#their relationship is so based on the trauma and other experiences they shared that they're completely different people without them

[northopalshore]

Juno Persona Chart: observations II

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࿐ Juno (3);

is an asteroid you use to look for when trying to decipher one's future spouse & circumstances of meeting. JPC masterlist.

North node (1° aries) in 1st house

Love at first sight. Fireworks and wedding bells start playing the moment you lock eyes with each other. At that moment, both of you will have no doubt that you are the one for each other.

Kiss (7° libra) in 1st house

You could have been their first kiss, at least romantically. You are likely to be seen kissing very often once in a relationship.

Kama (11° aquarius ) in 1st house

They could be someone very s*xual. You could be very s*xually attracted to eachother from the get go. You could assume they get nasty pretty often just based on how they look, and how unfazed they may be when talking about s*x. Once married, people around you will know you as that one freaky couple lol.

Briede/groom (28° cancer) in 1st house

You will see them as someone very gentle, and you'll think that they are wifey/husband material from the first time you meet. 💅🏻 As a wife/husband, they/you will be very popular, affectionate, soft and loving but also competitive and stubborn.

Alma (29° leo) in 2nd house

Both of you will be very drawn into creating a name for yourselves as within your relationship. Perhaps you will work together on something creative. You will love indulging in the arts together.

Great Attractor (14° taurus) in 3rd house

People could say good things about your relationship. Perhaps your union will be talked about from person to person. Attracting rumours and media. You'll likely be friends with each other's siblings or friends.

Pluto (23° aquarius) in 3rd house

There could be communication issues when you meet i.e different languages or bad connection? Talking online a lot.

Chiron (13° aries) in 3rd house

Bonding through shared experiences or trauma, perhaps talking yo them will bring a healing effect. However, this could also mean rumours being spread will cause trouble. Maybe they'll hear something bad about you and start to get weary, and this might be a problem you both have to face.

Eros (27° gemini) in 3rd house

Instant connect to your heart & your loins lmao. Everything they say will turn you on (they say some simple shit- yeah glo! Lol) . While they talk, you'll be looking at their face, their eyes, their lips, what they're wearing.. and when they call for your attention you'll be at a loss lmao.

Mercury (24° pisces) in Capricorn 4th house

You won't be able to talk as much as you'd like because of work. However, it also means you'll find yourself thinking of them, your previous conversations, their voice & perhaps even daydream about them when you're alone or at work lol.

Great Attractor (13° aries) in 4th house

Meeting at home or your home town. You attract a lot of attention to your home life after meeting them. Perhaps your mother or your relatives will constantly ask "So, how's your love life going?" lmao.

Great Attractor (15° gemini) in 6th house

Your partnership will open new opportunities in terms of your career. They could get you in touch with important people or even just expand your friend circle. People will notice you more in your workspace/daily life.

Pluto retrograde (5° leo) in Sagittarius 4th house

Distance could be an issue in your relationship at first. Perhaps you'll live far from them, so you won't be able to see each other very often.

Alma in aries/aries° 7th house

Your souls were meant to be united in this life through contracts i.e marriage. Love at first sight, the moment you meet you know they are the one.

Part of fortune (3° gemini) in 7th house

They could be a popular singer or a writer and they may be signed to a certain company/label/publisher. Your marriage will bring you a lot of luck and happiness.

Boda (4°cancer) in 8th house

Your marriage may drastically change your home life. Your marriage will be very private, romantic and perhaps slightly controversial to most people.

Saturn (3° gemini) in 9th house

They could still be in college or university when you meet. They may put a lot of importance into their higher education. They could also just be entering college/university i.e a first year/junior since gemini also symbolises early education. They could also just have dropped out lol.

Moon (10° Capricorn) 9th house

They could be very emotionally mature for their age. Someone very introspective and logical. They could be burdened with work/education when you meet.

Moon conjunct saturn

Your heart could linger on them, or you'll find yourself thinking about them for a long time after the initial meeting.

note: It reminds me of that one interview with South Korean artist Rain where he tells interviewers how he met his wife (I think it was for a reality tv show). Her voice kept echoing in his mind after hearing it once. He likely has this placement in his juno pc if not saturn conjunct mercury.

Midheaven leo/leo°

Their career could involve the arts, children and being popular or extroverted.

ex: teacher, coach, actor, singer

Midheaven taurus/taurus°

Their career could involve their voice, their face and cooking/lifestyle.

ex: singer, model, chef, actor

Midheaven gemini/gemini°

Their career could involve young children, writing and talking. They work in an environment where information comes fast and easy.

ex: IT, preschool teacher, grade school teacher, writer, news anchor & commentator

Union (17° libra) in cancer 11th house

You could meet them at home online while scrolling on social media i.e Tiktok, Instagram, dating apps etc.

Mars (25° aries) in 11th house

You could meet them online, or the both of you will be very focused on humanitarianism & charity work. You could share a group of friends or perhaps they will introduce you to their friends.

Venus in 12th house

You will be put in a trance by each other. Perhaps your eyes will linger a little longer after they look away. Both of you will exchange a lot of "sneaky" glances towards each other. If you met online, you will likely fantasize about them through the screen lol.

ex: Your scrolling through Tiktok, then suddenly their video pops up and you can't help but linger on their profile for longer than you probably should have. It's likely you'll do a little stalking as well especially if it's in leo/pisces/scorpio lol.

Venus conjunct mars

Love at first sight. Both of you will be strongly attracted to each other the moment your eyes lock.

12th house stellium

LONG DISTANCE. You might not be able to see them often after the initial meeting, but you'll likely keep in contact through the phone.

Fama (24° pisces) in Leo 12th house

People may romanticise your relationship and how you met. Of course this can go both ways, there will also be a lot of assumptions that people will harbor about your relationship and about the both of you in general (perhaps even before you met! i.e assuming the type of partner you'll get. )

Any Grand trine present in the chart will make the house involved a lot easier to deal with.

For example planets in the 1st-10th-4th form a grand trine: Your identity, career and home life are very harmonious with eachother. You are likely to receive a lot of support from your partner in these areas of life, even if some aspects in those houses are placed rather difficultly.

note: this goes for all charts including natal, composite and any persona chart.

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***entertainment purposes only: reader discretion is advised***

Thank you for reading ♡

@northopalshore

@northopalshore 2024 all rights reserved.

[autistichalsin]

Halsin and abandonment issues

One thing I've come to conclude about Halsin's character, based on many parts of his story and some lines he says, is that he might have abandonment issues.

To begin with: he lost his entire family over the years to accidents and disease, per his writer. That's the kind of thing that leaves deep scars- watching everyone you love fade away over years, until at a "comparatively young age" you're the last of your family and turned over to the Druids to be taken care of. (His writer didn't specify an age, but if he was young enough to be "turned over to the Druids" instead of "finding his way there" then it is likely he was not an adult.) There's no time to lose your family that isn't absolutely horrible, but as a young person is far, far worse.

Then there's Halsin's other traumas, all of which involve isolation; he was a prisoner for three years in the Underdark, and despite this, no one thought to come looking for him to save him. He lost most of his fellow Druids in the battle against Ketheric Thorm and the Shadow Curse that followed- and what few didn't die, he still lost their friendship to his leadership position, the "weight of responsibility". His one lasting friend in all of this, Thaniel, was lost to the curse and Halsin spent over 100 years blaming himself, fighting to be the best leader he could at the Grove, and having no one at all he could lean on for any of his burdens. And then he wound up kidnapped again, this time by the goblins, and when he returns, almost all his Druids have been turned against him, some even holding him in contempt. All experiences that are isolating in nature and reinforce to him that he can't rely on anyone else, that he is the only person he can depend on, and that in the end, everyone he cares for is going to leave or die.

It's not just speculation that he feels that way, either. He has several lines about his survivor guilt and isolation:

"[...] there is a burden to being the survivor... the witness to others' tragedies. It only grows heavier with time."

"[...] Grim as it is now, it was worse on the day of the battle. A vivid wound upon my memory. I was lucky - I lived, when so many did not. It would take me a day and a night to recite the names of all the friends I lost."

And lines that indicate he's used to being left, too.

If the player rejects him after he wildshapes (emphasis mine):

"Ah, I see. Well, of course. Back to camp then."

Saying "of course" implies it's not entirely unexpected.

After the final battle, if the player declines to have a celebration and says the party should split up:

"It was always destined to be so, if we prevailed. But the foreknowledge makes it no less bittersweet..."

He was expecting the party not to stick together.

Similarly, if a love-interest player breaks up with him in the ending:

"I see... After all my years of living, I know all too well that nothing lasts forever. Yet a parting can sting, nonetheless. But that just means what we shared was precious, and will live on in my memory. Thank you - I am a richer man for having met you."

The "nothing lasts forever" really sells it, to me, especially because the context makes it clear that he isn't just making a general statement- he's talking about relationships and people. Again- he was expecting it all to end.

His worry in the epilogue, when a solo-romanced player comes to the party with him, hints at this even more: "You could have done anything, gone with anyone... yet you chose me."

He's surprised that the player, even if they're in love, would want to live with him and share his dream. He can't believe they really wanted that- he even says that he keeps expecting to "stir from the dream".

I feel like that shows a lot about how Halsin feels after all the loss he's endured- he doesn't ultimately believe anyone is going to stay with him, whether because they choose to leave him, or because they'll die.

[thatbitchery]

Just in case you needed a guide to human relationships & interactions and how to actually relate to people I have one for you, & it's made of 3 parts.

People are different from you. There's literally not one human being out there exactly like you, you could have an identical twin with the same parents same childhood &c and I promise you you're nothing alike. You've lived such different lives despite 75% similarity in DNA. Understanding that people form their opinions belief systems worldview & c on individual experiences based on their trauma, family dynamics, cultures, home value systems, literally climate etc and we are all different will save you from easily getting triggered when someone doesn't share your opinion bc you're not in their shoes you don't know why they have/that/ opinion so you have no grounds to go feral. People are different from you. Understand this & save yourself the embarrassment of pointless arguments & little virtue locks because you cannot fathom different opinions when it's literally the one single truth. Understand this sk you're not going to war with people on the reblogs for not having the same pov. Yours makes sense to you. Theirs makes sense to, them. Who are you to decide whose is the absolute truth?

You are not a God get off your little high horse you're a human being. People do not owe you worship or discipleship. They don't have to believe everything you say or buy into you. Well within their rights to look at what you say or do and say yeah that's a load of bullshit. You're not a God so you're not always right, remember this the next time you're about to lay your life on the ground over an opinion, you could be wrong. Nothing will hurt you more than that thewizardliz my way or no way mindset. Remember the things you used to defend with your life when you were like 10 that you're rn absolutely disgusted by? Leave space & never speak in absolutes & never degrade another's opinion to the ground, you could be wrong & it will be very very very embarrassing for you when you find out you were.

Everyone is right, all the time. There is no absolute in this universe. Unlearn debates they're mighty pointless, everyone is right every single time. Truth is very subjective so the girl that has been traumatized by M3n saying all m3n deserve d3ath is right, if you were her you'd say the same thing and the v3gan is right & the carnivore is right & the conservative is right & the liberal is right- because everyone is right all the time and I promise if you were in their shoes, you'd see it. You'd see it. Even when someone Says the dumbest stuff known to existence, from where they are standing, they're right. Debates are pointless. Extremely. You can not fathom the kind of life others have had, not even your siblings or children- what then gives you the confidence to decide what should be right to them? Know your place.

So human interactions work better when you understand these, they just do. Once you no longer feel the need to justify your pov because you know you're literally the only one with it it's just makes things, easier thats why the apostle Paul said to never argue with people about opinions, its useless & tempts them and you to sin. It makes you more understanding & empathetic & pleasant & sophisticated to be around, it's the winners draw. You unlearn the need to argue because you know they'll never see it like you and you'll never see it like them so you take the high road and find middle ground or nod along and go home or find a way to say I don't agree, but I can accommodate that you think like that, and watch how people completely flock to you. There's no power , at all, to 'my way or no way' find your own little planet & leave that thewizardliz mindset on YouTube. Human beings are social relational creatures, part of relationships is accommodation.

[cooki3face]

what’s going on in your friendships

message: friendships and close personal relationships have been a significant thing in my life as of late. I have the tendency to self-isolate in order to remain untriggered because I can't control my environment the way I wish I could when other energies are involved. I've never been super outgoing or social, I enjoy conversation but on my own terms and I'm highly selective about the company I keep and how I choose to share my energy with the world. But, you have to be a whole other level of healed in order to remain energetically grounded where your circumstances or environment are eating away at you. When I have close personal relationships they consume me because I am always so heavily devoted or emotionally involved and so they have the capacity to disarm me or put me in hard places when things go wrong or when something is triggering. I've decided to do this reading in order to give the collective insight on what's going on in their friendships and hopefully give some guidance on what needs to be improved or worked on. Enjoy.

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I.

There's an energy here about either you or people you were friends with or are friends with carrying the energy of past resentment. In your energy there's an energy of friendship(s) being a touchy subject or something that you've separated yourself from entirely due to bad situations or experiences. In other energies outside of yours, there could be someone or even a few people who hold ill energy towards you or have negative perceptions of you based on a falling out or you outgrowing them. There's energy of betrayal or someone revealing themselves to you or double-crossing you and you having to turn inwards or go into hermit mode in order to recover and swearing off friendships or become more opposed or narrowing your scope for what is acceptable in your friendships. Someone had high expectations already but they're even higher now. I'm listening to the song "Back to Black" by Amy Winehouse. She says in the song, "I've died 100 times." someone has been burned a lot or has a very extensive painful history in close relationships both platonic and romantic that require trust and respect to be equal and held at high regard.

Someone had a friend who was troubled or had a tendency to mess things up for themselves or be deceptive or throw stones and hide their hands I'm hearing. Pile one you may have developed a thing for the underdog or in the past had a subconscious pull to people who had heavy trauma-filled backgrounds or carried with them a lot of karmic energy or karmic behaviors and cycles. This may have been a theme for the vast majority of your close personal relationships for the past couple of years. You constantly ran into people who didn't value themselves and therefore didn't know your value and people who would always have an internal tendency to not know what they'd lost until you'd walked away from them. You may have had to make a difficult decision here that resulted in you letting go of several friends and/ or lovers or significant people in your life that you carried on your back for the past couple of years. You learn lessons primarily through people and relationships and you eventually outgrew or broke out of karmic cycles and behaviors and you had to decide whether or not you wanted a new beginning or not.

You may currently feel a lot of grief or be in the process of mourning past versions of yourself or past versions of your life and the people who were in it although you're done with them now. There's healing that needs to be addressed regarding betrayal and heartbreak regarding your friendships and relationships. Right now you are in a state of recovery here, I'm seeing imagery of someone in a deep sleep or in a comatose like state like sleeping beauty or something, the body has the ability to heal or recover faster through sleep, you may feel somewhat unresponsive towards people coming towards you seeking friendships or companionship.

You're deciding what it is you want in a friendship and doing what you can possible to come into alignment with what that looks like, you've essentially had to start from scratch or build your life and yourself up again from the ground up. You have nothing left from the life you used to live. You've had to and are in the process of manifesting everything that you desire. You are no longer in a state of your life or on the chronological divine timeline where you are having to live with the cards you are dealt and make the best of it or learn the right lessons for what you are given. You have essentially aged out of and graduated out of the divine's guardianship over you as a spiritual minor. Now it's your choice what it is you get to have, what you get to make, what you wanna see, what you wanna put up with, and with whom.

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II.

You could feel called to power through and carry on even though you could be experiencing or have experienced significant hardship in your friendships. You may have a tendency to suppress your emotions regarding loss or you have remained in survival mode for years at a time so much so you may be someone who is always in autopilot or doesn't stop too often to process loss in full even if you're a heavily emotionally driven individual who needs time for recovery and needs time to heal so that you can thrive. I just heard someone's a water sign but operates like an earth sign to keep up appearances or maintain a hard exterior or escape the symptoms that come with heartbreak or grief. like if you can imagine the spectral difference between Cancer and Capricorn as a moon sign placement. You may carry a mindset that the entire world has always been against you or that you're not a particularly popular individual wherever it is you reside.

People may make up stories about you, spread rumors, some people fear you heavily while on the other side of the spectrum others may believe you're a coward or deserve to be mistreated or beat down as much as possible. People don't know who you are or know your heart due to some circumstances that were outside of your control and some that were. By the time you'd established or came to terms with the fact that you wanted to be around others, felt isolated, or felt scared and mistreated it was too late because people already had such large negative perspectives and opinions about you. I just heard "you think I want to be like this?" someone has been alienated or is treated like an abomination or as though they are unacceptable. You may also find you have a hard time networking or accessing opportunities you feel you'd have rights to if not for your reputation, not even just work opportunities, social ones as well, people don't want to be around you or people have a tendency to reject you or you feel you aren't able to reach people you love fully due to a lack of self worth or a skewed perception of yourself.

You've lost hope of profound connection within your friendships (you could've had a close friend before that you held onto past a healthy point or even throughout their betrayal or mistreatment of you due to the fact that you felt like if you released them you'd face eternal loneliness. I'm hearing this person could've exploited you for your resources or used you or subjected you to some sort of abuse repeatedly and you didn't/couldn't hold them accountable only the two of you know about this or people know but it's not a well spread secret. I'm hearing this person could've also potentially r*ped, s*xually assaulted you or used you to experiment or fill the void of their own loneliness and desperation.) You could've also potentially lost a romantic connection or loss hope in prospect of love as well or you may have convinced yourself you'll end up unmarried or in short term surface level relationships for the rest of your life.

You could have this large tendency to be so resistant of change whether it's for the best or not or whether it's gonna be in your best interest or not and this has worked against you. You have wounds that have been left open and are gaping because you refuse to stop and get help or allow yourself to heal and recover. You have things that need to be said that won't ever be at your own hand. You won't allow yourself to have anything because other people decided you shouldn't have anything. You could be so happy and so free of spiritual and emotional burden if you would just allow yourself to heal and do the inner work. Return to any avenues and paths you've left unpaved or any loose ends you've left untied and clean up things in order to free yourself. You may have to come to terms with the fact that not everything can be mended, reconciled, or redelivered back to you in the way you want or within the time frame you desire though pile two. You aren't the only person on the planet contrary to your beliefs, the people who were on it with you who you shared your energy with or who you shared your energy with have their own reservations, their own stories or versions of what happened whether they are truthful or not.

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III.

You have an unnatural allegiance to losers and it's unlike you. You may have a tendency to make friends or make connections out of necessity or out of fear of loneliness. You are what you attract, you may have a tendency to constantly fall back into karmic cycles or run around in circles in terms of life lessons. you're someone who takes a long time to learn things you need to learn. You could be an air sign or a water sign. You have the tendency to take a lot of short cuts or do things to try and make yourself have an easier time assimilating or blending in after years of rejection from personal places or have people and places that large significance in your life or things you spent a lot of time around, peers at school, parents, siblings, family. You can also have a tendency to be impressionable you might have picked up a lot of nasty habits or behavioral patterns or karmic ties due to the type of people you choose to be around and attract. There's something here about your spirit being young or you being someone who has a tendency to act out or has a difficult time making their own decisions including responsible ones or doing what's best for you when it needs to be done.

You have a parent or parents who play a huge role in the way you process situations and carry yourself in general. You weren't taught or raised up to be an adult or aren't/weren't offered the proper tools to build a sense of self that was adequate for someone who needed to navigate in this world. I just heard the words "hurt people hurt people" you may have the tendency to self destruct and in turn be destructive to others. You carry with you either a lot of guilt or on the far end of the spectrum a large lack of accountability and willing ignorance about the part you played in conflicts or how your actions may have effected someone or a situation. You're constantly feeling very stagnant, burnt out, drained or low on energy and a lot of this is reflective of some of your choices, your choices in company, your behavioral patterns, karmic cycles and even potentially addictions if you've picked up any vices that you should've stayed far away from.

You may be in a place in your relationships where you're at a crossroads about if you should trust your intuition and the divines organization of change and chaos and move forward or do the right thing and allow yourself to fully outgrow and separate from people, things, places, etc. you've carried with you or collected along the way for fear of loss. Behaviors and karmic cycles and habits as well. I say relationships instead of just friendships because you have a tendency to make bad decisions in both your romantic and platonic relationships and connections and your karma is coming at you from both ends. There's fear here though regarding letting go. The deeper issue or root cause of this need to collect things comes from fear of abandonment, being disliked or perceived negatively or not being able to control the feeling you may feel about not having anyone to fall back onto/into.

You could've lost a friend or a person of value that you pushed away or that woke up to something or had some sort of truth revealed to them about you and actions you may have had a habit of committing to behind their back in regards to them. This person won't reconcile with you or you know that anyone of value that you lost along the way or anyone who may bring you solace has walked away. But, spirit has set your revelation or your healing process or tower moment up this way for you so that you have the chance to fully and wholeheartedly see what is going on or what needs to be done. I just heard "you're so far removed from source." The only way out is through and there might be a lot of grief that you may have to receive or make your way through before you can come out the other end changed and in alignment with what needs to be done or what's in store for you. You need to heal or come back into alignment. I'm getting imagery of someone detoxing or withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. this could be something you may have to actually experience or a figurative representation of what the process of healing and recuperation may look like for you because there is a lot that needs to be purged.

But, after all of this, if you do the inner work, there is promised stability and alignment for you.

-

channeled song for this reading:

[vicsbasement]

Watching Charles closely I came to believe that he might have abandonment issues (for obvious reasons), so yeah, I guess he hasn’t been taking Carlos’ departure from the team very well… Of course Carlos isn’t actively abandoning him, but anyways

Ohmygod, anon. You're absolutely right. I mean, it's a logical response to his past trauma, too. I'm not presuming to know the guy, but from what I can see, I just feel like he's really going through the trenches right now. I'm not going to say that they're extremely close, but, just from what we've been able to see about their relationship and the way they talk about each other, I'm ready to assume that they really seem to be close, especially now that we can see Charles visibly reacting to Carlos' departure from the team. I'm pretty sure there's not an ounce of bad blood between them, especially since they've been seeming so much closer ever since before Vegas. I feel like their friendship had time to develop towards the end of their third year together (trauma bonding and all things provided by a very rocky Ferrari car that put them both in uncomfortable situations that only both of them could understand) and so, now that that was blooming, to have it taken from them must be tough. Carlos has been brought up to be much less emotional about his relationships in the paddock, based on interviews alone, yet I think he's been saving up some emotion for their alone time. Charles, though... he seems to be that guy who wears his heart on his sleeve sometimes, and when it comes to this, he doesn't seem too shy to let people know that he really does like Carlos as a teammate and as a person. I mean, they have so much in common, everyone's said it, Mattia, Fred, constantly talking about their competitiveness and how close they'd become when they started to make everything a race... and they probably know each other well. They've shared small spaces, probably had important conversations with one another, they're both in a position where nobody else would get it, except for the other. And they've never, EVER shown disrespect towards each other. So, yeah. Carlos might not be abandoning Charles, but they're both in rather similar situations, and to bring Lewis into the mix, Lewis, with the bigger salary, with the seven titles, with the past experience... it should be something that makes Charles take pause and probably appreciate what he has right now with a guy who's basically in the same level as himself in terms of... I don't know, I guess gravitas. Lewis has so much, and Charles has the whole team behind him, and yet he turns to Carlos as a friend? Maybe we're not seeing how much of an equal footing they have between each other. They've probably discussed even this between them and Charles must be feeling so comfortable with Carlos by his side... This whole thing rocks his whole world, and I would love Carlos' security just as much as Charles is probably appreciating it right now. Sorry, I got totally off the rails with this, but the point is: what this shows me is that Charles really does care, deeply, about Carlos. And it's a wonder to see, honestly. If I were to be completely honest, I saw their relationship much more unilaterally. I felt like Carlos liked Charles more than he liked Carlos. But right now? Wow. I really do see how much Charles seems to appreciate Carlos' company and friendship as a teammate. And it's an absolute relief to me. The fact that he started the year defending Carlos from the italian press and insisting, on record, that they should focus on the fact that they have a whole year together out of "RESPECT FOR CARLOS"? Wow, Charles. You had my eye, before, but right now, you finally caught my attention. Thank you for sending me this ask, anon! I love analyzing stuff and the content has been pouring lately, so I love just to be able to talk about these two guys without restraints 😅

[loversandantiheroes]

Honestly what I wish more people understood with regards to Astarion's story is there's no such thing as a universal trauma experience. You could line up 10 different SA survivors and while they're all going to have a lot of shared experiences, they're going to have been affected in different ways. They're going to have different feelings about sex and different relationships with their sexuality, from hypersexual to sex averse and everything in between.

That does not mean that any of them are wrong.

I have seen a lot of people in this fandom projecting a lot of incredibly strong feelings onto this character and his story, and then act as though their experiences make their interpretation the "correct" one, and that's just not how it works.

The game gives many possible threads to show how Astarion might feel, depending on the choices made. People who read him as aspec based on those choices aren't wrong. Nor are the ones that see him eagerly voice his interest in using his new found freedom to explore sex on his own terms and find that resonates with them more. There are lots of different outcomes here, but the most important part is that he's the one that gets to dictate his choices.

So, yeah, idk, tl;dr: your experiences are not universal, you don't have a say in how other people heal, don't be dicks,

[joanofexys]

tell me about cult shit (every time I read your cult posts I feel super enlightened I think it’s great that you’re sharing your experience because I feel like it teaches so many others including me) specifically about things cults do to normalize their actions? idk if that makes sense but I was thinking about how jean thought that what he went through was something he deserved and like normal punishments etc

yay cult shit!

warning: this got long and i think i veered off topic and a lot of it is incoherent. To sum it up, there's a lot of ways that cults manage to normalize things. And a lot of it boils down to your brain not wanting to admit you're trapped and that it's worse than you thought.

A lot of it is subtle integration. If you're not learning it from birth and they're trying to convert you they're obviously not going to hit you with the worst of the worst right off the bat.

This is a rough comparison because it is comparing two forms of abuse and two traumas but it's the best I can think of right now. It's kind of similar to how domestic abuse in relationships can work. A man hits his girlfriend for the first time. He swears it won't happen again. She accepts that. It obviously happens again. And grows more frequent over time.

A lot of cults don't function off of physical abuse. At least not as their foundation. A lot of cult members are physically abused, are more likely to end up in relationships where they will be abuse victims, and in many husband/wife relationships or parent/child relationships there can be physical abuse present. But that's often not what a cult sustains itself on. But it is does to a similar thing to physical abuse where it eases into things and as people are manipulated and get in too deep then the abuse becomes more obvious or more frequent.

With the way I grew up it was largely that I came to associate unnatural punish/consequence as natural consequences. A child drops a plate. Natural consequence: they clean up the mess (with help, if needed). Unnatural consequence: some form of corporal punishment. This is a specific example that we still see very frequently. Many kids who grrew up being hit or spanked do still believe that it is a natural thing/natural consequence. Your child misbehaves and therefore the "natural" consequence is that you spank them. Obviously we have evidence and psychological studies that contradict this. But that doesn't change the fact that based on the way many people were raised they still believe that to be a natural punishment.

Cults work similarly. Growing up if I messed up there wasn't often a natural or connected punishment. The obvious answer, or the consequences for my actions, were often based in religious/cult related things. It erases the sense of the natural consequences and replaces them with things ingrained in the cult. Until it seems natural.

I'd honestly assume the ravens work similarly. You mess up a drill and instead of re-running it you get hit and then you do it again. It adds the factor of physical abuse into the process until it becomes a regular and expected part of it. Until it seems like the obvious thing.

There's also the aspect of fear and fear mongering. I thought I deserved certain things because I had sinned. Because I was going to hell and that was something I feared greatly. Anything that comes from a higher power is deserved. Whether that's a god or a cult leader or anyone else above you. And a huge part of that probably factors into Jean's abuse and his sense of deserving. He has never held a position of power over Riko in any form. Not in name, not on the court, not anywhere. Riko has always been above him. And even when Jean fought back that was something that still existed. There's a huge power play involved there and your mind and body can only put up that fight for so long before fear wins out.

When there's no clear out you will eventually succumb to it and normalize it. To put it in very simple terms. Jean could never get up and walk out. And there was only so much abuse and torment that his mind and body could withstand before he learned to give in. Before he learned that Riko, and Tetsuji, were things to be afraid of.

You don't just get up and walk out of a cult. Maybe in the early days, but they don't show you the worst of it early on. But once you're in it becomes normal because there's no way to leave. So you have to rationlize it. Justify it. Find a reason why it's the way it is. Obviously for Jean it was abusive from the get go. And that was because he has absolutely no out. For the other Ravens they could, in theory, drop out at any point. But that's not how cults work. Even if it seems like there's a way to leave, most cult members can't see it. You never know you're in a cult till you leave it. Why would you be looking for the exit?

[neptune-scythe]

Reasons Kanej is very important to me

AKA my Ace manifesto

Most romance in media is very physical/sex driven, so as a sex repulsed asexual with sensitivities to touch and skin to skin contact, that can get very irritating. Partially because I just don't like to watch it, but also because I can't relate to it at all. It's completely foreign to me. And as someone who can tend to be very influenced by what I watch/read, having physical intimacy hyped in that way can be very misleading. Physical attraction/intimacy is ultimately hollow and isn't sustainable long term if that's all your relationship is based on, and if you're seeing those kinds of relationships portrayed as successful and fulfilling than you would expect it to be the same in real life... which will ultimately lead to a lot of confusion and disappointment. It's very easy to write a relationship just for sex appeal, or pair two actors together because they're attractive; and chances are most people will be satisfied by that.

But that's not love... that's attraction. The media has blurred the difference between those words, so young people growing up with TV and social media are being told that sexual and physical attraction is love, when, in reality, it is just that, attraction and lust.

Real love can include those elements, but it certainly doesn't have to. Real love is about emotional connection, it's about knowing and caring about each other. It's so much deeper than simply thinking someone is attractive or wanting physical intimacy with them. And there are so many more ways that people experience love and romance than just sex, and that is rarely shown in media.

That is why Kanej means so much to me. They're not just another couple that fits the societal "standard" for romance. Their relationship is built on trust, friendship, understanding one another, and wanting the best for the other. All things that are sustainable, the things that really matter. And I know both characters have expressed a desire for a more intimate, physical relationship, but I believe they can have a perfectly fulfilling relationship without that. And while I do absolutely want them to heal from their traumas, I do not think that means they have to be touchy or have a sexual relationship. I would love to see them heal enough to be comfortable in close proximity to each other, to hold hands, maybe even share a kiss; but I don't think they need those things to be a healthy couple, and I don't think that achieving that comfort is the only way they can heal.

In conclusion, despite kanej not being a canonically ace couple, I feel represented by them, I feel my experiences are seen and validated. They give me hope that should I ever desire a romantic relationship, it is possible to find one that I can be comfortable in, that doesn't require physical intimacy to be healthy and long lasting. I adore Kanej, and I will protect them at all costs.

[alienssstufff]

Hi saw ur tags on slimeriana ramble PLEASE share ur thought abt Q!DAPDUO IM SO UNWELL ABT THEM i would really love to hear whatever ur thinking abt :o

woughhh waited for Charlie to come back before i could draw a conclusion.

As of right now both q!Quackity and q!Slime have gone through all stages of grief at some point they've both reached the acceptance stage - but just because they have doesn't mean their stories are over and that they live problem free they got new problems now. They're still alive but now they struggle for a sense of purpose.

[copying this part directly from one of my older tweets www] Quackity in the beginning falling in love with the image of a perfect family (2 parents, 1 kid), losing every connection with Tilin and his friends along the way. He regrets it and tries to replicate a family with Tallulah, Richarlyson,,, Gegg (lmao) before accepting that he'll never have what he had with Tilin and that parenting is just not for him. Quackity rushing himself into a marriage with a man he barely knows not only for attention but the concept of being in a relationship -- then to reflect on what genuine love, death, and friendship is with Sofia based on all that he's been through thus being the reason why he called off his own wedding. Even if we see him put TNT under the Q!Guapoduo wedding venue it's proven that he's aware of what he's doing but does it anyway because it GIVES HIM PURPOSE just like joining the Federation IT GIVES HIM PLACE ON THE ISLAND BY TRYING TO APPEASE TO THE ROLES HE'S GIVEN.

And it's a similar story for Slime too. When Juanaflippa was alive he tried fulfilling the father role of the family based on past experience - terrible father rocky start but eventually breaks the cycle of abuse (generational trauma): his purpose on the island was to Care for his daughter. When Juanaflippa died the first then second time, Slime's new purpose was to bring her back which triggered both the rampage, the trial, then the eggxile, and the prayers to god: His purpose on the island was to Fight for his daughter. And when he reached acceptance at the funeral - Slime turned dormant (his hiatus). There's a very weighted conversation he has with Q!Foolish after the guapoduo wedding, explaining his reasoning to objecting at the vows (and then to Foolish) - because those things make Slime FEEL something. Slime talks about how empty he's been feeling lately even with his marriage with Mariana, the love isn't what it used to be there's nothing for them to fight for - maybe if he hooked up with someone else it would give them something to live for. Slime causes issues, he's going to run in the elections because it GIVES HIM PURPOSE and it MAKES HIM FEEL ALIVE.

The friendship between q!Dapduo and their arcs when placed side-by-side is fascinating in the different ways they go through loss, now the similar ways they cope after the grief. Their relationship is double-sided sword where on one half their common experience could be used to console the other through the trauma in a healthy way, whilst also being not good for each other by being bad influences and enabling self-destruction.

...so anyway I'll be voting for Slimecicle in the elections :]

[weenwrites]

Hello! Parental/platonic relationship please of a rescued kid reader, who has been experimented on & abused by M.E.C.H because of their incredible healing power on any living being (plants, animals, humans even the bots) and was left in bots' base for their protection.

With tfp optimus, ratchet and arcee. Thank you!

(The bots could be the ones who did the rescuing)

Optimus

He doesn't really mind how attached the kid seems to him—although he doesn't understand the reason behind it. So long as they don't try to follow him through the groundbridge on missions, everything's fine. He treats the kid the same way he treats the others for the most part, and that unfortunately includes the way he doesn't quite spent much time around them.

But even if they don't speak or talk too frequently, he'd take notice of their little mannerisms, and remember even the little moments shared with them, and he'd grow attached. He doesn't believe that keeping the kid here would be good for their development, so he asks Agent Fowler to keep him updated on when he finds a family to adopt them and give them a proper home.

He doesn't know how to entertain a kid, but he tries reading them children's books whenever he can. But if they don't show any interest in children's books, and seem more interested in any stories he has to tell, he'll tell them of his days as an archivist and nothing of the war because he was told that war stories are not suitable for young children. In general, he'll try his best to act as much of a father-figure as he can until you're under better care.

Ratchet

He didn't anticipate to find a human child in one of M.E.C.H's laboratories, and but neither did he care about the reason. In the aftermath of it all, he doesn't understand why they seem so attached to him when all he did was find them and take them out of that laboratory, and honestly he's peeved. He asks them to let him work in peace if they tend to bother him, but he wouldn't yell unless they really got on his nerves. So long as they don't tend to bother him, then they have the best chance for him to grow attached to them.

He'd try not to yell around them, and he'd try his best to be patient and understanding for their sake. But, it's only oh so long until one's patience runs dry, but even then he wouldn't yell at them. With how busy he is around the base, he hardly gets any time to sit down, but he tries to watch over them whenever he can. And when he does, he learns just how hard it is to raise a child.

Of course, after doing a bit of research on raising children, he resolves to keep them entertained with toys like stuffed animals, puzzles, books, paints, pillow forts, etc.. And while it's a hassle to clean up afterward, he considers it worth it so long as it keeps them happy.

It'll take time and patience, but after a long while he'll care about them, even if he doesn't openly admit it. If they have any trauma around being used solely for their powers, then he'll keep from asking them to do any healing for him, no matter how useful it may be. He'll leave them to decide on their own whether they'll use it to help or not.

Arcee

If they're a bit clingy toward her in the beginning, she's not gonna like that. She has no problems with hanging around them for a while, but when they start trying to follow her everywhere then that's where she draws the line. So long as they're well behaved (which is improbable, considering they're a child), there won't be many problems between them.

If they still act very frightened and scared around the base, she attempts to help them learn that no-one there is going to hurt them, and that they're in a safe place. They essentially bond over having been hurt and traumatized, and it doesn't take Arcee long to grow attached to them. If they have nightmares and whatnot because of the trauma they endured, she'll have some sort of idea on how to help with that. She'll try her best to serve as a support system for them.

With a bit of help from Raf, Jack, and Miko, she'll try getting them to play with toys, or to get them invested in some new hobbies to keep them entertained since stimulation plays an important developmental role.

[librarycards]

How’d you discover you were plural? If that’s ok to ask

of course! genuinely, it's less of a discovery that &i is/are plural, and more that plurality is a meaningful conceptual framework to apply to my/our existence.

to dip a bit into coming-out cliché, &i've never felt, like, singular; we've always been iterative. we hardly even share the same body. actually, the iterations we've been are sometimes tied to particular forms of embodimindment, not unrelated to other experiences i've had - disorderly eating/drastic weight changes/puberty/trans medical interventions/elective body modification/lived experiences of trauma. this, like many things, is something for a while we assumed everyone felt (and perhaps everyone would, if we as a society did not tamp down so violently on our inherent systemhood [we're made of systems]).

then, &i learned that not everyone referred to themselves with different pronouns directed toward different iterations, and that this actually offended some trans people &i tried to like, ~build community~ with. people don't like seeing selveshood as periodized, because that disrupts the narrative of linear progress/growing-up we like to ascribe to "being a person."

so we sat with this feeling of having grown sideways or crossways and learned about multiplicity (beyond harmful media/medical discourse) on tumblr. actually, &i think [S]arah learned about it back when she was knee deep in the whole indigo children thing lmao, because there was also soulbonding stuff etc. [don't bother with those types of sites, they're run by new age antisemitic anti-vaxxers, but obviously 9 year old [S]arah didn't know that].

when we began learning about multiplicity on tumblr, we were under the assumption that alters had to be far more clearly defined and transparently mapped than is true, &i think, for most systems. others have commented on the weird proximity to clinical confessional discourse that fixations on system mapping point toward: not because there's an inherent problem with system mapping, but because the idea that everyone/everymany must do this / leave evidence of their collective (and ultimately, legible) existence, is just bullshit, just like the stories we have to tell to receive "gender dysphoria" diagnoses.

i think what really changed our relationship with multiplicity was/is our friendship with @materialisnt. it's difficult to describe the degree to which mix moss have impacted &my life, both through chaim "formal" scholarship (the formal/informal binary is bullshit ofc) and through several years of deep friendship and unwavering solidarity. &i recognize in hindsight that &my longstanding interest in multiplicity - and alterhumanity writ large, because i am not a human and actually don't think any of us are or were? - was really just, you know. being an egg. many such cases. mix. moss's patience with &my questions & collective excitement at my interventions and thoughts gifted us the confidence to, only recently [and partially pursuant to &my dissertation, which includes discussion of alterhuman digital epistemologies and pedagogies] begin identifying with plurality. perhaps even "as", though that preposition has always skeeved &me out when it comes to identity stuff.

ultimately, &my relationship with plurality isn't a concrete object that we eventually dug up and slapped a nametag on. it's a meaningful, collaborative, and community-based signifier that helps us best situate ourselves in conversations about relationships and love and pain and time and all the important parts of. existing, we guess. it's a choice to generate linguistic and spatiotemporal friction be just kinda existing and not being "one human being". it is also something that feels deeply heart-aligned, something that allowed me to let out a breath we'd been holding for a long time, and free up space to think with more creativity and compassion toward those &i value most: that is, those rejected by the existing conditions we call "reality" and "commonsense" and instead think more capaciously, as ourselves, about different ways of being persons and people together.

[gwenllian-in-the-abbey]

how do you write jahaera in the fathers clad in fire? Does it come natural? Or do you have certain idea of who she is and based on that you write her dialogue you write her response?

because i just innately feel characterization of her in the story is so authentic. This makes me wonder how the heck you guys achieved that with lack of material on jaehara?

how do you see her personality, her values, her interests? How do you think she would express affection and love?

I love this! Thanks so much for asking about Jae!

The kids are some of my favorite characters to write. Aside from being a high school history teacher, I'm a mom myself to two teenagers, a son and a daughter. I draw on my own experience with kids a lot when I write Jaehaera, and my personal and professional knowledge of children! Kids are hard to get right, especially traumatized kids. Children, I think, are one of George's weak spots and he writes without a clear idea of what is developmentally appropriate for kids at various ages (think about the scene in F&B when three year old Joffrey tries to stop Aemond from claiming Vhagar). That's something we wanted to avoid. We want our eight year old to feel eight, our fourteen year olds to feel fourteen. Most of all when I write the children I try to think about what would be an age appropriate responses in the situations they face, what sorts of things my own children were fascinated by when they were at these ages, the kinds of reactions they had to setbacks and successes, and the sorts of relationships they formed with adults and with other children. (more below the cut)

It was important for us that all of the kids have personalities of their own that, while informed by their trauma, are not entirely comprised of their trauma. While they're traumatized kids, they're still kids! Our Jae has a fascination with the spooky and the weird that we extrapolated from her dragon being named Morghul, which basically is "Death" in Valyrian. It's a lot of fun to imagine the various odd myths and creatures and odd stories that Jae would get fixated on. Experiencing the real life horrors didn't make Jae less fascinated by scary things, but she likes her horrors to remain otherworldly. Stories about Ice Spiders are fun and cool, stories about scary men with knives are not. We also picked up on Jae's likely neurodivergence from the books, which tell us she was quiet and didn't show emotion like other children. Of course, those are accounts of people who didn't know her or really care about her. Our Jae is a bit older, so she does speak, and we see her through the eyes of people who love her and know her (or Baela, who is interested in knowing her), so her quirks are just that, quirks. Aegon is very protective of her and hates when people insinuate that she's simple because she's actually quite smart, and when it comes to her hyperfixations, she reads a ton. Basically, for her characterization, we took what little crumbs were there, and ran with them, extrapolating from there to create our version of Jae who is serious, opinionated, protective, possessive, and fierce.

I love that you ask about how Jae shows affection because that's a big part of the next chapter. Jae is much more likely to show affection with actions rather than with words. As Jae is usually quite possessive (as you saw when Gaemon played with papa's lute), it's a big deal when she shares something that is special to her, especially the things that bring her comfort (a trait she shares with her dad, only Aegon is usually sharing food or drink rather than things!). And if you mess with someone she cares about, watch out! To illustrate, here's a small snip from the upcoming chapter, when Baela's sister Rhaena makes a surprise visit with her dragon, Morning:

“Why are there two of you?” Jaehaera asked. She was sat at a low table nearby, a large paper in front of her as well as several inkpots with various colored inks, drawing what looked to be a large spider. Aeg sat beside her with a paper of his own, although his drawing was of Dragonstone’s keep. At Jaehaera’s voice he looked up, his eyes darting from Baela to Rhaena. “Princess Jaehaera, Gaemon, this is my sister, Rhaena. She and I look alike because she’s my twin," Baela said. Jaehaera narrowed her eyes, clearly skeptical. Of course, Baela thought, her twin had been a brother, not her own mirror image. “Aegon,” Rhaena said, a plaintive note to her voice. “It’s me. It’s Rhaena. Come here, sweet boy.” Aeg stood from the table, his eyes fixed upon Rhaena. Baela knew the exact moment he noticed Morning upon her shoulder, for he shook his head. “Why is it here?” His voice trembled. “Baela you promised.” “She’s just a hatchling, Aeg,” Rhaena said. “Her name is Morning. Don’t you want to meet her?” Aeg backed up, tears filling his eyes. Before Baela could stop her, Rhaena took a step forward. “No,” shrieked Aeg. “No! No! Rhaena, no!” Jaehaera glanced at him, her eyes wide, then glared back at Rhaena. “He’s afraid of dragons, stupid.”

I'll tag in @aifsaath in case she has anything to add!

[animehouse-moe]

Love reading your post about Vanitas. Thanks for sharing them. I also want to say, love how you wrote the reviews and analysis on anime and manga. Most blog that I know of, when they dislike something, they'll badmouth said anime/manga and that's it. But you wrote in details why you dislike something (not just said negative things about them but also there are the positive things about them).

Because of that, can I ask your thoughts about this? So my mutual and I loved Vanitas, but we cannot agree on the ships. They (my mutual) loved Vanitas/Jeanne and Noe/Domi but I loved Vanitas/Noe. I think it's obvious how Noe loved Vanitas. How about you? Based on the story which ships is more reasonable?

(Okay, I did not know if you agree with non canon shipping or not, if you're anti-shipping, please just ignore this ask. I still loved your blog).

It's all good! I think shipping, in a serious sense, is a central piece to the experience of media! Though that's a whole different conversation.

Spoilers for anime/manga of course.

Being forced to pick, with where we're at in the manga, this is a very very tough decision lol. I'd love to cheat and say I love both for different reasons.

It's really interesting how both ships mirror each though in how they're approached.

Where Vanitas is the initiator with Jeanne, it's the inverse where Noe is the one that pushes forward with Vanitas. Where Vanitas chases Jeanne initially for her hatred, it's Noe that provides the hatred for Vanitas directly. It's a very very interesting thing that's meant to draw the reader in I feel.

Similarly, look at how they've developed. The hatred of Vanitas was the initial catalyst for both, but the resolution of it was totally different. Jeanne's was immediate distaste, but she was unable to keep her distance. Noe on the other hand was closer to, "I don't like you, but I want to stay near you", which resulted in a totally different resolution. Jeanne's was all about showing Vanitas actual love and happiness, while Noe's was focusing on voicing his hatred and distaste for (pieces of) Vanitas.

Then there's the whole blood sucking thing, which is influenced by Noe's ability, but that's also sort of the point in the ship? Like, he's willing to give his blood up to Jeanne all of the time because at that point he considers it a one-sided affair where his feelings aren't in it (aside from the one romantic-y bite after Chloe), but because Noe can see into his memories with his ability he refuses Noe. It's a great piece to show the depth that exists with Vanitas and Noe vs the distance that Vanitas attempts to keep with Jeanne.

Now personally, maybe a bit of a hot take, but I think how they do the relationships, the Noe x Vanitas ship makes more sense because Vanitas is not the one that's initiated it. Vanitas talks about how he cannot love someone that does not hate him earlier on in the series, and while it's not quite true, I think it's an example of how a relationship with Vanitas should be approached, if that makes sense. If Vanitas is the one to initiate it, it's sort of a red flag (though Jeanne can just steamroll those red flags). So, having Noe initiate it puts Vanitas on his back foot and off his game to force him into points like the final episode did.

So, I might say I agree more with Noe x Vanitas? I think it's the better ship in terms of narrative, but I still do love Vanitas x Jeanne a great deal.

However, allow me to present the fresh hell that is my romantic chart for the series.

Death and trauma is a catalyst for romance in this series to almost a disturbing degree, so of course all the romantic affinities are all over the place. Anyways, allow me to begin.

Firstly, we have the line that exists with:

Domi loves -> Noe Loves -> Vanitas <- Jeanne Loves

But this is an odd one off the bat, because most likely, Vanitas does reciprocate the feelings of Noe, but not Jeanne.

Just take a look at the narrative. Vanitas promises to kill Jeanne (which is something that I believe will likely happen), while Noe is the one that is claimed to kill Vanitas in the end. The idea of killing a lover just immediately jumps out at you and continues with the theme of inverse with Noe and Jeanne.

Now, for the pieces that don't line up.

Vanitas doesn't reciprocate Jeanne's love because of her declaration of it. Straightforward and I'd already mentioned it. (though the questionable feelings that remained unaddressed through part 2 of the anime are there, there's just nothing to do with them yet aside from character analysis)

A new one though, which I think is very interesting is Noe's reasoning. Noe can't love Domi, plain and simple. He sees too much Louis in her. He simply can't love Domi because he can't see her.

Domi suffers from a similar issue. She can't see herself, so she loves Noe. He's her anchor in this life, the one thing that can still prove that she is Dominique De Sade, and not the brother that she looked up to.

Let's go further, what about Lucius loving Jeanne? Well, aside from it being a kid crush, I do think it has to do with his need to grow up quickly. He's in a position of power, and despite his ability is always looked down upon. Jeanne is the one that doesn't so of course the young boy loves her.

Speaking of younger characters, there's Mikhail. Despite Vanitas being a sibling, Mikhail sees them in a romantic context, viewing Noe directly as a rival and Vanitas as something to possess. I think in the context they see Noe as stealing their role as sibling, but due to their twisted version of it it comes off in the romantic sense. I really want to see more of Mikhail's character, because their romantic attachment to Vanitas is very interesting in how it plays somewhat similar to Jeanne's. Both see the character as their savior, but similar to when Jeanne first started voicing her romantic feelings, Vanitas treats it with more repulsion than acceptance.

Anyways, that was a bit of a heavy mess so how about a fun ship instead?

I'm a sucker for Roland and Olivier. That Golden Retriever and German Shepherd energy together is just much too fun for me. And the way they trust each other and work together consistently despite how much Olivier complains. It's just so great, and there's so much love from Roland but so much anxiety from Olivier. And they even go out to have little tea dates together and it's just so cute.

But yeah, to sum it up, if I had a gun to my head and was being forced to choose which ship was better, I'd probably say Noe x Vanitas. But on the low, I'm a bit of a sucker for toxic ships as well so Jeanne x Vanitas just gets me.

[archetypesanalysis]

I love all the analyses you've done. Especially Crosshair as I always found him to be a complex character.I would like to know your opinion of Crosshair in this third season and what did you think of him? Also his closeness to Hunter, since they've been talking they seem to be together all the time.

Now that I remember, I've seen fic where Hunter and Crosshair are described as lovers and it's funny because reading your analysis I remembered a story where Hunter gets drunk and gets involved with 2 Twi'leks and Crosshair upon seeing the mess on the boat angrily tells him he's not going to clean up his mess.And in other stories where they are together but are always fighting and arguing.Or in others where Tech and Crosshair do things on the sly and Hunter only tolerates Tech's because when it comes to Crosshair he reproaches them.I'm not saying they're canon or anything, but as written coincidences go, they're fun.

Thank you so much! Yes, Crosshair is a complex character, and I can't believe that I have written so much about him.

I am going to write an analysis of The Bad Batch season 3 after the series finale. Right now, I think Crosshair is on the right path as he is growing beyond his four main archetypes.

In "Shadows of Tantiss", once he takes a leap to escape Tantiss with Omega despite not knowing what's ahead clearly, he is starting to move beyond his Apollo archetype.

In "A Different Approach", Omega teaches Crosshair that violence does not always solve problems (something an Artemis person must learn, which is how to take down the Calydonian Boar). Of course, Crosshair does teach Omega to be more assertive and not let other people take advantage of her (a useful Artemis trait for a Persephone person like Omega).

As Crosshair reconciles with the Bad Batch, especially Hunter, he is "recycling" his Hera archetype, and this happens after "The Return" (winter has finally passed as Crosshair leaves the Outpost). Hunter defends Crosshair from Howzer, showing that he does care about Crosshair, which assures Crosshair's Hera archetype. When Crosshair talks about how loyalty should go two ways in "Extraction", it shows that he has grown beyond his Hera archetype - able to make wise decisions after getting out of an abusive relationship with the Empire.

In "Bad Territory", Crosshair learns meditation, which is a healthy method to deal with his emotional trauma. This helps him to move beyond his Poseidon archetype - channeling his destructive emotions through creative and calm methods.

Based on my analysis, Hunter has the Zeus archetype while Crosshair has the Hera archetype, which may explain why they are so close to each other (I do not do clone shipping). They support each other, yet they will argue with each other a lot. Those stories that you have mentioned do match this dynamic of theirs (and Tech with Hunter's favouritism).

They all may seem like "written coincidences", but I interpret it as archetypes existing in our collective unconscious. Carl Jung did travel to places in India and Africa where the people had never had western influences, and he found that many of their myths shared the same archetypal patterns as those western myths. He believed that archetypes are universal and they exist in our collective unconscious. Even though we may come from different places, have different cultures and have different experiences, the same patterns can be identified, taking on various forms, just as Joseph Campbell has stated in his book The Hero with a Thousand Faces.

I do believe these archetypes already existed in the Bad Batch, be it obvious or subtle. These archetypes are later expanded by the fans through various interpretations in the forms of headcanons, fanarts and fanfictions. They may not all be canon, but it's certainly fun to see. Besides, it helps me to explore human psychology and reaffirm Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious. Sometimes, by looking into how a person interprets the Bad Batch (along with what they like and don't like about them), I can figure out some interesting things about their personality, which leads me back to the archetypal patterns.

[thesherrinfordfacility]

re: your hard truth meta, you're absolutely iconic for that. i feel like a lot of the season seemed to foreshadow that they're on two entirely different planes as far as what it means to care for someone, especially when a LOT of the flashback scenes we were shown seemed to included him constantly rejecting aziraphale's attempts at authentic communication: in the 1800s one, he straight up yells at aziraphale to be the one to say something that would keep that girl from ending her life, when aziraphale was already trying to do that on his own (never mind that aziraphale already miracled the vial empty & could have done the same with the glass). post-job, he laughs at aziraphale's assumption that he'll be cast out for lying when aziraphale is Visibly distraught about it. and then with maggie and nina, as they said in the final episode, az & crowley were doing what they'd always done with each other: throwing darts at the wall until something seems to stick. so then when crowley's finally put in a position to open an honest dialogue about their relationship and where he wants it to go, and is visibly anxious about it, aziraphale brushes it aside in favor of sharing his Good News, because that's what he's learned their relationship to vulnerability is. imo, crowley has had the time he needs to understand that heavenly/hellish interference isn't even necessary ("every time i think of something strategically cruel, they do it themselves and Worse"), and he expects aziraphale to reach the same level after like. One year of silence from heaven, because he figures that if he could do it on his own with no support system or anybody in his corner, so should aziraphale. meanwhile, aziraphale spent his ENTIRE existence with one purpose, being repeatedly manipulated into quashing his doubts and not raising questions, and then when he finally did the Right Thing for himself (stopping the apocalypse), heaven stopped talking to him entirely. of COURSE he would want to go back. he was cut off and lonely and couldn't go to crowley about it because he knew from experience that he would be brushed off. and of COURSE crowley wouldn't understand that, and like with maggie and nina was just trying to make Something happen However he could, regardless of how ethical it was, and would lash out in the most anti-heaven way he could think of: a temptation. like, my guy had a WEALTH of logical arguments about why heaven wasn't the place where real change could happen based on their lives together and the fact that aziraphale was about to be ERASED FROM EXISTENCE AND THE MEMORY OF EXISTENCE BY THE ARCHANGELS before the metatron showed up, but all he was thinking about was his trauma and he reacted to the shadow of a rejection that was centuries old. in trying to express their love for each other they just ended up treating each other like An Angel and A Demon again and it fuuucking kills me.

god i hope this makes sense, i am very tired. tl;dr i loved that meta

@rollforjackass, bestie, fucking *CHEF'S KISS* ✨💓 yes this is perfect part 2 to my meta and im so grateful you paid attention to the other parts where they fail each other time and time again and just sweep it under the rug... yes you get me!!!✨

aziraphale is as culpable as crowley, but i genuinely think he's trying... crowley feels like he's so wrapped up in his own pain and hurt (again, valid) that he can't see wood for the trees, and certainly not aziraphale's perspective 💀

[friends-to-lovers-tournament]

Friends to Lovers Tournament: Round 3, Side A, Match 2

propaganda under the cut!

Polyneed:

Okay so they were childhood friends who wanted to form a band together, but slowly drifted apart after Saki fell ill and was admitted. They formed their band again after Saki joined the school. Originally, Shiho was the only one who wanted to go professional out of all of them and was offered to play with another band who was going pro, but she hesitated because she wanted to continue playing with her friends. HER DREAM WAS RIGHT IN HER GRASP BUT SHE STILL REFUSED. The rest of Leo/Need also decided to go pro with her even though they had no previous experience, just because they wanted to be with their friends. They're constantly encouraging each other and take really good care of each other. They mean sm to me fr 💙💙 Also, some gay ass lyrics from their songs:

Please don't think you don't matter, love won't end this easily- NeedLe

Even if I smile so that I don’t cry Even if I walk so that I don’t fall The words we hide will never be conveyed There’s only one future that we can envision, So let’s see it with our own eyes-  1 For your sake, I shall sing my weaknesses For your sake, I shall realize my hopes For your sake, I'm laughing today May these feelings of ours will resonate with someone's- Order Made Overflowing in my voice, in my thoughts The yearning that I entrusted to you- Voices It's painful and lonely to sing, but If it's with you, then I want to sing for the world- the WALL

They sing an awful lot abt feelings if you know what i mean

Fuyupoly:

Submission 1:

they're from the winter troupe of the mankai company, and unlike the other troupes they're all adults. that said, they all have varying degrees of trauma and emotional stuntedness. it takes them some time to fully open up to each other bc they're all very cautious of each other's boundaries and don't want to cross any lines which initially led to some issues in the group's formation. over time they've learned to bridge the gap while still being mindful of hard boundaries. at one point they have a discussion about what exactly their relationship is (gay) cuz they were talking about how the other troupes have clearly defined dynamics (spring=family, summer=besties, autumn=rivals & teammates) but they don't,, and homare deadass says they're "people bound by a common destiny" which in and of itself sounds very Gay (like why are you as a man bound to other men by a common destiny), but it goes even further because homare starts spouting WEDDING VOWS: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" THIS IS A DIRECT QUOTE FROM THE GAME AND THE MC EVEN REMARKS "i can already hear wedding bells in the distance..." 

gradually they become closer, in individual sub-units based on who's paired up as co-leads for a play, and as a troupe overall. also two of its members are childhood friends who had a messy 'divorce' in their young adulthood and it took the game breaking its genre to introduce a timeloop for them to finally make up if that means anything to you. one of their troupe songs "precious to us ~bokura no kisetsu" has some pretty beautiful and fruity lines: "The many kindnesses born in me here / Never fail to breathe life into my chest / Even all the pain and bitterness / Have now become dear to me (Ah…Stay with me)", "No matter how many times our season passes / Let us keep living together / Holding our hands, without ever letting go / Let us open up the curtain of tomorrow", "There is no need for words, because once our gazes meet / Joy sparks a light in your eyes", "Our journey, may it be a brilliant one / As our breaths overlap as one"

a lot of their plays has a LOT of homoerotic tension between the two leads too. their first play has tsumugi and tasuku play angels, and it's heavily implied that tasuku's character has an unrequited crush on tsumugi's character. their third play has azuma play a vampire and tasuku play Just Some Guy and it's generally agreed in the fandom to be one of the gayest, if not THE gayest, play A3 has ever written. obviously the vampire thing is very fruity, but there's also how the vampire was longing to bite the human but was holding himself back, and when the vampire left the human in the end, the human was absolutely HEARTBROKEN over it and was swearing they would reunite one day. the stage play of this takes it even further by having the vampire embrace the human from behind and BITE his neck. the fourth play is a watered-down adaptation of Phantom of the Opera where they genderbend Christine into Chris among other things and change the relationship between Chris and the Phantom to one of friendship.... ostensibly so, because there's still a lot of homoerotic undertones in their interactions. i could go on but this should be enough of a sampling taste 

Submission 2:

the writers rlly said "let's take 2 normal guys who are childhood friends and have been into theatre since their school days and have them go through a pre-canon messy divorce, an eccentric poet with a potentially controversial haircut, an amnesiac sleepyhead who can only be awoken with marshmallows but is also somehow extremely athletic despite doing nothing but sleeping and eating marshmallows all day, a man who is so beautiful and mysterious he breaks gender, and a supposed android from a fictional south asian country, and throw them into a blender, oh and for good measure let's throw in some theatre and angst and gay and angst and gay" and the end result was marriage. i mean it took them a lot of awkward fumbling around and conflicts to get there but they got there and thats what matters. ok *technically* in-text they're all rlly good friends and kinda found family BUT they are found family via marriage papers i do not make the rules chief

Submission 3:

The reason why they are so friends-to-lovers to me is because their relationship is founded on quiet and unconditional acceptance of each other—regardless of how flawed they may be or how heavy their burdens and trauma may be. When the troupe first formed (sans Guy who was in another country at the time), they didn’t have any major clashing personalities at the very beginning and generally they were mindful of each other’s boundaries, unlike the other troupes that came before them. However, it’s BECAUSE they were too mindful of said boundaries that it was difficult for them to break down their walls and bond as a team—and there were a LOT of walls to break down, as all of them had varying degrees of emotional baggage and trauma.

In fact, it’s only three plays in that they finally truly start opening up to each other, with Azuma getting the ball rolling by opening up about the deep loneliness that haunted him ever since his childhood. It’s during this conversation that they also discuss what their relationship as a troupe is, because the other troupes have defined their relationship as a team (Spring is family, Summer is best friends, Autumn is rivals & teammates), and Homare goes on to declare that they’re “people bound by a common destiny” and goes on to spew wedding vows: "In sickness and in health, for better or for worse, we shall share our laughter and our tears as those with an intertwined fate... How beautiful we are!" I mean… it can’t get any more obvious than this, really. They are married.

But anyway, Tsumugi says he wants their relationship to be one where while they respect each other’s need for space, they’ll also be there for each other and share their pains and burdens—or in his words: “supporting each other when our burdens become too heavy to bear on our own”—which I think is really sweet because it carries this idea of quiet, unconditional acceptance; they don’t push each other to share more than they’re comfortable with sharing, but with whatever they ARE comfortable with sharing everyone carries the load and pain because pain is easier to bear when you’re not bearing it alone <3 

A later part of the story focuses on Hisoka, a mysterious amnesiac, being terrified of regaining his memories and facing some “sin” from his past that has led to another character, Chikage, trying to take revenge on him. When he confesses this to the rest of the Winter troupe, Homare asks, “How heavy is this sin you bear?” and Azuma suggests, “Perhaps it’s just heavy enough for the five of us to carry together.” (at this point Guy hasn’t joined yet). The stage play adapts this scene into a song called Key to Memory. The key (pun unintended) part is 1:27 where there’s a back-and-forth between Hisoka and the other Winter troupe members (sans Tasuku because he wasn’t in that particular play)

Hisoka: “I’m scared…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s okay.”

Hisoka: “My unforgivable sin…”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “Let’s carry it together.”

Hisoka: “I might not be me anymore.”

Tsumugi, Homare, Azuma: “It’s all right. We understand and we accept you, so let’s go together.”

And it ends with Hisoka singing: “I was afraid to open the door of my locked memories. But if everyone is here, I believe I can do it.”  In both the game and stage play, Hisoka fully regains his memories and reconciles with Chikage (long story). He tells Fuyupoly he can’t go into detail about his past with Chikage because it’s dangerous but he’ll tell them when the time is right, and they accept this saying that no matter what his past is, they know and love him as their Hisoka which obviously is a very sweet thing for friends to say, but it’s also very Marriage-coded to me.

Later, Guy is introduced as an android from Zahra (a fictional South Asian country) and joins the Winter troupe as a temporary member—because he’s stuck in Japan for the foreseeable future—until they find a permanent member to replace him. The other Winter members have a conversation among themselves and agree that regardless of whether he’s really an android or a human they’ll accept Guy for who he is and help him improve his acting, which again harkens back to the idea of ‘unconditional acceptance’. Eventually it’s revealed that Guy is in fact a human who has forgotten his memories of the past and his emotions. He recovers his memories all at once which shocks his system and causes him to pass out. When he wakes up in his room, he finds the rest of the Winter Troupe asleep around the room—which I believe is symbolic of their whole theme of “quiet acceptance”: they don’t want to push Guy to share beyond what he’s comfortable with, but they’re always there to listen to him and share his load if that’s what he wants. He opens up about the memories he recovered, and they don’t treat him with pity like he’s a lost child, but still extend gentle empathy and understanding. They also emphasise that it genuinely doesn’t matter to them whether he’s human or android because he’s Guy first and foremost. It’s at this point that Guy truly lets himself become part of the Winter troupe/Fuyupoly and not just as a temporary stand-in member, because he’s found a place where he’s found himself again and people who will accept who this “himself” is, whether that be an android devoid of emotions or a human brimming with vivid beautiful emotions.

[Mod note: There’s a LOT more but we’re afraid of crashing the post. I (Deli) summarised it the best I can since I’m familiar with A3, but if you want to read the full thing you can check it out on this google doc)