point I am making is that subtext exists, and you don't have to dwell on it, but its a vital part of how communication works. It's also usually a majour factor in engagement. So, at the very least, acknowledging it will help you understand why you do or don't like certain stories.

Once again, I turn to PBS's Wicked In Concert and recommend the versions of these songs from that. This version of I'm Not That Girl (Reprise) is sung by Gabrielle Ruiz, and is really good.

For the moment, however, I'd like to conduct a thought experiment. Imagine that Wicked is actually happening. This is a world where people spontaneously break into song and this isn't weird.

Do you have any idea how hard it is to make up a song once, let alone mimic a song that you were not present for?

In universe, there is only two ways Glinda would know this song. Either she overheard Elphaba pining, or Elphaba sang it to her. Take that as you will.

Exiting that thought experiment and back into overanalysing things because it is fun. I have another post about I'm Not That Girl and it's thematic implications (link), so check that out if it interests you, it will form a background for what I am saying here.

Essentially, I'm Not That Girl is the Jolene of musical theatre. It is a song about resignation, but it's core idea is this: Elphaba doesn't think of herself as beautiful or deserving of love. The person she associates with those qualities is Glinda herself. The song is essentially a biromantic heartbreak, when both of Elphaba's love interests love each other, and she can't bring herself to break that for either of them. That is the meaning ascribed to this song and these notes.

Now, Glinda sings the same melody, and it is suddenly flipped. She realises she has been outplayed in the romance game, but she can't bring herself to break it apart for either Fiyero, or Elphaba. The audience doesn't need to hear the same song again, just the highlight reel to let them know that these same emotions are being felt.

The song then cuts off, and is replaced by a much more active, much more passionate number, As Long As You're Mine. The meaning of which has been summed up best by my flatmate. "Reject society, bonk in a hedge".

That is kind of the entire point of this song, though, isn't it? Living in the moment in total freedom. It is proof that Elphaba isn't crazy, that there are others who see her dream, and that even if this goes wrong, the story will end with her happy.

Full disclaimer, I am asexual, so I cannot comment on the more intimate subtext of this song. I am aware it is happening, but I would rather stay away from the specific thematic significance of that, if that is ok.

The transition of this song comes through that repeated low note. It is hammered, like a war drum, and it drives home that urgency and collision of the two plots. This is the moment in which the musical goes from a romance to an epic, and that rhythm is a threat of what is to come.

Although it is notable that the swaying melodies of Elphaba and Fiyero overpower this drum, their love holding off the inevitable. Specifically, the instrument hitting the note changes from a piano to what my, admittedly lacking, musical knowledge thinks is a bass guitar. (Music scholars, please correct me on any of this). That change means that the heavy beat becomes distorted and stretched, as if time is stretching out.

"And just for this moment As long as you're mine I've lost all resistance And crossed some borderline. And if it turns out It's over too fast I'll make every last moment last As long as you're mine."

Would you look at that, there is even explicit lines in the song about stretching time out and seizing the day. Carpe Diem.

Dead Poet Society is one of the greatest films ever made, and that isn't just my Robin Williams bias speaking. Despite some elements that haven't aged well, the film is truly heart wrenching and has a meaning pretty similar to As Long As You're Mine.

As a side note, this film has a lot more similarities to Wicked than you think. It's about challenging unjust rules, and forging your own path. It's a film about personal freedom, essentially. Although it ends less than happily. It also has about the same amount of queer subtext as Wicked.

In any case, the central thematic of "Carpe diem, seize the day" tells its characters and its students to take life as it is, and live it to the fullest. It is about making the most out of limited time. Quite a lot like As Long As You're Mine.

The ending of Dead Poet Society is a tragedy. It ends with the death of a student and the loss of the teacher's job. But it also ends with hope. Things change in Dead Poet Society. The Latin teacher shifts up his lesson, the boys actually learn, and the "Oh captain, my captain" scene is synonymous with looking at the past and making the future better because of, and in spite of it.

That's a familiar ending, isn't it. The main character dies, and the people in their life resolve to make the world better because of the life they lived. In Wicked, the death isn't permanent, because this is a gospel and no main character in a gospel can ever stay dead for more than a few days.

That motif of making time last is reflected in the music as well. Each stanza has a squash and stretch thing going on with the formation. The triplet brings the three notes within together and plays them faster than is normal, making them feel like they are stumbling over each other, falling forwards, until that held note at the end evens out the pace. Things are moving quickly, but it is a conscious decision. to slow down.

Those held notes also create a feeling of clarity in the music. Once again, music knowledge ain't my forte, but to me, this seems like it is working in a similar fashion to key frame animation. Each held note is the crux of the phrase, and the rest is just making up the difference.

Which means that there is a neat little progression going on here. The first phrase, "kiss me too fiercely" contains two, a B flat on "fierce" and an octave fall to another B flat on "ly", as Elphaba tries to fly away, but is brought back down. Then there is the F on "tight", and the E flat on the latter third of "believing", before the stanza links back to B flat for "tonight".

This, according to google, forms a B flat chord with a suspended fourth, which loops back on itself to form a stable, self-enclosed sentence that descends to keep itself together.

The second phrase operates within the same notes but changes the inflection slightly.

That last note creates an upward inflection to prepare the audience for the chorus, rising into it to set up a crashing theme of power and freedom that... doesn't arrive yet.

Instead, we get the same notes repeated, mostly. It's a quiet moment, an E flat that rises to an F for "borderline", then to a high C for "fast", before resolving back to F and then down to a lower C.

Ok music scholars help me with this please. The sheet music that I have found for this song (link) claims the second part of "fast" is a C flat, which my piano app tells me doesn't exist. Any clarification on this would be really nice.

In short, this is understated, and this isn't the first time we've heard an understated first chorus in a Wicked love song, is it? That's how the first chorus of Defying Gravity sits, before Glinda joins Elphaba and pushes her to new confidence.

Which leads me back to my point. Elphaba relies on other people, she needs Fiyero to comfort her, but also to prove she is right. That's the moment she is cherishing.

When Fiyero joins in, he literally makes the song more hopeful by changing the key signature from E flat majour to C majour. He is more graceful and easy with this. He is the rock that Elphaba is anchored to and that supports her.

As such, that final chorus looks like this:

"Just for this moment. As long as you're mine. Come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine. Borrow the moonlight, until it is through. And know I'll be here holding you. as long as you're mine."

Freedom. Come be how you want to, I'll be there to support you. This is a musical about dreams and reality colliding, and this song is the victory lap of things going well. One small dream has become real, that being the desire for love. And if one is possible, what else can Elphaba do?

On a related note, if Fiyero is the rock that grounds and supports her, what might happen if he is taken away?

FINAL THOUGHTS

Bear with me. Chord analysis is new to me, so if that was completely false, please let me know. As a behind the curtain thing, this blog exists as a place for my hyper fixations to breathe, but also to help me learn more about this whole analytical thing. So, any advice from people who are more knowledgeable than me would be greatly appreciated.

You may note that I didn't talk that much about Fiyero, and there is a reason for that. Honestly, I don't think Fiyero's character in the second act of this musical is that interesting. I'm sure there is lots to talk about with him, but to me, he has been reduced to "love interest for the main character", which I find less captivating as "jock on the verge of an existential breakdown". That's just my opinion.

Next week, I will be looking at No Good Deed, the first true clash of dreams and reality, and Elphaba's breaking point. So stick around if that interests you.

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