#they grow a bit distant especially into adulthood so they go separate ways. and that's another reason Henry lives alone.

[noodlepai]

Okay soo I can't exactly help myself bcuz I wanna info dump so badly abt my AU again because I just am so fixated on it and I love coming up with ideas for it sjdjJSJ please excuse me, long post with long tags because I am opening the floodgates rn

I just can't stop thinking abt it and putting more story and details into it y'know y'know? It's my guilty pleasure

(I kinda changed some things in it *cough* and am still changing stuff)

---

Kyle wasn't really scared but was moreso interested in eteled when first meeting him, and of course being the little kid he is, he kinda messed with the guy a whole lot, when eteled doesn't like most kids all too much, (except for his bro and cousins, and later on Sam) and would ask Kyle to leave him alone, eventually after enough of being swung around in the air, being poked and all around harassed for an unspecified amount of time, eteled blew up at the guy to just leave him alone for good, he does have the axe in this scenario but it's for defense against being picked up again with that stupid ass Wii remote (although he isn't sure if it would work) and also to kinda get the point across to Kyle, so he's basically swinging his arms around a lot as he's yelling, and to sum it up quickly, pretty much what happens is that Kyle's Mii comes up behind eteled on accident, following it's programmed walk cycle and that just scares the shit out of him, causing him to swing his axe to fight back, and you can kinda guess how that goes

^ To add, the thing with eteled being deleted, and then banning Kyle temporarily from the Mii Channel did happen before all this, and Nathan was present during eteled's last straw being ripped from him, but he had less involvement in what pissed the guy off, and basically was invited over by Kyle, nonetheless he still witnessed the accident

eteled feels horrible for his actions, even though what had happened was entirely an accident, he's angry with himself, so he doesn't blame the kid one bit when Kyle decides that he has had enough mental damage and just throws the Wii in the closet, and yes Austin definitely knows about what happened, and he knows Kyle, so you can deduce from that how pissed Austin is, not only because of the fact that a poor kid has probably been traumatized, but it was his damn nephew

Kyle, some years later, does go back to check on eteled, because he's curious even though he doesn't wanna be, and is terrified, but he doesn't put anything on his computer because he is not about to have some scary ass Mii haunt his computer when he can just keep him in the Wii and throw it back in the closet or even in the trash if needed, so he reluctantly sets the Wii back up, not even sure if it works or survived the throw from all those years ago, almost hoping it didn't, but it does work and it turns on, and after some thinking and searching for the Mii, Kyle finds eteled, and they talk, they explain some things like their sides of the story without coming off as uncaring, and etc, and eteled allows Kyle to delete him to show him what happens to him and other Miis and you get the idea (eteled has pretty good control over the camera and other system stuff so it's not hard for him to just take it in there with him)

^Kyle notices that eteled looks a tad different than what he remembers, he certainly doesn't remember the guy looking kinda roughened up and having some marks on his face, which unbeknownst to Kyle, is a hint that there's another sentient being in this Wii but he doesn't catch onto it at this time

It's after the original events that happened with eteled and Kyle's Mii, that eteled starts learning more and more things about his digital body and the things he can effect inside the Wii, like he never realized how disturbing some of his facial expressions could be, especially when upset, so he figured that's why people have reacted the way they did when seeing him make certain faces, and he eventually learns to use this to his advantage, which he tries on Austin sometimes to get him to go away, and later coming into play when he feels the Wii turn back on after some time, and sees some random girl instead of the usual face he expected to see again

Sam, finally getting her hands on the console she wanted, is excited to get on the Wii, she discovers eteled, and is understandably confused at first, eteled wants nothing to do with her and any other kids, period, but he might as well try to scare her away if he has to, so it kinda turns into a scenario where he plays completely normal at first like just some random left over Mii, but then starts to mimick her movements and looks where she moves, to try to freak her out but she just thinks it's cool, Sam is into horror and all sorts of ghost type material, and the possibility of AI life, so it's more fascinating than anything, and when eteled finally drops the smile in a mix of frustration and being unamused, he just plainly goes "Boo" as a last resort, and Sam watches with her eyes lighting up like "Whoa, oh damn you guys talk?", with eteled staring and thinking to himself 'wth is wrong with this kid', he continues to try and push her away, even trying to freak her out with glitches or spooky faces but none of it works, Sam like "Omg that's so cool that you can do all that, you're a funny little guy" and wants to learn more about him and claim him as her new friend officially

^And as time goes on he softens up to her because she's very nice and caring, and he begins viewing her as someone he needs to protect as well, almost like a dad, while simultaneously seeing her as a friend, and even a mother figure in some ways

The situation with Will was a lot more tame cause nobody got hurt, except for eteled being deleted again *cough*, that and if you wanna also count the mental spook Will got when trying to fuck with Sam's Wii, no there was no axe, eteled pretty much crawled back out of The Hallway in pain, and scared the crap out of Will with his spoopy Mii faces, and that was enough for the kid to be like "Oh hell no" and then leave back out the window he came through (mf came through the window I still can't take that seriously in the canon story jsdjJSJ)

^Will got hit with the emo white man jumpscare

Oh, and the main reason Henry died was because of Austin, aka the guy was super pissed off and made sure that he would get his revenge by taking the guy down with him, hopefully causing him to be stuck in the same situation Austin is in by being a spirit confined to a digital body, that way he can continue to make him pay, even if he couldn't guarantee it, still worth getting back at Henry

^Haven't figured out yet how he would do this and if I should change how Henry exactly died but yeah that's pretty much what happened, also yes Todd was at the very least present during the aftermath of Austin's murder, but being the boss and with the amount of pressure Henry was under, it was kept a secret, especially for the console sales blah blah blah, and honestly Todd had a little more respect for Austin and his death, whereas he had much less for Mike when he tried telling the boss about what happened, along with the fact that Mike had to see that whole mess, and even less respect for Henry since he just showed his entire death to the whole workspace, which understandably made nothing much better and made Mike feel horrible, yeah Jonathan's not too happy either and you can guess why

I honestly don't know how Kyle manages to get Sam's contact info in canon, maybe I forgor but I just ?? But we'll go with it, I was thinking for this AU that maybe Jonathan had some sort of yard sale or something, trying to get rid of a bunch of old stuff him and Kyle don't use or don't need, or items that have memories attached to them that he no longer wants to hang around, and he gets Kyle's Wii cause he assumes he no longer wants the old thing, considering he now has another Wii and a Wii U amongst other consoles, and Kyle finds out later on, after it's already been sold to a mother and her daughter who saw the Wii and begged her mother to get it, needless to say, Kyle isn't happy, idk but I guess he could somehow get names and info from that but yeah, anyway, he contacts Sam, he tells the story, from his view, which is portraying eteled as some reckless or anger filled monster, and Sam doesn't believe it or see it, Kyle says he wants the Wii but doesn't say why, cause he knows she'll decline, but she declines anyway because she finds Kyle to be untrustworthy and tells him that "Well, not my problem that you decided to give your console away, it's mine now, I used part of my money to pay for it, and I honestly don't feel that I can trust your story right now" before eventually blocking him

^And then we know how that goes because she later wants them to talk and all that jazz

Sam had made her own Mii in the Wii so she could not only play as herself, but so it could possibly be comforting for her friend, especially when she had to leave like going somewhere or needing to go to school

^eteled kinda finds the other Miis to be uncanny at times but wouldn't admit it, and he lowkey feels panic go through him when he sees Kyle's old Mii still sometimes popping up and around whenever eteled goes and plays some games in Wii Sports, as if it's messing with him

And ah yes the moment of truth when Kyle is invited over to talk with eteled, and it goes how you'd expect it to, eteled tries to explain himself again, Kyle stands his ground, a fight ensues, eteled starts getting pissed and then Austin shows up, so the whole situation is almost exactly the same, Austin wants to get his ultimate revenge, not caring if the Wii will die because of it, and bam, it goes as planned, except for the fact that Sam manages to save the Wii from permanent damage, (idk if I want it to still be the ice method or maybe another way but she gets the job done) and you can understand the shock (no pun intended) when eteled and Austin are kinda in there just waiting to fade away and nothing happens at all, like "Uhhhh.. we're still here?"

^Also it's because of this event that not only does eteled lose some bits of his memory either permanently or for a long while, he also gets pretty corrupted, you don't see it when he's just chilling normally, but it shows whenever he gets really scared, and only becomes worse the worse his fear is, like fight or flight levels is a full on corruption mess, messy textures, (often) twitchy movement, along with a stuttery/distorted voice and all, so it's why his SF state is kinda all over the place if you know what he looks like in it, he's usually pretty vulnerable and hides away when like this but there's times when he can get aggressive and almost zombie like if he's too deep into it so ya never know, yes he has chased Austin before while like this which is funny but I mean it makes sense, imagine the person you're stuck with just starts acting weird in the dark ass space and starts running around and even chasing you, not even mentioning that they were your murderer, absolute nightmare for the big guy, it's like having a raccoon raid your home, imagine exacting your revenge on someone and because of that they have random chances to just become much more scary and maybe even more powerful than you are

^And yes the corruption is painful so eteled is just in more pain than what's normal for him, and it is possible for him to just fuckin lose his eyes or parts of himself while corrupted cause the code just goes absolutely bonkers during this form, he usually doesn't carry his axe with him if he's in ultimate locked on target mode, but sometimes he will and that is just ten times more dangerous for Austin, but it's not often at all cause he mostly carries it when he's more clear headed or scared and is using it for defense

After lots and lots of time, after the events of the Wii being saved, and Sam getting to know Austin, Kyle and Nathan a bit better, she tries to at the very least have everyone make peace with each other and get along, especially eteled and Austin, even though she is still unaware of their past (not for long), but it does start working, Sam, Nat and Kyle all start forming a friend group, and the two Miis, while struggling, do start getting sorta better, and even hang out sometimes on their own, when they feel comfortable enough to do so, they got some sort of connection going on there that they themselves can't even understand, they usually play sports together when the other three are out or are doing some form of work

^They technically knew each other longer than they originally thought since they were around each other and even talked a little as young kids, but even they forgot most details of that and when they switched schools they quickly became strangers, so yeah, childhood friends to strangers to coworkers to enemies to whatever the hell they are now

^Austin is gay as hell so yes the flirting never stayed in the days that he worked in the office, because after many, maaany years in the Wii, after getting along pretty well and having some sort of friendship grow between them, Austin of course starts doing it subtly again, not even sure why he's doing it himself, and eteled still doesn't understand or pick up on any of it, feeling like the guy is trying to gaslight him or some shit "Nah uh I know what you're up to, I've been through that same song and dance many times before"

Will and Sam make up and become pretty cool hang out buddies, Sam even reintroduces eteled and Will, by request of Will, cause he wants to talk and apologize for messing with the guy, and in turn eteled apologies for scaring him, but Will, now that he's older and looks back on it with more of a laugh, he actually thought it was pretty cool, that fact that the guy could pretty much just spook people outta the blue, although he was a little creeped out by it even now, overall they're on good terms

Jonathan is obviously torn so he's got the board in his basement and everything, and he works on it all the time, but each day he just grows more and more frustrated, not understanding why some of the evidence isn't making much sense, he knows Henry is guilty but some things aren't lining up perfectly or are just missing

Mike and Henry were literally close besties for years, worked by each other's sides, and even invited each other to their apartments, sometimes Henry would stick around and chill at his bestie's place for a few days, although Henry lives alone and usually likes it that way so it's not all the time, one big part being because of noise since he's learned to become very sensitive to it, he jumps and shivers at the sound of footsteps and creaking floors, hell even his own sometimes scare him, but Mike and him are very close, and have been through a lot together

I haven't figured everything out yet but somehow someway Mike finds out about Sam, and how she wants him to come over after hearing that he's eteled's old buddy, and when he comes over he learns everything, and him and eteled/Henry have a moment of being reunited and knowing that the other is okay, or at least kinda okay, Sam knows that Mike is trustworthy and obviously knows eteled from a different and much wider perspective than she does, so she allows him to come over and for the guys to talk and just update each other on things, as weird as it may look with some grown man talking to a little figure on a television, she can tell that they're happy to see one another again, they did talk about what had happened, about Austin's death, without Sam around, even though she knows everything already at this point and had already talked to Kyle, Austin, Nat and especially eteled about it, and while the news did definitely hit Mike straight in the gut, he also knew that it wasn't something Henry had planned or did without some sort of influence, he just felt it, not that it made it any better, but it had been years, no point in getting angry, he kinda figured Henry had something to do with it, but knew that it wasn't just that alone, and was too scared to say anything much sooner, so he sorta sympathizes with him, knowing they were both pushed beyond limits from their job and especially their boss, and that they're both in the wrong, although still holding Henry accountable for doing what he did, especially to Jonathan's brother, he wasn't gonna let him go off easy on that, but he doesn't hate Henry, and it shocks eteled that Mike even still cares about him after everything the guy went through during those times, but he appreciates it, and it seems like they still have a friendship going on

Jonathan is also informed about his brother, but this is done at a different time, later on after Mike and eteled reunited because Sam knew that this was gonna be a whole lot harder, Jonathan was Austin's brother, so it's needless to say how heavy this was gonna be, unbeknownst to Sam that Jonathan was already trying to get all the evidence to finally prove Henry guilty, even though the guy was dead and gone, at least as far as he knew, she also knew that this was gonna be hard for Austin and Kyle, who would both be present when Jonathan would come over, Sam debates whether she should even say anything and potentially reopen an old wound, but she goes ahead and only informs him about Austin, not eteled because she fears how Jonathan will react, especially if he connects the dots and realizes it's Henry

eteled is the only damn soul who knows exactly, in detail, what had happened after Austin's death and how he was talked down to and also threatened into keeping it on the down low, he and Mike are also the only ones who know just how bad they've been treated and how worse it can really get, but eteled hasn't told anybody, not a single person about any of it, other than when him and Mike used to comfort each other and talk about work issues, back when eteled was alive, he just tells no one now, not even when explaining himself and the past and what had happened between him and Austin, he just takes the full blame, half because of heavy guilt and the other half because he's terrified, even though the guy is miles away from that work building, is literally dead, is nowhere near his boss, his boss not even thinking about him anymore most likely, he still had that fear driven into him that if he said something that he'd be in trouble or that something terrible would happen, even though he's in a Wii and nobody can or would really do anything to him besides Austin, he still fears people in his past life, he also wouldn't wanna bring up all of the hidden info like "Hey my boss had a part in this" and have it turned down as if he were trying to take away some blame from himself, which he wouldn't be but is scared to come off that way

^Literally nobody would think like that or would treat eteled that way if he brought it up, but the guy thinks they would

A bit of a more light one, eteled and Austin have sort of made a day and night cycle for the Mii Channel, the light is more tame cause it can become blinding normally, and when people are resting or when it's around the time it would be dark outside, judging by the console's clock, then it would get darker and be more comfy

^Not to be confused with when the Channel just goes full on feral mode and gets pitch black dark or starts changing color cause that's usually Austin or eteled fucking with the atmosphere, like eteled causing it to go super dark like in SF sometimes when he's super upset or even "I'm gonna hunt you down" levels of corrupted

Henry had pretty great relationships with his bro and cousins, and he just hopes now that they're all okay, which they are, his cousins, Jane, Faith and Ellie are actively looking into the info and trying to figure out what really happened to their cousin, and his bro I haven't exactly figured out what to do with him yet aside from trying to do the same thing, but maybe being more exhausted and considering moving on cause living in the past is painful for him, and he is just not getting the right leads or ones that are pleasant, and doesn't wanna face the truth that his older sibling could've killed someone

Oh yeah, in current time, with the Wii already being saved years ago, everyone sorta getting along now and everything following after, everyone is pretty much grown up and are adults, so they work and are a tad less energetic as they were as teens, a tad I say because Kyle and Nathan are still hyper guys but they are having fun

Kyle and Nathan are besties to lovers, Will is gay but just hasn't found someone right yet so he vibes around, Sam isn't even sure what she is, she just feels happy on her own and likes spending time with the group she considers a family, Mike isn't sure what he is either but he does like Jonathan a little bit, Austin is bisexual and you can just tell by his energy alone /lh, first person to ever know about him being bi was his mom who is also bi so she just immediately is very accepting of him, and Henry/eteled seriously doesn't understand romantic love or how it works or what it truly looks or feels like, he doesn't even understand general love that much and is trying to learn it, so he doesn't even know what he would really be attracted to, he's just a trans guy sitting in his corner, only people he ever told about him being trans to was his mom when he was trying to understand himself (and she was a great woman so she tried to help him in his journey, while she was present at least) and Sam later on when they both got closer, other people had to kinda figure it out, aside from Austin who never knew for the longest time but was told by eteled later on when they've been in the Wii for a while, so Austin was one of the last ones to know

Mike had taken care of young Kyle from time to time, like when being invited over and/or if Jonathan had to go out real quick to attend to business or grab something

Sam does sometimes take eteled and Austin out to places when she learns to transfer them across devices, she also lets them occasionally mess around in Tomodachi Life whenever she comes back to play on it for memories, it always ends in some funny chaos and it's all around a nice time for everyone, or mostly everyone

eteled tries to play fair but sometimes he lets himself slip and accidentally go god mode again, or will get bored and just do it for fun, and Sam will cross her arms and look at him like "eteled I told you no more cheating" and he'd just roll his eyes saying "I'm sorryyy, it was an accident"

Henry immediately regretted what he did after he murdered Austin, and couldn't think of anything else for days and was miserable over it, even though Austin had seen him multiple times by watching from computer screens, the guy being in such a miserable state, he felt it was an act or something, and it only fueled Austin's anger, he wanted the guy dead, more than just dead, he wanted him to suffer endlessly, just when Austin was finally getting somewhere and was about to prove to the world that he existed and that he was special, it was taken from him, so he's gonna take something from Henry, Austin can't accept that Henry is sorry at all, he doesn't believe he is, and so he brings the guy down with him, making sure that it hurt (they're both assholes your honor)

Also yes Henry's mom was a bit emo, with some punk baddie in the mix, like mother like son

Wow this is long and I didn't even talk about everything else or go into more detail, but yeah I don't wanna make this overwhelmingly long so I'll stop here before I go on all night long because I've already been typing for some hours now

If I think of anything else I might edit this or make a different post about it but yeah thx for listening to me ramble on and on and on

[writseo]

Motherly Sister X The Crains | Headcanon

After the first incident of Hill House, things were rough for everyone 

Neither of your siblings were able to be even eat properly for weeks 

Like Steven, you didn’t experience the events as hard as everyone else did, so you decided it was your job to take care of them to make up for it

With Nellie, you went online and researched ways to help with sleep paralysis

She didn’t believe it was in her head though 

So you researched supernatural ways so she’d still feel safe and in control

Sleeping besides her during storms, using crystals like Amethyst and Black Tourmaline, getting her a nightlight, even giving her a stuffed animal as a lucky charm that she carried to adulthood 

With Theo, she became heavily distant and dealt with it herself 

So you used little ways to help her, often giving her advice indirectly when you noticed she was struggling, and even having personal conversations to create a better bond 

Shirley had difficult with separation anxiety  

So you hung out with her and practiced with distancing 

Which meant creating a little goodbye ritual, always being on schedule when it came to returning home and constantly giving her reassurance that everything was going be okay  

It became easier for her to handle, even before you managed to get your aunt to put her in therapy 

With Luke, he kept blanking out a lot 

You weren’t sure what to do with him, so you just looked out for the important things 

As an example, if he was given a chore, you listened for him in case he was distracted again

Steven was a bit more simple, you just had to be a bit more vulnerable with him to make him feel like he’s being a good brother to you 

And with everything that came, you were the glue that held everyone together 

Always making sure to update each other, constantly calling to check in on your siblings 

Being the first one that everyone calls in case there was an emergency, mainly because they knew you would drop everything for them, even if they were the ones who got themselves in trouble 

Usually the scolding came after everything would be settled down and you were sure that they were okay

And when Steven published his books, you were a bit alienated 

Mainly by Shirley as you didn’t seem bothered at all by Steven 

Having a bit of strained relationship with her, though you didn’t fully leave her life since you still checked up only occasionally  

Constantly being the one to help fund Luke’s rehab, even after he ran away and everyone gave up 

Ending up as Nellie’s bride of honour, yet not knowing about how Luke tried to go into her wedding 

Nellie wasn’t the only one they were trying to protect with this little secret 

Your relationship began to grow more distant with everyone after the wedding 

Especially during the reunion of Hill House when Shirley started showing how much she disliked the way you kept trying to be the family’s “mediator” 

Though you would come together after almost losing your brother and losing your sister 

You did lay off a bit with Shirley though 

Who tried her best to repair any issues she had with you right after 

Constantly trying to be there for everyone after Nellie’s death

Which meant putting more work and time with Luke 

And constantly trying to reassure Steven that he wasn’t at fault 

Even though they were bit of a handful, you still loved them as they loved you the same 

[astrolovecosmos]

The 3rd House and Siblings 👯

Aries in the 3rd: Competition/rivalry with siblings. Playful. Can be more self-centered in terms of family dynamics. The sibling who can still be generous in a BIG way.

Taurus in the 3rd: The more relaxed sibling, can be interpreted as the “lazy” sibling. Dependable in family dynamics. Stubborn. Loyal. Guiding. Also has a jealous streak. May be the family’s rock or the practical sibling.

Gemini in the 3rd: Indicates a good relationship with siblings OR a relationship with siblings that defines them. Can mean “sibling-like” bonds with extended family and maybe friends. The funny sibling. Trickster. Exciting sibling. Possibly the unstable sibling. The communicator in family dynamics.

Cancer in the 3rd: Is very close to siblings or desires closeness with them. Can cling to them. Sentimental in family dynamics. Protective sibling. Could be the sensitive sibling - “the cry baby” sibling. The sibling to uphold their family’s values, traditions, loyalty.

Leo in the 3rd: Sometimes can mean the “golden child” or favorite sibling. Can indicate rivalry. Leading and motivating in family dynamics. Over promiser, impresser, grand in their actions within family. Bossy sibling. Attention-grabbing sibling.

Virgo in the 3rd: The worrier in family dynamics. Stressed sibling. Wants to be the “better” sibling without appearing competitive. Critical sibling. Caring sibling. Sibling who might take on the weight with chores or tasks. Diligent within the family. Hard working sibling.

Libra in the 3rd: Sibling who may always be trying to keep the peace. Can have a “friend-like” relationship with siblings. Grateful within family dynamics. Persuasive sibling. Indulgent sibling. May be the bathroom hog. Sibling distracted by exterior/non-family relationships.

Scorpio in the 3rd: Moody sibling. Protective sibling. Competitive sibling. Ride or die with family. Handles the family darkness or intensity. Controlling sibling. Has a great impact on family decision making or maybe even family destiny.

Sagittarius in the 3rd: Fun sibling. Competitive sibling. Independent sibling - might be the most on their own. Brings knowledge to the family. Wild child or daredevil sibling. Sibling that can get under your skin. Honest sibling.

Capricorn in the 3rd: May be the responsible sibling. Could have “parented” other siblings. Acts as the family’s rock or even a main authority. “The mature one”. Patient sibling. Cautious sibling. Slow with family changes.

Aquarius in the 3rd: Oddball sibling. Prankster. Debater. Forgetful sibling. Can mean distant or estranged sibling. Unpredictable sibling. Brings change to family dynamics. Can have a more “friendship” like bond with siblings or extended family. Unconventional views on family.

Pisces in the 3rd: Sensitive sibling. Intuitive sibling. Healer within family dynamics. Sibling who is always off in their head. Attached to family ideals. Impressionable with their siblings. Takes on siblings’ troubles.

Planets

Sun in the 3rd: Another placement for the "golden child" or a possible "favorite child". Center of attention. Individuality was greatly shaped by their relationship with siblings or extended family. Has a need to shine among their siblings or within the family. Can indicate being the sibling that takes after the father the most. May be the leading example for their siblings.

Moon in the 3rd: A highly sensitive and empathetic sibling. Can signify acting as the "mother" for their family. Inner emotional world was shaped by the relationship with their siblings or extended family. Can be the sibling who takes most after their mother. If not stepping into the role of "mothering" their siblings can mean a sibling who is very emotionally close to the parents.

Mercury in the 3rd: Talkative and communicative sibling. Usually looked at as a favorable position for getting along with siblings. If there is a challenging aspect it can mean a lot of arguments and debates with siblings, could still have respect for each other intellectually. Learns the most from their siblings. May have a lot in common with their siblings. Could signify twins? <--- maybe, but I'd say this is as concrete as the Moon indicating an only child.

Venus in the 3rd: Typically good harmony with siblings. There may be dependency among siblings that continues into adulthood. If rivalry forms it tends to be from shallow or petty issues, things that hopefully they will grow out of. Teamwork/cooperation is learned from siblings.

Mars in the 3rd: Well known for indicating sibling rivalry. Learned to fight from their relationship with siblings. With positive aspects, this can mean being the sibling that always had to defend their brothers or sisters, fight for them.

Jupiter in the 3rd: Might have been a teacher to their siblings. Can indicate a generous and joyful relationship. Sharing beliefs with their siblings and being close due to that is associated. Can be the exciting and communicative sibling or have relationships filled with hyperactive energy. 

Saturn in the 3rd: Could have been the sibling with a lot of responsibility pushed onto them. May stand in for a parent, especially the father. Can be the sibling most like their father. Could highly look up to their dad and be very obedient to him. There is an association with them being the "burden sibling". (I've read “being a burden” in a few places, one mention in "The Astrology Bible", but this is a bit old school and could be interpreted in many ways.) Challenges exist within their sibling relationships. Rivalries or estrangement may be resolved much later in life. Relationship with siblings may have forced them to mature or the opposite - get in the way of their growth.

Uranus in the 3rd: Likely the rebel sibling. Does their own thing. Estrangement is associated. Rivalry with a sibling might be unusual or tends to revolve around the intellectual arena. Separates themselves from their siblings at an early age, even if it is just with their interests or basic traits. Even with unstable relationships can find it hard to lose respect or acceptance of siblings.

Neptune in the 3rd: Can indicate siblings who are elusive or somehow hard to know. Manipulation or illusions could have existed in their relationship. Pain could stand in the way of a relationship. This person can feel their bond more so than verbally describe it. Known to indicate step-siblings, I find this as cohesive as Mercury indicating twins. May bond and know each other through creativity. Something may need to be healed between sibling relationships one day.

Pluto in the 3rd: Can mean a sibling who holds power and manipulation over other siblings or the family in general. Can be secretive with their siblings. Power plays may exist in the relationship. May decide to destroy a bond than mend it. Grudges can exist. May go through many crises with their siblings that wear down on their bond. Is someone who needs reassuring and open sibling relations. Is highly sensitive and receptive to siblings, because of this a protective and gentle older sibling or supportive younger sibling is best for them.

*Ceres in the 3rd can indicate being the sibling who is most cared for or nurtured. Has an interesting association with being the sibling who takes on the most traits from female family members other than the mom.  

*Chiron in the 3rd can indicate a wounded sibling who takes on the pain of the family. Is there to help the family overcome and heal in some way.

[girls-scenarios]

Dreamcatcher as Older Sisters

Prompt: Dreamcatcher as older sisters headcannons?

A/N: This was a bit difficult to imagine, but I hope it’s what you had in mind and that you all enjoy! - Admin Kiwi

♡ Tip Jar♡

JiU:

She’s the responsible older sister

You can go to her with any problem at all and she’ll help

Sometimes just sitting with her in her room would make her feel better

It would have a lot to do with her essential oil diffuser, but still

Calm and patient

Would usually be the first to apologize after an argument

Even if she’d usually be right

Mature and composed

You want to be like her when you grow up

Gives the best gifts during the holidays

Texts you to tell you when she’s thinking about you

Always tries to make time for you, especially if you need her

Would put her busy schedule on hold to call if you needed it

Supports you in everything you do

But tells you like it is if she thinks you need guidance

The two of you could talk all night

She’d be someone you really look up to, even in adulthood

SuA:

She’s a very weird older sister

To be honest, you’d probably be embarrassed because of her at some point

Especially because she’d be purposefully embarrassing

She doesn’t care what other people think about her

Eventually, you’d find it admirable

She’d help you get over a lot of insecurities

You can always count on her to make something fun

Throws you birthday parties, even when you insist you’re too old for one

Takes you out on your 21st

Would fight any bullies for you

Very passionate but also very forgiving

The two of you would never stay mad at each other long

Always gives you a tight hug before she goes away

Texts you whenever she finds something funny

Probably talked you into doing strange things as a kid

Does things to get you both in trouble, but takes the blame

She’s weird and embarrassing and over the top and you love her for it

Siyeon:

She’d act mature and defined, but you’d know the truth

That she’s also a big weirdo

Would totally be the type to barge into your room whenever she needed something and not close the door on the way out

Sings at the top of her lungs in the shower

The two of you would get very competitive over games

Honestly, the two of you would probably bicker a lot

But you’d never stay mad at each other

She’d stick up for you at school

“The only one who gets to push you around is me.”

Just her glare would be enough to send any would-be bullies running

All your friends would be afraid of her until they visited your house to see her laying on the couch and crying over an Avengers movie

Likes to lay around and relax above everything

Whines at you to get things for her because she doesn’t want to get up

Definitely hogs blankets in her room

You’d have to drag her out of the house

“I love you, stupid.” “I love you too, weirdo.”

Handong:

She’d be the popular older sister

You’d never have to worry about people pushing you around at school, because they’d know who your sister was

Classy and sweet, even if she is a little strange at home

You’d have to take a lot of Instagram photos for her

“Ugh, do I have to?” “Yes, this dress is cute and the sun is up!”

Drags you shopping with her, like, once a week

She’d buy you a drink or ice cream as thanks, though

Takes up her entire closet and half of yours as well

Has clothes, shoes, and accessories EVERYWHERE

On the plus side, if you ever need to borrow anything, she doesn’t mind

Teaches you how to do makeup, if you’re interested

In high school, she’d love to gossip with you, chatting for hours

She’s very determined to achieve what she wants

Still makes time to send you the occasional text

Even though the two of you might not be a lot alike and even though you might not admit it, you’d still really look up to her

She’d be really strong, no matter what came her way

And you’d want to be the same

Yoohyeon:

She wouldn’t just be your sister, she’d be your best friend

She’d adore you from the moment you were born

Would totally dote on you and spoil you as you got older

The two of you wouldn’t fight very much, mostly because there wouldn’t be much to fight with her about

She’d happily let you borrow everything that was hers

She’d love to take you on adventures, especially once the two of you got old enough to travel on your own

The two of you would be able to talk about everything, all the time

As an adult, she’d always make the time to call you

Sometimes every night

She’s a total softy for you

If anyone picked on you, she’d rescue you from them

Even though she wouldn’t want to fight anyone, she’d shelter you behind her and try to talk her way out of it

Could talk her way out of trouble with ease

The two of you would have lots of fun whenever you were together

Always laughing and playing around

She’s very emotional and she’d sometimes need your shoulder to cry on

Nothing would be able to separate the two of you, not even her career

Dami:

She’s the quiet older sister

But you know just how weird and loud she can be

She introduces you to reading and anime

At first, you might think it was weird, but she’d definitely get you addicted

Lets you use her accounts to watch anime and pick books off her shelf

Most of your fights would be because you annoyed her while she was reading and she got upset

But she’d come into your room later and apologize

Not much on verbal affection

But she’d show how much she cared for you through her actions

And by buying you things she thought you’d like

Or watching things with you that she doesn’t actually like

Just because it would make you happy

Texts you in memes

The two of you rarely talk through text

When you do have deep talks, it’s in person

She’s a really great listener and would help you if you needed it

Your relationship with each other is kind of quiet and it might seem distant to someone outside

But your closeness is something only the two of you understand

Gahyeon:

She would be a very fun, upbeat older sister

Very emotional as well

She’d cry if the two of you ever fought

However, she’s usually very optimistic and happy

She’d help you through a lot of hard times, especially in high school

The two of you would have a lot of fun together

Always thinking up new places to go or new games to play

You’d have strange nicknames for each other

She’d be your best friend as well

She wouldn’t be above a little teasing, but it would never be mean

She’d like to jump out from behind corners to scare you

Or to randomly hug you to make you jump

Convinces you to care for a puppy with her

The two of you would do everything together as kids

Kind of in your own little world most of the time

Full of imagination and excitement about the world

And so would be interested in a lot of the same things

It would be really hard for you to live apart from her when the time came

And the two of you would visit each other often

As well as face time to chat

No matter what happened, you’d know that she would be there for you

[wtfzodiacsigns]

The 3rd House and Siblings 👯

Aries in the 3rd: Competition/rivalry with siblings. Playful. Can be more self-centered in terms of family dynamics. The sibling who can still be generous in a BIG way.

Taurus in the 3rd: The more relaxed sibling, can be interpreted as the “lazy” sibling. Dependable in family dynamics. Stubborn. Loyal. Guiding. Also has a jealous streak. May be the family’s rock or the practical sibling.

Gemini in the 3rd: Indicates a good relationship with siblings OR a relationship with siblings that defines them. Can mean “sibling-like” bonds with extended family and maybe friends. The funny sibling. Trickster. Exciting sibling. Possibly the unstable sibling. The communicator in family dynamics.

Cancer in the 3rd: Is very close to siblings or desires closeness with them. Can cling to them. Sentimental in family dynamics. Protective sibling. Could be the sensitive sibling - “the cry baby” sibling. The sibling to uphold their family’s values, traditions, loyalty.

Leo in the 3rd: Sometimes can mean the “golden child” or favorite sibling. Can indicate rivalry. Leading and motivating in family dynamics. Over promiser, impresser, grand in their actions within family. Bossy sibling. Attention-grabbing sibling.

Virgo in the 3rd: The worrier in family dynamics. Stressed sibling. Wants to be the “better” sibling without appearing competitive. Critical sibling. Caring sibling. Sibling who might take on the weight with chores or tasks. Diligent within the family. Hard working sibling.

Libra in the 3rd: Sibling who may always be trying to keep the peace. Can have a “friend-like” relationship with siblings. Grateful within family dynamics. Persuasive sibling. Indulgent sibling. May be the bathroom hog. Sibling distracted by exterior/non-family relationships.

Scorpio in the 3rd: Moody sibling. Protective sibling. Competitive sibling. Ride or die with family. Handles the family darkness or intensity. Controlling sibling. Has a great impact on family decision making or maybe even family destiny.

Sagittarius in the 3rd: Fun sibling. Competitive sibling. Independent sibling - might be the most on their own. Brings knowledge to the family. Wild child or daredevil sibling. Sibling that can get under your skin. Honest sibling.

Capricorn in the 3rd: May be the responsible sibling. Could have “parented” other siblings. Acts as the family’s rock or even a main authority. “The mature one”. Patient sibling. Cautious sibling. Slow with family changes.

Aquarius in the 3rd: Oddball sibling. Prankster. Debater. Forgetful sibling. Can mean distant or estranged sibling. Unpredictable sibling. Brings change to family dynamics. Can have a more “friendship” like bond with siblings or extended family. Unconventional views on family.

Pisces in the 3rd: Sensitive sibling. Intuitive sibling. Healer within family dynamics. Sibling who is always off in their head. Attached to family ideals. Impressionable with their siblings. Takes on siblings’ troubles.

Planets

Sun in the 3rd: Another placement for the “golden child” or a possible “favorite child”. Center of attention. Individuality was greatly shaped by their relationship with siblings or extended family. Has a need to shine among their siblings or within the family. Can indicate being the sibling that takes after the father the most. May be the leading example for their siblings.

Moon in the 3rd: A highly sensitive and empathetic sibling. Can signify acting as the “mother” for their family. Inner emotional world was shaped by the relationship with their siblings or extended family. Can be the sibling who takes most after their mother. If not stepping into the role of “mothering” their siblings can mean a sibling who is very emotionally close to the parents.

Mercury in the 3rd: Talkative and communicative sibling. Usually looked at as a favorable position for getting along with siblings. If there is a challenging aspect it can mean a lot of arguments and debates with siblings, could still have respect for each other intellectually. Learns the most from their siblings. May have a lot in common with their siblings. Could signify twins? <— maybe, but I’d say this is as concrete as the Moon indicating an only child.

Venus in the 3rd: Typically good harmony with siblings. There may be dependency among siblings that continues into adulthood. If rivalry forms it tends to be from shallow or petty issues, things that hopefully they will grow out of. Teamwork/cooperation is learned from siblings.

Mars in the 3rd: Well known for indicating sibling rivalry. Learned to fight from their relationship with siblings. With positive aspects, this can mean being the sibling that always had to defend their brothers or sisters, fight for them.

Jupiter in the 3rd: Might have been a teacher to their siblings. Can indicate a generous and joyful relationship. Sharing beliefs with their siblings and being close due to that is associated. Can be the exciting and communicative sibling or have relationships filled with hyperactive energy.

Saturn in the 3rd: Could have been the sibling with a lot of responsibility pushed onto them. May stand in for a parent, especially the father. Can be the sibling most like their father. Could highly look up to their dad and be very obedient to him. There is an association with them being the “burden sibling”. (I’ve read “being a burden” in a few places, one mention in “The Astrology Bible”, but this is a bit old school and could be interpreted in many ways.) Challenges exist within their sibling relationships. Rivalries or estrangement may be resolved much later in life. Relationship with siblings may have forced them to mature or the opposite - get in the way of their growth.

Uranus in the 3rd: Likely the rebel sibling. Does their own thing. Estrangement is associated. Rivalry with a sibling might be unusual or tends to revolve around the intellectual arena. Separates themselves from their siblings at an early age, even if it is just with their interests or basic traits. Even with unstable relationships can find it hard to lose respect or acceptance of siblings.

Neptune in the 3rd: Can indicate siblings who are elusive or somehow hard to know. Manipulation or illusions could have existed in their relationship. Pain could stand in the way of a relationship. This person can feel their bond more so than verbally describe it. Known to indicate step-siblings, I find this as cohesive as Mercury indicating twins. May bond and know each other through creativity. Something may need to be healed between sibling relationships one day.

Pluto in the 3rd: Can mean a sibling who holds power and manipulation over other siblings or the family in general. Can be secretive with their siblings. Power plays may exist in the relationship. May decide to destroy a bond than mend it. Grudges can exist. May go through many crises with their siblings that wear down on their bond. Is someone who needs reassuring and open sibling relations. Is highly sensitive and receptive to siblings, because of this a protective and gentle older sibling or supportive younger sibling is best for them.

*Ceres in the 3rd can indicate being the sibling who is most cared for or nurtured. Has an interesting association with being the sibling who takes on the most traits from female family members other than the mom.  

*Chiron in the 3rd can indicate a wounded sibling who takes on the pain of the family. Is there to help the family overcome and heal in some way.

Source: astrolovecosmos

[thatlesbiannudistcult-stories]

Finding Goddess (Chapter 22)

Carol's mind was in a haze. So much that she couldn't even recall making the trip back to her room. One moment, she was naked, alone, and on the verge of tears in her daughters' shared closet. The next, she was lying facedown in her bed, sobbing into her pillow.

She wanted to be a Zenrist. She wanted to be a Zenrist so much it hurt. She wanted to live naked and carefree until the end of her days, never having to worry about the clothes she hated so much. She wanted to live a sexually-liberated life, where she could make love to whatever girl she wanted wherever she wanted. She wanted...she wanted the Goddess! But she couldn't...she couldn't have any of those things. Her daughters couldn't stand them, and by extension, they wouldn't be able to stand her. They'd be ashamed and uncomfortable living with an eternally nude parent, and the sight of all her private parts would sicken them. They wouldn't look at her, they wouldn't even talk to her. In time, they'd grow distant, and before she would realize it, she would be completely estranged from her own daughters.

No, she wouldn't allow that! She had come this far raising her girls all by herself. She wouldn't dare traumatize them with the constant sight of her nude body, nor would she tarnish her relationship with them when they were this close to adulthood. She would continue to be a normal mother, or at least as normal a mother as she had been for this past decade. A normal mother who wore clothes and only made love in private. Not one who would have anything to do with a lesbian nudist cult.

Wiping her eyes dry, the nudist pushed herself up to her dresser, where her clothing awaited, ready to cover her every inch of beautiful, bare, glistening flesh. But as Carol opened the drawer, she couldn't help but flinch as her eyes fell upon the piles and piles of folded...things before her, each one ragged to the touch and designed to hide her perfect, sacred Goddess-sculpted body. The fact that she actually had to have those things on her was enough to make her want to cry again.

***

After a few minutes, Carol finally exited her room wearing a simple yellow sundress. Held up by a pair of spaghetti straps and boasting a knee-length skirt that flowed loosely around her legs, it was inarguably the most tolerable article of clothing in her wardrobe. With her shoulders bare, her cleavage displayed, and her legs constrained by absolutely nothing, it was as close to being naked as she was willing to get around her girls.

Naked, she sighed sadly. She wanted so desperately to get naked, to tear this infernal thing off her body and frolic around just as the Goddess made her. But no, she couldn't do that, not as long as her daughters were around. Speaking of which...

"Oh, hi Mom," said Mindy, who was sitting at the kitchen table munching on an apple.

"H-hi...sweetie," Carol stammered, curving her lips into a forceful smile, making her look happier to see her girl than she actually was. "I didn't...know you'd get home so soon."

"Neither did I," said Mindy. "The plan originally was we'd stay for a couple more days, but our driver remembered she had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, so we had to cut it short."

"Oh, I see. Did you...have a good trip at l-least?" said Carol, more out of obligation than anything. She already knew the answer to that question.

"Um, you could say that," said Mindy as a faint blush started to appear on her cheeks. "I had fun there...I guess."

"You don't sound too...enthused," said Carol with absolutely no surprise. She overheard her daughters, she knew something had spoiled the trip for both of them.

"Yeah, well, the thing is, it was...kind of embarrassing," said Mindy, her blush deepening and she eyes shifting back and forth uncomfortably.

"Okay then. You...you don't need to tell me," said Carol.

"No, no, it wasn't a big deal or anything. And in retrospect, it was kind of funny. It's just...Erin's friend, Megan, she kind of pulled a fast one on all of us. You see, she plotted to bring us all to this one beach in Duny, right?"

"Yes?"

"Yeah, so on our first day, we were all driven there. We brought everything we needed, bathing suits, suntan lotion, towels, drinks, snacks, umbrellas, all that stuff. And our driver, Nancy, she just took off to supposedly run some errand that would separate us from her and more importantly, the car for at least four hours."

"Go on."

Mindy blushed even redder and starting giggling nervously. "So we're effectively stranded there, that's the important thing, though we didn't really know that at the time. So we're walking along the sand, and next thing we know, Megan is stripping off her bikini and getting naked!"

"N-naked?" said Carol. She felt her dress suddenly tighten all around her. It hugged against her hips, seemed to sliver around her legs, even pushed against her breasts. Her nipples throbbed against the fabric.

"Y-yeah," chuckled Mindy. "We're all freaking out, Erin is covering her boyfriend's eyes telling him not to look and yelling at her to put her suit back on, when all of a sudden we start seeing naked people all around us. Then we see this sign that says 'Nude Beachgoers Ahead,' and...Megan, she starts laughing like a madwoman and it turns out...she, she brought us to a nude beach! Without telling us!"

"Oh...I...see," said Carol who started to rub her thighs together at the mention of the nude beach. So they did go to one after all. It was just as Harold said. This must be what troubled Erin so much.

"So...what happened then?" the mother asked. She knew it was against her better judgment, she knew she had to avoid the topic of nudity, but she wanted, needed to know what happened next.

"Well, we didn't have a choice. Clothing was prohibited, none of us could turn back with our ride being gone and all, so we had to...we had to strip down." Mindy was now red as a tomato, and she now seemed to be looking at everything but her mother.

"I...see," said Carol. "You must have been...you must have been furious." It hurt to say it. It hurt to think it. But she had to face up to it. Nudism was just not something her daughters would ever approve of. She suppressed a wince as she felt the cloth of her dress ooze against her hip like an especially viscous glob of mucus. Goddess, my body isn't making this easy.

"Yeah, I guess I was, a little bit," said Mindy. "Not as much as Erin, though; I swear, she looked like she was going to throttle Megan! But I think, overall, she handled it a whole lot better."

Carol stiffened. She hadn't expected to hear that. "Handled it a whole lot better? What do you mean?"

"Oh, she sulked for about the first hour or so, refused to talk to anyone, tried to murder the whole beach with her angry eyes. But after that, I guess she just got sick of being a sourpuss and decided to just roll with it. So she laid back to work on her tan without having to worry about getting any lines, did a little naked seaside jogging, took in some of the goods that were flopping and bouncing all around her, you know the drill. By the end, she was playing volleyball with total strangers, and by all accounts was having a real ball of it. Metaphorically speaking of course."

"Huh," Carol murmured, furrowing her brow in thought. She...didn't mind it? Really?

"Yeah, she'd probably deny it if you asked her," continued Mindy, "and it'd probably be better right now if you didn't ask her...but I think she enjoyed her time there overall. More than I did, anyway; I spent most of the day huddled in the water. Definitely not my kind of thing. It was really more Erin's kind of thing. And probably yours."

Yes, of course you did, Carol thought despondently, casting her eyes down at the table. Then she caught that last thing her daughter said.

"Wait, what do you mean 'my thing?'" she asked.

Mindy just seemed to turn her head to the side, her smile widening, becoming almost frog-like. "Ohhhh...nnnnnothiiiinnggg, heh-heh-heh!

She must be remembering seeing me naked in my room last week. At least she's taking it in good hu—

"Ughnnn!"

Carol groaned. She squeezed her eyes shut, and she buckled from where she sat, nearly curling up into a fetal ball. Her dress was really starting to constrict around her now, crushing her body like a dozen hungry pythons. Her legs squeezed together, her breasts flattened painfully into her chest, and everywhere the cloth made contact with her skin brought a feeling of pins and needles with it.

"Mom! What's happening? Are you okay?"

Carol gritted her teeth. It's not real...none of it is real. It's all in my head. Fight through it, girl, just fight through it!

"I...have been a bit feverish lately," said Carol as she tugged idly at the sides of her dress to keep it away from her skin. That seemed to help give her some relief. "Truth be told, I...was supposed to be at work today, but I had to call in sick."

"Do you need help with anything?" said Mindy.

"You could take off my dress," is what Carol wanted to tell her. But she couldn't say such a thing to her daughter. So all she let out was a simple: "No. I just...I just need to rest a little."

"If...if you say so," said Mindy, though she didn't look so sure. "Uh, what are we going to do about dinner then? Should we order out? How does Chinese sound?"

"No, no Chinese!" Carol cried. She couldn't have Chinese now. It would just remind her of the experience she had yesterday with her two lovers by the lake. The magical experience she would never get to have again. "Er, I mean...I ate Chinese yesterday, so I...could use something else entirely."

"Um, okay," said Mindy. "I guess I'll talk to Erin about it then. You go get well, Mom."

***

Mindy watched as her mother retreated back to her room, stumbling almost like a drunk the whole way through as she leaned on the wall for support and periodically tugged at her dress. The teen couldn't help but feel concerned for her, but decided it was best not to push the issue just yet. God only knew she had enough on her plate with Erin.

Seeing as there was nothing else to do, Mindy tossed her apple core in the trash and made her way to her own room, deciding to fire up a video game for the time being. It had been a week since she got to sate her taste for some digital action, and she was feeling a little starved for it. A few minutes after turning the console on, Erin came in as well, having finally finished up her shower.

Sure did last a while though, she mused as she played, her gaze glued to the TV screen as Erin wordlessly trotted past her, opening up this drawer and that drawer before settling down at her desk and turning her computer on.

"Did Mom come back while I was gone?" she asked.

"Yeah. We were talking while you were in the...shower," Mindy said, verbally stumbling and doing a double-take as she turned to address her sister. "Um...she's...a little sick right now though, so you should probably leave her alone for the time being."

"What did you talk about?" Erin inquired, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at her sister.

"Just small talk about some of the less...interesting things to happen at Duny Beach," said Mindy, who was finding it harder to keep a straight face as she looked at her sister. The fact that she had to be so evasive with her answer also had something to do with it, though she knew she was technically being honest with Erin. From a certain point of view of course. "Nothing to get your...heh, panties in a bunch over."

"You better not've," said Erin, who turned back to her computer.

Mindy shrugged and returned to her game. She supposed she should tell her sister to put some clothes on, considering she was wearing nothing but a towel around her head. But why embarrass Erin and get another earful out of her when they could both just relax after getting home from such a strenuous trip? Besides, Erin would eventually figure out her mistake, one way or another.

[very-grownup]

Can you believe a kraken STILL hasn’t eaten Nitori over summer vacation?

I'm going to talk about Free! Dive to the Future now that three episodes have aired.

I have not seen any of the films produced between the end of Eternal Summer and the start of this third series. They are not available on English streaming services and I'm going to be real with you: in 2018 there is so much media to consume that is legally and easily available, I'm disinclined to figure out how to obtain fansubbed anime in this the year of our lord 2018.

I loved Iwatobi Swim Club and Eternal Summer. They were well done, tight, self-contained coming of age series, one about a character overcoming an angry and isolating adolescence, one about a character learning to overcome the inertia of fear that often grips young adults when they're confronted with the inevitable change of going from adolescence to adulthood, of having to make a choice. The first two series were masterfully directed by Hiroko Utsumi and a breath of fresh air: a show helmed by a woman, for young women, and not based on an otome game or another property centered on the relationship between the male characters and a female avatar.

Hiroko Utsumi did not direct any of the film entries in the series and is not directing Dive to the Future (she's directing the incredible Banana Fish anime) and I admit, when I read Utsumi was no longer involve the series, I became skeptical about its direction and quality.

Now that I can actually watch an entry in the series made without Utsumi, I don't have to be skeptical. The kindest thing I can say about Dive to the Future is that it's obviously floundering for direction. But this is the internet, so I can also go into a far more thorough and much less kind discussion of missteps, questionable choices, and things that are actually not good.

There's one problem that stands out for me, because a lot of the others can be bracketed with expectations of what sort of show Dive to the Future is trying to be, but this one part, a small fraction of the runtime of the three episodes, undoes, or at least undermines, something the first two series did in the characterization of one of the only girls in the series. Gou, the younger sister of protagonist Rin and manager of Iwatobi High School's swim club. Gou has no romantic interest in any of the boys on the team, unlike the female manager in (shounen) sports series. Gou isn't interested in swimming, either; this isn't a substitute or displacement because there is no girls' swim team. Gou initially becomes involved in Nagisa's desire to start a swim club in their high school as a tool to reconnect with and help her distant, unhappy brother.

Gou continues managing the swim club because she unabashedly enjoys looking at muscular dudes. Again, she isn't interested in dating any of these boys. She just enjoys being able to look at these living swimsuit pinup boys. She's a teenage girl vocalizing an aspect of her sexuality and keeping it for herself. She loves muscles. They're hot. While the narrative is about the boys, Gou's presence acknowledges that a lot of girls in the audience are watching this for very simple, non-narrative reasons.

And that's okay.

In media targeted at women, especially young women, the acknowledgement of sexual desires as a component of a romantic relationship is still relatively new after centuries of women's feelings being portrayed as chaste. In a post-Twilight world, media is starting to allow that maybe girls are as sexually attracted to that boy they're crushing on as it's given that boys are to girls.

Gou's characterization says: it's normal to be attracted to boys, even if you aren't interested in dating right now. It's a quite, understated bit of characterization and representation, but it's appreciated. Gou's presence really cements the sense in the first two series that this is something being made by a woman for other young women.

Dive to the Future introduces a Japan-obsessed Russian swim coach who is fixated on Rin and wants to work with him, and only him, in Sydney, Australia. He's an authority figure who is overly focused on an eighteen-year-old boy who is in a foreign country, away from his friends and family. Although this may, understandably, raise some concern and discomfort, Free! is not the kind of series that is going to be dealing with something as serious as authority figures taking advantage of young athletes sexually. This character is just a joke, a goofy, out-of-touch adult who thinks he's cool and is also slightly camp. He's very obsessed with muscles.

In episode three this is brought up again, as Kirishima, a wandering swimming hobo, tries to bribe the coach, Mikhail, into taking him on, offering up various sexually exciting photobooks and magazines featuring muscular young men. Cut to Gou back in Japan, trying to convince her new kouhai of the importance of the same photobook. An equivalency is drawn. Coach Mikhail and Gou are the same, their interests are the same, they provoke the same reaction. A comical obsession, a gag, an out-of-touch character who can't read the room. A teenage girl's interest in the bodies of teenage boys is the same as a grown man's interest in those same bodies.

It's gross.

The most charitable reading still sees Gou's healthy, normalized if quirkily expressed attraction being reduced to a gag, robbing the character of the understated, positivie representation of adolescent sexuality she offered originally. It's unneccessary and unkind to girls in the audience like Gou.

The idea of the carnivorous woman who knows what she wants, sexually, is not equivalent to an older man in a position of authority viewing the vulnerable individuals around him as a source of voyeuristic pleasure.

After unburdening myself of the surprising level of anger resulting from a single scene, nearly blink-and-you'll-miss-it length, the other problems with Dive in to Future seem less important, but they all concern larger elements of the program. It's just that they're problems of something not being done very well, not the problem of the reveal of a potential hostile or contemptuous attitude toward a part of the audience.

Nevertheless.

Dive in to Future doesn't know what it wants to be. I stand by my assertion that Iwatobi Swim Club and Eternal Summer were never sports anime. They were coming of age journeys for two different characters who had different problems to work through. They were, quite simply, never structured to be a series like Slam Dunk, Prince of Tennis, Kuroko's Basketball, Haikyuu, insert-your-preferred-shounen-sports-series-here. The focus isn't on a team, it's on a group of characters, four of whom are going to the same school and are in the same club. At the end of Eternal Summer, Haru, Rin, and Makoto, three of the five core characters, are going to be graduating, moving on to the next stage of their life, Rin in Australia, Haru and Makoto in Tokyo. That transition, those three characters growing up and away from their younger friends, is a major component of the story told in Eternal Summer, culminating in a teary happiness. It's sad they won't be friends in the same way, but it's natural, inevitable, and full of potential excitement for the new things these changes will bring.

There are a lot of directions that could have been chosen in doing a third season. Staying in Iwatobi, focusing on the changing, growing swim club. Going to Tokyo with Haru and Makoto, building upon those themes of change and growth as two codependent childhood friends find their own, separate paths. Going to Sydney with Rin, a protagonist returning with new eyes and confidence to a place where the festering anger and unhappiness that burdened him in Iwatobi Swim Club originated. You could follow any of those threads and double down, focusing on one of them, on turning the series into an actual sports series with a large cast and rival teams and tournaments and competitions. You could continue telling the story of these specific friendships, five boys in three different places, figuring out how their friendship can evolve and continue in some form.

Dive to the Future seems to be trying to do all of those simultaneously, not wanting to commit to a particular focus because it would mean sidelining some of the characters. It's about Rin in Australia but it's also about Haru and Makoto in university and also Haru's university swim team and maybe actual swimming competitions for that university swim team with maybe a rival university of evil swimmers but also the club back in Iwatobi and after three episodes I couldn't tell you which of all those the series is actually going to be about. Maybe Haru's university swimming life will more clearly come forward. But it could easily go on like this, a jumbled series of characters and incidents without any underlying thematic glue bringing things together. There are solid individual scenes scattered through these episodes (Rin's morning routine in Sydney from the third episode stands out for me) but as someone who loved the first two series, the overall impression is ... that it's fine.

Dive to the Future also sees the introduction of characters from the films, specifically the prequel film made after Eternal Summer. The first episode of Dive to the Future feels like they dumped all these new characters into the mix at once, a sensation I'm sure is exacerbated by my not having seen the movies. There are also new characters in Iwatobi so the swim club can continue. There are boys swimming with Rin in Australia who have names, probably. More characters on Haru's university swim team. The previously mentioned evil university. All the characters from the first two series.

It's so many characters, all at once, with little regard for their significance.

For comparison, Rei is introduced in the third episode of the first series, after we've had a chance to become familiar with the characters who have a history together.

The unfocused narrative and the glut of characters go hand-in-hand, an ouroboros of problems.

Finally, another disappointing undercutting of what's come before: in this mess of characters and plot threads, a lot of screen time does seem to be devoted to characters being concerned about childhood friendships that were lost as kids moved to other parts of Japan and other countries. There's an obsession and guilt over it, instead of recognizing it as a natural thing that happens. The desire to reconnect with those people is also guilt propelled and it feels like a retread of the attempt to reconnect with the angry, distant Rin from the first series and a complete memory wipe of the lessons of growing up Makoto and Haru specifically learned in Eternal Summer. There's a worrying sense that with Dive to the Future, despite the name, is going to see characters who aren't allowed to grow and learn and move forward and change, but instead just go through variations on the same beats in an increasingly bland animated purgatory.

The final product is fine, I suppose, but fine may as well be failure when the previous product managed to achieve excellence.

[tarysande]

How does Cal reciprocate feelings, especially from Jaal? Considering how the angara are the literal definition of feelings?

Meeting the angara is life-changing for Cal. Really. In so many ways, but most especially because of the way they embody and express feelings.

In my headcanon, Cal’s parents loved her, but in the kind of way of people distracted by their own projects. They didn’t really speak her language, and they didn’t know how to deal with the small bundle of overflowing feelings constantly bombarding them. After a while, Cal pulled inward. She stopped overflowing. She became more guarded, more closed. Quieter. She didn’t even realize this, mind you. She loved her parents pretty desperately, and if Dad wasn’t around much and Mom always seemed more interested in Bigger Problems (that were obviously very important and meant more to more people), Cal wasn’t going to complain. (She has a pretty serious complex about Helping People, because Helping People is the only way to be valuable. Otherwise, you’re probably just a burden. Her psychology makes me sad. But I love her.)

She is close with her brother, but I think they spent quite a lot of time apart after they graduated and went their separate ways. So even that is distant, strained. A bit like a memory that’s rosy and too good to be true. Cal comes to Andromeda because of her brother, more than anything. She wasn’t actually desperate to leave. She was really passionate about the Protheans; she had friends; she could imagine a future in the Milky Way. But she couldn’t imagine a future where she stayed behind and her father and brother went to a place where she could never ever follow.

So, Cal goes through her adolescence and early adulthood grasping for closeness. Real closeness. Mostly, she falls into sex as a substitute. The saddest thing is she’s not even all that into sex (I headcanon her as demi), but all the vids and stories and romances tell her love=sex, or maybe sex=love. It’s confusing. And it’s all mixed up with wanting approval, and looking for that in the wrong places. She gets taken advantage of sometimes. And doesn’t even realize it.

She’s a big ball of misplaced feelings, is what I’m saying, all wrapped up and half-buried because she’s ashamed of wanting so much (too much? she always feels like it’s too much. But her idea of ‘too much’ is still pretty emotionally anorectic.)

Fast forward to Andromeda. At first, it’s sort of easy for her to start falling back into old habits. Because not only is she lonely (cut off from her brother; lost her father), she’s suddenly In Charge, and she doesn’t know what to do with that. Some people look at her like she’s something she’s not. Competent. Capable. Her father. Other people look at her the way she looks at herself in the mirror: in over her head. Out of her depth. A failure. A fake. Treading water. Worse. Drowning.

Then she meets the angara. And even apart from what she eventually has with Jaal, she’s just—blown away by all the feelings. Accepted. Encouraged! It’s like coming home to a home she had no idea she’d lost, or had always been looking for. And then Jaal is gentle. He’s tender. He asks for nothing, but offers so much. She keeps him at arm’s length for a while, fascinated but also terrified because some of the feelings she’s feeling she’s never felt before and she does not know what to do with them. (This is where she may turn to what she knows–sex=closeness=familiarity—with Peebee and possibly Reyes. She flirts with Vetra, but what she really wants from Vetra isn’t sex, it’s the closeness of friendship, of sisterhood. But Cal is confused about the whole friendship/closeness/sex thing, as I said.)

So anyway, the angara are a revelation, and once she processes it all, she basically throws herself at them. Part of that ends up being her relationship with Jaal. But there’s so much more. And as she starts to understand how to feel things without shame or disgust or fear or beating herself up, she grows a lot more open with everyone else, too. She really finds herself, and grows into the potential she had all along.

I do think the relationship with Jaal moves rather slowly. I think there may even be an attempt to fall into her sex=closeness habit, but he is not into that. So, there’s a lot of growing and learning and becoming friends. There’s some doubting, some pain, some uncertainty—she’s afraid she’s not enough for him, that her humanness and his angaraness will end up leaving them incompatible in the long term, but Jaal’s like her: once he’s in, he’s in for the long haul, even if there are hurdles. Then they’re affectionate as heck, especially holding hands or incidental touches. No shame. Words, too. Lots of lovely loving words. Talking about feelings. It’s magical.