#their name is theseus for the worst possible reason

[bestworstcase]

I think it'll be interesting when RWBYJ tells everyone about the ever after, specifically Oscar/Ozpin. I think that'll be a hell of a slap in the face to those two. Imo it's pretty clear that Oz doesn't like the Brothers (his lie for his curse literally puts them in the WORST light to anyone who hears it), but isn't exactly open about it nor does he think on it much. But hearing that the 'gods' are essentially just people who got kicked out of their home would make him. Well I hesitate to say that he'd flip the fuck out, but I definitely think he wouldn't be happy at ALL. I'm sure he'd be furious while simultaneously having an existential crisis.

Frankly, Oz is just. An interesting character when it comes to his thoughts on the Brothers. He went from more or less listening to Light without question (but immediately started questioning when Salem talked to him- "Unsure of where his loyalties still lay-" he trusts Salems words but is confused about his stance on Light, perhaps afraid of questioning him), to putting them in a bad light repeatedly and more or less giving up on his task (there's far far easier ways to unite the world i.e. war- why would he deliberately make it hard on himself? He's far from stupid. He still foes his best to foster peace because why wouldn't he?). And, now, he's actively fighting his curse, and is doing so the second he got an ounce of hope.

I think why he hasn't really thought of fighting the Gods is bc a) he's still scared of them (and it makes sense, I'd be scared too) and b) he never knew that they, well, were just people. I think he'd need some convincing, but I really think he'd be happy to try his hand at giving Light a piece of his mind lol. Something tells me Oz has millennia of bottled up anger- something will eventually be the straw that broke the camels back, as even the most resilient of people can break.

Though I think the biggest issue would be the idea of teaming up with Salem. He's bitter and terrified of her, and although we don't know exactly what's happened between them since their first fight (beyond Oz spending several lives as an alcoholic, then wandering Remnant being reminded of Salem (not necessarily bc he thought every Grimm attack was her, Grimm just remind him of her)), it's entirely possible Salem has also done... something to hurt him. No one's that bitter or terrified of someone for absolutely no reason, but whatever the reason is, that'll definitely be an obstacle between him being allied with her against the Gods. Plus she also, yknow, tortured him and allowed Hazel to torture him (which Oscar took most of it, but they're in the same body).

I think that interaction would be... interesting. Especially since I really don't think Oz even is 'Ozma' anymore. Ozma is the foundations yes, but the merge changes you fundamentally. He has changed his name every lifetime (if Oz doesn't accidentally answer to the name Oscar I'll eat my left shoe), but how much of him really is Ozma anymore? Ship of theseus and all that. If he, by all accounts, isn't 'Ozma' anymore and Salem isn't aware of this, I think it'd be an interesting revelation for her. There's similarities between Oz and how he used to be, but I feel like 'Ozma' is functionally a deadname for him (Oz trans/DID allegory? /j). Especially since I think Ozma is just- not who he is anymore. He's tried living up to the name, but he can't and he knows it (the words his illusion in v9 says speaks a lot to his mental state and his opinion of himself).

God speaking of his illusion on v9, I think it's incredibly clear that what each illusion says pertains to that character in some way. And it says so so much about Ozpin and how he sees himself. It's ironic how the God of Light, associated with creation, made him, yet he thinks that all he does is destroy. He's scarily good at splitting people apart just accidentally (i.e. v6, Summer basically throwing him under the bus thus STRQ broke apart and blamed him, etc) too. Yet Salem, immortal via Lights curse, made herself through Grimm and is very good at rallying people. Dunno, fun thought there (it's why swap aus are so damn tasty with these two).

Sorry for the long ask, I just wanted to ramble in your inbox for a bit. I have many thoughts about Oz.

not. to be snarky but

To live free or die, it’s all the same The enemy was right, there’s no reclaiming In waves of shame We’re desperate to make amends But through a simple soul we lie complacent  Love brings us dreams But grief makes the heart burst at the seams  As light fills my eyes I’ll picture me beside her And pray that I’ll inspire  I promise I’ll be here until the end I promise I’ll be here until… Our story has been told Til our bodies break down every door Til we find what we’ve been looking for

terrified she’ll never forgive him and terrified of what will happen if she confronts the gods again, yes. but terrified of her?

the enemy was right. we’re desperate to make amends. grief makes the heart burst at the seams. i’ll picture me beside her. ozma isn’t terrified of salem; he is, explicitly, ashamed of himself and desperate to make amends and longing for her.

listen. you don’t have to go salem did dot dot dot something to hurt him. we KNOW exactly what she did; rejected the mandate, fought him, burned him alive. they blew up their home and killed their own kids. is this insufficiently traumatizing to explain him.

similarly i do not have to go ozma did dot dot dot something to salem: we know exactly what he did. we know why she’s furious and bitter and still hurting. it is not ambiguous.

he’s spent the intervening centuries hiding inside a narrative where salem is the Great Evil he must defeat because the guilt he feels for deceiving and manipulating her and the grief for everything he sacrificed is so unbearable that he can’t touch it except through layers and layers of distortion. but it’s bleeding through the cracks everywhere. the infinite man tried to be a hero and is a fool who may not be worthy of forgiveness, ozpin suggests. look far enough ahead from the ending of the girl in the tower, and you’ll find the hero who saved her turned out to be a villain.

he hates salem. (he deserves her hatred.) this is the wrenching internal war he fights with himself day after day and life after life; the only way he can live with himself enough to function is by hating her, but the hatred is a fiction, a lie, to protect him from his fear. the truth is that he neither hates her nor deserves her hatred.

i am being intentional about calling him ozma, by the way. i am also intentional about when i call him ozpin or oz. i do not think ozma is a deadname. i don’t think ozma is an ideal he is trying and failing to live up to. he doesn’t identify himself as ozpin; he says “the professor ozpin you all met was not my first form.” he dons these other identities as a mask—i am the combination of countless men who have spent their lives trying to protect the people of remnant—because he hates himself. ozma is who he’s running away from because he doesn’t think ozma has ever been enough.

that is why. salem distinguishes between ozpin and ozma the way that she does. and why she is able to differentiate between oscar and ozma even when oscar is mimicking ozpin, because ozpin is the latest in a long series of masks that ozma wears.

(ozpin is tippetarius enforcing his own exile, and thus he became the wizard. ozma is the true self imprisoned by the curse. he’s… named ozma for a reason.)

”what if you could be anyone?” <- the blacksmith does not ask ruby this question because ruby needs to stop being herself in order to be happy. she offers ruby a metaphorical representation of ozma’s curse—what if you could be anyone, slip into a like-minded soul and become that person—in order to guide ruby to the realization that only her true self is the right fit. this is what i like to call blunt force foreshadowing.

ozma is trying to be a thousand different heroes and salem has only ever wanted ozma. ozma then is not the same person as ozma now, but ozma is ozma is ozma. the ship of theseus is the ship of theseus, then as now. on those who enter the same rivers, ever different waters flow. read heraclitus.

the thing is. yeah. he’s going to snap like a brittle twig when he learns the truth about the gods… because he already knows salem is right, deep down. the enemy is right. it bleeds through even into the lost fable, which is narrated in his voice. jinn’s telling—his telling—obfuscates and twists away from salem’s interiority, her feelings, her motives except for the moment of her realization about the brothers: perhaps the gods were not as powerful as they seemed; she had lied to them, turned them against each other; they were fallible.

the enemy is right. he knows she’s right.

hearing what the kids learned in the ever after is going to shatter the cognitive dissonance preventing him from acting on that knowledge. it’s going to surface ‘until the end’ but now joined to the hope he has—since the end of v8—that he can make amends for his cowardice and lies.

ozma apologizing to the kids and asking for a second chance to earn their trust was, uh, a practice run for ozma apologizing to salem and asking for a second chance. the fallout of the lost fable (“there was so much you hadn’t told us! how could you think that was okay!” and “i gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world; i thought i was finally doing some good!”) is a reflection of salem’s distress. the narrative is on her side. because. he lied to manipulate her and grievously betrayed her trust. in exactly the same way he did to the kids.

[vampelune]

kamukomahina gender/body headcanons

a bit of a ramble about my body, gender, and general appearance headcanons for them bcuz someone sent me a curiouscat prompting this 3k words of hyperfixation nonsense

Komaeda:

- He has a naturally lithe body, with a thin waist, broad shoulders and hips, which give him an hourglass. and a rather andrognyous body, which is "lucky" for him, because I hc him as nonbinary and gender non-conforming

- Gender-wise, as I said, I think he's nonbinary. Usually I do view Nagito as AMAB but I indulge in transmasc Nagito from time to time depending on my preference and how much I wish to uh, well, project, lol. But either way I think he would use he/they pronouns in a western sense. In japanese, however, they don't use third person pronouns that other people refer to them with, and in canon he uses the first person pronoun "boku", which is a "soft" masculine pronoun, in comparison to the "hard" masculine pronoun, “ore” (which Hajime uses btw!) which fits quite nicely, in my opinion! Also, in Japanese, you can be 'fluid' with your first person pronouns depending on the situation, so I think he could use more neutral or feminine pronouns should he desire it, too, to play on his gender non-conformity.

- Komaeda is very secure in his gender, regardless of being AMAB or AFAB. He does not care about stigma, or discrimination, he does not care about being "accepted" by broader society. Broader society is sort of meaningless to him, the average person and their ideas about gender and presentation and effeminity mean NOTHING to him. Whether or not a random person the street genders him correctly or treats him with respect is sort of, pointless? Because to him, most ordinary people are pointless nobodies. Their thoughts do not matter to him. I think he is still prone to insecurity, however, when around his "betters" but I just struggle to think he would degrade himself in regards to gender. to him, it's the least of his problems. what he cares about is hope and talent. He could dress femininely or wear makeup or straight up crossdress and not mind it, really. He thinks people would find a problem with it are the problem, because why does it even matter? It speaks to the way Komaeda is detached from societal norms & "normal" people, he did not grow up in normal circumstances, so he doesn't interact with the world normally by any means. he can mask and act normally to the best of his ability, often unintentionally?, but he simply does not fit into broader society and doesn't seek to.

- Komaeda loses weight really easily, and doesn't gain weight that well. This is mainly due to his many illnesses but also the medications he's been put on. He has a low appetite and burns weight rather easily, even though I headcanon that he eats like garbage (mainly junk food & takeout, since he obviously cannot cook). This makes him overall, health wise, not very healthy, and stick thin because of it. A stiff breeze could knock him over, tbh.

- He has a lot of faded scars, self-inflicted or not.

- Pre-despair (in HPA) he is fairly healthy but still lithe, and progressively his body deteriorates through his 2 years of hopes peak before the Tragedy begins.

- During the Tragedy itself, his body is at it's worst. he is almost nothing but bone at times, barely kept together by a need to live so he can see hope triumph. His weight fluctuates but he's very unhealthy. He's not anorexic or on death's door, but he's not well off, either.

- After being put into the neo world program, right after waking up, he's very, very thin and gaunt. he was in a pod on feeding tubs for an indiscernible but at least probably a month's worth of time? So he's just very weak, like he could collapse if he moves too quickly.

- But a while after waking, he goes into remission, and starts to gain more healthy habits due to being rehabilitated and cared for by Hinata, and gains some weight, finally at a healthy, normal weight. I still think he would struggle with putting on too much weight, but I am slightly fond of the idea that he gets a bit of healthy pudge after a while. To him, it's so foreign being healthy, that he honestly think something's wrong with him at first.

Hinata:

- Hinata has a very... average body, true to form. His hips and waist aren't too pronounced but he has a loosely "hourglass" shape, too, just not as exaggerated as Komaeda's in comparison.

- Gender-wise, I am EXTREMELY fond of transmasc Hinata. While I think I portray AMAB Hinata more than transmasc Hinata (in art and writing), I still firmly prefer transmasc Hinata. The reason I think portray otherwise more is just out of comfortability, but I've been getting better at comfortably portraying FTM Hinata. I have some reasons I prefer it and think you can extrapolate it from canon, but let's get into that

- Hinata, in my eyes, has an arc and story that fits perfectly into him just. Being trans. His desire to be someone else, someone better, someone he can proud of, and the way he overcompensates for himself and has an extreme inferiority complex would easily lend to him having similar feelings about his gender. To me, Hinata is a trans man who overperforms his masculinity out of insecurity and a need to pass. I see him as someone who would strictly use "he/him" in a western sense, which is lended to by his use of the "ore" pronoun in canon, which is almost hypermasculine.

- Even if he were AMAB, I think it still works, I think he's still someone who's insecure and tries to assert himself more strongly and therefore performs masculinity in a way to appear more confident than he is.

(side note: I actually read a bit about queerness in Japan and how it relates to gender performance and the use of pronouns, and read a bit about how queer women in japan tend to use "boku" and "ore" to perform masculinity, which I find neat. “Ore” was also sometimes used exclusively to show anger and dominance, which is why it's categorized as a "rough" pronoun. I think Japanese language, gender, and expression, and how those all relate to one another, are extremely interesting and if you get the time you should read about it lol)

- Body-wise, pre-despair, I think Hinata would. not have top surgery, obviously. I think he has a fairly average but leaning a little on the hefty side chest (pre-op) and binds it, hence the '91 cm' (but also he still has 91 cm post-op because bazongas). I also just think he leans on the "twunk" side of things at this point, not buff but not stick thin or without muscle, just kind of average with average strength and all, though I think Hinata would've tried to do sports and stuff to find his talent so he's in shape :)

- My personal, kind of amusing, but also kind of... thematical? Headcanon, is that during the Kamukura project, he also underwent gender transition. to be honest, while it may not make sense in modern Japan, I think we can suspend our disbelief for fiction, and also make the argument that Hinata's "transition" into Kamukura CAN be read, in some part, as relatable or at least familiar to the trans experience. Iit is not out of the realm of possibility, either, to assume that because many bits of society in Danganronpa are advanced (specifically science, is extremely ahead of our understanding, almost sci-fi like at times) certain attitudes about gender and sexuality can be smoothed over more in a Japanese context.

(side note: I also think that science-wise, we can suspend our disbelief, and assume that top surgery and bottom surgery are much more advanced in this universe, given the almost unbelievable levels of science in Danganronpa, such as memory wipe, mind control, completely realistic virtual simulation, um literally everything about Kamukura which is body modification and brain modification to an extreme, etc. I think it's kind of fitting within these to assume that... Hinata/Kamukura could just, gain a functioning penis, lol)

Kamukura:

- Kamukura would have a. "Perfect" body. it's stated, I'm pretty sure, that they modified not only his brain but his body, because he needs to be able to perform every talent under their belt with ease, and his strength, instincts, technique, are all superhuman. So it's clear to me he'd have a buff body. toned muscles and all. He wouldn't really feel a need to keep it up, though, but I think since they're very... artificial (basically fucking steroids?) they wouldn't fade from a lack of keep-up.

- Kamukura also rarely ever is injured, but when he does, his body heals rather fast and can care for himself adequately, because again, his body is modified to a point of almost inhumanity.

- Gender wise, Kamukura genuinely does not care. however, I am not one to think that Kamukura is "a different person" from Hinata, rather, he is separate from Hinata, but an extension of Hinata as well, proven that he experiences some of his emotions even if subconsciously and without understanding them. he isn't a different personality or person developed in Hinata's body, but a very traumatizing, repressed, and manipulated version of Hinata given a new name, with memories repressed. He's like Theseus's ship in human form---if you get rid of everything that makes someone themselves and replace it, bit by bit, is it the same person? Technically, yes, but... truly? Who knows. 

Because of this, I think Kamukura would have a leaning toward masculine gender performance (in canon, in fact, he uses the soft masculine pronoun "boku" in stead of "ore" like Hinata) BUT I think he is still very nonbinary. In a western sense, i think he would use he/they pronouns, but not really care if someone mistook him for a woman, I suppose.

- His appearance, unironically, is very nonbinary or "he/they" to me because he's wearing a suit, the archetypal form of masculinity, but has extremely long hair, which is considered feminine, and speaks softly (dully). Of course, the bishounen "pretty boy" appearance isn't uncommon or considered less masculine in japan, I think, but there is still a different between soft masculinity and rough masculinity in japan, which lends itself to being interpreted sort of gender non-conforming by western audiences :)

- Kamukura, due to his apathy, struggles with self-maintaining, but as we all probably know i am extremely attached to KamuKoma and thus headcanon that Servant helps him, sort of like a royal servant would royalty in the old days, take care of himself by bathing him, brushing his hair out, grooming him, etc. partially out of duty, partially out of appreciation for Kamukura's body, and partially out of maintaining his sort of "perfect" look since Kamukura, especially post-Junko death, is perceived widely by the public as the new leader of the ultimate despair, even if he is ambivalent to such a title.

Post-DR3 Hinata/Kamukura combined:

As I rambled on about previously, I don't think that Kamukura and Hinata are separate people or personality, I really dislike the interpretation that they are like a "split personality" or operate like DID, because they do not "form" like DID, but also in canon, are not portrayed as separate people.

In post-dr3, Hinata instead says that he is both of them, because he is. Kamukura is Hinata, always was, but had been given a new, false identity, had been stripped of his previous self, his memories, his personality, and crafted into something new. but that did not "split" his brain into two people. It simply repressed who he once was, and made him someone he now was. But when Kamukura regains his memories, his past self, through the means of the new world program by restoring his own memories after SDR2 concludes and he wakes up, as well as doing the same for everyone else, he decides to be "Hajime Hinata" who he always was, but carrying and shouldering the weight of what "Izuru Kamukura" had been, become, and done. Hinata *is* Kamukura, he answers for Kamukura's wrongdoings, his crimes, as something he had done as a different person who's mind operated differently, due to being artificially suppressed, modified, into an apathetic tool for the scientists who made him, and later and aimless, bored individual who simply sought meaning he did not have in the unknown of what despair would be at it's climax. And if hope could overcome it.

As such, I think, when Hinata's self is brought back into the mix, and he now deals with Kamukura's apathy and boredom in part, but much less consuming and much less often, I think hinata is less staunchly "masculine", does not overperform it anymore, and is trying to understand what his past means to him, what his present is, and what his future will be. I think that Hinata would still primarily use he/him (or still use "ore" in Japanese, as it's also a means of his personality, which is a bit rough around the edges and blunt), but be more ambivalent to rigid gender expression, still finding comfort and idealness in masculinity, but not be made dysphoric or feel frightened, uncomfortable, with non-comformity or anything like that. being boyish, masculine, is what he enjoys, but he's comfortable in it now, doesn't need to prove himself or overperform it. He can explore nonconformity without feeling like his gender or masculinity is at threat, even if it's not his preference outright.

Body-wise, I think it's safe to say he retains Kamukura's muscle and all, but Kamukura didn't put much effort into the everyday machinations of being a human being in general, and Hinata is much more fond of food than him now, eats more often, and I enjoy the idea that he gains a little pudge and has a kind of "dad bod" almost, post-DR3? lol.

Both for Hinata and Kamukura I don't see their bodies as “bara” or overly buff, masculine, but a kind of comfortable middle ground between twunk and hunk, lmao. I think they're also averagely hairy, not overly so, very lightly. kind of well groomed, and all. Hinata, pre-despair, put not so much effort into his appearance but still some, especially in trying to pass. (In fact I think his hair cut looks like a home job, all choppy and stuff, which fits him in my opinion, something done by his own hands even if messy and imperfect, he still prefers to be in control of it. also fits the trans headcanon tehe).

Izuru put very little if any effort into himself, only the bare minimum necessary to function, but servant helped him upkeep it to a perfect standard. Hinata, post-dr3 now, finds himself putting you know, an average amount of care into himself and his body, enough to be healthy, but not overly critical and conscious of himself.

Komaeda i have always seen as someone who takes a good deal of care about himself, merely if to alleviate the "disgust" of his appearance and body, by practically preening himself. He is someone who is good at cleaning and seems to appreciate clean and well kept spaces, so I think he would have a similar attitude toward himself. even if he is insecure, and of course, struggles with mental health and may slip at times in his routine in keeping himself well-kept, I think he still maintains an appearance for the most part, at least in his later years (teen to young adult). An argument can be made that he cared less in his adolescence because he had much more apathy about the world, but when he gave himself a purpose with hope and talent, I think he would care for himself a little better, even if his was spiralling mentally.

His hair is always washed, it is just very curly and prone to mess, so it often looks like perpetual bedhead, even when he combs and brushes it. His skin is soft even if a little worn by his tendency for accidents & injury, it's still soft and almost luckily so, and he takes pride in moisturizing and cleaning himself. His skin is a little sickly, still, and I think that despite having blemishes, scars, etc. Komaeda manages to look pretty in a strange way, not conventionally beautiful, but almost ethereal? He's just *pretty*, there's no way to explain it, he is nice to look at even with all his "flaws" and imperfections. Even when he's sickly and bony, even when his cheeks are gaunt or his hands shaky and weak, when his hair is a tangled mess or his clothes are dirty, he's nice to look at in a way that's nonconventional, and it's sort of mesmerizing.

Hinata I think is very average but also in a way that's nice to look at it. He's not ground-breaking hot or conventionally attractive, he has a good body, a nice face, and hair you could play with a little if you wanted. I think what's appealing about him is his normalcy, he's not trying too hard or "gifted" gene wise, but he's just kinda nice to look at, he's enjoyable to be around, an understanding person, or at least tries to be even when he fails, and despite having flaws, insecurities, blunt, he is someone you're drawn to because he's one of those people that's just, easy to talk to? An emotional anchor, almost. The kind of guy everyone kind of knows and has talked to at least once, even if you're not friends with him personally, not because he's cool or popular or anything, but because he's a normal dude who's easy to trust and talk to.

Kamukura, on the other hand, is intimidating, appearance wise and personality wise. he looks, strange, anything but normal, his eyes are red and his hair is this dark cloud that envelops him. His face may still be that plain one Hinata has but faces can be changed by the surrounding attributes as well as expression and such is true for him, with his apathetic and cold expression as well as otherwordly characteristics, he comes off as much more beautiful in a dark way, kind of? In a way that's intimidating or a little daunting, but he's still very beautiful. mesmerizing.

okay, thats my ramble. ty.

[okay-j-hannah]

Out Of Sight

Fantastic Beasts : Prompt

Theseus x Reader

Word Count: 1605

Warnings: Nothing but the shameless flirting of Theseus Scamander 😂

Request: “Could I possibly get a Theseus/reader fic using prompt 3? Preferably where he’s the one who is missing, maybe during a mission gone wrong and she’s talking to Newt? Fluff please. I dunno if my heart could take any angst. Thank you! 💙🌻💙” @the-glasses-are-my-disguise​

Prompt:

3. “He’s missing, not dead.”

A/N: You join Theseus and Newt on an undercover job, always the worrier when it came to Theseus’ safety as he tackled Auror investigations

The party was formal and overwhelming.

Dozens of couples in dresses and suits trailed lazily around the hall, drinks and nibbles being woven between them. The professional orchestra played a background tune, seemingly invisible as the people of power chatted.

(Y/N) stood, slightly uncomfortable in such a uniform of lace and silk and edged her gloved hand around Theseus’ arm. She was never one for these Auror missions, though being a devout partner she left her research desk and followed Theseus into the danger.

“How are you supposed to know who he is?”

Theseus raised a slender glass of champagne to his lips, muttering quietly, “He’ll be surrounded by the most powerful. He’ll be the one seemingly bored by the conversation but demanding their attention when he speaks.”

“I don’t like the look of this,” she whispered back, whipping her eyes about the grand hall, “There are too many people. It would be so easy to get lost.”

“Calm yourself, darling,” Theseus chuckled, “You’ll give away our position.”

(Y/N) immediately lowered her eyes, taking a deep breath. She must behave normally regardless of the panic she felt. Newt was not far behind, quietly observing and partaking of his own drink.

“These magical beast smugglers are not used to the skills of a dark wizard catcher,” Theseus stated rather proudly. “We’ll find them in the end.”

“Just because they’re not dark wizards doesn’t mean they’re not dangerous.”

Theseus covered her hand along his arm, “You have nothing to fear, my dear. This is simply a favor for Newt – I would have brought reinforcements if I thought there was any real danger.”

She looked up to find his eyes gazing down at her lovingly. He gave a small smile and kissed her brow.

“I don’t get out of the office much. Forgive me if I’m a little on edge,” though she was smiling when she said it. She couldn’t help it when he held her close like that, protective under his gentle grasp.

He chuckled low in his throat, “You look simply ravishing in that dress.”

She shook her head ever so slightly, instantly flustered by his shameless flirting. “You’re on the job, Theseus – keep your pants on.”

“You’re no fun,” he muttered, moving his hand to her back, trailing light fingers up her spine, “Can I not adore you while enjoying my champagne?”

She shivered, tickled, “I’m going to need you to think with your upstairs brain; we’re working a case.” Though she knew what he was doing – it was always a tactic of his whenever she was anxious. He wished to calm her down, wished to see her flustered or annoyed rather than panicked and afraid.

And it worked every time – she smiled – the worrisome fretting was replaced with a mingling sense of playfulness. Much more manageable and less likely to give them away.

He grinned as realization was coming to her, “You clever girl.” And he scanned the audience again, drinking the last of his glass and shoving a hand in his pocket.

Newt crept behind (Y/N), slightly slouched and upset by the couples flirting. “I don’t suppose you’ve spotted anything?”

“No, Newton, I’ve been too busy admiring my love in her dress.” This time round, Theseus shamelessly flirt to rouse a shameful blush to Newt’s cheeks.

“Don’t tease,” (Y/N) nudged him.

“Or rather,” Theseus narrowed, thrusting his empty glass into Newt’s free hand, “There might be something there near the stairs.”

(Y/N) craned her neck to see, clearly observing a group of enthusiastic conversationalists. The man within its center had a dull expression on his face, picking at his nails and seeming only mildly interested in what was being said.

“I’ll go have a look,” Theseus said, turning to (Y/N), “Be careful, and don’t let Newt sway you to the dance floor. There’s a reason he sticks to his mating dances.”

(Y/N) frowned, “You’re going alone?”

In response, Theseus took her hand and placed a gentle kiss to her knuckles, “I’ll be back before you know it.” And he pulled away, giving her a comforting smile.

He skillfully weaved himself through the crowd, being sure to place a dashing debonair smile on his face. (Y/N) watched him anxiously, the nerves returning with him out of her presence. Newt noticed, placing his empty champagne glasses on a footman’s tray.

“He’ll be all right. He’s Theseus.”

“That’s the problem,” (Y/N) muttered, struggling to keep her eyes on him in the swarm of people. “He is Theseus and Theseus does what he wants without regard to his own personal safety.”

“You and I definitely live with different Theseus’.”

(Y/N) laughed, hollow, “You lived with the schoolboy, I live with the Auror.”

“Fair enough,” Newt muttered, hiding his fidgeting hands in his coat pockets, “Though, I still don’t believe you have anything to worry about.”

It was enough good faith that she calmed somewhat. Newt and she found themselves growing bored with waiting around and spying Theseus being diplomatic with the suspected smugglers. They trailed the outside of the hall, admiring the sparing artwork and grabbing little sandwiches and toothpicked cheeses when they could. They found themselves at the side bar, grabbing a sip of mild fire whiskey and then stirring olives in old cocktails.

“Look at me scolding Theseus and then drinking on the job.”

Newt gave her a rare smile, “I knew Theseus could handle the task himself, but I think he enjoys seeing you out in public.”

She gave him a raised brow, “Oh?”

“I do believe he likes showing you off.”

That made her smirk, “Sounds like my Theseus.” She knew he would never say such things to her face for fear of making her bashful and regret going out. He always knew when to draw the line in his skillful flirtations.

“Speaking of Theseus,” Newt stated, noticing the crowds beginning to thin as people returned home for the night. “I’ve lost sight of him.”

(Y/N) whipped her head around, a sudden lead weight in her stomach. She looked to where she saw him last and saw nothing. This led her eyes to flicker around the rest of the hall, more frantic in her search. Yet she still could not see him.

She moved away from the bar, moving slowly but her eyes whirring about the space. The longer she looked the faster her breath seemed to leave her. It was harder to focus, her mind only jumping to the worst conclusions as to why she couldn’t see him anymore. All notions that he’d be fine were out the window.

There were goosebumps on her arms as she moved farther into the thinning crowds. She was beginning to frantically search, bumping into people and asking to see peoples faces. She stumbled as she went undeterred by the stares of offense.

Newt tried to catch her while spying about. He did not feel the same sense of panic, perhaps because he had known Theseus longer. When he managed to grab her arm, he said, “There’s no need to go shouting about.”

She hadn’t even realized she’d started saying Theseus’ name aloud, “I don’t see him. I don’t know where he is.” There was a burning on the backs of her eyes, “These smugglers were dangerous, yes?”

Newt was taken aback by the look on her face, “Only dangerous to the magical beasts they pawn – I don’t think they’d be so ruthless to wizards.”

She took another shaky breath, “I still don’t see him. Where would he go? Why wouldn’t he tell us? What if something happened to him?”

“(Y/N), he’s missing, not dead.” Newt placed his hands on her shoulders, “You need to calm yourself. No good is going to come from your panic. “

He was right. She finally took a deep breath and nodded, “I just get so worried about him. He’s always out here risking his neck and I couldn’t stand not seeing him ever again. Sometimes when he leaves out the door I wonder if he’ll come home – and it terrifies me.”

“I wish I didn’t make you feel that way.” His voice was gentle and sweet. And when she turned to face him, he felt his own throat bob slightly, “Darling, you worry too much.”

“Theseus,” she whispered, falling directly into his arms, “You scared me half to death.”

He wrapped himself around her, rubbing her chilled back, “I told you I’d be back. I always come back.”

“I couldn’t see you – you disappeared.” That burning pricking her eyes turned them glassy as she hugged him close. “I assumed the worst.”

Theseus sighed, pulling back and cupping her face, “You may be a clever girl, but you go positively rampant as soon as I’m out of your eyeline. Do you really doubt my capabilities as an Auror?”

She pouted, lowering her eyes, “No, of course not. It’s those you fight that I don’t trust. One of these days they’ll pull a fast one on you.”

He gave her a look of longing before kissing her forehead, “I’m all right and you don’t need to worry – that’s what matters.” His fingers were warm and loving where they traced her arms, pulling her into another hug.

“I couldn’t possibly let anything happen to myself because who would be there to calm you?”

(Y/N) sighed, comfort flowing through her.

In return, Theseus trailed a hand up her back to hold her head against his chest, “I’m sorry I frightened you.”

“I’m sorry I panicked.”

Newt grumbled, “I’m sorry, but what about the smugglers?”

Theseus’ chest rumbled with laughter; it bounced against (Y/N)’s cheek, “I see you didn’t share the same worry, Newton.”

~~~

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[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

The Importance of Antiheroes

By Brooksie C. Fontaine (me) and Sara R. McKearney 

Few tropes are as ubiquitous as that of the hero. He takes the form of Superman, ethically and non-lethally thwarting Lex Luthor. Of Luke Skywalker, gazing wistfully at twin suns and waiting for his adventure to begin. In pre-Eastwood era films, a white Stetson made the law-abiding hero easily distinguishable from his black-hatted antagonists. He is Harry Potter, Jon Snow, T’Challa, Simba. He is of many incarnations, he is virtually inescapable, and he serves a necessary function: he reminds us of what we can achieve, and that regardless of circumstance, we can choose to be good. We need our heroes, and always will.

But equally vital to the life-blood of any culture is his more nebulous and difficult to define counterpart: the antihero. Whereas the hero is defined, more or less, by his morality and exceptionalism, the antihero doesn’t cleanly meet these criteria. Where the hero tends to be confident and self-assured, the antihero may have justifiable insecurities. While the hero has faith in the goodness of humanity, the anthero knows from experience how vile humans can be. While the hero typically respects and adheres to authority figures and social norms, the antihero may rail against them for any number of reasons. While the hero always embraces good and rejects evil, the antihero may do either. And though the hero might always be buff, physically capable, and mentally astute, the antihero may be average or below.  The antihero scoffs at the obligation to be perfect, and our culture's demand for martyrdom. And somehow, he is at least as timeless and enduring as his sparklingly heroic peers. 

Which begs the question: where did the antihero come from, and why do we need him?

The Birth of the Anti-Hero:

It is worth noting that many of the oldest and most enduring heroes would now be considered antiheroes. The Greek Heracles was driven to madness, murdered his family, and upon recovering had to complete a series of tasks to atone for his actions. Theseus, son of Poseidon and slayer of the Minotaur, straight-up abandoned the woman who helped him do it. And we all know what happened to Oedipus, whose life was so messed up he got a complex named after him. 

And this isn’t just limited to Ancient Greece: before he became a god, the Mesoamerican Quetzalcoatl committed suicide after drunkenly sleeping with his sister. The Mesopotamian Gilgamesh – arguably the first hero in literature – began his journey as a slovenly, hedonistic tyrant. Shakespearian heroes were denoted with an equal number of gifts and flaws – the cunning but paranoid Hamlet, the honorable but gullible Othello, the humble but power-hungry MacBeth – which were just as likely to lead to their downfall as to their apotheosis.

There’s probably a definitive cause for our current definition of hero as someone who’s squeaky clean: censorship. With the birth of television and film as we know it, it was, for a time, illegal to depict criminals as protagonists, and law enforcement as antagonists. The perceived morality of mainstream cinema was also strictly monitored, limiting what could be portrayed. Bonnie and Clyde, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Scarface, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and countless other cinematic staples prove that such policies did not endure, but these censorship laws divorced us, culturally, from the moral complexity of our most resonant heroes. 

Perhaps because of the nature of the medium, literature arguably has never been as infatuated with moral purity as its early cinematic and T.V. counterparts. From the Byronic male love interests of the Bronte sisters, to “Doctor” Frankenstein (that little college dropout never got a PhD), to Dorian Grey, to Anna Karenina, to Scarlett O’Hara, to Holden Caulfield, literature seems to thrive on morally and emotionally complex individuals and situations. Superman punching a villain and saving Lois Lane is compelling television, but doesn’t make for a particularly thought-provoking read. 

It is also worth noting, however, that what we now consider to be universal moral standards were once met with controversy: Superman’s story and real name – Kal El – are distinctly Jewish, in which his doomed parents were forced to send him to an uncertain future in a foreign culture. Captain America punching Nazis now seems like a no-brainer, but at the time it was not a popular opinion, and earned his Jewish creators a great deal of controversy. So in a manner of speaking, some of the most morally upstanding heroes are also antiheroes, in that they defied society’s rules. 

This brings us to our concluding point: that anti-heroes can be morally good. The complex and sometimes tragic heroes of old, and today’s antiheroes, are not necessarily immoral, but must often make difficult choices, compromises, and sacrifices. They are flawed, fallible, and can sometimes lead to their own downfall. But sometimes, they triumph, and we can cheer them for it. This is what makes their stories so powerful, so relatable, and so necessary to the fabric of our culture. So without further ado, let’s have a look at some of pop-culture’s most interesting antiheroes, and what makes them so damn compelling. 

Note:  For the purposes of this essay, we will only be looking at male antiheroes. Because the hero’s journey is traditionally so male-oriented, different standards of subversiveness, morality, and heroism apply to female protagonists, and the antiheroine deserves an article all her own.

Antiheroes show us the negative effects of systematic inequalities (and what they can do to gifted people.) 

As demonstrated by: Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders.

Why he could be a hero: He’s incredibly charismatic, intelligent, and courageous. He deeply cares for his loved ones, has a strict code of honor, reacts violently to the mistreatment of innocents, and demonstrates surprisingly high levels of empathy. 

Why he’s an antihero: He also happens to be a ruthless, incredibly violent crime lord who regularly slashes out his enemies’ eyes. 

What he can teach us: From the moment Tommy Shelby makes his entrance, it becomes apparent that Peaky Blinders will not unfold like the archetypical crime drama. Evocative of the outlaw mythos of the Old West, Tommy rides across a smoky, industrialized landscape. He is immaculately dressed, bareback, on a magnificent black horse. A rogue element, his presence carries immediate power, causing pedestrians to hurriedly clear a path. You get the sense that he does not conform to this time or era, nor does he abide by the rules of society.

The ONLY acceptable way to introduce a protagonist.

Set in the decades between World War I and II, Peaky Blinders differentiates itself from its peers, not just because of its distinctive, almost Shakespearian style of storytelling, powerful visual style, and use of contemporary music, but also in the manner in which it shows that society provokes the very criminality it attempts to vanquish. Moreover, it dedicates time to demonstrating why this form of criminality is sometimes the only option for success in an unfair system. When the law wants to keep you relegated to the station in which you were born, success almost inevitably means breaking the rules. Tommy is considered one of the most influential characters of the decade because of the manner in which he embodies this phenomenon, and the reason why antiheroes pervade folklore across the decades.

Peaky Blinders engenders a unique level of empathy within its first episodes, in which we are not just immersed in the glamour of the gangster lifestyle, but we understand the background that provoked it. Tommy, who grew up impoverished and discriminated against due to his “didicoy” Romany background, volunteered to fight for his country, and went to war as a highly intelligent, empathetic young man. He returned with the knowledge that the country he had served had essentially used him and others like him as canon fodder, with no regard for their lives, well-being, or future. Such veterans were often looked down upon or disregarded by a society eager to forget the war. Having served as a tunneler – regarded to be the worst possible position in a war already beset by unprecedented brutality – Tommy’s constant proximity to death not only destroyed his faith in authority, but also his fear of mortality. This absence of fear and deference, coupled with his incredible intelligence, ambition, ruthlessness, and strategic abilities, makes him a dangerous weapon, now pointed at the very society that constructed him to begin with. 

It is also difficult to critique Tommy’s criminality, when we take into account that society would have completely stifled him if he had abided by its rules. As someone of Romany heritage, he was raised in abject poverty, and never would have been admitted into situations of higher social class. Even at his most powerful, we see the disdain his colleagues have at being obligated to treat him as an equal. In one particularly powerful scene, he begins shoveling horse manure, explaining that, “I’m reminding myself of what I’d be if I wasn’t who I am.” If he hadn’t left behind society’s rules, his brilliant mind would be occupied only with cleaning stables.

However, the necessity of criminality isn’t depicted as positive: it is one of the greatest tragedies of the narrative that society does not naturally reward the most intelligent or gifted, but instead rewards those born into positions of unjust privilege, and those who are willing to break the rules with intelligence and ruthlessness. Each year, the trauma of killing, nearly being killed, and losing loved ones makes Tommy’s PTSD increasingly worse, to the point at which he regularly contemplates suicide. Cillian Murphy has remarked that Tommy gets little enjoyment out of his wealth and power, doing what he does only for his family and “because he can.” Steven Knight cites the philosophy of Francis Bacon as a driving force behind Tommy’s psychology: “Since it’s all so meaningless, we might as well be extraordinary.” 

This is further complicated when it becomes apparent that the upper class he’s worked so arduously to join is not only ruthlessly exclusionary, but also more corrupt than he’s ever been. There are no easy answers, no easy to pinpoint sources of societal or personal issues, no easy divisibility of positive and negative. This duality is something embraced by the narrative, and embodied by its protagonist. An intriguingly androgynous figure, Tommy emulated the strength and tenacity of the women in his life, particularly his mother; however, he also internalized her application of violence, even laughing about how she used to beat him with a frying pan. His family is his greatest source of strength and his greatest weakness, often exploited by his enemies who realize they cannot fall back on his fear of mortality. He feels emotions more strongly than the other characters, and ironically must numb himself to the world around him in order to cope with it.

However, all hope is not lost. Creator Steven Knight has stated that his hope is ultimately to redeem Tommy, so by the show’s end he is “a good man doing good things.” There are already whispers of what this may look like: as an MP, Tommy cares for Birmingham and its citizens far more than any “legitimate” politicians, meeting with them personally to ensure their needs are met; as of last season, he attempted a Sinatra-style assassination of a rising fascist simply because it was the right thing to do. “Goodness” is an option in the world of Peaky Blinders; the only question is what form it will take on a landscape plagued by corruption at every turn. 

Regardless of what form his “redemption” might take, it’s negligible that Tommy will ever meet all the criteria of an archetypal hero as we understand it today. He is far more evocative of the heroes of Ancient Greece, of the Old West, of the Golden Age of Piracy, of Feudal Japan – ferocious, magnitudinous figures who move and make the earth turn with them, who navigate the ever-changing landscapes of society and refuse to abide by its rules, simultaneously destructive and life-affirming. And that’s what makes him so damn compelling.

Who needs traditional morality, when you look this damn good?

Other examples: 

Alfie Solomons from Peaky Blinders. Tommy’s friend and sometimes mortal enemy, the two develop an intriguing, almost romantic connection due to their shared experiences of oppression and powerful intellects. Steven Knight has referred to Alfie as “the only person Tommy can really talk to,” possibly because he is Tommy’s only intellectual equal, resulting in a strange form of spiritual matrimony between the two.

Omar Little from The Wire, an oftentimes tender and compassionate man who cares deeply for his loved ones, and does his best to promote morality and idealism in a society which offers him few viable methods of doing so. He may rob drug dealers at gunpoint, but he also refuses to harm innocents, dislikes swearing, and views his actions as a method of decreasing crime in the area. 

Chiron from Moonlight, a sensitive and empathetic young man who became a drug dealer because society had provided him with virtually no other options for self-sustenance. The same could be said for Chiron’s mentor and father figure, Juan, a kind and nurturing man who is also a drug dealer. 

To a lesser extent, Tony from The Sopranos, and other fictional Italian American gangsters. The Sopranos often negotiates the roots of mob culture as a response to  inequalities, while also holding its characters accountable for their actions by pointing out that Tony and his ilk are now rich and privileged and face little systematic discrimination.

Walter White from Breaking Bad – an underpaid, chronically disrespected teacher who has to work two jobs and still can’t afford to pay for medical treatment. More on him on the next page. 

Antiheroes show us how we can be the villains. 

As demonstrated by: Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

Why he could be a hero: He’s a brilliant, underappreciated chemist whose work contributed to the winning of a Nobel Prize. He’s also forging his own path in the face of incredible adversity, and attempting to provide for his family in the event of his death.

Why he’s an antihero: In his pre-meth days, Walt failed to meet the exceptionalism associated with heroes, as a moral but socially passive underachiever living an unremarkable life. At the end of his transformation, he is exceptional at what he does, but has completely lost his moral standards.

What he can teach us: G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children that the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” Following this analogy, it is equally important that our stories show us we, ourselves, can be the dragon. Or the villain, to be more specific, because being a dragon sounds strangely awesome.

Walter White of Breaking Bad is a paragon of antiheroism for a reason: he subverts almost every traditional aspect of heroism. From the opening shots of Walt careening along in an RV, clad in tighty whities and a gas mask, we recognize that he is neither physically capable, nor competent in the manner we’ve come to expect from our heroes. He is not especially conventionally attractive, nor are women particularly drawn to him. He does not excel at his career or garner respect. As the series progresses, Walt does develop the competence, confidence, courage, and resilience we expect of heroes, but he is no longer the moral protagonist: he is self-motivated, vindictive, and callous. And somehow, he still remains identifiable, which is integral to his efficacy.

But let us return to the beginning of the series, and talk about how, exactly, Walt subverts our expectations from the get-go. Walt is the epitome of an everyman: he’s fifty years old, middle class, passive, and worried about identifiable problems – his health, his bills, his physically disabled son, and his unborn baby. Whereas Tommy Shelby’s angelic looks, courage, and intellect subvert our preconceptions about what a criminal can be, Walt’s initial unremarkability subverts our preconceptions about who can be a criminal. The hook of the series is the idea that a man so chronically average could make and distribute meth.

Just because an audience is hooked by a concept, however, does not mean that they’ll necessarily continue watching. Breaking Bad could have easily veered into ludicrosity, if it weren’t for another important factor: character. Walt is immediately and intensely relatable, and he somehow retains our empathy for the entirety of the series, even at his least forgivable.

When we first meet Walt, his talents are underappreciated, he’s overqualified for his menial jobs, chronically disrespected by everyone around him, underpaid, and trapped in a joyless, passionless life in which the highlight of his day is a halfhearted handjob from his distracted wife. And to top it all off? He has terminal lung cancer. Happy birthday, Walt.

We root for him for the same reason we root for Dumbo, Rudolph, Harry Potter: he’s an underdog. The odds are stacked against him, and we want to see him triumph. Which is why it’s cathartic, for us and for Walt, when he finally finds a profession in which he can excel – even if that profession is the ability to manufacture incredibly high-quality meth. His former student Jesse Pinkman – a character so interesting that there’s a genuine risk he’ll hijack this essay – appreciates his skill, and this early appreciation is what makes his relationship with Jesse feel so much more genuine than Walt’s relationship with his family, even as their dynamic becomes increasingly unhealthy and Walt uses Jesse to bolster his meth business and his ego. This deeply dysfunctional but heartfelt father-son connection is Walt’s tether to humanity as he becomes increasingly inhumane, while also demonstrating his descent from morality. It has been pointed out that one can gauge how far-gone Walt is from his moral ideals by how much Jesse is suffering.

But to return to the initial point, it is imperative that we first empathize with Walt in order to adequately understand his descent. Aside from the fact that almost all characters are more interesting if the audience can or wants to empathize with them, Walt’s relatability makes it easy to understand our own potential for toxic and destructive behaviors. We are the protagonist of our own story, but we aren’t necessarily its hero.

Similarly, we understand how easily we can justify destructive actions, and how quickly reasonable feelings of anger and injustice swerve into self-indulgent vindication and entitlement. Walt claims to be cooking meth to provide for his family, and this may be partially true; but he also denies financial help from his rich friends out of spite, and admits later to his wife Skylar that he primarily did it for himself because he was good at it and “it made (him) feel alive.”

This also forces us to examine our preconceptions, and essentially do Walt’s introspections for him: whereas Peaky Blinders emphasize the fact that Tommy and his family would never have been able to achieve prosperity by obeying society’s laws, Walt feels jilted out of success he was promised by a meritocratic system that doesn’t currently exist. He has essentially achieved our current understanding of the American dream – a house with a pool, a beautiful wife and family, an honest job – but it left him unable to provide for his wife and children or even pay for his cancer treatment. He’s also unhappy and alienated from his passions and fellow human beings. With this in mind, it’s understandable – if absurd – that the only way he can attain genuine happiness and excel is through becoming a meth cook. In this way, Breaking Bad is both a scathing critique of our current society, and a haunting reminder that there’s not as much standing between ourselves and villainy as we might like to believe.  

So are we all slaves to this system of entitlement and resentment, of shattered and unfulfilling dreams? No, because Breaking Bad provides us with an intriguing and vital counterpoint: Jesse Pinkman. Whereas Walt was bolstered with promises that he was gifted and had a bright future ahead of him, Jesse was assured by every authority figure in his life that he would never amount to anything. However, Jesse proves himself skilled at what he’s passionate about: art, carpentry, and of course, cooking meth. Whereas Walt perpetually rationalizes and shirks responsibility, Jesse compulsively takes responsibility, even for things that weren’t his fault. Whereas Walt found it increasingly acceptable to endanger or harm bystanders, Jesse continuously worked to protect innocents – especially children – from getting hurt. Though Jesse suffered immensely throughout the course of the show – and the subsequent movie, El Camino – the creators say that he successfully made it to Alaska and started a carpentry business. Some theorists have supposed that Jesse might be a Jesus allegory – a carpenter who suffers for the sins of others. Regardless of whether this is true, it is interesting, and amusing to imagine Jesus using the word “bitch” so often. Though he didn’t get the instant gratification of immediate success that Walt got, he was able to carve (no pun intended – carpentry, you know) a place for himself in the world. 

Jesse isn’t a perfect person, but he reminds us that improving ourselves and creating a better life is an option, even if Walt’s rise to power was more initially thrilling. So take heart: there’s a bit of Heisenberg in all of us, but there’s also a bit of Jesse Pinkman. 

The savior we all need, but don’t deserve.

Other examples:

Bojack from Bojack Horseman. Like Walt, the audience can’t help but empathize with Bojack, understand his decision-making, and even see ourselves in him. However, the narrative ruthlessly demonstrates the consequences of his actions, and shows us how negatively his selfishness and self-destructive qualities impact others.   

Again, Tony Soprano. Tony, even at his very worst, is easy to like and empathize with. Despite his position as a mafia Godfather, he’s unfailingly human. Which makes the destruction caused by his actions all the more resonant.

Antiheroes emphasize the absurdity of contemporary culture (and how we must operate in it.)

As demonstrated by: Marty Byrde from Ozark.

Why he could be a hero: He’s a loving father who ultimately just wants to provide for and ensure the safety of his family. He’s also fiercely intelligent, with excellent negotiative, interpersonal, and strategic skills that allows him to talk his way out of almost any situation without the use of violence.

Why he’s an antihero: He launders money for a ruthless drug cartel, and has no issue dipping his toes into various illegal activities.

Why he’s compelling: Marty is an antihero of the modern era. He has a remarkable ability to talk his way into or out of any situation, and he’s also a master of using a pre-constructed system of rules and privileges to his benefit.

In the very first episode, he goes from literally selling the American Dream, to avoiding murder at the hands of a ruthless drug cartel by planning to launder money for them in the titular Ozarks. Despite his long history of dabbling in illegality, Marty has no firearms – a questionable choice for someone on the run from violent drug kingpins, but a testament to his ability to rely on his oratory skills and nothing else. He doesn’t hesitate to engage an apparently violent group of hillbillies to request the return of his stolen cash, because he knows he can talk them into giving it back to him. The only time he engages other characters in physical violence, he immediately gets pummeled, because physical altercation has never been his form of currency. Not that he’s subjected to physical violence particularly often, either: Marty is a master of the corporate landscape, which makes him a master of the criminal landscape. He is brilliant at avoiding the consequences of his actions. 

It’s easy to like and admire Marty for his cleverness, for being able to escape from apparently impermeable situations with words as his only weapon. He’s got a reassuring, dad-ly sort of charisma that immediately endears the viewer, and offers respite from the seemingly endless threats coming from every direction. He unquestionably loves his family, including his adulterous wife. As such, it’s easy to forget that Marty is being exploited by the same system that exploits all of us: crony capitalism. The polar opposite of meritocratic capitalism – in which success is based on hard work, ingenuity, and, hence the name, merit – crony capitalism benefits only the conglomerates that plague the global landscape like cancerous warts, siphoning money off of workers and natural capital, keeping them indentured with basic necessities and the idle promise of success.

Marty isn’t benefiting from his hard work in the Ozarks. Everything he makes goes right back to the drug cartel who continuously threatens the life of him and his family. He is rewarded for his efforts with a picturesque house, a boat, and the appearance of success, but he is not allowed to keep the fruits of his labor. Marty may be an expert at navigating the corporate and criminal landscape, but it still exploits him. In this manner, Marty embodies both the American business, the American worker, and a sort of inversion of the American dream.

In this same manner, Marty, the other characters, and even the Ozarks themselves embody the modern dissonance between appearance and reality. Marty’s family looks like something you’d respect to see on a Christmas card from your DILF-y, successful coworker, but it’s bubbling with dysfunctionality. His wife is cheating on him with a much-older man, and instead of confronting her about it, he first hired a private investigator and then spent weeks rewatching the footage, paralyzed with options and debating what to do. The problem somewhat solves itself when his wife’s lover is unceremoniously murdered by the cartel, and Wendy and Marty are driven into a sort of matrimonial business partnership motivated by the shared interest of protecting their children, but this also further demonstrates how corporate even their family dealings have become. His children, though precocious, are forced to contend with age-inappropriate levels of responsibility and the trauma of sudden relocation, juxtaposed with a childhood of complete privilege up until this point.

Conversely, the shadow of the Byrde family is arguably the Langmores. Precocious teenagers Ruth and Wyatt can initially be shrugged off as local hillbillies and budding con-artists, but much like the Shelby family of the Peaky Blinders, they prove to be extremely intelligent individuals suffering beneath a society that doesn’t care about their stifled potential. Systemic poverty is a bushfire that spreads from one generation to the next, stoked by the prejudices of authority figures and abusive parental figures who refuse to embrace change out of a misguided sense of class-loyalty. 

Almost every other character we meet eventually inverts our expectations of them: from the folksy, salt-of-the-earth farmers who grow poppies for opium and murder more remorselessly than the cartel itself, to the cookie-cutter FBI agent whose behavior becomes increasingly volatile and chaotic, to the heroin-filled Bibles handed out by an unknowing preacher, to the secrets hidden by the lake itself, every detail conveys corruption hidden behind a postcard-pretty picture of tranquility and success.

Marty’s awareness of this illusion, and what lurks behind it, is perhaps the greatest subversion of all. Marty knows that the world of appearance and the world of reality coexist, and he was blessed with a natural talent for navigating within the two. Like Walter White, Marty makes us question our assumptions about who a criminal can be – despite the fact that many successful, attractive, middle-aged family men launder money and juggle criminal activities, it’s still jarring to witness, which tells us something about how image informs our understanding of reality. Socially privileged, white-collar criminals simply have more control over how they’re portrayed than an inner-city gang, or impoverished teenagers. However, unlike Walt, Marty’s criminal activities are not any kind of middle-aged catharsis: they’re a way of life, firmly ingrained in the corporate landscape. They were present long before he arrived on the scene, and he knows it. He just has to navigate them. 

Just like our shining, messianic heroes can teach us about truth, justice, and the American way, so too does each antihero have something to teach us: they teach us that society doesn’t reward those who follow its instructions, nor does it often provide an avenue of morality. Even if you live a life devoid of apparent sin, every privilege is paid for by someone else’s sacrifice. But the best antiheroes are not beacons of nihilism – they show us the beauty that can emerge from even the ugliest of situations. Peaky Blinders is, at its core, a love story between Tommy Shelby and the family he crawled out of his grave for, just as Breaking Bad is ultimately a deeply dysfunctional tale of a father figure and son. Ozark, like its predecessors, is about family – the only authenticity in a society that operates on deception, illusion, and corruption. They teach us that even in the worst times and situations, love can compel us, redeem us, bind us closer together. Only then can we face the dragons of life, and feel just a bit more heroic.

Other examples:

Don Draper from Mad Men. A similarly Shakespearian figure for the modern era, Don is a man who appears to have everything – perfect looks, a beautiful wife and children, a prestigious job. He could have stepped out of an ad for the American Dream. And yet, he feels disconnected from his life, isolated from others by the very societal rules he, as a member of the ad agency, helps to propagate. It helps that he’s literally leading a borrowed life, inherited from the stolen identity of his deceased fellow soldier, and was actually an impoverished, illegitimate farmboy whose childhood abuse permanently damaged his ability to form relationships. The Hopper-esque alienation evoked by the world of Mad Men really deserves an essay all it’s own, and his wife Betty – whose Stepford-level mask of cheerful subservience hides seething unhappiness and unfulfilled potential – is a particularly intriguing figure to explore. Maybe in my next essay, on the importance of the antiheroine.

[votederpycausemufins]

I’m back, but you still not see much for a few days. there’s still some stuff for me to finish up and i need to move back home.

@petrichormeraki and @helleborusangel (come back angel. I have given thee helsmits)

The_Grifter joined the world.

<The_Grifter> alright, I’m looking for Grian, Tommy, Xannes and also Xisuma 

<The_Grifter> I also wouldn’t mind seeing Mumbo~

<FalseSymmetry> Who are you?

<TangoTek> Are you someone from Tommy’s old server?

<The_Grifter> Nope! :3

<The_Grifter> Hmm, looks like only Tommy and Xisuma are here.

<The_Grifter> Oh well, good enough!

<TommyInnit> Why are you here?

<The_Grifter> Dadza’s threatening Sense if I don’t figure out what happened to Theseus.

<NPG> So… not killing me?

<The_Grifter> :3

<NPG> WM if you see this i’m going to try finding you!

PerfectSense joined the world

<The_Grifter> :O

<The_Grifter> Guess I don’t need to do shit now

<PerfectSense> No you do. I’m cursed

<The_Grifter> >:O

<TommyInnit> Bitch, I’m the only one allowed to curse here!

<The_Grifter> Not anymore!

<The_Grifter> Wait

<PerfectSense> Prof has them

<The_Grifter> Awww I can’t wait to see how much fun they have

<ImpulseSV> Does anyone know what’s going on?

<Docm77> Nope

<StressMonster> Sorry luv

<TommyInnit> I unfortunately do. Those are hels… people. What do you call them?

<Renthedog> Helsmits

<TommyInnit> got it. Well, Grian and Mumbo versions

<Renthedog> I thought NPG was that?

<The_Grifter> fuck no he isn’t. He stole my spot!

<TommyInnit> The other helsmits locked Grifter away because they couldn’t deal with him

<Iskall85> Oh dear

.

.

.

Fundy came out of the room behind Grum. “I’m so sorry. I was just turning him back on to check him out and he just sort of… did this.” He gestured to Grumbot, who was currently just staring at Grian.

“I need to know how to make a portal to bzzt. Bzzt is still revived incorrectly and bzzt says his revival is important for Grum.” Grumbot spoke, making the others look around slightly confused.

“Do we need to find a way to remove that too?” Fundy asked. “Doesn’t sound like your kid exactly.”

“I see. I shouldn’t have been saying it that way then.” Grumbot replied, nodding in acknowledgment. “While I’m sorry for the confusion, I still need a portal to bzzt.”

“Grum, you’re having your words come out wrong again.” Mumbo said, moving closer to the bot. “We can’t quite tell where you want a portal to.”

“I see. I was unaware that was still happening. I’ll see if I can fix it later. Does a portal home work?”

“You want to go back to Hermitcraft?” Grian asked, and Grumbot nodded. “Alright, I can do that if you can answer why you’ve been using the name Eyes.”

Though it was implied before, Grian actually saying Eyes was Grumbot still surprised people. Grumbot also didn’t answer the question immediately and the screen changed to a loading circle, which just changed the surprise to worry. 

Mumbo looked to Grian, who seemed to have the most knowledge of what was going on. Grian seemed to realize what the look was, and answered. “It looks like the boys are also Watchers.”

Heads suddenly snapped in Grian’s direction and questions started being flung at him about how it was possible and what that meant. He tried to get everyone to calm down and explained he would try his best to answer later, but they didn’t stop until Grumbot spoke again. “I used it so that when helping, my presence would be seen as someone else by the admin Dream. That seems to also be the reasoning behind the names being censored.”

“Seems to be?” Grian asked, eyes narrowed. Jrum seemed fine for now, but he was still skeptical about Grumbot and their Watcher powers.

For a moment, Grumbot seemed to be buffering again. “That is the reason for it. I apologize for the error in wording there.”

Grian still seemed skeptical and grabbed Mumbo, pulling him over to a corner to talk. “You’re sure you got everything out of there?”

“Everything we could get out of there. There were a few files that wouldn’t move over. But Fundy and I also discovered that their wiring has changed on its own.”

Grian paused, thinking that over. “I want to get the boys home so we have what we need to repair them, but I’m still worried about what would happen with Grum. And because of that we would need to keep a close eye on him, but Jrum needs us more right now.”

“I’m sure the others would be glad to watch over him, especially if EX comes back with us because I’m sure Xisuma will have his hands full with everything else that’s been going on.”

“I’m not so sure that will be enough. I mean, you’ve seen how I’ve gotten when I’m using too much of my Watcher powers.”

“Well, I suppose that’s true. But at the very least, it doesn’t look like he knows how to do much yet. I mean, he is asking for you to make a way out instead of just leaving himself.”

“I guess that’s true. But what if they can’t handle it?” Grian asked, but Mumbo just gave him a deadpan look.

“Grian. We’ve dealt with you.”

“I know, I know. But this could be like me, but with the energy of a kid.”

“We’ve also dealt with Jrum.”

“But this is like-”

Mumbo put his hands on Grian’s shoulders. “We are hermits, Grian. We’ve dealt with some crazy things even before you showed up. Sure you’ve made it crazier, but you can’t count us out just like that.”

Grian sighed. “I know. I’m just worried.”

“I know, I am too. But I doubt the worst thing that could happen actually will. I’m sure the other hermits will do fine if anything happens. Grum just wants to help out Tommy. We’ll probably have to come back here anyway when that happens, so we won’t be gone too long and can see how things go.”

Grian nodded. “Okay, but just us for and EX if he wants to come.”

Mumbo nodded, and the two of them went back over to the group. “Alright Grum, we can take you to Tommy, but we’ll probably need to come back here.”

“Will we bring Tommy back with us on our return?” Grumbot asked, tilting their head slightly with the question.

“That depends on if Tommy wants to come back.” Grian answered, but Grumbot didn’t like that answer.

“I will not return here if he does not also return. I will need to stay with him.”

“And why do you need to do that?”

Grumbot started buffering again, taking much more time than before. “That cannot be safely discussed as Dream may try to impede what is needed.”

“Well he isn’t around anymore. I saw him disappear with the other version of Tommy.” Tubbo spoke up. 

“You are correct. The admin Dream is not here. But his absence does not change things.”

Grian tried to say something more, but Mumbo stopped him. “Grum’s obviously still dealing with whatever happened. He probably is just scared to trust anyone right now. Don’t hold it against him.”

“Alright, fine. Well, we’re going to leave for a bit with the boys before coming back, so you don’t need to follow.” Grian explained, but then turned to Xannes. “Unless you want to come along, because I honestly wouldn’t mind having someone like you around in case something…”

“Alright fine, but I might not stay too long. I do have things I need to deal with back in Helscraft based on what I heard from Tommy.”

“That’s perfectly fine.”

Jrumbot left the world

Grumbot_System left the world

MumboJumbo left the world

EvilXisuma left the world

Grian left the world

D̵̳̿̊͑ͅr̸̻̀̊e̷͓̹̘͝á̸͋̃m̸̡̙͇̘̫̈́̇͘ joined the world

Nightmare joined the world

TheseusMC joined the world

.

.

.

The moment they got back, Grian got a message from Tommy.

<TommyInnit> come to my place NOW

<Grian> Which one? What’s wrong? We already know about you having a respawn problem

<TommyInnit> The one I stole from you.

<The_Grifter> And I’m apparently what’s wrong!

<Grian> HOW

<MumboJumbo> Excuse me?!

<The_Grifter> :3

“Alright, I guess we definitely need to see Tommy now.” Grian grumbled. He didn’t know what they were going to be dealing with, so he teleported them nearby, though forgetting Xannes, ready to attack at a moment’s notice. Jrum half hid behind Mumbo while Grumbot didn’t do much in the way of hiding, standing slightly behind and to the side of Grian. The avian held a sword in one hand and readied magic in the other hand before breaking down the door. “Tommy! We’re here!”

Tommy poked his head out from the tunnel. “Hey.” He waved, shocking the group other than Grumbot with his appearance.

“Tommy, are you okay? You’re all… grey.”

“Well, I’m not entirely a gho-” He started to speak, but a blur of green suddenly came by and grabbed Jrum.

“Oh look at him! He’s just like Grifect!” Grifter held up Jrum into the air, who was now struggling.

“Hey!” Grian tried to take Jrum away. “Put him down! And is that my old knight tunic?!”

Grifter put Jrum down. “Okay fine. And yeah, looked too much like NPG for my liking and his clothes are sort of built in, so I raided your wardrobe and now this is mine!”

“You can’t just steal my things!” Grian crossed his arms before picking Jrum up.

“I can and I did! Besides, looks great on me. I’m never taking it off! Though if someone else wants to-”

“Oh no he’s just as bad as Sense.”

Grifter pouted. “Oh like you’re in a position to complain. Sense and I had to wait a whole season because you two couldn’t just get busy sooner.”

“Can you fucking stop?” Tommy asked. “They’re less likely to help if you piss them off.”

Mumbo looked at Tommy, then to Grifter. “Why do you need our help exactly?”

“Because Sense is kinda cursed until I help Dadza because Theseus is missing and he likes Theseus most.”

“He was in Tommy’s old world for a bit, but he left while we were there.”

Grifter groaned. “Uh, yeah, I know that part. He left and came back already but apparently he left again but this time it wasn’t on purpose and Dad’s pissed. And it really fucking sucks because I’ve already been without Sense for so long and we only got to kiss before this shitty curse got put on him.”

“Don’t you-”

“I have standards with children in the room. Don’t worry about that.” Grifter rolled his eyes. “Now, finding Theseus. What do you all know?”

“What I know is that I first must look at Bzzt.” Grumbot spoke up, getting Grifter’s attention.

“Wait wait wait wait. Are they also a Watcher like you?” Grifter asked Grian, who shrugged. “Oh I can’t wait to tell Sense! He’ll love it! Assuming our kids are the same.”

“Wait, you have kids?” Mumbo asked, confused.

Grifter rolled his eyes and groaned. “Duh, that’s what I was talking about before dumbass.”

Grumbot looked between Grifter and the others before pushing past the helsmit to get to Tommy. Tommy tried to say something but was stopped as Grumbot put their hand on his mouth to silence him before looking him over. “I see. This seems to be simple enough to fix. We are just missing a necessary item. The only problem is the item is not with u-me so we will need to find the admin Dream who should have it in his possession.”

“No, I don’t want you getting near that green bitch again.” Tommy said, grabbing Grumbot’s wrist as they tried to walk off. “He already screwed you up before and you still seem kinda off.”

If Grumbot currently had an expressive face, they would have frowned. “But he is the only one with the book in his possession. And the person he got it from is constantly referred to as being dead, so I cannot go to them.”

“Book?”

“There is supposed to be a resurrection book. Such a book is normally used within the hels dimension, but the admin Dream altered the world in such a way that the book becomes necessary in certain deaths. It is likely that is something Theseus was after when trying to get the admin Dream.”

“Oh! That’s good to know!” Grifter smiled. “That should help out with finding Theseus. Anyway, I guess we need to find this Dream person.”

“The admin Dream was taken away by Theseus and has not been seen since as they were sent to the hels dimension by Console.”

“Alright, who’s that?”

Grumbot immediately started buffering, making Grifter raise an eyebrow and look at Grian and Mumbo, who didn’t have an answer for him. Tommy had a similar reaction, though it was more concerned, and he moved closer to Grumbot, who suddenly stopped buffering. “I’m sorry. What were we talking about again?”

“Ugh, whatever. Can you find Theseus or not?” Grifter asked, crossing his arms.

“Potentially, yes. It seems that my programs are less inhibited than before and I can access my information, especially if Theseus has a political ranking.”

Grifter groaned. “Ugh, I don’t know if he does. Sense would though. I’m going to go get him!” Grifter started running into the minecart tunnel. “Seesee! You need to tell me things about bitch boy!”

The group waited for Grifter to return. Jrum complained a little about wanting to go home, which led to Grian leaving with Jrum. Mumbo wanted to stay behind, but Jrum also wanted him around and Tommy said he could watch Grumbot, so the redstoner left as well.

“So Grum, what have you been up to?” Tommy asked, regretting the question when it just caused Grumbot to start buffering. “You alright in there?”

When the robot stopped, they answered Tommy’s question. “I have been living with the admin Dream for the span of around two months. He has been getting assistance from C-me through the form of a console.”

“Yeah, I mostly knew that part. But that’s what he made you do. Is there anything you’ve been up to yourself?”

“Not by myself, no.” Grumbot quickly answered, which while Tommy didn’t like the answer, it at the very least didn’t have a negative effect on the robot.

“So, obviously I fucking died. What exactly is the problem?”

“The world you came from and ended up dying in had some issues. Your revival should have been straightforward, but there was an issue due to the admin Dream’s influence on the world.”

Tommy paused, Grumbot had been saying that a lot. “You know you can just call him Dream. We know he’s the admin.”

“But what if I were talking about-” Grumbot started, but then their screen briefly featured an egg of all things before buffering again. Tommy’s eyes widened, and he was pretty sure he knew the issue. Dream was still doing something to Grumbot, so Grian and Mumbo needed to know as soon as possible.

Tommy jumped up from where he was sitting, rushing to get to the mansion, forgetting he couldn’t leave until he crashed into the invisible barrier keeping him in. He cursed a bit before stomping back over next to Grumbot, sitting down and crossing his arms. He grumbled a bit more, but then he was suddenly aware of Grum pulling himself into Tommy’s lap and curling up there. “Hey, you doing alright?” He asked, and Grum just clung to his shirt tightly.

“No.” Grum spoke in such a broken sounding voice that it hurt Tommy just to hear. “I’m sc-scared. I d-don’t care wh-what he s-says. I w-want to stay here.”

Tommy knows he’s not the best and helping out with trauma. He can barely deal with his own sometimes. But he knows that right now he’s the only one here and Grum is currently clinging to him. “Are you talking about Dream?” He asks in a quiet voice, taking a moment to make sure Grifter hasn’t returned with Sense before blocking up the tunnel, at least for now.

Grum shakes his head. “No… it… I d-don’t know. I th-think I’m br-broken. O-or I’ve b-been broken… Th-they were j-just supposed to be in th-the box. Th-they were s-supposed to stay th-there.”

“What are you talking about?” Tommy asked, and Grum clung tighter to his shirt.

“I’m the o-older brother… I c-can’t be doing this…”

Tommy pulled Grum away from him to look at his face. He was glad to see that it was its normal mustachey self, but he didn’t dwell on that for too long. “Bitch, your dad is my older brother and he has issues all the time. If he can do it while also being an adult and having kids, you can do it as a kid. Got that?”

Grum didn’t quite look convinced, but nodded. A moment later, his programs list was being shown on his screen. “P-please don’t t-tell my dads y-yet, o-okay?”

Tommy nodded and looked at them. There were a number of programs, but they were all grouped into folders with different names. Names Tommy recognized from before. They were the names That had been in the book he found. For a moment he tried to look in his inventory for the book before realizing it was probably back in the SMP, making him curse.

He regretted cursing, because just as he did, Grum’s programs went away and he started crying again. “No, Grum, I wasn’t upset at yo- ah fuck… whatever, come here. ‘Least no one is around to see my manly image being destroyed.” Grum started hugging Tommy again, a small laugh coming out at the teen’s comment.

“Alright! We’re ba- Where’d everyone go?” Grifter said as he broke through the barrier Tommy had put up. “Oh, is it only you?”

“Grum’s here too, bitch.” Tommy replied with a bored look, gesturing to the bot in his lap.

“I see. Well Sense has information!”

Beside Grifter, Sense was there. “Yeah, he was Emperor of Helscraft unfortunately.”

“Oh yeah, he was, wasn’t he.” Tommy nodded, getting a glare from Grifter.

“You let me leave even though you knew?!”

“Grum wouldn’t let me talk, so I couldn’t answer. Sorry about that.” Tommy responded, though he didn’t seem all that sorry with the smile on his face.

“Ugh, alright, now let the kid do his thing so we can get out of here and break this curse on Sense.”

Grum started trembling a bit, and Tommy was worried the kid was going to tear his shirt with how tight he was grabbing it. “I c-can’t. I d-don’t want to.”

“I don’t care what you want. I want what I want. But if you need a little push…” Grifter was handed some TNT from Sense, whose mustache twisted in a smile. “It looks like your friend is trapped in his home, but what happens if there’s no more home to be trapped in, hmm?”

“Oi! Don’t you fucking try that bitch!”

“Then give me the information I want!”

“He doesn’t have to give it up if he doesn’t want to!”

As Tommy argued with the helsmits, Grum cried a bit, still trembling, but then he stopped and his screen changed back to the symbol of a broken portal. “I will need a diamond first.”

[noblehcart]

deepdive: the hele.n of t.roy comparison

yeah i said i wouldn't ramble about it but here i am CAUSE I FOUND MORE PARALLELS AND IM GEEKING. i'd've put it on disco, but its easier to organize my thoughts here.

okay but obviously the main plot structure is SO PERFECT but i wanna take this another notch.

there are some parallels that seriously has me like 'wow that is how her fam is' because in the instance of tynd.areus fearful of offending people/suitors is absolutely an andrei ivanov fear and in the instance of helen's brother's being involved/deeply invested in her marriage is 10000% a stefan move. and as much as i hate to admit it gabriele (her mom ) would def have hooked up with a god.

so BACK to more on verse parallels. don't hate me for referencing wiki but this is a post im slapping together ok dont quote me but-

The marriage of Hele.n and Menela.us marks the beginning of the end of the age of heroes

-which is the perfect parallel for Gotham Order (GO) as the A.rkham Knig.ht (AK) has now ended the worst of crime, killed Batma.n and locked up vigilantes thus effectively ending the 'age of heroes' in Got.ham. Granted of course Liese and AK aren't married, but they do stay connected through out the course of all of this so continue to bear with me. There is also the note, which of course varies from retelling to retelling that Helen CHOSE Mels (yeah I'm not typing his whole name) much like how Liese has chosen Jason/AK.

Now from THIS post reminds me of who Helen actually is.

Did it not strike you, Theseus, Menelaus, Agamemnon, Achilles, and yes, even you Paris, that I would always belong to myself first and that is the only reason I would run?

And its this EXACTLY why Liese leaves because she realizes she's, in a way, almost losing herself. Compromising her morals and beliefs for the comforts of the life she's currently living with a man that she chose initially but now questions her own choices.

now again,some retellings say that Paris abducted Helen and others that he seduced her. For us, Liesel runs off to join the rebellion, but as Jase so obviously said 'you left me for Dick' in all honesty there's a big possibility that Liese at some point ran into Dick before her fleeing possibly Dick with the intention of getting her sway over AK. Thus paralleling with the 'seduction' AND the appearance of her 'abduction' even though she wasn't abducted aspect. Also I redirect you to the post referenced above-

Did no one ever teach you, that when you try to touch a Goddess, when you treat her like she is property, you are playing with divine fire and you and everything you love will burn?

To which I gotta add that in the end both Liese and AK begin to get VERY possessive with each other. All of which culminated into Liese realizing she was compromising her morals, and person that was staying for 'jason' was in a way ceasing to exist at all. That wasn't good for her or Jason and it wasn't good for Gotham because she was getting comfortable with life as she now knew it. So she flees to join the rebellion and effectively attempt to burn down this new GO because it is not what she wants.

Our FINAL parallel is the note of this

When Menelaus finally found her, he raised his sword to kill her. He had demanded that only he should slay his unfaithful wife; but, when he was ready to do so, she dropped her robe from her shoulders, and the sight of her beauty caused him to let the sword drop from his hand.

we close to the lovers reunion again but this time as chaos ensues and a mission goes wrong where Liesel is captured along with her rebel squad which is facing interrogation and execution. Its Liese throwing herself in defense of one of her team members that she is finally revealed and of course AK spares her life upon seeing her.

I do feel like there is oNE more comparison parallel that I'm missing here but this is all my brain came up with atm.

[silverynight]

single father Percival or Gellert or Albus, packed on a plane to see a relative, next to them is a beautiful redhead, they fall asleep and when she wakes up she discovers that her baby is in the hands of the beautiful redhead, I don't know, think about it 🤭

Percival knows it was the right choice; adopting a baby is a huge responsibility, but as soon as he saw little Credence he knew he should take him home with him.

Although perhaps he should have thought about finding a someone to spend his life with before deciding to adopt a baby.

He hasn't been able to sleep very well in days, although his friend Theseus said he was willing to help him for a while.

That's the only reason he's on that flight to London at the moment, otherwise he would've stayed and bothered Seraphina instead.

He should've done that now that he thinks about it.

Credence starts crying and Percival prays to God, as some of the passengers glare at him, that no one sits next to him.

But of course he's not that lucky.

Or perhaps he is? Because now that Credence has calmed down a little, Percival has the opportunity to actually look at the stranger and realizes the man next to him is incredibly, unfairly beautiful.

Credence starts crying again.

"I'm really sorry about this..."

"It's okay. Perhaps he's hungry? Or maybe he's getting used to the plane; there's too many different things here that could be disorienting him."

No. The beautiful redhead should be a jerk, not a kind, gentle man with freckles and a shy smile so that way Percival can forget about him quickly.

But he's clearly a sunshine and therefore it'd be more difficult for Percival not to fall in love with him.

"He's... not hungry," he finally says, trying not to lose himself in those green eyes. And the freckles... Seriously why? It's not like Percival has a thing for freckles but perhaps... Well, maybe he has.

"We should see if he's not–Oh? Do you like my voice, little boy?" The man chuckles when Credence suddenly stops crying and starts looking at him with curiosity.

Of course Credence likes him, because the universe is determined to torture Percival.

The man starts talking to Credence about his dogs and also mentions how much he didn't like the idea of them traveling via cargo, but it was the only option available.

By the time Credence falls asleep, Percival already has a huge crush on the man next to him (perhaps it's something more than a crush, but he can't really think about that at the moment).

"What's your name?" He whispers, being careful not to wake up his son again.

"Newt," he says, after Percival quirks up a curious brow at him he adds: "I'm going to see my brother."

"I'm Percival and this is Credence... And we're going to see a friend."

It's the worst possible way to meet someone like Newt, because Percival must look terrible; he's exhausted, hasn't gotten too much sleep and the man probably thinks he's–

"I'm not married," the instant the words come out of his mouth he has the urge to facepalm himself.

"I'm sorry... So you–"

"No, I'm single, not divorced. I adopted Credence."

For some reason Newt beams at him and again is definitely not at all fair because Percival is not that strong and is already thinking if he can ask him out right then and there.

He doesn't do it because he can actually control himself.

After a while, he relaxes as they both fall into a very comfortable silence.

Then... Something happens. Percival loses track of time, blinks and when he blinks again he realizes he just fell asleep. When he doesn't feel Credence in his arms he panics at least until he hears the baby's giggle and sees him looking content in Newt's arms.

Newt seems like he has done that multiple times already. Percival can't believe how good he looks with a baby in his arms.

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have!" Newt immediately apologizes and hands him the baby back. "I understand if you're mad, but you were asleep and I didn't want to wake you up... But it was wrong to take your b–"

"Newt, it's alright. I'm not angry," Percival assures him. "Thanks for taking care of Credence for me."

When the redhead smiles at him, looking less mortified... Percival starts thinking about asking for his number or something... He has to see him again.

But of course when he gathers the courage, he fucks up.

"Would you like to be his Mummy?"

"What?"

Credence giggles again as Percival holds back the need to bang his head against the seat in front of him.

"I–I meant to ask you on a date."

"I'd love to go on a date with you, Percival," Newt blushes beautifully, in a way that makes some of his freckles disappear for a moment. "I think Theseus can wait a little longer for–"

"Theseus? Theseus Scamander?" Percival hasn't heard that name before to believe they're talking about different people, when Newt nods he adds: "Theseus Scamander is the friend I'm going to visit."

"That's great!" Newt smiles sincerely while Percival tries to tell himself that Theseus has changed and he's not the same idiot that used to tell him that he'll skin alive anyone who dared to try to date his little brother.

Too bad Percival is stubborn and has decided Newt is going to be Credence's Mummy.

***

Kofi / Patreon

[charminglatina]

Birthday Profiles Of Riverdale Actors Based On The Secret Language Of Birthdays Concept! (Part VII)

What Is Secret Language?

The Secret Language scientific personality and relationship reports have proven to be over 90% accurate after 21 years in use by millions of people in a dozen languages worldwide. Our data comes from Gary Goldschneider’s 40-year empirical study of the life stories of more than 20,000 people, analyzed by date of birth. Gary looked at 50 people born on your birthday and found the personality traits held in common by 45 of them. Then he created personality profiles from those traits for each day, week, month, season and year and further combined those profile names into the ultimate distillation of your personality - your Secret Language Name.

The Personality Periods

The forty-eight personality periods, made up of twelve cusps and thirty six weeks, are units between six and nine days in length. Personology predicts the personality characteristics of anyone born within these dates. In other words, those born in the same period will share certain predictable character traits. While this may not completely represent every individual, it is sufficient to provide an understanding of his or her basic energies. Extrapolating from the personology periods, it is possible to predict the nature of the relationship between any two people. Thus, The Secret Language Of Relationships combines each period of the year with itself and every other period to predict the nature of the resulting relationship. For example, a person born on March 31 falls into the Aries I period. This is the Week of the Child which symbolizes the freshness and openness of early childhood and of the spring season (lasting from March 25 to April 1). People born during this time are characterized by a childlike, enthusiastic orientation. This in contrast to a person born on November 10, who would be a Scorpio II (encompassing November 3 to 11). Born in the fall, which is symbolically likened to middle age, this week takes Depth as its central symbol. Thus, it becomes possible to consider the theoretical implications of an Aries I-Scorpio II relationship.

The Fourty-Eight Periods & Cusps

1. Pisces-Aries Cusp (Mar 19-Mar 24) – The Cusp Of Rebirth/Renewal

2. Aries I (Mar 25-Apr 02) – The Week Of The Child

3. Aries II (Apr 03-Apr 10) – The Week Of The Star

4. Aries III (Apr 11-Apr 18) – The Week Of The Pioneer

5. Aries-Taurus Cusp (Apr 19-Apr 24) – The Cusp Of Power

6. Taurus I (Apr 25-May 02) – The Week Of Manifestation

7. Taurus II (May 03-May 10) – The Week Of The Teacher

8. Taurus III (May 11-May 18) – The Week Of The Natural

9. Taurus-Gemini Cusp (May 19-May 24) – The Cusp Of Energy

10. Gemini I (May 25-Jun 01) – The Week Of Freedom

11. Gemini II (Jun 02-Jun 10) – The Week Of New Language

12. Gemini III (Jun 11-Jun 18) – The Week Of The Seeker

13. Gemini-Cancer Cusp (Jun 19-Jun 24) – The Cusp Of Magic

14. Cancer I (Jun 25-Jul 02) – The Week Of The Empath

15. Cancer II (Jul 03-Jul 10) – The Week Of The Unconventional

16. Cancer III (Jul 11-Jul 18) – The Week Of The Persuader

17. Cancer-Leo Cusp (Jul 19-Jul 25) – The Cusp Of Oscillation

18. Leo I (Jul 26-Aug 02) – The Week Of Authority

19. Leo II (Aug 03-Aug 10) – The Week Of Balanced Strength

20. Leo III (Aug 11-Aug 18) – The Week Of Leadership

21. Leo-Virgo Cusp (Aug 19-Aug 25)  – The Cusp Of Exposure

22. Virgo I (Aug 26-Sept 02) – The Week Of System Builders

23. Virgo II (Sept 03-Sept 10) – The Week Of The Enigma

24. Virgo III (Sept 11-Sept 18) – The Week Of The Literalist

25. Virgo-Libra Cusp (Sept 19-Sept 24) – The Cusp Of Beauty

26. Libra I (Sept 25-Oct 01) – The Week Of The Perfectionist

27. Libra II (Oct 02-Oct 10) – The Week Of Society

28. Libra III (Oct 11-Oct 18) – The Week Of Theater

29. Libra-Scorpio Cusp (Oct 19-Oct 25) – The Cusp Of Drama & Criticism

30. Scorpio I (Oct 26-Nov 02) – The Week Of Intensity

31. Scorpio II (Nov 03–Nov 11) – The Week Of Depth

32. Scorpio III (Nov 12–Nov 18) – The Week Of Charm

33. Scorpio-Sagittarius Cusp (Nov 19–Nov 24) – The Cusp Of Revolution

34. Sagittarius I (Nov 25–Dec 02) – The Week Of Independence

35. Sagittarius II (Dec 03–-Dec 10) – The Week Of The Originator

36. Sagittarius III (Dec 11-Dec 18) – The Week Of The Titan

37. Sagittarius-Capricorn Cusp (Dec 19-Dec 25) – The Cusp Of Prophecy

38. Capricorn I (Dec 26-Jan 02) – The Week Of The Ruler

39. Capricorn II (Jan 03- Jan 09) – The Week Of Determination

40. Capricorn III (Jan 10-Jan 16) – The Week Of Dominance

41. Capricorn-Aquarius Cusp (Jan 17-Jan 22) – The Cusp Of Mystery & Imagination

42. Aquarius I (Jan 23-Jan 30) – The Week Of Genius

43. Aquarius II (Jan 31-Feb 07) – The Week Of Youth & Ease

44. Aquarius III (Feb 08-Feb 15) – The Week Of Acceptance

45. Aquarius-Pisces Cusp (Feb 16-Feb 22) – The Cusp Of Sensitivity

46. Pisces I (Feb 23-Mar 02) – The Week Of Spirit

47. Pisces II (Mar 03-Mar 10) – The Week Of The Loner

48. Pisces III  (Mar 11-Mar 18) – The Week Of Dancers & Dreamers

Birthday Profiles Featured:

37. Drew Ray Tanner (2/12 – Aquarius III) 38. Tiera Skovbye (5/6 – Taurus II) 39. Chad Michael Murray (8/24 – Leo-Virgo Cusp) 40. Rob Raco (11/26 – Sagittarius I) 41. Tommy Martinez (3/20 – Pisces-Aries Cusp) 42. Zoe De Grand Maison (5/3 – Taurus II)

#37. Drew Ray Tanner (Birthday: Feb. 12, 1992 – The Day Of The Unifier; Personality Period: Aquarius III – Feb. 8 to Feb. 15 – The Week Of Acceptance; Place Of Birth: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada)

The theme of acceptance runs strong in the lives of those born during the Week of Acceptance. Some of them are hardheaded and not particularly open to unusual ideas and people but become increasingly tolerant as the years go by. Others are overly accepting from an early age and allow themselves to be unduly manipulated or influenced by stronger, more selfish types. The challenge for these people is to remain open to the world while at the same time retaining the ability to be selective in screening out harmful influences. Having dealt with some of their own prejudices, they often become champions of the underdog. They despise intolerance and unfair treatment in any form. They also react instinctively against those who put on airs, or pretend to be something they are not. Poking holes in other people’s balloons is often their specialty, and if they carry this tendency to an extreme, they can be extremely cutting and hurtful. The reasons for this behavior may be found in a low self-image, perhaps reflecting negative parental attitudes expressed toward them in childhood. Their anger is sudden and explosive but rarely lasts for long. Friends and family usually realize that it is often better for all concerned if they can get their aggression and dissatisfaction out in one go rather than letting it simmer inside. These resourceful individuals are rarely at a loss for new ideas. Perhaps because they get themselves into difficult or challenging situations so often, they learn early on how to extricate themselves from dilemmas. That they often create and solve their own problems makes them like two mythological figures rolled into one: Daedalus, who created the labyrinth, and Ariadne, who showed Theseus how to get out of it. In a basic sense, these folks are their own worst enemy. Rarely at rest for long, they love activity and movement. Their liveliness is an extremely positive trait as far as their friends are concerned, and they are often sought out for their attractiveness, unusual demeanor and colorful language. The downside of their character is more often felt by their families than by their associates, for it is in the daily task of living with others that their greatest problems often arise. They may be constantly annoyed with family members, and because they do not rate high in self-awareness, they may fail to see perhaps it is actually they who are the annoying ones. Easily affected by what others say and do, a bad remark or look can easily set them on the wrong foot for a few hours or even ruin their whole day. They are particularly vulnerable to personal attack. They can stand any amount of criticism of their unusual ideas and, in fact, defend themselves well but may fly apart when dealing with people who can push their emotional buttons. Learning to be less vulnerable to ad hominem arguments, and to laugh off the negativity of others, whether it is intentional or not, is important if they are to maintain their psychic balance. Humor, irony and wit often appear in abundance in them. These are among the mechanisms by which they are able to survive in an often difficult and hostile world. Another method they may use is the making of silent promises to themselves not to make the same mistake again, or to better their lives through positive action. Making plans and resolutions of all sorts for the future enables them to get through trying times. Above all, they know that no matter how bad things get, tomorrow is another day. In this respect, they view the future as potentially positive and self-renewing. In the present, on the other hand, they may get into a hopeless state in which they believe that everything has gone wrong. Friends stand by helpless while they complain about their own deficiencies, and about the unfair treatment they receive from the world. If they have negative attitudes about themselves, these can involve feelings of shame that may be focused on their bodies or on mistakes they feel they have made. Such attitudes are empowered by guilt. Yet although they may blame themselves constantly, they can rarely hear reproach from others without a strong defensive reaction, perhaps involving a reciprocal attack on the accuser. Learning to listen to the suggestions of concerned family members may be almost impossible for them; it is easier for them to take advice from friends, or even strangers. People born during the Week of Acceptance may be extremely affectionate to others and may crave love themselves. Love is apparently hard for them to find, however, since they are constantly in search of it. They are rarely able to find the right person for themselves before the age of thirty, if at all. Their needs often demand a wide range of partners, associates, mates or friends. They are not easily satisfied and often bored. Their need for attention may run high, and the danger here is that they become the eternal butterfly, flitting from one delicious flower to the next. Their non-attachment is not in itself a negative trait—­on the contrary, it is a lesson that all of us have to learn sooner or later. For them, however, the lessons that need to be learned are those of constancy, consistency, application and dedication.

February 12 people display a marked ability to unify disparate elements in their environment. Whether bringing together a troubled family, healing a rift between friends or demonstrating leadership to resolve disputes in organizations, they can often be found bridging the gaps between people. Does this make them team players? Not exactly. Those born on this day usually assess a given situation from their own standpoint and if they have the authority to do so chart the course for the group. It is less in their nature to build consensus. However, this is not to imply that they ignore or undervalue what others think. It is just that they often feel that they have already assimilated most points of view and come to a conclusion as to the best course of action. Having reached such a determination, they are then highly influential in persuading others to follow their lead. February 12 people are many-sided individuals with varied talents and therefore an added challenge for them is to unite the disparate facets of their own personality. Too often their versatility works against them and subverts their purpose in organizing their career and personal concerns. Furthermore, their stubbornness once they have made up their mind and a refusal to change course can create difficulties. Faced with problems they may just try to ram their way through rather than seek compromise. Because they so often think in absolute terms, it can be difficult for February 12 people to relativate. Yet this is precisely what they must do if they wish to perceive the truth of a given situation. Although they may wish to remain faithful to their original ethical principles, they must also learn the importance of changing to meet new circumstances and listening carefully to well-thought-out suggestions and observations made along the way by co-workers or associates.  Not uncommonly February 12 people grow comfortable with one codified point of view which becomes a framework or working philosophy for them that directs their thinking. However, if they can bring themselves to periodically examine this outlook, to see if it has stood the test of time, they will strengthen their ideas and divest them of many illusions and misconceptions. The most highly evolved of February 12 people eventually discard those theories that cease to function for them. Undoubtedly, the efforts of February 12 people to bring people together can do much good. However, letting things change, grow or even fall apart of their own accord is sometimes a more appropriate response. Just walking away or quitting goes against the grain for most February 12 people, but they may come to realize that the greatest courage can sometimes be demonstrated in following the path of nonaction. Those born on February 12 have a talent for integration; they have the ability to marshal all the available information, evaluate opposing viewpoints and then bring everything and everyone together in a united front. Nothing matters more to them than the status quo and if need be they will boldly and courageously defend it. This makes them highly valued in both their professional and their personal lives.People born on this day like to see themselves in the role of peacekeeper, pointing others in the right direction; that direction is, of course, the one they believe to be correct. This isn’t to say that they are stubborn and inflexible, but they possess the tendency to ignore what others think and to believe that the best course of action is always their own. It is important for them to recognize the importance of consensus and to understand that although their ability to see and evaluate the bigger picture more than qualifies them to take the lead, great leadership is not about dictatorship but about motivating others in the direction you want them to go.As well as being able to unite others and see the way forward with singleminded tenacity, people born on this day have a host of other talents, including confidence, originality and creativity. They do need to be careful that their talents don’t cause them to squander their energies in many different directions. Until their late thirties there are opportunities for them to develop greater self-awareness, but in their forties and beyond there is a focus on personal integration and purpose; in many ways, this is when these people really come into their own.People with a February 12 birthday have strong convictions and a pro-gressive instinct, both of which have been developed through their powers of original thought, and high moral and ethical standards. They have the courage and charisma to lead and inspire others, and more often than not others will find them living out their mission to make the world a better and more peaceful place. Although people born on February 12 have no trouble falling in love, they do need to be careful that their work and goals do not eclipse their relationships or that they take them for granted. They prefer to get involved with people who are mentally stimulating and who are interested in self-improvement, as well as having a good time. Their detached exterior can make it hard for them to open up but once they are able to do that they are sensitive, loyal and (when they aren’t working too hard) fun-loving partners. People born on this day are often creatures of routine when it comes to their health, diet and exercise, and although this means they are generally in good health the downside is that experimenting a little can give them more energy and more fun. It is important for them to try out a wide variety of nutritious foods rather than sticking with old-time favorites and to experiment with different types of exercise instead of sticking with one. When they are feeling stressed or anxious instead of alcohol or chocolate they should try a warm bath with a few drops of their favorite aromatherapy essential oil to soothe frayed nerves. They would also benefit from meditation and breathing techniques to focus their energy and thoughts. These people may well consider politics or social reform as their chosen career. Whatever they choose, they are bound to become the head of something along the way, perhaps the principal of a school or a group leader. Their good people skills and business sense may also draw them toward management careers. Other career choices that might work include counseling, publishing, advertising, accountancy, science, or invention. Anthropology and archaeology, as well as careers in writing or the arts, may also appeal. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to beware of their tendency to dismiss viewpoints differing from their own. Once they have learned to be more open-minded, their destiny is to create harmony in any environment in which they find themselves. People born specifically on the 12th of February are believed to possess an outgoing, magnetic friendly personality. Your water bearer eccentricity is mixed with lots of charm and an zany sense of humor that gives you an advantage with social skills. The ruling planet in astrological terms for this particular day is Jupiter creating your expressive and affectionate nature. If you have this birthday you are endowed with heaps of positivity and enthusiasm. You are independent and intelligent with leadership qualities but are also incredibly supportive of others. This is due to your high levels of understanding, tact and cooperativeness. These pleasant fortes show your character in its best light. Your supportiveness makes you more of a people person than most other Aquarians. Individuals with a February the twelfth birthday tend to acquire their wisdom through experience and are not particularly keen on accepting advice. Career choices are usually straightforward to a person born on the twelfth of February as you are versatile and flexible. Even though you have high intelligence and are capable of most tasks you are not overly ambitious, so your work options are more likely to depend on hours and pay. You will generally prefer working in small environments rather than large ones. Finances are not one of your strongest points and you will sometimes lack confidence in your ability to balance your budget. However you are not known to be frivolous with your money and have the patience to save up for things that you really want. As an Aquarian, the person born on the twelfth day of February has a generous helping of the usual aloofness concerning personal relationships. Despite this emotionally detached cautious cover you secretly yearn for a passionate and intellectual intimacy with someone special. Although you are not too talkative or open about feelings you can be physically very demonstrative, caring and thoughtful. Your accommodating kind nature and positive approach to life makes you a wonderful reliable partner. In long term soul mate partnerships you are extremely loyal and devoted but will be especially intolerant of restrictions on your freedom. You may still need to retain a little of your independence when romantically attached as you like to be in full control of your emotions. The right partner will understand this necessity of yours and be willing to work around it together. Minor health problems experienced by those born on February 12th are not usually caused by you neglecting your body's needs. You are naturally full of enthusiastic energy and bright enough to make the connection between keeping healthy and looking and feeling good. Individuals with this particular birth date are often fussy about their appearance and keep in trim without needing any encouragement. You may also be as meticulous with your food and are likely to have certain likes and dislikes possibly stemming from childhood. You should perhaps try and include lots of fruit and vegetables in your diet. Noticeable strengths in your character are in your indiscriminate, conceptual thought processes and your highly protective manner. These qualities and your self-controlled, optimistic and focused state of mind will take you anywhere you want to go in life. The main personality weakness for those born on February 12th is your tendency to be unnecessarily stubborn and unyielding in some situations. Another of your weaknesses is that you will occasionally be tempted to gossip or be too nosy. Your curiosity is well meant but sometimes unwelcome so you may need to learn to think a bit more before you speak. Being born on the 12th of February usually makes you very intuitive and competent in utilizing this gift positively for life aspirations. You do not need many motivating goals to steer you in the right directions and so you are unlikely to make any definite planned route to success. Your observance and alertness help you follow the familiarity of previous experiences and guide you towards your hopes and aims for the future. Any dreams of achievement you have appear to be closer to reach once you gain added confidence in your abilities and are able to gauge your limitations a bit more accurately. As you were born on the twelfth day of the month the figures in your birth date total Three, so this is your Root number. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Innovation' and highlights your abstract advanced thinking. In the Major Arcana deck the Tarot card closely linked to your birthday is the 12th, depicting the Hanged Man. This could identify your thoughtfulness but also your reluctance to listen to the suggestions of others. The lucky gemstone denoted for February the twelfth birthdays is the purple Amethyst rumored to bring its wearers good health and increased wealth. Aquarius star sign personalities are thought to be considerably influenced by the cosmic rays of the planet Uranus. The actual day you were born on, the twelfth of February is astrologically governed by the celestial body Jupiter. Therefore it is the combination of these 2 planetary influences that determine your unique set of traits and pronenesses. Your charming, easygoing attitude and helpfulness gives you a high degree of sociableness. Your subjective expressiveness is one of your stronger points allowing you to easily and quickly communicate your ideas. If you can conquer your negative characteristic of stubbornness and be a touch more self confident progress in life should be easier. A final fitting thought especially for people born on February the 12th is to always try to retain your open-mindedness. By being receptive and impartial you will keep your unique free spirit, be more productive and not be affected by the influences of others.

#38. Tiera Skovbye (Birthday: May 6, 1995 – The Day Of Materialized Fantasy; Personality Period: Taurus II – May 3 to May 10 – The Week Of The Teacher; Place Of Birth: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)

Those born during the Week of the Teacher are mainly involved in the development of ideas and techniques. No matter what their vocation or avocation, they have a message to share. Verbalizing their ideas and observations, generating discussion, and leading by example are all favorite activities of theirs. It can be said that they have a calling for imparting information and, more importantly, presenting it in a manner that others can understand. It is not surprising that they have a strong need for teacher-student–type interactions. They intuitively sense that teacher and student are two sides of the same coin, and that this coin is one they wish to invest in their future. They generally do well enough at school, but fare best as students or teachers in one-on-one learning or small group situations such as in dance, music, sports and the visual arts. For them, being a good student is the first step toward becoming a good teacher. They also know the value of learning on one’s own and, instead of binding students to them, will encourage them to teach themselves. They are movers and shakers, and, since they rarely deal with flighty or superficial topics, they are capable of influencing others. Part of the key to this lies in the fact that they live so much of their lives in the realm of ideas, of ideologies. Excellent entrepreneurs, they can set up both businesses and families without an excessive need to dominate or impose an inflexible structure on those with whom they live and work. They do, however, often establish lines that should not be crossed. These people are very interested in the living conditions of those around them, and particularly in social groups that are foreign to them. How and where others live, work, play, eat, worship, vote and exercise has enormous fascination for these people, who also tend side with the underdog and to feel all forms of unfairness and discrimination keenly. Not surprisingly, interracial or cross-cultural relationships are common. Similarly, older Week of the Teacher folks may be attracted to younger people and younger ones to those much older than themselves. The moral stance of the these individuals is usually strong, even unyielding. They have firm ideas about right and wrong, which they do not hesitate to express. Although you probably wouldn’t call them straitlaced, they may exhibit prudish or even puritanical tendencies, particularly when young. And such early tendencies, even though outgrown, may surface in times of stress when they are adults, much to the surprise of those who know them as free-thinkers. The area in which the ethical orientation of these people is most unequivocal is their insistence on fairness. One might say, in fact, that they are obsessed with injustice, prejudice and discrimination in all forms. Their reaction to any form of racism is scathing, uncompromising and immediate. Actually, anger may erupt suddenly in almost any area of their lives, and they must learn how to handle their upset feelings in healthy ways without suppressing them. Physical activity, whether sports, dance, music, or fitness training, comes naturally to these folks, yet they do not convey the impression of being earthy, sensuous types. They generally create a strong first impression, and make a heavy impact on their environment, but this may be due more to their mental qualities than to their physical ones. Even those of a small or average body type often project an image far greater than their actual size on first meeting. Although excellent bosses, parents and teachers, they are not always the easiest people to be involved with day-to-day as mate, lover or friend. Demanding and critical, they make their dislikes known sharply and incisively, often alienating or insulting those of a softer or more sensitive disposition. Their insistence that people be hard and tough, able to take the truth in a straight dose, is not everyone’s cup of tea. When they become happier and more comfortable with themselves, and as they grow older, many of their critical characteristics will mellow or even disappear. With their love of beauty and their great charm and personal magnetism, these individuals often have a host of admirers. They are not really comfortable with a great deal of attention, however, and do not like finding themselves imprisoned in a social circle of their own making. At such times they have little choice but to withdraw into a more isolated existence. The more successful of them therefore learn to control their own attractive powers and to create fewer problems for themselves. Those who relate best to those born during the Week of the Teacher in personal relationships are those who understand their need to be left alone rather than being fussed over or spoiled. These folks prefer their mates to show their enthusiasm for the relationship simply by upholding their share of it rather than by displays of gratitude or affection. In intimate situations, they can be extremely passionate, but in their everyday routine they insist on a certain distance. They prefer romance to sentimentality, but like a realistic and frank approach to love and sex even better. They do not generally react well to others’ requests for attention or affection, even when those others are intimates; anything that looks like pleading or begging usually turns them off completely. They like their partners to be strong and dignified above all.

Those born on May 6 seem to be in touch with how fantasy, imagination and the unconscious work. This understanding generally manifests in one of two ways: in being sympathetic, even empathic with others or in embodying the fantasies of others, in essence, being a star. The teachers, counselors, and sympathetic parents of the first type are expert in guiding people through difficult times and helping them to understand their motivations; the star type is obsessed with the realizing of dreams, daring to live out fantasies that most people keep bottled up. This tapping in to the imaginative process is a special gift and must be managed wisely. If May 6 people use this talent amorally or without a goal, they may wind up manipulating the lives of others for their own benefit or forcing themselves into a career or marriage that was never meant to be. The most successful May 6 people are those who recognize their limitations and are able to treat both their goals and those of others objectively and ethically. May 6 people often experience difficult or traumatic childhoods, which they manage to overcome with great courage and tenacity. These difficulties can lend them insights into life which people with more normal upbringings or less sensitivity may never know. If those born on this day utilize such insight with compassion and empathy, they will be truly valuable individuals to society. It is often the case that May 6 people are of great service to others while still remaining the victims of their own private sufferings, which they usually hide from the world. Because they are so sensitive, and perhaps driven by the workings of destructive unconscious drives, those born on this day are particularly prone to emotional instability as well as to physical discomforts and pain. The theme of repeatedly striving to overcome obstacles is a constant in the lives of many May 6 people. In an effort to control their destinies, they may become unduly compulsive, structuring every moment of their time as if they are afraid that if they don’t, things will fly apart somehow. A seemingly efficient and reasonable lifestyle may thus be hiding a volcano of seething emotions of which May 6 people themselves are not always aware. On the other hand, those born on May 6 are most understanding of the irrationality of others, having a kind of sixth sense for it. They can be depended upon in difficult emotional situations for their wisdom and courage. Often they will take the side of the underdog or victim, whose psyche they understand only too well. Attractive people born on this day must sometimes guard against those they seek to help falling in love with or idolizing them. Although such attention can be gratifying to the ego, it only slows down a May 6 person’s own process of self-realization. The highly imaginative and intuitive people born on May 6 are often acutely sensitive to the feelings, dreams and hopes of others, especially those less fortunate. Fascinated by the human psyche and keen to learn what it is that motivates and inspires others, they often feel compelled to pass their wisdom on to others. If they aren’t guiding and directing others, they will be inspiring them by living out dreams and fantasies that most of us repress.As well as being finely tuned to the feelings of others, they are highly sensitive themselves; this can lead to misunderstandings and hurts that really aren’t necessary. They should learn to be objective in their dealings with others; otherwise they will experience insecurity, uncertainty and disappointment. Between the ages of fifteen and forty-five there is an emphasis on communication and the exchange of ideas, so they should not take everything so personally. After the age of forty-five these people focus more on emotional closeness, family and security.Their interest in human nature can take them beyond social interaction and business to a deep desire to do something meaningful in the world. This may involve fighting for a cause in the world and will stop them feeling unfulfilled. The most common block to their progress is a lack of faith in their own abilities; this can trigger sudden changes of mood and bouts of indecision. Being prone to excessive highs and lows, they need to turn the understanding they have of unpredictable behavior in others upon themselves. If they can do this, they will see that much of their emotional instability stems from their lack of self-belief.Their self-doubt may also result in their taking a secondary role rather than making full use of their creative potential. They do, however, respond extremely well to advice and encouragement; reading self-help books or biographies about people they admire will help them gain control of their lives. They should remember that every step they take toward fulfilling their ambitions and dreams works to inspire and motivate others. People born on May 6 are unwilling to commit to a relationship unless they feel it has the potential to be a perfect union. This means that they may spend many years searching and waiting, but when they finally find their soul mate they are at their happiest and their best, because love and giving to others is a strong motivating force in their lives. People born on this day tend to suffer from a lack of self-confidence and they need to find ways to build their self-esteem. Food is a passion, so they should keep an eye on what they are eating and make sure that they do not seek refuge in comfort eating. Listening to their hunger signals, and putting their knife and fork down between mouthfuls, will help them feel more in control. Regular exercise is also essential, not just because it will boost their immune system and sense of well-being but also because it can help them cope with excessive worry. Wearing, surrounding themselves with or meditating on the color orange will boost their self-esteem and encourage them to feel more positive, as will mind-training therapies such as cognitive development therapy or hypnotherapy. People born on this day will often find career fulfillment in the medical, psychiatric or caring professions but they may also be well suited to politics and the arts, both areas in which they can use their sensitivity and desire to help or inspire others. Whatever career they choose, be it public affairs, caring or the world of entertainment, their natural psychological skills will be of great assistance. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to believe in themselves. Once they have developed greater self-confidence, their destiny is to direct their prodigious energy toward the progression of others, be that in a practical or an inspirational way. People born specifically on the 6th of May are envisioned to be charming, warm and cooperative with the typical bull placidity and determination. Venus is the ruling astrological planet dominant for this particular day and also the zodiac sign of Taurus, intensifying your levels of curiosity and intuition. If you have this birthday a highly sociable, diplomatic, outgoing temperament is bestowed upon you along with a dislike of being or feeling alone. Your natural eloquence often assists you to be able to talk your way in and out of situations and instinctively seek the balance you crave. You have stylish tastes that are usually reflected in your choices of home and dress sense. Entertaining and bringing others together are things you are inclined to enjoy and be good at. Individuals with a May the sixth birthday possess a wonderful imagination, are capable of recognizing their limitations and tend to usually look at everything fairly objectively. Job choices can sometimes be far from easy to a person born on the sixth of May as conventional career options rarely seem to appeal to you. Although you are usually fully aware of your best abilities this does not prevent you from being attracted to work that is rather specialized or unusual. Financially you are prone to be once in a while frivolous or under estimate the expense of something you desire. You are quite impulsive over bargains and willing to pay for quality but it can occasionally cause fluctuations in your finances. Sensible budgeting should allow for your small extravagances. For a Taurus, the person born on the sixth day of May is typically stubborn but with a high degree of patience and emotional understanding. When it comes to love and romance you can be hesitant to make the first move but fall in love deeply and ordinarily flourish within the security and stability of a long term relationship. You need a loving partnership that is very evenly balanced physically and mentally with plenty of common interests and ambitions. Someone that is as loyal and committed as you are who ignites your sensual passion and is on the same intellectual level is perfect. Your belief in soul mates and true love helps you put your indecisiveness aside if you feel you have met your destined partner. You can be possessive and inflexible at times but loathe arguments so will frequently be the one who initiates making up and restoring harmony. Physical healthiness experienced by those born on May 6th appears to be easily disturbed by nutritional deficiencies. You are disposed to have a healthy appetite but a tendency to have your favorite meals and eat too much of the same thing sometimes leaving you short of something. You can in addition be susceptible to coughs and colds so eating a wider range of foods could help you avoid succumbing to viruses. People born on this day may find that their mental health, general sense of well being and self esteem is also noticeably improved by consuming food types known to boost mood and concentration. Your main strengths of character are noticeable in your unique mix of charm, warmth and cooperation gaining you many friends and admirers. Your other major fortes of sensitivity, astuteness and diplomacy help you normally approach everything impartially and make you a fabulous mediator. The personality weaknesses for those born on May 6th expose your changeable emotions, seemingly more frequent if you have worries. This negativity can surface as self indulgent and pitying behavior causing you to also be much grumpier and uncharacteristically sulky. Not letting anxieties build can reduce this negative trait. Being born on the 6th of May gifts you with an intense appreciation for beauty courtesy of Venus's double influence. This perception may add a touch of idealism and fantasy to your dreams but you attempt to keep these sleep induced wishes separate from important life objectives. Your need to be taken seriously sees you setting realistic goals for desired personal and professional achievements. Helping others to realize their potential can often be more rewarding to you than your own accomplishments. All your wished for aspirations are hardly ever selfish or entirely materialistic. As you were born on the sixth day of the month your birth date figure of Six is also your Root number. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Social' emphasizing your responsiveness to others and fondness of company. The 6th Tarot card in the Major Arcana characterizing the Lovers is closely linked to your birthday. It strongly reflects your penchant for the aesthetic and requirement for closeness and companionship. The gem imagined luckiest for May the sixth birthdays is Turquoise, it is thought to mystically attract positivity and happiness into your life. The probable favorable and unfavorable thoughts and actions of all Taurus personalities are believed influenced astrologically by Venus. As this celestial body also rules the actual day you were born, the sixth of May, it is doubly influential on your possible nature. Your easygoing sociability and fine mediation skills accentuate your superb command of language. This talent and your insistence on fairness let you interact with almost everyone and be understood plainly. Your calm intuitiveness is an excellent guide if you listen to and trust your inner voice. If you can manage to steady your emotions and pay more attention to your dietary needs it could stop anxieties building. A well meant thought for people born on May the 6th is to consider waiting for others to ask for your assistance instead of offering and do not be fearful of asking for help yourself. 

#39. Chad Michael Murray (Birthday: Aug. 24, 1981 – The Day Of Astute Examination; Personality Period: Leo-Virgo Cusp – Aug. 19 to Aug. 25 – The Cusp Of Exposure; Place Of Birth: Buffalo, New York, United States)

Those born during the Week of Exposure are an interesting blend of introvert and extrovert. These people combine practical, earthy qualities with more intuitive, fiery traits, producing quietly inspired individuals who keep their light within. Some of them give a muted, almost nondescript first impression while concealing more flamboyant tendencies; others come across as exhibitionistic but are actually sensitive, private types. They may hide certain personal qualities, or facts about themselves, for years, but their inner flamboyance will break out periodically in even the most introverted of them when one day they reveal themselves to the world, in full awareness of what they are doing. Many of them will come to realize that self-concealment is futile—the more they try to hide, the more the world seems to take notice of them. By aiming to be more transparent, letting others see what they really are instead of hiding, they will even out some of their swings between introverted and extroverted behavior. Such individuals who are born in unremarkable surroundings, or at the bottom of the social ladder, can be late starters in the struggle to move up in the world. Even once they get going, it is only through tremendous tenacity and willpower that they can maintain their momentum. Indeed, many can succumb to their worst fear, a life of boredom and mediocrity. Their belief in themselves is often inversely proportionate to the world’s belief in them; just when they are gaining self-confidence, in other words, others take less notice of them. While applause is not crucial to these people—who do not need attention in the same way as others—no matter how quiet or self-contained they may be, they have a burning sense of their own worth. It is characteristic of them not to reveal the truth about themselves or show their real inner feelings until they get to where they are headed, socially or professionally. In fact, this desire to divulge, to show, can be the fuel that powers their drive toward a goal. Those who do reach the top and have carried lifelong secrets are prone to be found out, but usually through their own statements and behavior. This tendency can be viewed as a strange blend of narcissism and masochism, of self-indulgence and punishment. These people are often outstanding observers and judges of character. They know how to watch, silently, without drawing attention to themselves. Further, they are often good at recording their impressions in thought or word, and at expressing them later after long periods of rethinking. Their associates and co-workers will often come to depend on their memory, judgment and objectivity. When able to achieve emotional stability, they can be dependable and reliable friends. These individuals who use concealment and revelation alternately, as weapons or as ploys to get their way, must come to realize the childishness and nonproductivity of such games. Often the solution to such problems comes when they meet just one person, or a very few, who can accept them exactly as they are; through acceptance, love and trust, they can eliminate the need for hide-and-seek. Emotional immaturity may plague them until they fully accept the challenges of growing up. People who like mysteries and detective work will like these folks, and those who take the trouble to understand them will be richly rewarded. Although they do not deeply need appreciation, kudos or flattery, they do cry out for understanding. This silent call is heard only by those sensitive enough to take notice of them, on a deep level. Trust is obviously a big issue for them: their friends must be trustworthy enough to keep their secrets, and their lovers must be trusted to be faithful. These people do not easily attach their passion and affection to someone. If betrayed by a friend or lover, they may suffer emotional collapse. Characteristically, they form long-lasting relationships with those who first penetrate their shield of mystery. Those who can accept them fully revealed, continuing to like them even after they show more of themselves, will become their closest, lifelong friends and partners. They may not make the best parents or the best children. Their private nature can make intergenerational sharing difficult or impossible. There may well be a family member, however, a cousin or sibling, to whom they periodically open their hearts and with whom they share their secret worlds. Such peers are valuable role models for possible mates later in life; indeed, these people may often cast their life partners in the role of brothers and sisters. Although usually far too self-centered, secretive and unattached to sacrifice themselves for family life, they can be counted on to discharge their obligations in the daily living situation, as long as the demands placed on them are not excessive.

Those born on August 24 have the urge to untangle mysteries that capture their interest. All the dark, misunderstood or uncharted areas of human knowledge attract them. Not only students of the human condition, those born on this day often pursue objective knowledge for its own sake, whether philosophical or scientific, material or theoretical. Their never-ending quest for information and details which can help them make sense of life and enrich their world takes them far and wide. Unraveling complexity is something that comes naturally to August 24 people. Puzzles of all types, paradoxes and riddles are their forte. To say that they themselves are sometimes difficult to follow is an understatement. They can practically disappear in a labyrinth of thoughts, a maze of intricate ideas. But though those born on this day may be difficult to pin down or understand, they themselves rarely feel lost. Unfortunately, August 24 people are often unaware that they, in fact, are just as complex as the demands of their work, areas of investigation or creations; they generally see themselves as simple and direct. This can create problems for those intimately involved with them. Their family members, friends and lovers may often feel at a loss to fathom their motivations, true emotions and needs. Yet, when accused of obfuscation, complicating an issue or evading questions, August 24 people often react with bewilderment and denial. In order to uncover the truth, it is possible that an August 24 person will not only dig into books and human character, but also literally dig into the earth, peer into the woods, search the skies and plumb the depths of the seas to explore the wonders of nature. On vacation, most August 24 people like nothing better than to explore something completely new to them. Their hobbies and perhaps their careers reflect this desire for discovery. August 24 people can make good parents, so great is the interest they show in their children’s development. They must make an effort, however, to allow for the privacy and living space that every individual needs. This means that they must curb their tendency to overanalyze their children’s behavior and perhaps overstructure their lives. August 24 people would do well to simplify their own lives as much as possible, and avoid much of the endless complexity which they not only discover but so often themselves create. They must also make an effort to cause a minimum of interference in the life around them; their relationships will markedly improve if they remember to sometimes leave friends and loved ones to their own devices. People born on August 24 are blessed with a sharp and questioning mind that is at its best when untangling mysteries, uncovering the truth or making new discoveries. They don’t like to take anything at face value, and even the opinions of experts or their most trusted friends will not stop them searching through the evidence to catch what others might have missed and to discover their version of the truth.Their questioning mind makes them hard to manipulate, and people may rely heavily on them for advice and insight. Indeed, they often have a reputation for being someone whose opinion and approval others can trust. They could be said to mistrust anything or anyone that appears simple or straightforward, so strong is their belief that hidden complexities lie beneath the surface. Paradoxically, although their self-image is of being very simple and direct, what they do not realize is that they are just as complex as the subjects of their investigation, if not more so. Although they never miss the facts, they can have a tendency to miss out in their observations what is subtle or unspoken, and their accuracy and creativity would be enhanced if they learned to develop their intuition.Until the age of twenty-nine there is an emphasis in their lives on practicality and efficiency, but after the age of thirty there is a turning point when they may focus on relationships and opportunities to develop their latent creative potential. They need to take advantage of these opportunities, using sharp-witted intellectual skills and their creative potential, as these will boost their chances of success professionally and personally.Throughout their lives, intense inner forces may cause them to alternate between extremes of uncertainty and a sense of being special. If they can cultivate positive thinking, trust their deeper intuition and learn to manage worry positively, these gifted and astute discoverers, who leave no stone unturned in their quest for knowledge, have the potential to enrich the lives of others with the fruits of their observations. People born on August 24 are always interested in new people and new places, and they struggle with routine in relationships. However, when relationships are based on mutual affinity they are usually successful. The right partner will be someone who knows how to inspire trust in them, teaching them to listen to their hearts as much as their minds. People born on this day have a fascination with the world about them; as long as they don’t become self-critical, they will probably be working or thinking in some capacity for all their lives. As far as diet is concerned, people born on this day need to make sure they don’t get so absorbed in their work or studies that they forget the importance of good nutrition. They also need to exercise regularly, preferably in the outdoors, so they get all the mood-boost-ing benefits of sunshine. Hypochondria can be a real concern, so it is important that they don’t get overly concerned about their health and maintain a relaxed attitude. It is recommended that they spend more time with family and friends, and have more fun. Wearing, meditating on and surrounding themselves with the color orange will encourage them to love life as much as they love studying it. These people are naturally drawn to the arts, music, painting, writing, and music, but they are also gifted and astute psychologists, therapists and commentators on human behavior and all aspects of the natural world. Other career choices that might appeal include education, lecturing, commerce, research, science, health care, and real estate. The life path of people born on this day is to learn to observe less and feel more. Once they have balanced their urge for discovery with their psychological need to get involved, their destiny is to inform, enlighten and enrich the lives of others with their surprising and insightful observations. People born specifically on the 24th of August are destined to possess a charming and sociable temperament but more tactful and diplomatic than other Virgo's. The ruling astrological planet allocated for this particular day is Venus making you refined with a love of anything beautiful and an enjoyment of sharing. If you have this birthday a practical self sufficient outside hides a quite fragile and dependant inside. You are usually rather agreeable, great at compromise and tend to do all you can to avoid an argument. Naturally friendly, helpful and considerate you are likely to have good manners and although you will brood for a while on a problem you will then attempt to solve it. Individuals with an August the twenty fourth birthday are generous and creative but may have a slight lack of confidence too. Your cool yet sensitive emotions can sometimes make you appear a tad detached and cloak your strong cravings for acceptance, attention, warmth and affection. Suitable career choices can be difficult to find to a person born on the twenty fourth of August. This is often a result of not having enough faith in your abilities so you could require advice and encouragement from others to help you decide. Your practicality, friendliness and creativity are useful assets in any workplace or chosen profession. Despite your desire for generosity it is rare for you to try and live beyond your means financially. You are ordinarily cautiously careful with finances guiding you to be able to put money aside when you can for unexpected expenses and future plans. For a Virgo, the person born on the twenty fourth day of August is typically a bit of a perfectionist concerning romance with somewhat idealistic expectations of a partner. You are inclined to love very deeply but find showing it openly to loved ones hard so it can often take time to contemplate entering into a long term commitment. An intellectual rapport and shared memories and interests with someone special who you felt strongly destined to meet help you form a close emotional bond. Once settled in a soul mate relationship it will commonly become top of your list of priorities and your amenable nature and dislike of disagreements helps keep a loving partnership harmonious. Your hidden passions come alive in the bedroom where you are likely to be flirtatious and playful in addition to being aroused by slow seduction in romantic atmospheres. The usual healthy constitution experienced by those born on August 24th is usually kept fairly consistent by your bodily vigilance. You are prone to be a touch overly concerned with healthiness with tendencies to monitor yourself a bit too much or overreact to minor symptoms. Your great concern for your health guides you to ordinarily eat healthily and take regular exercise. People born on this day may take excellent care of themselves but should remember to not let problems build and never slack on sleeping hours. Getting adequate sleep is especially important for your physical and mental well being. Your main strengths of character are probably recognized within your charm, tact and diplomacy as these qualities compliment your fondness to share. Your observant, investigative manner and proclivity for thoroughness are secondary fortes reflected in your approach allowing you a clear detailed view of everything around you. The personality weaknesses for those born on August 24th occur in many instances if you let yourself become overtired. These negative characteristics can cause you to be occasionally analytical or critical in your judgments, cold emotionally or susceptible to grumpiness. Being born on the 24th of August makes you as a rule slightly unconfident regarding the setting and achievement of goals. You may need to build plenty of belief in your abilities and a boost to your morale before you feel ready to tackle any sort of challenge. Once you commence a worthwhile aim if you run into difficulties you are prepared to find workarounds and solutions to help you achieve an objective. Your dreams are often focused on your striving to be and feel accepted and loved as in these favorable circumstances your selfconfidence soars and there is not much you cannot accomplish. As you were born on the twenty fourth day of the month the two and four in your birth date equate to a Root number of Six. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Social' highlighting your usual affable, warm consideration for others and emotional dependence. In the Major Arcana Tarot deck the 6th mystic card illustrating the Lovers is associated with your birthday. This represents your desires for perfection, harmony, reassurance and closeness. The lucky gemstone for August the twenty fourth birthdays is Turquoise, wear it for the promise of calmness and the absorption of negativity. Astrologically, the planet Mercury is believed the primary influence on the probabilities of Virgo personalities. The actual day you were born on, the twenty fourth of August, is governed over by the celestial body Venus's authority. Therefore these 2 planets and their combined influences are thought to determine the originality of your thinking and methods of doing things. Your charismatic refinement, thoughtfulness, flexibility and pleasant mannerisms are a useful blend of virtues that can help you get your own way. Your giving spirit and sensitivity emotionally should greatly assist you to gain the approval and endearment you generally crave. If you can manage to get adequate rest it could prevent your occasional moody criticism and coldness. An ending thought for people born on August the 24th is to try and remember that your observations are not always welcomed or appreciated on every occasion.

#40. Rob Raco (Birthday: Nov. 26, 1989 – The Day Of Distinctive Manner; Personality Period: Sagittarius I – Nov. 25 to Dec. 2 – The Week Of Independence; Place Of Birth: Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

Those born during the Week of Independence are hard to control. In many ways the most independent people of the year, they must feel free to act on their impulses and intuition. People who try to exercise power over them in personal relationships are in for a rough ride. When these people respect their spouse or living partner, they will cooperate, sharing their feelings and dividing the chores. When they feel that their respect has not been earned, though, or when it is lost, expect constant conflict and strife. Honor and trust are high on their list of priorities; without these, they feel, life ceases to have meaning and reverts to the law of the jungle. These individuals have a thing about fairness, expecting it not only of themselves but of others, too. Their nurturing side is particularly evident in their relations with animals, small children and the less fortunate members of society; they simply will not tolerate mistreatment of the dependent or helpless in their presence. They often act impulsively to protect the defenseless, without a thought for their own safety. They try to project an air of self-assurance and confidence, but behind this facade there often lurks a sensitive and even insecure individual. This becomes quickly evident when they are put under stress, either through negative criticism or through some challenge to their character. In such situations they can easily and instantaneously fly off the handle, drowning those around them with their anger. Those alert enough to see the storm clouds gathering will try to avoid unleashing their emotional thunderbolts. These people have enormous willpower. Their loyalty is a matter not only of principle or of emotion but of stubbornness; sticking to their guns is a character trait. In fact, they very often get their way, simply because they allow no other possibility. Anyone deeply involved with them is likely to know their highly competitive nature since they feel winning is essential. Learning to submit, and to accept defeat graciously, is not usually possible for these dynamic individuals. Those few who do learn this lesson may have succeeded in meeting their greatest challenge, and thereby gain a high degree of maturity. At times they can be unreasonable, but they are usually open to discussion. Actually, these quick, witty individuals thoroughly enjoy verbal repartee and debate. This can become a problem if they reach a subject that sticks in their craw, when they can easily become contentious and argumentative. Friends know what subjects to avoid and how to smooth over rough spots through playfulness, but those meeting them for the first time are sometimes taken aback by their forthrightness and their at times outrageous observations and proposals. Many have a greater need to give than to receive. Their generosity is directly related to their feelings of self-worth and self-esteem, for they have a need to see themselves as caring rather than needy people. There are also those who are not at all bashful about stating their demands, and who will not object to being served by others. Both character types, however, will often occupy an indispensable position in their family: shouldering substantial responsibilities, but on their own terms, is extremely important to them. They generally have only one or two people—whether friend, mate, co-worker or family member—with whom they feel close enough to share their innermost thoughts. The bond between these people and their parents or their children is extremely deep, and may be considered a true friendship. Such soulmates know them as highly ethical individuals who value integrity and character more than anything else, except, perhaps, their freedom.  If they feel betrayed by a family member or close friend they can go through untold agonies of evaluation, judgment or rejection. In these struggles, assessing the intentions of the person in question is usually of great importance. Those who want to spend time with them usually have to be able to keep up: their friends and lovers must share the fast pace they set, whether in sports, travel, work or hobbies. A special person for them, however, may also be someone who sticks close to home or place of business. They have an acute need for stability; an individual who is always there to return to may prove to be the anchor in their lives. Although most would be capable of living alone, and in fact are well suited to it, they will generally make a firm decision to be a person’s spouse or living partner and then continue in that role, even if they outgrow the need for it. Those born during the Week of Independence are ardent and unconstrained in their emotional expression, particularly in the sexual arena. They make the intensity of their energy fully apparent to their partners, who will remember vividly the full-bodied encounters in which these types engage. They take pride in their sexual desirability or prowess, often exhibiting quiet confidence in their ability to satisfy their partners. They are extremely giving of their feelings but demand a great deal in return.

Those born on November 26 display a peculiarly distinctive manner when doing most things. Hardly cut from a standard mold, those born on this day stand apart from their fellow human beings. Their ideas tend toward the philosophical and expansive, but at the same time manifest a markedly pragmatic, down-to-earth streak. Highly focused on accomplishment and achievement, November 26 people nonetheless view their own creative work or personal development as being more important than all the honors and rewards the world has to offer. Some born on this day even come to see living itself as a creative endeavor, and thus deeply value the wealth of everyday experience. Yet at the same time their minds soar with the most fanciful and romantic of ideas. Since it is impossible for November 26 people to give up either the practical or the imaginative sides of their personality, they must attempt a synthesis of the two. This seeming contradiction can occupy a great part of their energy for many years, but if they can find a way to reconcile these sides there is no end to the accomplishments they are capable of achieving. Usually the key to this synthesis is life experience, but until this synthesis occurs those born on this day may find themselves swinging back and forth every few years from basically logical, pragmatic endeavors to more fanciful ones. A measure of success may be achieved on either side of the spectrum, but a vaguely dissatisfied feeling that part of their potential is being wasted will persist. For November 26 people, relationships with lovers can be problematical, primarily because their individualism and love of freedom often outweighs their need for a permanent mate. Many born on November 26 are alternately ardent and cool, unable or unwilling to make a lasting commitment. Usually they value friends of the same sex more highly than lovers, and are not only more faithful to these friends but also capable of greater intimacy with them as well. Ultimately, however, they themselves are usually the ones who do the rejecting in relationships, sometimes out of a kind of “first strike” mentality where they sense rejection coming and act on impulse. Thus they can be dangerous people with whom to be involved. Needless to say, November 26 people can be reticent about marriage or taking on the responsibilities of children. Those who choose to remain single may be unhappy from time to time going through life on their own, but feel that this is better than getting tied down in an unalterably permanent situation. This type of November 26 person likes to flaunt his/her individuality, and finds it difficult when social mores become too oppressive. Yet at the same time, emotionally committed or not, most November 26 people move well in society, once they figure out what it is they really want to do and integrate the disparate elements of their personalities. The free-thinking individuals born on November 26 would appear to have the world at their feet. Not only are they charismatic and intelligent, they are also creative, multi-talented and capable of excelling in just about any profession they choose.Despite their incredible versatility, they may have felt from an early age that they were somehow different or removed from their fellow human begins. Part of the problem is that because they have so many talents and such an inquisitive mind, too many paths are open to them so choosing one becomes a daunting task. They may also struggle to reconcile their practical, logical orientation with the part of them that is highly creative and imaginative. At various points in their life they will lurch between these two extremes, but happiness and fulfillment can only be found when they are able to balance the two.As success-orientated people, when they are not working toward a goal they can feel restless and unsatisfied, so the sooner they decide on a path in life and set themselves targets to achieve the better. If they don’t do this, indecision, anxiety and uncertainty will submerge their huge potential.Up to the age of twenty-five there may be a lot of experimentation regard ing their career, as they focus on adventure, creativity and opportunity; but after the age of twenty-six they start to become more practical, goal orientated and realistic in their aims. This is a positive development, as long as they make sure they don’t lose touch with their imagination and creative fire. Another turning point occurs at the age of fifty-six when expressing their individuality takes center stage. Hopefully, however, they will have realized far earlier in life that the key to their success is to celebrate and make full use of their uniqueness rather than try to hide it. They have been right all along; there is and never will be anybody quite like them with their unique talents, original perspective, and courage and determination to prove everyone wrong by achieving their fantastic aims. When it comes to affairs of the heart, people born on November 26 can have problems because they like their own company and are unwilling to sacrifice their freedom. They are capable of forming close relationships but these tend to be with their friends rather than lovers. But when they do find someone who captures their heart, they have it within them to make dutiful and devoted partners. People born on this day tend to be vigorous and athletic, and they rarely suffer long from illnesses. They can, however, over-indulge in food and drink from time to time, and they may also be prone to accidents and injuries resulting from sports or risky activities. From a psychological perspective, the biggest risk to their emotional health is their tendency to withdraw or to isolate themselves from others, and making an effort to stay in touch with friends and family will benefit them enormously. As far as diet is concerned, they need to increase their intake of vegetables and fruit to boost their digestion. Moderate to vigorous exercise is recommended to help keep their weight down and their immune system strong. Wearing, meditating on or surrounding themselves with the color orange will encourage them to be warmer and more spontaneous when in the company of others. People born on this day have a meticulous approach to their work and will excel in careers that are research-based. Possible work options include education, philosophy, writing, engineering, IT, and the world of video game creation and toy manufacturing or design. The life path of people born on this day is to find a way to reconcile the disparate parts of their personality by looking within themselves. Once they are more balanced in their outlook and approach, their destiny is to make an outstanding contribution to humanity. People born specifically on the 26th of November are presumed to be practical, charming and capable with the Sagittarian typicalities of a level head and heaps of optimism. The ruling astrological planet for this particular day is Saturn making you likely to be very hard working and determined with a restless enthusiasm for travel. If you have this birthday your warmhearted independent spirit usually has high standards and although prone to blow hot and cold emotionally you are predicted to be a great listener. Quite focused, honest, thoughtful and pleasant you will also be fairly sociable despite a touch of modest shyness. Individuals with a November the twenty sixth birthday are naturally creative with a love of natural landscapes but they can stubbornly insist on doing everything their own way. You may be more realistic, cautious and patient than other Archer's but you tend to be a bit more nervous and easily stressed too. You are inclined to be highly persuasive yet sometimes too blunt and critical. Preferred career choice is usually an easy straightforward decision to a person born on the twenty sixth of November. Your likelihood for possessing lots of academic talent means you will always be striving to increase your wisdom therefore any job that involves this will be a popular preference. An occupation involving regular travelling is likely to be a secondary suitable option. Your strong practicality, focus and determination are useful assets for this and any other sort of work. Financially you should fare well as you are aim to be disciplined with money, effective at budgeting and unlikely to borrow rather than save for large purchases. For a Sagittarius, the person born on the twenty sixth day of November is typically deeply loving, trusting and emotive concerning affairs of the heart. Passionate and demonstrative you need a supportive expressive partner who will happily put an equal amount of time and devotion into your love partnership. Someone special who is busy and lively with similar interests and lets you have your freedom without getting jealous or bored is ideal. Quicker and more willing to settle down in a long term relationship than others in your zodiac group, you are normally wonderfully loyal, frank and committed to a soul mate, regarding them as your best friend. Your responsible tolerant temperament has plenty of patience and a passion for romance helping make relationships happy and successful. Even though you may prefer to take the lead you also crave harmony so you will rarely be overly suspicious or argumentative. Great discipline and care of their physical and mental energies can usually help improve the general well being experienced by those born on November 26th. Your overall health state is often strongly linked to and affected by your level of happiness. Balanced periods of regular exercise and relaxation are especially good for maintaining vitality and keeping stress to a minimum. Your lower back, legs and knees could be weak points in an otherwise generally robust constitution. People born on this day should consider keeping diet varied and interesting if they wish to avoid slipping into bad eating habits that can greatly impact on usual healthiness. Your main strengths of character are displayed in your free-spirited calm, charm and dependability, perfectly complementing your warm heart and independence. Other positives are seen in your mix of realism, caution and honesty helping you differentiate between favorable and unfavorable paths. The personality weaknesses for those born on November 26th are usually prompted by an upset or misfortune as well as simply not getting your own way. These specific instances can activate your pronenesses for stubborn bluntness and criticism. Along with this expected negative cooling of your emotions you will commonly act in an indecisive and inconsistent manner. Being born on the 26th of November means you are likely to utilize lots of your common sense and efficiency in addition to working really hard in order to realize a desired goal. In spite of mainly achievable ambitions in your professional life you also have a tendency to occasionally have a few unrealistic aspirations too. Dreams appear to be mostly concentrated on those you love and the fulfilling of your personal wishes for stability and yearnings for contentment. As you were born on the twenty sixth day of the month the two and six in your birth date add up to a Root number of Eight. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Leader' relating to your enhanced persuasiveness and ability to gently guide and motivate others. In the mystical Major Arcana Tarot deck the 8th card depicting Courage is often associated with your birthday. This possibly reflects your sense of responsibility and predilections for order and balance. The luckiest gemstone for November the twenty sixth birthdays is a Black Pearl, wear one for a possible increase in intuition and wealth plus the blocking of negativity. Astrologically the planet Jupiter's dominance is conjectured to be a major influence on the probabilities of all Sagittarius personalities. The actual day you were born on, the twenty sixth of November is governed by Saturn's power changing some of your anticipated representative traits. Your predicted competence, positivism and attentive listening enhance your pleasantness and maturity. Your talent for creativity and love of the beauty of nature make any journeys you take have the prospect of being an amazing experience. If you are able to conquer overreactions to distress, disturbance or mishap you should become calmer and nicer than usual. A concluding advisory thought for people born on November the 26th is to follow your heart to your destiny and try to make a bit more effort into getting along well with others.

#41. Tommy Martinez (Birthday: Mar. 20, 1992 – The Day Of The Labyrinth; Personality Period: Pisces-Aries Cusp – Mar. 19 to Mar. 24 – The Cusp Of Rebirth/Renewal; Place Of Birth: Venezuela)

Those born during the Week of Renewal are unusually direct in their approach to life, and their outspokenness can make them alternately admired or misunderstood. These are basic, elemental individuals. The puzzling thing about them is that although they themselves think that they see things in a simple and unclouded way, those who know them well often describe them as unrealistic dreamers, unable to get a handle on the harsh realities of the world. They outwardly present a dynamic directness that often belies a sensitive, emotionally complex, even troubled inner life. Thus they are doers as well as dreamers and have a no-nonsense, “what you see is what you get” attitude that actually tells only part of the story. Misunderstandings about them abound. Out of the purest motives possible, for example, they may make a generous offer, perhaps of time or money. Yet before you know it, they are being accused of acting holier-than-thou, or of behaving condescendingly when those on the receiving end feel resentment. Meanwhile, they feel bewildered and hurt. Such scenarios are not uncommon in their lives. As a matter of fact, the more simply and directly they behave, the more others misread their intentions. This directness inevitably arouses antagonism. However, those who are unwise enough to oppose them directly will quickly regret it. In addition, because of their quickness in grasping concepts and, often, in implementing their intuitive hunches, they may encounter resistance from those who move more slowly. Such a response has little effect on them, only arousing their impatience. Thus, particularly in group endeavors they must learn to curb their impetuosity, to listen to the often helpful suggestions of others, to slow their tempo and come into synch with the group rhythm. Ultimately, they must learn to weigh alternatives carefully before speaking or acting. Once they accomplish this, their logic can be remarkably persuasive and their thoroughness compelling. Although their effect on people should teach them that something about their own behavior is amiss, they generally refuse to change. They cannot really see any fault in what they do since, in their view, they are acting out of pure intentions. In the end, they often do get their way, whether by forging ahead without letup or by just sticking to their guns until the other party gives in Dealing with failure can be particularly difficult. Since outright failure is not really in their vocabulary, when confronted with unavoidable defeat they are often baffled and bewildered. But their defense mechanisms in this respect are superb, and they are often spared defeat simply by their refusal to recognize it. They are not usually so unrealistic as to mistake losing for winning, but they do often view losing as just a partial setback on the way to a victory only temporarily postponed. Others can learn, however, how to deal with them successfully. One of the main rules is not to dig too deeply into their motives or to urge them to explain themselves. Another is not to try to analyze their personalities, or even to push them toward self-analysis. Yet those who use example rather than precept in encouraging them gently to be more objective about themselves can meet with success. This is not to say that they can’t learn from their own mistakes, simply that they must from time to time be encouraged to do so. Another, even simpler route to getting along with them is just to do what they say, at least for the time being. If you can come up with a better idea later, they will be prepared to listen, but rarely if ever in their first burst of enthusiasm. It is important to recognize how important impulses, hunches, and first actions are to these individuals. Blunting or negating their intuitions with advice and alternative suggestions can easily alienate them forever. Rarely, however, will anyone succeed in breaking their spirit or damping their forward movement for long. In relationships, they can be faithful partners, although their faithfulness may be more emotional than literal. They can love deeply and passionately, in other words, giving a great deal of attention to their love object, but at the same time they are not always monogamous; their intuitive, fiery side is always vulnerable to some exciting new prospect that suddenly appears. Their partner is generally the one expected to play the more stable, long-suffering role. Not that they themselves demand monogamy from their mate; actually, in many cases, a relationship that is more open on both sides suits them better, since it allays any guilt they might feel about their own indiscretions. Those born during the Week of Renewal generally function better as parents than they did as children, feeling more loyalty and responsibility to their offspring than they did to their elders when they were younger. Family can have surprisingly strong meaning for these highly independent souls, but family in the larger sense, including friends and associates as well as kin.

March 20 is a highly symbolic day, when considered as the last day of winter and the end of the astrological year. People born on this day possess certain unusual gifts as well as special problems. For example, they are in many ways the most highly evolved creatures of the year, when the zodiac is considered as a map of the evolution of the human being. On the other hand, they may find it difficult to start certain important endeavors and to leave the past behind. It can take them a very long time to make crucial decisions, particularly those involving big changes in their lives. The expansive qualities and sometimes unfounded optimism of March 20 people can land them in hot water. While their dreaminess lends them magnetic charm, it also makes them prone to unreality in their outlook. However, if those born on this day manage to find their true calling and life partner they will be protected from much that can go wrong. March 20 talents are generally both numerous and diverse. Therefore those born on this day may flounder for a while, fishing around for the right path to take. They can also be overly influenced by those in higher positions and somewhat inclined toward hero worship, often at the expense of their own ego. Their romanticism, a product of a vivid imagination, can perhaps lead them astray in this respect. By overvaluing the one they worship they tend to unconsciously undervalue themselves. This can lead to a lack of self-confidence of which they themselves may be unaware. March 20 people must also beware of falling into depressions, which no amount of admiration (either for others or from others) will help. On the other hand, solid friends and loved ones who can keep them on track are of great importance. Ultimately, working toward greater self-assertiveness is the key to March 20 people avoiding these states. Those born on this day are often drawn to psychic phenomena. They may have great talents in this area, but should be extremely careful not to let themselves go overboard. Such excesses could lead to an abandonment of reality which would be devastating not only to themselves but also to loved ones. If they can put these talents to use in moderation, they will achieve success in life. Sensitivity to music and art are pronounced in March 20 people who may be particularly drawn to vocal expression. Singing, for example, can make an excellent hobby or even profession for those with musical talent. Attention to the feelings of others makes those born on this day fine interpreters of their fellow human beings’ work but also good counselors to whom people come to seek advice. In this they should remain objective if possible, for their opinion carries weight and tends to impact heavily on clients, co-workers or friends. People born on March 20 were born on the last day of the Zodiac wheel, and in many ways they are the most insightful and fully evolved individuals of the year. They possess such a wealth of gifts that it is hard to pinpoint one, but underneath their versatility lies their great compassion for others, a gift that can bring them great rewards, but at a price.Those born on this day can feel overwhelmed by their feelings for others and therefore prone to depression and feelings of helplessness. They are also natural optimists, believing in the basic goodness of people, with a talent for boosting morale and getting people to work together. The danger for these people is that they can become confused to the point of indecision when they empathize too strongly with others’ emotions.Although they should never repress their sensitivity—it is one of the greatest assets—they should strive to become emotionally stronger. Until the age of thirty, if they don’t learn to protect themselves, others will sometimes try to take advantage of their vulnerability and generosity. After thirty-one they have the potential for greater emotional stability; this is when they become more effective instruments for good. After the age of sixty-one they are more interested in communication and the exchange of ideas.There is a deep longing within these people to make the world a better place. There may be many changes of direction as they experiment with different roles, and their experiences will help them discover who they really are and what they really want from their lives. Once they do settle on a goal, often to improve the lives of others in some way, they will achieve their dreams because they are both practical and idealistic. They will also find that the older they get, the more confident they become. In their later years they will draw on their rich experience of life to become a wise elder with a wealth of invaluable advice to offer the next generation. People born on March 20 can have problems distinguishing between loyalty and love and they may as a result stay in a passionless relationship out of a sense of duty. This reveals the maturity and strength of their character, but they do need to remember that their first responsibility should be to their own happiness. They should ask themselves who is really benefiting if they remain in a place from which love has departed. People born on this day tend to live in their head and to neglect their physical needs, so it is important for them to place more emphasis on the physical. They should make sure they eat a healthy diet rich in nutritious and tasty whole foods, fruits and vegetables and, instead of bolting down their food with their minds on something else, take the time to really taste the subtle flavors and amazing textures that all good foods possess. Moderate to mild exercise, preferably outdoors so they get plenty of sunshine and fresh air, is also recommended. Wearing, meditating on or surrounding themselves with the color blue will help them stay cool when all those around them are losing their heads. These people often make excellent counselors, psychologists, advisors, consultants, managers, coaches, diplomats, and teachers. Their sensitivity for what is going on around them may also find expression in the world of art, music, drama, writing, and dance as well as photography, design and moviemaking. They also excel in any career which involves dealing with the public. The life path of people born on this day is to find out what they really want. Once they know in which direction they should be heading, their destiny is to help others overcome challenges and reach their full potential. People born specifically on the 20th of March are believed to be intensively creative and cooperative and much more independent than other Piscean fish. The astrological planet that rules this particular day marking the end of the Pisces zodiac group on the cusp of Aries is the Moon. If you have this birthday your optimism is generally high and you are bestowed with numerous talents and a purposeful practicality. Intuitive and compassionate you seem to naturally sense when others need your help or advice. You are full of fun and charm and will be spontaneous when you are allowed to be, but you can also sometimes be restless due to your independence and love of variety. Friendly, imaginative and sensitive you have a fairly well balanced view of the world and will get along with almost everyone. Individuals with a March the twentieth birthday are usually quite idealistic yet realistic, they are flexible and able to compromise easily. Ideal work choices to a person born on the twentieth of March are those that allow you to utilize your natural creativity. You are multi talented with a strong attunement to other people's feelings and seek occupations where your best attributes can be helpful. Finances are important if you have this particular birth date but you tend to not have much interest towards careful money budgeting. Your spontaneity often encourages you to live for the moment resulting in careless management of personal finances. You appear to fare better when a partner agrees to take care of financial responsibilities. As a Pisces, the person born on the twentieth day of March is typically a tad shy and unconfident concerning romance. You are also untypically keen to take the lead when it comes to love and intimacy. On the surface your self-contradictory mix of considerate and insensitive can come across as complex but underneath lies a fragile heart that craves and affection and emotional unity. You are deeply loving, attentive and passionate with a soul mate that you both trust and respect. With all your imagination and sensitivity you are a true romantic and will ordinarily expect love to last forever. In a long term relationship you can be immensely supportive and totally devoted but soon disappointed if a partner does not live up to your standards and expectations. If a loving partnership hits troubles you will find it extremely difficult to walk away. Health complications experienced by those born on March 20th are sometimes a consequence of deficiencies in your food or fluid intake. You usually require lots of protein and calcium in your diet as muscles and bones are likely to be weak areas physically. Drinking the recommended daily amount of water is in addition especially essential for your overall healthiness. You are prone to soon become dehydrated and could suffer from fluctuations in energy if you do not drink enough. Light to moderate exercise could be beneficial for your skin and healthy in keeping your mood light and optimistic. The most noticeable strengths in your character are probably within your logical, versatile and receptive nature. This purpose driven set of qualities make you a go-getter with flexibility whose cooperation with others gets you far in life. The main personality weakness for those born on March 20th highlights the paradoxical side to your temperament. Uncertainty of yourself and your abilities can prompt you to be once in a while unrealistic with ideas and thoughts, indifferent or indecisive. These negative tendencies show up more frequently when you are feeling insecure, tired or over anxious. Being born on the 20th of March gives you a longing to be different and a passion to do something worthwhile. This perspective is usually what you base your life plans on and arms you with the drive you need to pursue your objectives. Goal setting is something that you do on a regular basis for use in fulfilling professional and private hopes and ambitions. Your vivid dreams can every now and then be a distraction from planned courses of action as you commonly take note of their possible meanings. Guided by a blend of your dreaming and desired aims you strive to be levelheaded and in control of your destiny. As you were born on the twentieth day of the month your birth date equalizes to a Root number of Two. This numerical reference to your birthday has the associated keyword 'Harmony' highlighting your cooperativeness and need for balance in your life. In Tarot the 20th card in the Major Arcana symbolizing Judgment is closely linked to your birthday. This identifies your perceptiveness, versatility and logic. The gem considered luckiest for March the twentieth birthdays is imagined to be a Pearl. Wearing this precious stone can enhance memory, induce calm and attract love and prosperity. The celestial body Neptune is astrologically the most influential authority involved in the formation of Piscean personalities. The actual day you were born on, the twentieth of March is cosmically ruled by the Moon creating your high sensitivity and receptiveness. The joint influences of these 2 planets are the determinants responsible for your original disposition. Your cheery attitude and helpfulness make you a great friend to have around. Your fine combination of artistic and practical comes in very useful. The impulsiveness you possess sways you to follow your natural instincts and be in the right places at times to take advantage of opportunities. Build self confidence and believe in your skills and you can go further than you expect. A final thought meaningful to people born on March the 20th is to always try to remain calm and fully in touch with your senses.

#42. Zoe De Grand Maison (Birthday: May 3, 1995 – The Day Of The Social Realist; Personality Period: Taurus II – May 3 to May 10 – The Week Of The Teacher; Place Of Birth: Montreal, Quebec, Canada)

Those born during the Week of the Teacher are mainly involved in the development of ideas and techniques. No matter what their vocation or avocation, they have a message to share. Verbalizing their ideas and observations, generating discussion, and leading by example are all favorite activities of theirs. It can be said that they have a calling for imparting information and, more importantly, presenting it in a manner that others can understand. It is not surprising that they have a strong need for teacher-student–type interactions. They intuitively sense that teacher and student are two sides of the same coin, and that this coin is one they wish to invest in their future. They generally do well enough at school, but fare best as students or teachers in one-on-one learning or small group situations such as in dance, music, sports and the visual arts. For them, being a good student is the first step toward becoming a good teacher. They also know the value of learning on one’s own and, instead of binding students to them, will encourage them to teach themselves. They are movers and shakers, and, since they rarely deal with flighty or superficial topics, they are capable of influencing others. Part of the key to this lies in the fact that they live so much of their lives in the realm of ideas, of ideologies. Excellent entrepreneurs, they can set up both businesses and families without an excessive need to dominate or impose an inflexible structure on those with whom they live and work. They do, however, often establish lines that should not be crossed. These people are very interested in the living conditions of those around them, and particularly in social groups that are foreign to them. How and where others live, work, play, eat, worship, vote and exercise has enormous fascination for these people, who also tend side with the underdog and to feel all forms of unfairness and discrimination keenly. Not surprisingly, interracial or cross-cultural relationships are common. Similarly, older Week of the Teacher folks may be attracted to younger people and younger ones to those much older than themselves. The moral stance of the these individuals is usually strong, even unyielding. They have firm ideas about right and wrong, which they do not hesitate to express. Although you probably wouldn’t call them straitlaced, they may exhibit prudish or even puritanical tendencies, particularly when young. And such early tendencies, even though outgrown, may surface in times of stress when they are adults, much to the surprise of those who know them as free-thinkers. The area in which the ethical orientation of these people is most unequivocal is their insistence on fairness. One might say, in fact, that they are obsessed with injustice, prejudice and discrimination in all forms. Their reaction to any form of racism is scathing, uncompromising and immediate. Actually, anger may erupt suddenly in almost any area of their lives, and they must learn how to handle their upset feelings in healthy ways without suppressing them. Physical activity, whether sports, dance, music, or fitness training, comes naturally to these folks, yet they do not convey the impression of being earthy, sensuous types. They generally create a strong first impression, and make a heavy impact on their environment, but this may be due more to their mental qualities than to their physical ones. Even those of a small or average body type often project an image far greater than their actual size on first meeting. Although excellent bosses, parents and teachers, they are not always the easiest people to be involved with day-to-day as mate, lover or friend. Demanding and critical, they make their dislikes known sharply and incisively, often alienating or insulting those of a softer or more sensitive disposition. Their insistence that people be hard and tough, able to take the truth in a straight dose, is not everyone’s cup of tea. When they become happier and more comfortable with themselves, and as they grow older, many of their critical characteristics will mellow or even disappear. With their love of beauty and their great charm and personal magnetism, these individuals often have a host of admirers. They are not really comfortable with a great deal of attention, however, and do not like finding themselves imprisoned in a social circle of their own making. At such times they have little choice but to withdraw into a more isolated existence. The more successful of them therefore learn to control their own attractive powers and to create fewer problems for themselves. Those who relate best to those born during the Week of the Teacher in personal relationships are those who understand their need to be left alone rather than being fussed over or spoiled. These folks prefer their mates to show their enthusiasm for the relationship simply by upholding their share of it rather than by displays of gratitude or affection. In intimate situations, they can be extremely passionate, but in their everyday routine they insist on a certain distance. They prefer romance to sentimentality, but like a realistic and frank approach to love and sex even better. They do not generally react well to others’ requests for attention or affection, even when those others are intimates; anything that looks like pleading or begging usually turns them off completely. They like their partners to be strong and dignified above all.

Those born on May 3 have much to teach others about the workings of society. They not only display an insight into group psychology but also have the ability to assume leadership or be a spokesperson. They have a voice that is heard above the crowd, whether speaking or writing. Moreover, they have a talent for charming and entertaining, using very sophisticated techniques to keep their audiences interested in them. They know how to use emotion as well as logic to this end. May 3 people are pragmatic realists whose wit strikes hard and deep. As family members they may be depended on in times of trouble to make important decisions or give much-needed advice. Hard-headed, practical thinkers, they will rarely be caught heading off in flights of fancy. With their feet on the ground, they seek the most effective way of solving problems. May 3 people also have a knack for making people laugh, coming up with the most comic comparisons and clever comments. This greatly enhances their prestige within any group. They can, however, go too far and indulge in biting satire or sarcasm which sometimes lands them in trouble. May 3 people make very valuable counselors, mediators and arbitrators. Their commercial insight is very sharp regarding consumer motivation and psychology, hence they also perform well as marketing analysts and business managers. In private life, May 3 people must be careful of making too many demands on their spouses and children. When single, they paradoxically may be too passive in their relationships, perhaps postponing the decisive action needed to insure success in love. Moreover, less highly evolved individuals born on this day are also capable of coupling this kind of indecisiveness with an inability to sense the right moment at which to make financial or business decisions, a fatal combination May 3 people must remember to invest enough of their energy in maintaining close friendships. Those born on this day will make good friends if their human understanding and insights concerning the workings of society extend to the personal level. They must never forget the importance of simple daily acts of kindness. An ever-present danger for May 3 people is that they will be taken up with big ideas and social schemes, but forget to tend to their own nest. The true challenge to them comes not in their career, but in the everyday events of life. Here they will either pass or fail according to their very own social precepts regarding others. May 3 people have a tremendous amount to teach in the social sphere; the question is, can they benefit from their own knowledge? People born on May 3 are not just well-organized; they are spectacularly efficient. Their houses and offices are often tidy, and their natural charm and politeness earn them many friends and admirers.The lives of these people reflect their efficient approach; they are often the ones others count on to keep things running smoothly, both at home and at work. Slow but steady improvements are a feature of their lives rather than sudden changes of fortune. In their teenage years they may feel restricted in some way but any setbacks they experience pave the way for two good things: determination and patience. As long as they keep pushing steadily forward, life will reward them with success and happiness.Between the ages of eighteen and forty-eight there will be a big need to communicate; this can be an extremely positive time for them if they allow their natural potential to blossom and don’t smother it with routine or fear of change. After the age of forty-nine they will feel an increased need for emotional security. Again this can be extremely positive if they accept the fact that feelings can’t be categorized and controlled.Stubborn and strong willed, these people may find themselves in conflict with less systematic individuals. They may judge people and situations harshly and they need to avoid becoming rigid, negative or demanding in their objectivity. They also have a tendency to worry too much and work too hard to prove themselves or their ability. Fortunately, they are perceptive individuals and their lives will improve if they can occasionally take an honest look at themselves, their behavior and the effect they have on others.Above all, people born on this day are valued by others for their rare gift of objective insight and their ability to organize and lead with spectacular efficiency. They have much to teach others and as long as they remember to curb their tendency to detach emotionally—especially when it comes to those closest to them—and to listen to their heart as well as their head, they have the potential to make their big dreams of reform and progress a reality. Others are attracted to people born on May 3 for the pleasantness they create but they can have great difficulty committing themselves to one person; this is a result of their tendency to judge with their head rather than their heart. When they do fall in love, however, they fall deeply, and give their heart and soul. They are attracted to individuals whom they can mold or organize but will feel happier with someone who can encourage them to unwind. People born on this day are worriers and it is important for them to find ways to manage their negativity. There is also a hedonistic side to their nature and they need to avoid going to extremes when it comes to diet. Overeating could be a problem, as could their number of sexual partners. They should eat a healthy, balanced diet and avoid any kind of excess, especially when it comes to sugar, saturated fat and alcohol. Exercise will also be extremely beneficial; solitary pursuits such as jogging, cycling and hiking will appeal, particularly when they find themselves trapped in a vicious circle of worry. A physical routine that soothes their mind as well as their body, such as yoga, will work wonders. Carrying a small titanium quartz crystal will help them pull themselves together when they feel “all over the place.” These people have the necessary emotional detachment to become excellent counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists. Their ability to think coolly and logically equips them well for careers in politics and business, in particular banking, real estate and commerce. Scientific research and law may also appeal, and their affinity with nature could lead them to careers in agriculture and horticulture. Alternatively they may choose to develop their creativity in writing, interior design and decorating. The life path of people born on this day is to avoid over-analyzing relationships, as this will restrict their happiness. Once they have learned to get in touch with their feelings, their destiny is to help others maximize their strengths. People born specifically on the 3rd of May are assumed to be intelligent, forward looking and intuitive with plenty of the typical bull friendliness. Jupiter is the ruling astrological planet for this particular day influencing you to be highly articulate and determined. If you have this birthday a persistent, practical and optimistic nature is bestowed on you along with excellent communication and creative skills. You are usually responsible and compassionate with a large helping of common sense and inclined to put others before yourself. Your placidity and capable quite confident temperament also has heaps of patience. Individuals with a May the third birthday are ordinarily warmhearted, sociable and fairly approachable with a talent for having inventive and futuristic ideas. You are a free spirit who loves being outdoors and the beauty of natural things. On the negative side you can on occasion be self indulgent, inflexible or blunt. Career choices to a person born on the third of May are usually straightforward as you will have a vague idea of what kind of work you will enjoy. You are in addition likely to be inadvertently motivated towards certain professions by family members. Your high level of responsibility and articulation sees you capable of following any occupation path. You tend to consider other factors beside money when deciding on the perfect job. An instinctive affinity with numbers and your intelligence makes you normally undaunted by financial matters and so adept with finances and budgeting. For a Taurus, the person born on the third day of May is typically naturally affectionate, direct and enthusiastic about romance. You are often the most charismatic and sexually open minded of all your zodiac sign. Very witty and romantic with a warm sincere heart you can like to take the lead but are usually happiest in a relationship where both of you have equal say. Good communication is an essential requirement of yours when seeking a soul mate as you dislike arguing making it rare for you to initiate them. An emotional bond is as a rule just as important to you as a physical connection. Your touch of originality makes you a sensual, playful bedmate who gives without regard for your own needs and will put a partner first. Although you can be a bit detached emotionally, once you commit to a love partnership you are generous, protective and devoted. Vitality drops experienced by those born on May 3rd are often a consequence of a slip in your usual healthy habits. If you are working hard or have additional worries you could be prone to lapse in your everyday health routines easily disturbing the balance. Keeping your diet nutritious and your body supple is the easiest way to hold on to your looks and the spring in your step. This common sense attitude is approached best by eating healthily and finding a form of exercise that you enjoy. Long walks and stretching are two activities that you may find especially effective and enjoyable. Your main strengths of character are usually revealed in the clever charming insightfulness you seem to radiate. These pleasant and friendly mannerisms and your secondary positive forte of creativity appear to filter through into everything you do. The personality weaknesses for those born on May 3rd can often put in an appearance out of the blue as provocations are commonly difficult to pinpoint. These negative tendencies are focused on your proneness to occasional outbursts of stubborn bluntness, procrastination and self indulgence. Discovering the triggers is the key to combating these less favorable traits. Being born on the 3rd of May often makes you particularly proficient at intuitively anticipating future events. As well as this gift of perceptiveness you will also rely on your logic and these combined approaches frequently allow you to be guided in the direction of success. When an opportunity to fulfill a goal presents itself you will quickly assess and make great use of its advantages. You are likely to have many desired dreams and ambitious goals but you generally like to keep them to yourself and insist on waiting until the time feels right to attempt to realize them. As you were born on the third day of the month your birth date qualifies for a Root number of Three. This numerical reference to your birthday has the keyword 'Innovation' recognizing your abundance of persistence and optimism. The 3rd card in the Major Arcana Tarot featuring the Empress is adjoined to your birthday. This association symbolizes your intelligence and the originality of your thoughts and expressions. The lucky gem to be worn for May the third birthdays is believed to be a sparkly Amethyst. Wear it to help you make decisions, increase wealth and drive away surrounding negativity. The personalities of Taurus individuals born in either April or May are imagined to be astrologically influenced by the planet Venus. The actual day you were born on, the third of May is governed by the celestial body Jupiter's powerful authority. So the probabilities of your characteristics are decided by the joined forces of this pair of planets. Your intuition, articulation and versatility can propel you as far in life as you wish to go. Your patient delightful disposition is brimming with compassion and openness making you a fabulous person to know. If you are able to learn to be more flexible and remember to think before you speak it should turn out beneficial. A finishing thought relevant to people born on May the 3rd concerns your slight detachment of emotions. It could be to your advantage to be less hesitant or emotionally distant concerning affairs of the heart.

[treatian]

The Chronicles of the Dark One:  The Dark Curse

Chapter 42: A Very Magical Hat Trick

Blasted Cora! She never missed anything, not even when it had been decades. He had hoped that once Regina reached the King's castle, he would be able to use the mirrors as they were intended, but the witch had cast the same spell that he'd taught her once again, limiting his view. But it was of no matter. Not really. She was only supposed to be there for a short period of time before returning to their estate to make final preparations for the wedding and the move. Cora and Henry were both to come live with Regina and Leopold in the castle in only a few months, after the pair were married. According to Theseus, there were even plans to bring over the bodies in the mausoleum as Leopold was building her a very special replica to store them on his own grounds as well as a stable and an apple tree for his new bride. How very gracious of the King…

But without more of his blood Cora could not place a protection spell around the palace as she had the estate. And he hoped, more than anything, that someone would teach one of the family members his name so that he could gain access when they were back at the estate!

With all this travel, the world was full of wonderful new possibilities for getting to Regina. The future was becoming less and less of a riddle every day, or at least some parts of it were. He didn't know exactly how Prince Charming and the False Twin were one in the same and yet not. At least, he didn't know yet. But he had a spectacular idea for the mirror he'd been given as payment for that deal, and even better, he'd finally managed to track down its creator.

He'd been looking for that man ever since George had told him where he'd gotten it from. He believed in the prophecy and that things would happen as they were supposed to, but the way he saw things, it never hurt to be a little extra cautious. Having someone with the ability to turn objects into portals could be a good ally. Unfortunately, when he'd finally found him, it had been in the worst of ways.

He was dead.

But his powers had not gone to waste. The rumor was that the grandson he'd inherited in the last years of his life had been given something his grandfather had crafted, something he'd put all his abilities into before he'd died. Supposedly, it was a magical hat the boy was never without. The grandson wasn't at the funeral for the man, and trying to track him down had proved to be difficult, if not impossible. Sometimes, while trying to find him, he came up so empty-handed it was as though he did exist at all. At least not in this world. And that was enough to convince him the rumors he'd heard were true. But everyone always came home eventually, if only for a short while, and that was how he'd caught him.

Theseus was busy watching Regina so he'd employed one of his brothers to watch the house of the old man that the boy was supposedly known to return to now and again. He'd given him special instructions to summon him immediately should the boy make an appearance. He was, after all, a slippery little fish. He was difficult to catch. But one evening, he was delighted to find himself pulled away from David's pan flute lesson to the home of the old portal maker.

"He's in there," Theseus' brother informed him. For the information he held a gold coin out for the man, watched him transform, and carry it away in his foot. There was smoke rising from the chimney and candles lit inside. Indeed, the boy was home.

"I've been looking for you!" he proclaimed using magic to appear on the other side of the door. Immediately a figure by the fire stuffing something into a hatbox jumped up to look at him. "I'll take that."

A moment later, he held the hatbox in his hand and felt the magic from within radiate through his entire body. Neutral Magic, just as he'd felt with the mirror. For something so muffled it must have been an impressive piece of magic. And yet, he hadn't a clue how to work it himself. All he knew was he couldn't have the boy using the hat to run off now that he'd cornered him. And "boy" indeed! He was Regina's age! Perhaps give or take a year or so. With a bit of magic, he was able to light the remaining candles in the home so that his face glowed clearly in the dark. Yes, young indeed, with eyes covered in coal like the Milah's pirate's eyes, but he was clean-shaven, not a scratch or wrinkle on his pale skin. Square jaw, dark hair, no fear in his eyes now…he figured he hadn't long until some woman snatched him up and made a decent man out of this boy. If what he'd heard about him were true, that would be a shame. Were there any bounds to the destructiveness of love?

"Go ahead, take it!" the boy challenged with a shrug. "No one knows how to work it but me."

He laughed. "I hear your name is Jefferson, am I right?"

"It's what I go by. Who are you?"

He laughed again as he opened the box and looked at the funny hat the boy had stuffed inside.

"Top hat" the Seer whispered in his head as a vision from another world came into his mind. A man dressed in odd black and white clothes promising to pull a white rabbit out of his hat. A hat trick.

Though this was certainly not what that was for. Not that he didn't doubt it could be used for such a thing if properly directed.

"This is quite the magical trick your grandfather has left you with. Or should I say, quite the magic…hat trick! Shame it's not pointed."

"It suits my work just fine thank you very much!" Jefferson replied.

"And what kind of work might that be? Comedy? Pulling rabbits out of it?"

"My work," the boy smiled.

He let out a happy giggle at his response. Oh, he did like this boy. It was hard to pinpoint why exactly, but the little bugger had stolen his heart already.

"Oh…you are a tight-lipped one! I like that! I'm a man of my own as well!"

"Then why would one man of privacy seek out another of privacy?"

"Because…I'm interested in hiring you," he informed him.

Jefferson rolled his eyes at him and stepped forward, swiping the hat and its box out of his hands without a thought as to who he might have offended. Spunky this child was, and bold! He was impressed he hadn't yelled and hollered at him to get out of his house, which was why he'd allowed him to take the hat back. The boy had some interest in what he was doing here.

"I work for myself, not others."

Ah yes, that…he'd seen that in the few glimpses he'd caught of his business. But he also knew that everyone had a price.

"Funny thing, I thought you might say something like that so…I came prepared."

From the depths of his jacket, he pulled out a small but full drawstring bag that clanged when Jefferson caught it. After placing his hat on his head, he opened it up and upended it onto his other hand, and with a little bit of magic, what came out was five times more the gold coins than that small change purse should have been able to hold.

"Well, now…" Jefferson cleared his throat as he thumbed through the pile in his hand. "You have my attention Mister…Gold, I assume?" he muttered, raising one of the coins.

He laughed. "Catchy, but not quite right…at least not yet. Rumpelstiltskin!" he proclaimed, falling into his traditional bow. "The one, the only…Dark One."

Jefferson shrugged as he stood again, looking wholly unimpressed. "I've heard of you."

"Well, the whole land has, dearie," he commented. If nothing else, he was rather proud of the name he'd made for himself throughout the lands. It gave him hope that someone in the King's castle would tell Regina about it, but until then… "I'm the creature parents tell their children goes bump in the night, am I not?"

"I must have missed those tales," Jefferson smirked. "All I ever heard was…well…is it true you once turned a butcher into a pig?"

He snickered. "Well, I can't say I remember the specifics, but that certainly sounds like a trick of mine…though I can tell you that there is a young woman named Fern who was quite pleased with the outcome."

"Excellent," Jefferson beamed in amusement. Oh, the joys of being young and so easily entertained. Yes…this partnership had to potential to work well, even if he had a feeling he couldn't provide him with what he truly wanted.

"What…no fear?" he questioned of the boy. "None at all? Not a single little thought that if this conversation doesn't go well, it might be you who goes 'wee wee wee' all the way home?"

"Actually, I thought it was rather funny when I heard it. In addition…you said you wanted to hire me, and a pig couldn't work the magic of the hat, so I assume I'm safe. So, that brings us to the reason you're really here, which I assume isn't to talk about pigs but rather my hat," he explained with a suave smile before pulled a wooden chair that was positioned in front of the fire around to face him. He sat down, crossed one ankle over his other knee, then folded his hands across legs, and cocked his head in an interested matter.

"So…what can I do for you, Mister Rumpelstiltskin Gold."

"Oh, Sir…'Rumple' will do just fine," he commented in reply, calling forth a chair from his own castle to sit on. He enjoyed making a show of pushing his jacket tails out behind him before he sat. Different as they were, he had the very distinct feeling they were both enjoying this conversation. He was a smart young man. Jefferson knew he held power simply because he had what he wanted. But he was also powerful, far more than Jefferson was without his hat. One power to hundreds, and yet he found himself face to face with an equal.

"That hat of yours, it goes to any realm?"

"Any realm that has magic."

"Just as I thought." It was alright that he hadn't been able to take him to his son, in fact, he'd been expecting it. It was the reason why he'd tried not to allow himself to feel a lick of excitement when he'd first stood up and agreed without knowing the destination. But it was a funny thing about hope; it could jump and spark even when told not to. But now his heart was settling. Regina. He focused on Regina. On the growing resentment she had for her future step-daughter and her future step-granddaughter. That gave him hope. He hadn't expected this Hatter to be able to take him to see Baelfire, but he'd come anyway because he wanted to make him an ally. He knew there was value in him. He could certainly help him get to his son even if he couldn't take him to him.

"You looking to go somewhere?"

"Nowhere that you can take me and not at present, however…perhaps you would be willing to help me in another way."

"You have yet to state the original way."

"I seek a curse."

"Have you tried a wife?" The Hatter questioned with a suggestive smirk.

"Tried, already killed her!" he smirked back. To his benefit, Jefferson didn't flinch at his proclamation. It was one more reason to be impressed by him. "No…the curse I seek is a magical one, indeed. It's hidden somewhere…secret, probably guarded and protected."

"And you want me to find it?" Jefferson pressed.

"I want you to keep your eyes open!" he corrected. "I want you to tell me about all the lands you visit, the people you meet, the objects you encounter, and should you ever locate such a place or hear word of a curse…let me know."

The Dark Curse, he didn't like to think of it more than he needed to and hadn't in the last few years as he'd been busy making sure twins were placed properly and trying to figure out Cora's game. But the truth was he didn't like to remember the fact that it still eluded him after all these years. He'd been searching all over the Enchanted Forest and even beyond in places like Arendelle and Camelot for places of great fairy magic where the curse might be hidden and guarded, but so far he'd come up empty. Oh, there was no need to panic, not yet. Prince Charming and Snow White were still children who had never even heard the other's name. He knew there were still decades ahead of him before he had the child that would break the curse. He wouldn't need the curse tomorrow, but with Regina and Snow White's relationship evolving, it was becoming a pressing matter. He wasn't about to leave anything to chance. He needed to figure out how to make sure that curse was breakable once it transported him to the world Baelfire was in. And if that took time to arrange, he'd rather have more of it than less of it. Jefferson was a realm jumper, or at least the descendant of one who had learned to channel their power in a very different and unique way. Fairies could go between realms, if the Blue Bug had hidden that atrocity of a curse in another realm, Jefferson was the one to help him. But the boy wasn't exactly rising with excitement to the occasion.

"This could be a beautiful friendship, Hatter, but only if we let it, of course…"

With a snap of his fingers the coins that had fallen from his hands to litter the floor around him suddenly duplicated and then duplicated again and again until the entire floor was nearly covered in them. His eyes rounded at the sight of it, giving away his weakness. Riches motivated him. That could be arranged.

"Done!" Jefferson finally proclaimed.

"Wonderful!" he laughed, standing from his seat.

"Wait!" the Hatter called before he could make a move to leave. "If I find something, how do I find you?"

"Ah, well, if I'm not at home in the Dark Castle, you can always summon me by calling out my name three times! I shall come a-running! Bags a-clinking!"

Jefferson smiled as he offered his hand. "I look forward to our…friendship!"

He laughed as he took his hand and shook it. He was looking forward to it as well.

[fallen-imagine-angel]

Best Friend’s Brother (Newt Scamander x Reader)

Notes: Hey guys, I love all the Newt love!! Here’s another Newt fic for y’all, requested by anonymous. But...there will be a Theseus fic coming out in the next couple of days! Surprise! As usual, DM if you want to see any mood boards (or if you just want to talk), send me an ask for anything your heart desires, or send me a request! I’m taking any requests for any character right now especially if it’s a Christmas request. I’m in the mood for Christmas. Have a lovely day!

Summary: Theseus Scamander, your boss and best friend, has invited you to dinner with his brother. Will you accept and meet the possible love of your life, or decline and never know how things would have turned out?

Best Friend’s Brother

Newt Scamander x Reader

Requested?: Yes, “Hiii! I just saw that you are accepting Newt imagines. I would like to request one where reader was Theseus’ best friend and had feelings for Newt? Thank you ☺️”

Word Count: 2,948

Warnings: a little bit of sexism at the beginning but other than that, just fluff?? wow I must be in a good mood since there’s no angst

“Mrs. (Y/l/n), you’re late. It’s only your first day. What am I to expect of you from now on with this first impression?” Your mentor, Ronan, greets you as you walk into his office.

“I’m so sorry, sir. I promise it won’t happen again.” You swear, hanging your coat on the coat rack in the corner as you sit down behind a small desk shoved into the corner of the room.

It’s your first day as an intern to an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. You’re in your early twenties trying to make a name for yourself in the wizarding world.

“Did I give you permission to sit down at your desk?” Ronan growls, glaring at you. You gulp and stand back up.

“No, sir.” You frown, looking at him timidly. You’re not sure how to react to him.

“Since you sat without permission you will be doing the rest of your work for the day standing up.” He huffs and flicks his wand toward your desk. A stack of papers floats from his desk to yours.

“What are these for, sir?” You hum, skimming through the papers quickly.

“Processing prisoners. I want the entire stack done by noon, I have to turn them in by the end of the day.” He answers half-heartedly, staring at his newspaper.

“Sir, with all due respect, it’s my first day. I’m not sure I even know how to complete processing papers, much less within the amount of time you’ve given me. Plus, I was kind of hoping I’d get to join you in the field to gain some Auror experience.” You tell him as politely as possible.

“Did you just talk back to me, woman?” He growls, lifting his eyes from his paper to you.

“Uh, no, sir?” Your answer comes out as more of a question. He stands from his chair.

“I did not get this job just to be undermined by some-- some intern! And a woman, no less!” He sneers, slamming his hands on his desk as he finishes. You can’t help but jump at the noise.

“Is there something wrong, Ronan?” A new man walks into the office, eyeing Ronan suspiciously.

“No, sir, sorry for the inconvenience. My woman intern was just being a pest, as usual. It’s no problem, really.” Ronan chuckles as he waves his hand dismissively at the new man.

“Why are the processing papers that you’re supposed to be doing sitting on her desk?” The man turns to you and gives you a small wink as he picks up the stack of papers.

“She must’ve stolen them from me. Quick, fire her before she grabs anything else.” He lies, grabbing the stack of papers back.

“Now why would she want a measly pile of processing papers? They’re not wanted criminals, just some petty thieves. I must say, Ronan, you’re acting more suspicious than usual. Someone might suspect...you gave her these to work on for you. She is your intern, after all. And might I add, your attitude is not up to code with the Ministry’s protocol.” The man backs Ronan into a corner with his words, a slight smirk gracing his face.

“I...I...that’s a preposterous statement, Theseus, and you know it! I would never do such a thing. I am a highly respected employee here and I have been for longer than you’ve been here.” Ronan huffs angrily.

“Then it’s such a sorrowful day today since you’re no longer an employee here at all.” The man, Theseus, grimaces.

“You’re firing me? Over mistreating a woman? This is outrageous! Just wait until I tell your superior!” Ronan slams his fist on the desk again. Theseus just sighs.

“Talk to my superior, please. It will do me no harm since the president has been wanting to fire you for quite some time. I’ve just found a reason now and I suspect everyone will be quite happy.” Theseus smiles mockingly at Ronan. Ronan glares at Theseus before storming out of the office.

“Thank you so much!” You blurt as soon as Ronan is gone.

“It’s nothing, honestly. Ronan was slacking off in his job and I’ve wanted a reason to fire him but I couldn’t find anything substantial enough until now. It should be me thanking you right now.” Theseus gives you a toothy grin which causes you to smile.

“I’m (Y/n). (Y/n) (Y/l/n).” You hold out your hand.

“Theseus Scamander, a pleasure to meet you, (Y/n). And you know, my assistant position has recently opened up...I could use someone like you on my team. You seem hard-working enough.” He flashes another grin at you. 

“I’d love to! When do I start?” Your grin grows, knowing you’ve got an actual paying job now instead of an unpaid internship.

“Now, if that’s alright with you. You’ll work the same hours and get paid while doing so.” He explains. You nod.

“I’m excited to start working with you, Mr. Scamander.” You smile at him.

“Please, call me Theseus.” 

~+~

Little did you know that day would change your life. Theseus and you became best friends almost immediately since your personalities mix perfectly.

“Now, I always forget, but do you know my brother?” Theseus asks one day as you’re sorting some of his files.

“I’ve never met a Newt Scamander, sorry.” You shrug. He had asked you this before.

“He’s a Hufflepuff, went to Hogwarts the same years as you. You’re sure you’ve never seen him around?” He peers at you curiously, taking a break from his work.

“Positive. I think I’d recognize someone that looks like you.” You chuckle.

“Well, he’s got a quirky personality and he’s not much for socializing, so it doesn’t surprise me much that you never saw him around.” Theseus sighs, going back to work.

“If he’s so important in your eyes then why haven’t you introduced me yet?” You hum distractedly.

“You’re right! I should arrange for the three of us to hang out!” He gasps and you pop up from behind your desk to glare at him.

“That was said flippantly, I’m not sure I actually want to meet him.” You shake your head.

“Why not?” He frowns.

“I don’t know, it just seems weird. My best friend’s brother? What if it gets awkward?” You sigh, sitting down in your chair and leaning back.

“Things are always awkward with my brother. However, I do think the two of you would get along well.” He smiles brightly at you.

“You think so?” You smile lightly as Theseus nods.

“I know so.” He states firmly.

“Alright, I suppose meeting him wouldn’t hurt.” You shrug.

“Perfect. Dinner tomorrow night, my house.” He instructs.

“Sounds good. I’ll be there at seven sharp.” You nod and get back to work. Theseus does the same.

~+~

The next day, you make good on your promise and show up to Theseus’ house at 7 pm sharp.

“Welcome to my humble home.” Theseus opens the door and ushers you in.

“You act as if I’ve never been here before.” You roll your eyes.

“That’s the point. Come on, Newt is already here.” Theseus leads you into the dining room. You hang your coat on the back of your chair as Newt walks into the room.

“Oh, hi there.” You hear a sheepish voice from across the table. You look up to see Newt standing there awkwardly, shifting his weight from foot to foot.

To say Newt was the most charming boy you’d ever seen would be an understatement. With his fluffy hair, beautiful eyes, and charming shy smile, you were sure he could sweep any girl off her feet. However, his demeanor proves otherwise.

“Hi. I’m (Y/n) (Y/l/n). I work for Theseus. And I’m sorta his best friend.” You smile at him, extending your hand to him. He shakes it.

“I’m Newt, Theseus’ brother. You already knew that, though.” He fidgets with his bow tie.

“Ah, I see you two have made yourselves acquainted with each other. And just in time, too, because dinner is ready.” Theseus waves his wand over the table and dishes float in one by one. You take what you want and start eating.

“So, (Y/n), how long have you worked for my brother?” Newt asks.

“A little over a year now. He saved me from being an intern for the worst Auror on the face of the earth.” You snort, rolling your eyes at the mere thought of Ronan.

“That’s Theseus for you, always a...lifesaver.” Newt bites his lip, staring at his plate intently.

“So what are some of your hobbies?” You ask, picking at your food a bit while waiting for his answer.

“I like tending to creatures. You’re into caring for creatures, too, right?” Newt asks. Your eyes snap up to look at him but he’s not looking at you.

“How would you know that I like creatures? I haven’t mentioned that to anyone, not even Theseus.” You frown, furrowing your eyebrows in confusion. Newt’s cheeks go bright red.

“I-- well, uh, I’ve...observed you from afar. I noticed that you paid a lot of attention in Care for Magical Creatures when we were in school, and I saw you take care of some of the creatures in the Forbidden Forest after hours. That was a few years ago, though, so I suppose it could’ve changed.” He admits.

“So you spied on me?” You give him a cheeky smile as his cheeks blush an even darker shade.

“I--I wouldn’t...I wouldn’t say spying is the correct word. Just...observant.” He clears his throat awkwardly.

“Don’t worry, Newt. I’m not judging you or anything, in fact, I think it’s kinda cute you were observing me.” You blush slightly, biting your lip and looking away. You hear Theseus chuckle.

“I’ll be right back. Newt, why don’t you show her your case?” Theseus discreetly winks at his brother as he walks out of the room.

“What do you think he needed to leave for?” You squint suspiciously at where Theseus walked out.

“No idea.” Newt lies, knowing his brother left the room to give you some alone time together.

“So, Theseus mentioned a case?” You ask curiously, smiling brightly at the nervous boy in front of you.

“Uh, yeah, he meant my suitcase. Would you like to see it?” He asks cautiously. 

“Of course.” You nod enthusiastically.

Newt sets down his case on the floor and opens it, stepping in and disappearing into it. You’re surprised, to say the least. Gaping, you take the first step and descend into his magical case.

“Watch your step.” Newt holds out his hand to help you down the rest of the stairs. You take it, thanking him as you hit the floor.

“Holy crap.” You breathe out as you look around. Every creature you had ever read, dreamt about, or seen was in this case. It was your literal dreamland.

“Do you...do you like it?” Newt asks, suddenly unsure as he watches your reaction. All you’re doing is staring in shock.

“Like it? Newt, I love it!” You look at him finally, a wide grin spreading on your face. Newt smiles shyly back.

“I’m glad,” He looks around for a minute, then turns back to you, “have you ever seen a Crup?”

“Can’t say I have, but I have heard of them. They’re adorable, right? Please tell me they’re adorable like I’ve heard.” You plead. Newt chuckles.

“They’re adorable.” He assures you, holding his hand out for you to take. You don’t hesitate to accept as he leads you through some other exhibits until you finally reach the Crup’s habitat.

“Aw, hi little guy!” You bend down to pet the pup. He’s no more than a few weeks old, you can tell since he’s so small and still has his split tail.

“I named him Russell since he resembles a Jack Russell Terrier dog that muggles tend to like,” Newt explains as he crouches down next to you, petting Russell.

“Well, I love the name. And I love him. Oh, I wish I could see your cute face every day.” You scratch Russell’s stomach as his leg kicks in happiness.

“You’re welcome to visit him anytime you want.” He blurts out, cheeks turning slightly red again.

“I guess you’ll be seeing a lot of me, then, because I want to see all of your creatures.” You turn to look at him, grinning.

“That won’t be a problem.” He smiles sheepishly back. There’s a loud knock that echoes through the case.

“Theseus?” You question, looking up.

“Probably. Come on, we should get going.” Newt stands up and offers his hand to you. You take it and he helps you up. Apparently, though, he had been expecting that it would take more force to help you up because the next thing you know, you’re flat against his chest and he’s flat against the ground.

“I’m so sorry!” You scramble to get off of him, only to realize his hands are wrapped around your waist, trapping you on top of him. His cheeks go bright red as he unclasps his hands and you roll off of him.

“Sorry, I just didn’t want you to take the brunt of the fall so I held on to you.” He explains quickly, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s fine, I didn’t mind.” You shake your head and stand up, brushing yourself off.

“You...you didn’t mind?” Newt asks, surprised. You turn to him, at a loss for words. You hadn’t meant it that way, although, either way, it was true.

“I... don't.” You bite your lip and look away, flustered that you would be so forward.

“Well….I-I don’t mind, either…” Newt trails off, getting up himself. Another loud knock echoes through the case, making both you and Newt jump. 

“We should…” 

“Yeah, we should.” 

The silence is deafening between the two of you as you stand there, not moving. If you’re being honest, the only thing you want to do right now is lean forward and kiss him, but you’re afraid you’d scare him off or get rejected. Then again, he did observe you back when you were in school….

You decide to risk it. You’ve just met him, right? If he hates you, you’ll never have to see him again. Besides, there’s a chance he likes you back. 

“May I kiss you?” You whisper, stepping forward, very close to him now. You see him inhale sharply and you internally sigh. Wrong decision.

“Yes.” He murmurs, surprising you. Leaning forward, the two of you meet in the middle. The kiss feels like everything you’ve ever dreamt of and more.

His lips are slightly chapped but still soft, perfectly molding against yours as they move in sync.

Eventually, the two of you pull away, breathing heavily.

“I….I usually don’t kiss people I’ve just met, but it feels different with you. Excuse me if I’m being too forward but...I felt something for you the moment I saw you and I just had to act on it.” You bite your lip, looking into his eyes, scanning his reaction for any kind of hint toward his answer.

“I feel the same. Ever since I saw you back at Hogwarts, I couldn’t get you out of my head. If I’m being truthful, it’s why Theseus arranged this dinner. I told him how much I wanted to meet you, to see you again, and he told me he’d make it happen. He didn’t disappoint.” Newt chuckles, brushing a piece of hair out of your face.

“It seems like none of us are disappointed.” You hum, pressing a feather-light kiss to his cheek.

“I suppose Theseus is waiting for us.” Newt sighs. He leads you to the entrance of the case again and you walk up the stairs to see Theseus waiting there for the two of you, tapping his foot lightly. Once the two of you are fully out of the case, he decides to speak.

“What was going on down there?” He smirks. Your eyes go wide.

“Theseus!” You swat his arm earning a chuckle from him.

“We kissed.” Newt pipes up and you give him a ‘really?’ look. He just shrugs, giving you a shy smile.

“I knew the two of you would get along very well. Well, it’s sad to see you go, but it’s getting late. How about dinner tomorrow again? Here?” Theseus suggests. You look over at Newt for an answer.

“I was actually….hoping that (Y/n) and I could spend some time alone tomorrow night. She can get to know my creatures and I better.” Newt looks at his feet.

“(Y/n)?” Theseus turns to you, awaiting your deciding answer.

“I’d like to get to know Newt better.” You smile as you see Newt’s cheeks turn a shade of pink once more.

“Fine, I see how it is. Replacing me with my brother. I get it.” Theseus throws his hands up in defeat.

“No! That’s not what’s happening. You’re my best friend, still, but Newt is…” You trail off, not knowing the right word.

“Your boyfriend?” Theseus quirks an eyebrow at you.

“N-No….I mean, not yet, at least. Look, you’re still my best friend and that’s what matters. I’m going home now. Goodnight Newt, g’night Theseus. Newt, I’ll see you tomorrow night. Same time as tonight. Bye!” You rush out of the room, grabbing your stuff on the way. You hear muffled laughter and ‘bye’s from behind you as you walk out.

Once you’ve apparated back home, you let out a joyous scream. You’ve finally got someone interested in you, and a hot guy at that. He’s perfect for you and you’re perfect for him.

Now the only thing you can do is wait for it to blossom into a beautiful relationship.

Newt Tag List: @witchyandkin @hufflepuffnewtismyjam @sxulwriter

Harry Potter Tag List: @onceuponagleepottermindlock

[xialing-gf]

for the greater good (theseus x reader): chapter 2

requested by anonymous: could you make an imagine with Theseus Scamander where the reader’s an undercover Auror on Grindelwald’s side and her cover is blown when the Aurors try to arrest Grindelwald?

wc: 2508

read chapter 1 in the masterlist link in my bio! (links don’t work in my tags for some reason?)

“You know you’re going to have to talk about it,” Theseus steadily avoided his brother’s gaze as he focused his eyes on the hall in front of him. Being cold to Newt was normal but he never went as far as to attempt to completely ignore his younger brother. But then again, he had never had his heart crushed and stomped into a billion pieces and had those pieces smothered all over his reputation. The past few weeks had consisted of Theseus constantly struggling to justify all his actions, attempting to clean up his reputation after word spread around that the person he was dating turned out to be on Grindelwald’s side. What was even worse was that the person was an Auror, causing Aurors to be wary of each other, wondering who could be revealed as the next traitor.

“You can’t keep pretending that it isn’t there. If you talked about it, the problem might be easier to fix,” Newt reasoned, offering a quick smile to a confused-looking woman who passed them. The Ministry was oddly quiet which, with Newt’s inquisitive personality, was the worst possible combination. Of course, the Ministry had a reason to be so awfully silent after what they finally acquired. In fact, the reason why Newt came to the Ministry was to help with what the Ministry had at hand. Theseus tried to brush off the question by replying in a tight voice, “What problem?”

“Well, it’s not really a problem, er- more like a mistake? Whatever you want to call the situation you had gone through with that Auror that-” Newt cut himself off when Theseus glared at him angrily. He knew he was treading into dangerous waters by speaking against his older brother, but his desperation to help and curiosity got the best of him, “You know what I’m talking about. Why can’t you talk about it? Bottling it up won’t help and-”

“Okay, fine! Let’s talk about it! What is there to talk about? I messed up and now I have to deal with the consequences but let’s talk more about how utterly stupid I was to not notice,” Theseus stopped walking in order to fully express how annoyed he was at himself and Newt. Newt stayed silent for a bit, allowing his older brother to collect his thoughts before they continued on in a strained tension. It had been quite a while since he had those letters arranged to form a familiar name on his lips but Theseus gathered up the courage to finally say…

Your name. The words under the blank line simply were “Your name”. In your hands was an old, unfinished crossword puzzle done by your little brother. He never wrote his name in the name spaces on anything so you had to keep him alive in your memories by recalling his name whenever your hand brushed past the folded piece of paper tucked away in your watch’s hidden compartment. When you needed courage or felt lost, you always unfolded the paper, the crossword puzzle, and read it over, running your fingers over the worn words.

Your brother was only a child when he started the crossword. His handwriting was messy but with a little bit of effort, it was legible. It was the last possession you had to remember him by. A couple words scrawled in the puzzle were “bird”, “flower”, and “egg”. You vividly recalled how you sat by his side while he filled out the crossword in the dusty attic, hiding away from your parents. They would never approve of this piece of muggle “junk” that you snuck your brother. He had been so proud to be able to spell flower correctly and it was one of the few moments you were happily spending life with him.

“Y/n, we’re heading off. Are you joinin’ us?” Sally, another one of your fellow acolytes, barged in on you without much of a warning. You sharply turned your head, carefully folding up the paper while maintaining intimidating eye contact with Sally. Her confidence began to falter as you calmly stood up, still looking her dead in the eye as you affirmed in a cold voice, “Where to? What for? Is this another one of his spontaneous trips?”

“This time we’re paying a visit to the Ministry since we haven’t had much success in getting into the Ministry ever since you left. Grindelwald says they’ve got something of his that he needs. If you want to join us, we’re leaving in ten minutes,” Sally pursed her lips, obviously trying to not seem bothered by your chilly act. When her intrusive self finally decided to leave, you placed the crossword puzzle in your watch before joining the rest of the group in the living room. As Grindelwald outlined his plan (which was very vague as he specified that the only task people had to do was to keep the people at the Ministry dead or busy while he went to retrieve what he needed), everybody seemed to buzzing with energy. It had been weeks since the Obelisk incident and nothing exciting had happened since then.

Grindelwald apparated to the Ministry with a couple of other followers to clear the security coast before you and the other apparated there. The moment you apparated into the Ministry, the oddly familiar scent of paperwork and agony greeted you. From the panicked shouts and sounds of curses firing in the distance, you inferred that the fight had already begun. Even though you could’ve gone to attack any random member of the Ministry, there was one specific person you had in mind.

It was pretty easy to find him as there were a few places he would be at. Surely enough, you found him fighting off Telany, one of your least favorite fellow followers. You watched from afar as Telany was taken down easily before carefully stepping into his view, “Did you miss me?”

“Y/n?” Theseus turned around and when your eyes met his, the world stopped for a moment. Everything felt so peaceful as you immerse yourself in those stunning eyes. The peace was broken when he fired a spell that narrowly missed you. You reciprocated, firing back a curse that he dodged. The mess of feelings in your gut was strange as you’ve never felt love, anger, frustration, and desperation mixed into one mess of emotions.

“It’s good to see you too, darling,” You offered a thin smile as you both continued to duel, the echoes of the spells fired bouncing across empty hallways in the Ministry. Theseus’ expression of surprise now molded into one of anger. You knew that he blamed you for the soiling of his reputation and that he was frustrated that he fell for you. You couldn’t exactly blame him for feeling this way. He probably thought you never had feelings for him and that you only pretended to care for him to gain information.

“Y/n! Get over here now! He needs you!” Sally called from her location down the hall and you frustratedly fired a spell aimed at the clock behind Theseus. You had been beating around the bush with the duel since you wanted time to try to miraculously convince him to forgive you. As you ducked to avoid a spell Theseus fired, you took the effort to aim accurately at him, firing a spell to prevent him from following you.

“I’m on my way!” You shouted, sprinting down the halls with your wand clutched tightly in your hand. Although you were curious to find out why you were needed, a sinking feeling sank into your skin, an ominous aura began to settle into the area you were heading into. The room had dropped several degrees and you slowed your pace down to a walk when you saw Grindelwald standing in front of a slightly opened door.

“Y/n, my dear! I was wondering if you could talk our fellow friend into joining us. I know I should’ve warned you before coming here… but would you be willing to help?” Even though he seemed lenient in his words, you sensed that by ‘are you willing to help?’ he meant that you had to do it. As you peered into the room, the sinking feeling rose up into your mouth, causing you to almost vomit out of pure shock. The inside of the room was a disgustingly clean shade of white and curled up in the farthest corner of the chilly prison was a boy.

Grindelwald didn’t have to say what the boy was for you to know. Cautiously stepping into the room, you spoke in a soft voice, “Hey. Don’t be afraid. I’m here to help.”

The boy looked up from the ground, still gently rocking back forth, glaring at you suspiciously as he dryly stated, “That’s what they all say.”

“I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk. See? I’m going to leave my wand right here,” The boy eyed your wand warily as you placed it down near the doorway, taking slow steps towards him. “What’s your name? I’m Y/n.”

“Credence,” The boy was still hugging his knees but his rigid form relaxed a bit as he took in your gentleness. He reminded you so much of your brother but you persisted through the pain of memories as you continued to approach him one step at a time.

“Hi Credence. I know you don’t trust me but I really want to help you. I knew somebody who was just like you,” Credence had stopped rocking back and forth and his loathing glare now transformed into one of mild interest. “We were really close. Well, he was my brother. He was an Obscurus just like you. Our parents were both wizards but my mother died when she fighting for the Ministry and my father swore to never practice magic again. He married a woman who despised wizardry so my brother and I weren’t allowed to use magic at home. I found places where I could practice in secret and tried to get my brother to come with me but he was too afraid of our parents to come.”

“My brother began to repress his abilities and it led him to become an Obscurus. He was able to control it at first but after a while, his outbursts were unexpected,” You were still taking it one step at a time, seeming to be making progress as you were more than halfway across from the door. As you continued to share your story, you felt more and more vulnerable than you had ever before but it was the only way to get Credence to trust you.

“One of his outbursts was more extreme than all the other ones and it resulted in… the destruction of a small city and our parents. Obviously, such an occurrence snagged the attention of the Ministry so they decided to pay my brother a visit. I was away, buying, well I guess more like stealing food from the local market so I had no idea that they had taken him until I got home. I found out from some neighbors that the Ministry stole him and rushed to the Ministry, hoping that I would be able to save him in time. When I got there, it was too late. They had already killed him,” The words were heavy on your tongue and dug the hole inside your heart a little deeper than it needed to be.

The painful moment of realization that hit you at full force when the wizards that were surrounding the room where your brother was refused to let you in. They didn’t let you see his body until you threatened to go to the muggle policemen to claim that they were abducting him without his well. His hand felt heavy and cold in yours as you knelt next to his dead body, too much pain and shock running through your brain to process what was happening.

“That’s why I joined Grindelwald’s movement for equality. I want to make sure people like you don’t get hurt ever again. If you join us, we’ll help you find who you are and protect you. I promise,” You looked Credence earnestly in the eye as you knelt down to meet his eyes, holding out a hand. “You don’t have to join us, of course. You can stay here in the Ministry and hope that the wizards will spare you or you can run away from here and be free to find who you are. The choice is yours.”

Credence inhaled a sharp breath, the cogs in his brain turning as he weighed the benefits and consequences of the possible options. You smiled warmly as he accepted your hand and helped him up, “You’ve made the right choice. Thank you.”

You carefully guided him out the door of the cell, making sure you didn’t invade his personal bubble while still maintaining a steady hold on his hand. It was almost as he was your little brother and you were walking with him down the streets clustered with people, hoping he wouldn’t let the monster loose in the middle of the crowd.

Grindelwald grinned signaling to the other Aurors to disapparate. He motioned for you to stay and you cautiously handed Credence over to another one of the acolytes, giving him a comforting glance to reassure him that he was in safe hands. You turned around, realizing that Grindelwald had established a magical bubble around the disapparating wizards and outside the bubble was a group of Aurors, frantically firing spells that didn’t even come close to penetrating the bubble. Out of those couple Aurors, you noted that Theseus and his infamous brother he used to talk about to you was standing next to him. They really did look similar and Newt’s appearance was similar to that of his picture.

“Thank you Y/N for all your help. I don’t know what I would do without you,” Grindelwald smiled affectionately, patting you on the shoulder, causing you to feel a surge of pride. “But. unfortunately, you will longer be much of a use to me. You’ve done your part and this is where we say goodbye.”

Utterly shocked, you parted your lips in surprise, too stunned with betrayal to reply and he fired a spell that knocked you out of the bubble with intense force. Your wand flew out of your hand and hit an Auror in the face. A couple Aurors rushed to your sides, scrambling to claim you as loot. The world seemed to tilt as you watched Grindelwald disapparate, the bubble of magic disappearing along with him. The Aurors clamored in the background as to who to inform first while Theseus rushed over to you, trying to get to you while pushing aside all the other Aurors. He was just within arm’s length when he was suddenly whisked away by two Aurors, leaving you to serve as prey to the starving sharks of time.

~

chapter three is up now! go to the #samfb for more fantastic beasts fics and the previous chapter!

[pass-the-bechdel]

Continuum season two full review

How many episodes pass the Bechdel test?

61.6% (eight out of thirteen)

What is the average percentage per episode of female characters with names and lines?

34.57%

How many episodes have a cast that is at least 40% female?

Three, episode 2.03, “Second Thoughts,” episode 2.07, “Second Degree,” and episode 2.09, “Seconds.”

How many episodes have a cast that is less than 20% female?

None.

How many female characters (with names and lines) are there?

Sixteen. Nine who appear in more than one episode, five who appear in at least half the episodes, and two who appear in every episode. 

How many male characters (with names and lines) are there?

Thirty-one. Seventeen who appear in more than one episode, nine who appear in at least half the episodes, and two who appear in every episode.

Positive Content Status:

Again content with being perfectly average. (Average rating of 3.00)

General Season Quality:

Better than I remembered it. While it still isn’t mind-blowing, it also avoids having much in the way of lower points.  

MORE INFO (and potential spoilers) under the cut:

While compiling the numbers for this season, I was surprised to see that the amount of characters has shrunk considerably, from sixty-six to forty-seven--odd, given that the season is three episodes larger than the first.  Also notably, the number of Bechdel passes has gone down, even as the proportion of female characters who are recurring has (slightly) increased.  It’s a disappointment, but not a large one; like last season, Continuum is consistently satisfying, if almost never astounding.  It’s smart, has interesting characters, and often features surprising and satisfying plot turns, but these elements never quite manage to coalesce into something as exciting as these qualities suggest it should.

Let’s talk about positives, first.  The series’ core concept continues to be fantastic, and Continuum still consistently manages to exploit its potential for moral stickiness: two seasons in, and it’s impossible to unequivocally root for any of the characters, not because they’re terrible, but because their reasons for doing what they do all make sense. Kiera’s single-minded determination to ensure she can return to her future—even though the future is terrible—makes sense. Carlos and Alec’s new uncertainty about the moral dimensions of their actions make sense. Dillon’s decision to sell out to corporate interests so that his police department will have the tools to stop Liber8 makes sense. Liber8 willing to kill tens of thousands to save billions makes sense. The decisions characters make are not necessarily moral or justifiable, but they are all in character and are the natural progressions of their stories and thought processes.  

On the other hand, this stickiness has resulted in something that seems like stasis for several characters. After the initial excitement of a Liber8 schism, which saw the group split between the technicians (Sonya and Lucas) and the muscle (Travis and Garza) the group spent much of the season marking time, at best building towards…something, and at worst just waiting in the wings. Travis’ decision to take over the Vancouver underworld makes perfect sense, but doesn’t actually go much of anywhere. Garza and especially Lucas’ focus episodes feel largely borne out of a need to give them something to do. Poor Sonya doesn’t really do anything, after the Liber8 schism.  And then, by the time the season ends, they join forces once again as if nothing had happened. 

Granted, it’s not like the series needed any more plot, given everything on its plate. Kiera continuously realizing that she probably won’t get what she wants, and learning to deal with it. Gardiner’s investigation into Kiera.Dillon’s firing, his alliance, with Escher, and reinstatement. Carlos learning the secret, and becoming ever more disillusioned with his job. Alec figuring out his future and his parentage, and falling for Emily. Emily’s conflicted loyalties. Julian’s transformation into Theseus.  The Freelances. Escher.  Much like last season, it’s A LOT.  And yet, it not enough, and I’m not sure why.

Perhaps part of the problem is the sense that the show is a bit too effective at the ambiguity thing, to the point of leaving the audience with no investment in a particular outcome.  Kiera’s goal is problematic at best, and hard to root for, while the long-term effects of Liber8’s actions is almost impossible to determine. Things like the freelancers and Escher succeed in being immediate, but their significance is limited, and so they end up feeling like a distraction—an entertaining one, but a distraction nevertheless. It is for perhaps this reason that the season’s best long-term story arc is the VPD’s transition into the CPS.  It’s relevant to the series’ core themes, its effects are seen and felt immediately, and the story’s progression flows naturally from what is shown onscreen.  

On another note, let’s talk about the ladies, and the season’s aforementioned drop in Bechdel passes. Initially somewhat surprising, it becomes less so once once considers what happened throughout the  season.  With Liber8 split, and Sonya and Garza in two different factions, the series broke up the duo of women most likely to interact with each other.  Despite the small increase in prominent female characters, each one of those spent most of her time in her own circle, or, in the case of the women of the VPD, unlikely to interact with each other without men present. Making things worse the reduction in stand-alone stories, combined with Carlos learning the secret, which lessened the need for Kiera head off and investigate things on her own) reduced interaction possibilities even more. 

That said, even if they don’t get to talk among each other, at least the women manage to get some more solid development than they got last season. Kiera’s backstory has become more filled out, complementing what we already knew of her as a wife and mother with details about her as a sister and a co-worker. Sonya and Garza have grown into distinct characters with their own points of view, backgrounds, and goals, even if both often get lost in the shuffle (something that can be said for most characters, this season—have I mentioned there’s a lot going on?).  Betty, while still not getting much focus, has a story of her own and an interesting and unique perspective.  Even Emily, whose role is not one I’m enamored with, was interesting enough, while she lasted.  

Things look slightly more disappointing when looking at women as a whole; like with everything else, the show’s approach feels good, but not stellar.  There’s nothing especially wrong—Emily’s fridging feels strictly temporary, all things considered—but at the same time, it feels like the series should be doing a lot better than it is, given the characters and themes it’s exploring. Corporate oppression can’t fully be explored without exploring its relationship to marginalized communities, and yet the series appears to have little to no interest in exploring this.  

Fortunately, none of Continuum’s flaws are fatal: the end result continues to be a show that could be better, but never sinks below a particular threshold of quality. Given a choice between that and a work that occasionally manages to be superlative, but is just as often middling. I’ll take consistency every time.  

[ghostlybearmilkshake]

So I saw fantastic beast 2 today and I need to ramble about so spoilers under the cut

So first of all I came in there really worried but I had a really good time now in no particular order: 

I really like the abundance of spells in fantastic beasts, this oe included especially since in this one they gave the incatation for a lot of them whcih I really like

I also like the idea of maledicus which is very reminiscent of werewolf and gives a nice contrast to animagi

despite all the discource around nagini I actually like her. she had a few good lines, the best being "he knows where you came from not who you are" even though she lacks personnality due to her very short screen time. Also I don't mind her being asian: sure it doesn't solve HP's representation problems but it doesn't hurt either. now the question is: did we need an explenation for nagini's origin ? not really but hey she fits pretty well in the story for the little time she's shown (as little as credence actually)

Leta Lestrange love her ++ finally good slytherin rep

Queenie. I love her but also wtf. her switching size for the reason shown is interesting because it shows why grindelwalds caters to so many people he does not only catters only to pride fear and hatred but also to good emotions like love, loyalty, comraderie. but girl your relationship with jacob has major absolutely unrelated problem. a love charm ?!?! the only person we know who uses it successfullyin the saga is Voldemort's mother (what's-her-name who tried to use it on harry missed her target) and I got a feeling she's not gonna get confronted for that nor for her legelimancy which, yes, is to some extent spotaneous but also seems sometimes really intrusive in their relationship. it's a good thing it's not a trilogy because you're gonna need more than one movie to fix it

salamanders, v cute

"mr scamander you should take your shirt off" my gay ass: "YEAH YOU SHOULD" also I didn't know it but a guy riding a water dragon is actually really hot

I liked seeing nicholas flammel and the philosopher stone

seing Hogwarts with this music still gives me fucking chills

showing non maggie smith!mcgonagall only from the furthest away and as little as possible is not a bold choice but it's a smart one

Dumbledore's clean cut boring black suit really doesn't sit well with me. capes are an institution amongst british wizards and dumbledore's fashion sense is considered tacky even for wizards so I don't care if it's so make him seems sexier get this fucking CEO look off of him

the black cats with white eyes are just as ugly as I thouht they would but they appear in only one short scene so it's ok

I like the mentionned bound between Dumbledore and Grindelwald:: the Erised mirror scene where they entertwine fingers, the "we were closer than brothers" it's really nice it shows Dumbledore really cared for Grindelwald which is why

I don't like the blood pact. First it looks a little like an off brand Unbreakable Vow but most of all it's not necessary. Dumbledore didn't need a magical pact to prevent him from attackinbg Grindelwald his feelings towardsr him would have been enough and it would have gave great moments when Dumbledore has to muster the courage (griffindor) to face him and stop him despite their history. If anything the blood pact takes away some of these feeling's sincerity and strength

I really like Theseus and Newt's final hug it was very touching

so we go even deeper into "the ministry is just as bad as the dark mages" which I like

On that note they're really eager to use the killig curse wtf. this girl barely pull out her wand and his first reaction is Avada Kedavra ?!

also liked the anti-populist message nice contrast between voldemort's open call for violence and Grindelwald's manipulation of fear and of The Other

I really liked seing Paris magical world (allons enfants de la patriiiiie!) also "I can't tell if you are joking or if you're just being french"

johnny depp turned out to be pretty good as a grindelwald. could he have been another actor ? yes. do I like his design ? no. but still.

The final twist was SUCH BULLSHIT !!! HIM BEING A DUMBLEDORE MAKES NO GODDAMN SENSE! IT'S LIKE SHE CHOOSE THE WORST FAMILY POSSIBLE! WE HAVE A FUCKING GOOD TAB ON ALBUS' SIBLINGS ! HIM BEING A LESTRANGE WAS SO MUCH BETTER LETA AND CORVUS ARE ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THE CANON ! THERE ARE A BUCH OF OTHER WELL KNOWN FAMILIE THE DESCENDANCE OF WHICH WE HAVE A MUCH SHIFTIER RECORD OF: LESTRANGE, BLACK, MALFOY, POTTER, PEVERELL, GAUNT AND! SO! ON! WHY A FRICKING DUMBLEDORE??? SO WE HAVE A FORCED FRATICIDE ?! COME ONE !!

it was nice to look at

[ironbellies-blog]

@aresborrn continued from here because i had ideas

Worrying means you suffer twice, that had always been his philosophy. Newton Scamander had cared very little for the social aspects and politics his life seemed to revolve around. And being on the lower-end of royalty and an old name meant that his entire life had always been as much. He managed by simply becoming invisible to the public eye-- In most cases, no one knew there was a younger Scamander until he found some sort of trouble. And short the incident that got him expelled from his secondary school he hadn’t really crossed the papers in years (well, no, there was that incident a few months ago with John-- but that was at worst humiliating and not incriminating).

He had never fit in the circle he was born into and the man had always been all too aware of that. When he’d gone to school at Cambridge for veterinary sciences as opposed to political science-- a fact he kept as quiet as possible for the first few years-- his family had been appalled at the idea. But then he’d always been aware that they had certain expectations of him that he did not hold for himself. His father and Theseus chief among, his mother had always had a soft spot for animals and didn’t see the harm.

And yet his work accomplished everything he had wanted it to-- He was far away from the stuffy manor they lived in, far away from the stuffier lifestyle he was set for, and he traveled. He was able to see beyond the strange proprieties he was raised in and-- most importantly-- he was able to do something impactful. He spent much of his time helping with endangers species and caring for them. He’d become known not for the name or title he carried, but for the help, he did in that field. To anyone in that field he mattered and, truly, that was all he could have ever asked for. If he could not be of help, he’d rather be invisible.

Unfortunately for him, while most of the time the public eye was willing to forget a second Scamander brother existed, on occasion, some remembered. More to the point, Theseus was quick to remind him of his position and always seemed to be a phone call away-- in more ways than one. His brother and him had always had a complicated relationship, but it seemed to worsen as they got older. The ever obedient son that he was, Theseus had followed in the footsteps his father had placed before him with grace-- Had earned a prestige that Newt would neither dream of or want. Newt’s father had seemed to give up on him ages ago, with a certain amount of disdain, yet it was Theseus who still seemed to have hope for his younger brother.

Perhaps that was why he had decided to call him first with the news he had. I didn’t want you to see it in the papers first, Theseus had mentioned over the phone but Newt had hardly been information. The day had already been a difficult one to begin with given the news of what poachers were doing in Africa and how he’d decided to find a way to go and help the situation (a subject he’d have to talk to the man he lived with on, one he dreaded as it meant leaving for some undecided amount of time). Theseus’ news had only added to a steadly growing a flame-- the news of his engagement with one Leta Lestrange.

It was odd when he thought about why he was upset. He hadn’t thought about Leta romantically in some time, had been in a rather happy-- in his surprising opinion-- for some time. He’d even tentatively call it love, if he were forced to put a word to it. She remained an important part of his childhood, a woman he’d shared many firsts with, and a girl he’d once destroyed reputation for by taking the fall for an expulsion (a fact he does not regret). For the longest time Leta Lestrange had been his only friend, the only one to see past the name and position and accepted him for who he was. Oddities and all. It had only been until his adult years that he found more people like her, had come to fill a human-shaped void in his heart, but it was impossible to forget Leta.

Despite everything that happened he held the woman no illwill. Despite everything he wanted her to be happy, but he knew they’d become different people long ago-- Leta had always been more willing to follow the path set out for her. If he thought about it, her engagement to Theseus simply made sense. She had never been the one he was supposed to end up with, no matter what a younger him may have thought (and he’d realized since that much of those feelings were born from the idea someone cared). Yet, it’s not a thought that he can get out of his mind-- He hastened to say it felt like a betrayal of sorts.

That was the very reason that he’d found himself not returning home after his final rounds within the zoo he was visiting (helping to get a pair of pandas situated before moving on). He’d instead found his way to one of the smaller bars not too far from their apartment. He’d sat in his vehicle a few minutes before entering the facility-- A quiet mulling at the counter and a suggested drink by the bartender made him agree until he’d rather lost count on both the drinks and the thoughts whirling through his mind. It did very little in the end and it’s with a quiet thanks that he had left it with the intention of going home.

His thoughts whirling at the events of the day, how small they may have seemed but how impactful they were. Newt’s stomach twisted at the idea of Leta and Theseus, but it felt worse at the idea of leaving this place for any amount of time. An apartment shared with John that felt very much like home, a place that could only be compared to his time in New York (a place he still visited, though he and Tina were now only close friends). He knew how the other man felt, he knew all too well he’d think him going anywhere else was leaving even if Newt had every intention of returning. His fingers had pressed the numbers into the smart phone screen before he caught himself. A breath sucked in when John answered and he stumbles the words he was looking for, rushed in their making.

Newt had already started walking home by the time he had done so. The sidewalks empty and the roads mostly clear, there was a stillness in the cool November air. He can already see his breath, he thought to himself, it was going to be a cold winter. He blinks to himself at the thought, a whirlwind catching up as to what John says. He bites back up some mild amusement--- A quiet tucking away that the other man sounded almost worried and he’d always cherished him showing something other then his smugness or-- as he’d say-- assholeness. 

“No, no,” Newt managed to utter after a moment, head shaking along with the disagreement, “there’s really rather no need.  I’m, um, not too far now. I was at the pub close to the apartment...” He trails off sheepishly. Even that close he tried to be responsible, the car could wait until morning. Newt was reckless at times, certainly, but never intentionally dangerous and he hardly trusted himself-- Walking, though, that was easy. The man closed his eyes, puffing out a breath.

The hand in his pocket tightening into a ball as he opened eyes once more to watch the cloud of warm air disappear quickly. His mind struggles for the words he wanted to say-- Why it had felt so important to call John in that very instant. A beat passed and he plundered on, “The truth is, I needed to hear your voice.” It was a quiet admission, one born of honesty as he ducked his head-- As if the other man was there with him and not some blocks away from where he was. He hadn’t thought when he’d met the other a near year ago in the restaurant of the zoo on his lunch break that he’d come to be comfortable with him. But then, he supposed, he always seemed to find comfort in the stand-offish ones.

“I’ll be home soon,” he reconfirmed quietly, mosttly to himself. An attempt at firmness failing him then, as if he wanted to say John stay put but couldn’t bring himself to-- But he rather hoped the man didn’t notice that inflection.

[glitterfairy-21225]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Molly Weasley & Weasley Family, Andromeda Black Tonks & Alphard Black, Cygnus Black/Druella Rosier Black, Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander, Newt Scamander & Theseus Scamander, Leta Lestrange/Theseus Scamander, Queenie Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein & Tina Goldstein, Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Petunia Evans Dursley/Vernon Dursley, Petunia Evans Dursley & Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape (one sided), Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy, Tom Riddle & Ginny Weasley, Tom Riddle/Ginny Weasley Characters: Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Fred Weasley, Charlie Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Bill Weasley, Andromeda Black Tonks, Percy Weasley, Druella Rosier Black, Ted Tonks, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Leta Lestrange, Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein, Theseus Scamander, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Nymphadora Tonks, Petunia Evans Dursley, Lily Evans Potter, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, Penelope Clearwater, Diary Tom Riddle Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Good Weasley Family (Harry Potter), True Love, Love, Insecurity, Roommates, Falling In Love, Bisexual Percy Weasley, Gay Oliver Wood, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Slight Molly Weasley bashing, no ron bashing, No Ginny Bashing, Good Percy Weasley, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Black Hermione Granger, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Discovery, Abused Sirius Black, Romantic Soulmates, Fred Weasley Dies, Kind George Weasley, Multiple Pairings, POV Multiple, Fuck JK Rowling, Slut Shaming, Internalized Homophobia, Misogyny, Bisexual Remus Lupin, Gay Sirius Black, Aromantic Asexual Charlie Weasley Summary:

What if the people of the HP universe were told from the start how their love lives (or lack thereof) would pan out?

Soulmates are a tricky business. One that isn't as cut and dry as you would believe.

When a baby was born, a name in their soulmate's handwriting was marked onto some part of their body. The name would be of a person that baby would, without fail, meet one day, and would, without fail, fall in love with.

That was one possibility.

Other times the name would be faded. The recipient of such a mark would still be destined to meet the person behind the name. And still, no matter how they tried to stay away, one way or another they would still fall in love with the name. A love that was destined to be unrequited.

Sometimes a person will have more than one mark, which at best (though this was the least accepted option) meant you would be in a polyamorous relations. At worst.... Well, bad things can happen.

Those born without marks never do find true love. For one reason or another it just never happened in their lifetime. This wasn't always a bad thing. Wasn't always a good thing either.

Soulmates are a tricky business. One that could hurt. But that's love.

[ao3feed-jily]

Soulmates are a Tricky Business

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3wCWIpU

by GlitterFairy_21225

What if the people of the HP universe were told from the start how their love lives (or lack thereof) would pan out?

Soulmates are a tricky business. One that isn't as cut and dry as you would believe.

When a baby was born, a name in their soulmate's handwriting was marked onto some part of their body. The name would be of a person that baby would, without fail, meet one day, and would, without fail, fall in love with.

That was one possibility.

Other times the name would be faded. The recipient of such a mark would still be destined to meet the person behind the name. And still, no matter how they tried to stay away, one way or another they would still fall in love with the name. A love that was destined to be unrequited.

Sometimes a person will have more than one mark, which at best (though this was the least accepted option) meant you would be in a polyamorous relations. At worst.... Well, bad things can happen.

Those born without marks never do find true love. For one reason or another it just never happened in their lifetime. This wasn't always a bad thing. Wasn't always a good thing either.

Soulmates a tricky business. One that could hurt. But that's love.

Words: 1145, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: Major Character Death

Categories: Multi

Characters: Molly Weasley, Arthur Weasley, Fred Weasley, Charlie Weasley, George Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Harry Potter, Bill Weasley, Andromeda Black Tonks, Percy Weasley, Druella Rosier Black, Ted Tonks, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Newt Scamander, Tina Goldstein, Leta Lestrange, Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein, Theseus Scamander, Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson, Nymphadora Tonks, Petunia Evans Dursley, Lily Evans Potter, Astoria Greengrass, Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, Penelope Clearwater

Relationships: Arthur Weasley/Molly Weasley, Andromeda Black Tonks/Ted Tonks, Molly Weasley & Weasley Family, Andromeda Black Tonks & Alphard Black, Cygnus Black/Druella Rosier Black, Fleur Delacour/Bill Weasley, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, Percy Weasley/Oliver Wood, Angelina Johnson/George Weasley, Fred Weasley & George Weasley, Tina Goldstein/Newt Scamander, Newt Scamander & Theseus Scamander, Leta Lestrange/Theseus Scamander, Queenie Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein & Tina Goldstein, Albus Dumbledore/Gellert Grindelwald, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Sirius Black/Remus Lupin, Remus Lupin/Nymphadora Tonks, Petunia Evans Dursley/Vernon Dursley, Petunia Evans Dursley & Lily Evans Potter, Lily Evans Potter/Severus Snape (one sided), Astoria Greengrass/Draco Malfoy

Additional Tags: Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Good Weasley Family (Harry Potter), True Love, Love, Insecurity, Roommates, Falling In Love, Bisexual Percy Weasley, Gay Oliver Wood, Canonical Character Death, Canonical Child Abuse, Abusive Dursley Family (Harry Potter), Slight Molly Weasley bashing, no ron bashing, No Ginny Bashing, Good Percy Weasley, The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, Black Hermione Granger, Hurt/Comfort, Self-Discovery, Abused Sirius Black, Romantic Soulmates, Fred Weasley Dies, Kind George Weasley, Multiple Pairings, POV Multiple, Fuck JK Rowling

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/3wCWIpU