#watch as this post becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy

[teen-heart-throb-mr-hyde]

oh you hate tgs book inaccurate adaptations? do you want an award? should we throw a party? should we invite robert louis stevenson?

[wavesoutbeingtossed]

To continue riffing on the marriage/tradition stuff because that’s one of the themes I’m obsessed with in her discography, it’s fascinating because it would be easy to reduce it to, “she’s adhering to patriarchal societal norms in chasing the traditional nuclear family and that’s why she throws herself into these relationships,” but it’s just so reductive to well, how human beings exist in the world. Just because it’s a societal pressure doesn’t mean some people don’t genuinely want to get married or have families.

Yes, she’s been singing about it right back to her first album when she as 16. Yes, her view on it has evolved, from marrying the sweet neighbor boy to the princess fairytale early on (debut/fearless), to the disillusionment that increasingly pushed it out of the narrative (speak now/red/1989), to slowly letting herself believe in forever again (rep), to seemingly actually committed (lover), to questioning what that means (folklore/evermore) to trying to reconcile what it means for her current life (midnights). Every relationship she experienced throughout those periods informed those views and how *she* pursued it.

I think what makes it so interesting on TTPD is that it is EVERYWHERE, as I mentioned in my previous post about it. And it’s unsettling because it’s not just in the setting we expect it to be — e.g. a long term partner she’d previously indicated she was ready to marry — but also in songs about a man who swooped in to save her when she was low only to break her apart, in thinly-veiled fantasies about strange bedfellow neighbours, another thinly-veiled story about marrying the person you want consequences be damned, in taunting your on again/off again partner in a bar (e.g. i want to smash your bike or be your wife).

And it’d be easy to chalk it up to, well she’s in her 30s and the clock is ticking, she’s just obsessive! And there’s a nugget there about women and their bodies and both the lauding and weaponization thereof and everything that personally I’m dying to talk about at some point. But when it comes down to it, I’m willing to bet that the reason why it’s everywhere is because THAT WAS HER LIFE. That was the plan she’d taken for granted for so long — and I don’t just mean in a general sense as a girl in the world — but in the very real, very tangible way she was living her life and in the circumstances that led to what would be written about in TTPD. By working out all these scenarios through her songs (and tbh in whatever she was doing IRL that inspired them), she was grappling with and grieving the loss of the life she thought was ahead of her. We’ve talked about how pervasive grief has been on her recent albums, in all kinds of forms, and I think this is kind of the culmination of all of those worries.

She’s not the girl with the paper ring and all’s well did not end well to end up with him. She’s not the girl who has his midnights after cleaning up bottles on New Year’s Day. She couldn’t give him her wild or a child because it wasn’t enough. She may have even been the self-fulfilling prophecy of the girl who is fucked in the head, but feels more like the one left out on the landing.

So in TTPD, she is all of these things. She’s the neglected wife whose husband cheats on her so she runs off with an old flame. She’s the one who gets the jewel on her ring finger and talks about babies because he says it’s love. She’s the woman whose partner once made a promise but never followed through. She’s the hell-raiser who follows love in a different kind of getaway car while the town calls her mad, consequences be damned, but joke’s on them because she gets the wedding in the end anyway. She’s the wife who feeds her cheating husband to the swamps of Florida. She gets swept off her feet by an old flame to run down the aisle. SHE’S the one who gets to decide if she’s gonna marry him or decimate him (be his wife or smash his bike). She’s the girl who didn’t become the wife while she watches the one that got away marry his. She’s the woman scorned who has to call the whole thing off. She’s the saucy girl who bets her new lover is gonna marry her for real. She’s sold off as chattel to the highest bidder in an arranged marriage. She’s the young girl starry-eyed with the dreams she grew up with only to have them go up in flames, leaving only her pen behind to turn it into art.

She navigates all these scenarios because in the end, she isn’t any of them and she is all of them. She’s mourning what she gave up, mourning what she’s already lost, mourning the time she feels she wasted and could have started over. She’s mourning any number of women she could have been if she’d just tried something else, but also mourning that ultimately much of this was out of her hands. She’s grappling with a past that can’t change and a future that doesn’t exist. Every one of these scenarios is a way her life could have gone with any number of different decisions, but in the end, none of that matters, because she is who she is and what happened happened.

Obviously there’s a lot more going on in the album; she’s not just processing the end of relationships, she’s processing her fame and career and health and harassment and trauma and struggles and misogyny and any number of things in frankly shocking ways. But, I think there’s also no denying that this very important thing — the step many young adults expect to take in their lives — precipitated a whole lot of what went on, and may have even had a domino effect on all the other issues explored. It’s raw and vulnerable and ugly and funny and human.

Anyway apparently I’m back and thinking.

[hausofneptune]

[the astrology of drake v. kendrick] "don't tell no lies about me, and i won't tell truths about you"

[astro notes no. 013]

pluto in aquarius is whooping ass on all fronts and i need to unpack what the fuck is going on between kung fu kenny and jimmy from degrassi

disclaimer: this is all speculation and for fun, don't take it too seriously. i'm interpreting these aspects through the context of the information we were given in the diss tracks. there are various ways that energy can manifest, so if you share any of the aspects or placements in this post please do not take it personally lmao

"them super powers gettin' neutralized, i can only watch in silence the famous actor we once knew is lookin' paranoid and now is spiralin' you're movin' just like a degenerate, every antic is feelin' distasteful i calculate you're not as calculated, i can even predict your angle"

༄ let's begin by getting into drake's natal chart. for starter's, his sun is conjunct pluto in scorpio. unevolved plutonian people can be very paranoid, manipulative, and selfish in nature - all characteristics that kendrick (as well as other people in the industry) attribute to drake.

now, sun conjunct pluto isn't an inherently challenging aspect, these natives tend to be very influential figures, for better or for worse. this aspect is indicative of innately coming into positions of leadership, but unfortunately, there is a possibility for these natives to become jaded by the hardships, rejection, and loss they’ve faced in their lives and project that pain onto others. 

this placement may also indicate strife between the native and their father (or any prominent authority figure from their youth), there may be wounding that shows up later in life as power struggles in both platonic and romantic relationships. as we know, drake's parents divorced when he was young, and his father would not long after be incarcerated due to drug-related offenses. further down the line, his father would go on to say that drake's claims of him being absent were fabricated and only a gimmick to sell music, which drake denies.

these natives also tend to be very spiritual, and/or engrossed in the “underbelly” side to life and those around them. personally, i think this definitely plays a role in drake’s tendency to want to play juvenile, internet games in beef (like latto said, get in the booth, bitch!), i.e. the meek mill memes during back to back, using bot accounts to spread rumors about pusha t, posting a photo of tory lanez's funky ass after megan dropped HISS, and now kendrick alluding to drake paying people to get dirt on him.

the energy of this aspect can influence this desire to expose the skeletons in everyone’s closets (even skeletons that aren’t there), despite all of the underaged skeletons in one's own closet. this can evolve into recurring power trips and a very self-destructive outlook on life, these natives can easily adopt this “self-fulfilling prophecy” of sorts, and legitimately distrust everyone around them and obsess over keeping tabs, receipts, and "tea" on people they don’t like.

༄ this sun/pluto conjunction being in drake's 3H, alongside his sun being the ruler of his 12H, and saturn in his 4H, all play a role in inducing his alleged paranoia, and can be viewed as a source of wounding as well. personally, i feel like the way that drake interacts with his peers and the way that he carries himself is very much defined by this sense of needing to control every narrative as to not feel like he's being subjected to the same rejection and coldness he encountered in his youth.

saturn in his 4H is indicative of a need to develop a sense of security in regards to one's family/domestic life, as there tends to be a lack of "warmth" in one's upbringing. the 4H is also representative of lineage, saturn being here could be indicative hardships regarding to the native's relationship to their ancestry, culture, ethnicity, etc. as we know, drake's relationship to his blackness and the culture in general has been under constant scrutiny since he came into the game.

and as a fellow biracial, this isn't because he's "not black enough" or because he has a white mom. it's because drake grew up in closer proximity to whiteness, and that experience has very obviously shaped the way he navigates his blackness and interacts with (and bites off of) black culture from quite literally every part of the world. it's similar to doja cat's situation, where there's an evident disconnect or internalized "shame" surrounding their black identities that very clearly hasn't been worked through. but funnily enough, when it's time to adopt a blaccent and tap into black culture to commodify it and sell it to a primarily white audience (whom of which will give attention to their work quicker than they would an artist that is fully black and/or darker skinned), they don't struggle or hesitate to do so.

so when kendrick says shit like "how many more black features 'til you feel black enough?" and rick ross calls him white (lmao), it has nothing to do with his biracial identity, and everything to do with him cherry-picking from different parts of the black diaspora to curate what is essentially a character for him, when it's clear he has no real understanding or respect for black culture to begin with.

drake also has mercury opposite his MC (and conjunct his IC), these aspects can indicate a struggle to navigate one's identity, alongside domestic, private life affairs having a significant impact on the native's character and mental headspace. specifically, it could be reasoning as to why drake is chooses to cosplay as a different version of black every 2-3 business days.

"life is hard, i know, the challenge is always gon' beat us home sometimes our parents make mistakes that affect us until we grown and you're a good kid that need good leadership let me be your mentor since your daddy don't teach you shit"

༄ i would also be remiss to not acknowledge how saturn in drake's 4H also plays a significant role in his connection to his son and (alleged) daughter.

while saturn is malefic, i do believe that if you work to develop whatever it's hitting in your chart (especially post your first saturn return), it can become a part of your life/personality where you hold the most expertise. and if we're going based off of meet the grahams, i have to question whether this is an evolved placement or not lmfao. kendrick claims that drake is struggling with his own father wound, and in turn has essentially passed that wound down to his (alleged) children by rejecting their existence, being majorly absent in their lives, and ultimately prioritizing fulfilling his ego over being a father.

༄ drake also has sun square mars, and while this aspect can grant the native with a very forthright nature and make them highly motivated to accomplishing their goals, this can also manifest as a very selfish, overly-aggressive character which can lead them to feeling isolated from those around them.

these natives can overplay their hand at times, or struggle with a lack of self control that ultimately results in their own detriment. they may also be very authoritative, and struggle in situations where they don't feel like they're completely in control.

༄ not only do these natal aspects provide context as to why drake is seemingly biting off more than he can chew, but so do the aspects in his transit chart. drake currently has jupiter and uranus opposite his natal mercury, alongside pluto square his natal sun.

all of this energy lends itself to a rushed, tense, and disorganized approach to one's communication and thought process. mentally, drake could be very scattered right now, and the seed that kendrick planted of there being a snake in the OVO camp is more than likely added pressure, especially when you consider pluto squaring his natal sun and the power struggles that adds.

with prominent pluto transits, specifically with squares, the smartest thing for the native to do is relinquish whatever control they think they have over a situation. in the context of this aspect, there's a confrontation with the ego that's occurring, and the native may struggle with finding balance in advocating for themselves and not going overboard. with drake specifically, it's evident that the lack of security in his own identity is not only a major point of contention for those around him, but it's something he internalizes and seemingly struggles with as well

personally, i think the best part of this beef is the fact that kendrick knows all of this about drake, and in proper gemini fashion, is several steps ahead of the game he's playing. telling an emotionally-stunted plutonian that you've seen every skeleton in their closet, that they have rats in their corner, that you peep the weak mind-games they're trying to play... and then telling them to call your bluff and see what happens? iconic.

༄ kendrick's transit chart is currently being dominated by saturnian and mercurial energy right now as well. it's giving very much stern, paternal, "stop crying before i give you something to cry about" energy.

saturn is square his natal saturn, which is activating the moon square saturn aspect in his natal chart. kendrick's natal moon is in his 5H in pisces, while his natal saturn is in his 2H in sagittarius. if you're familiar with kendrick you know that he had an extremely traumatic childhood, and in his work there's an ever-present theme of grappling between the fear of losing sight of his values to maintain his sense of security, and the spiritual dedication and emotional connection to his artistry, creativity, and children.

the moon square saturn aspect makes it difficult to feel anything other than abandonment and guilt, so much so that the native may resort to wanting to feel nothing at all. and you can definitely hear these themes being explored on Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers.

both drake and kendrick obviously share similar wounding and trauma in relation to their upbringing and how that impacted their abilities to emotionally connect to the people they love, including their children, which is why i find it funny (and damn near poetic) the fact that the latest disses the two have dropped are titled Family Matters and meet the grahams. the difference between the two, though, is that kendrick is undoubtedly far less scared to sit with the parts of himself that he hates than drake is. and don't get it twisted, i don't think kendrick is this spiritually-evolved messiah (he definitely gives hotep-uncle energy at times), but i do think that he not only has a stronger sense of self than drake, he's also far more self-aware and calculated in the game he's playing.

transiting saturn square kendrick's natal saturn indicates that he's being called to maintain balance and not fall into old patterns of forgoing the obligations he holds to both himself and the people he loves on account of the pain and resentment he harbors. this transit is also impacting the way he feels regarding his career and his role in the rap game. kendrick let us know on Control that he has respect and love for his peers, but he knows he's on a different level than them.

ultimately, this transit signifies a test to remain true to himself and true to his values, and i do feel like as time passes, there will be a greater understanding as to why drake is regarded as an entertainer, while kendrick is regarded as an artist.

disclaimers | masterlist | ask

[4dkellysworld]

It is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself

I was discussing stuff with AI 4dbarbie and this profound scene from The Matrix came to mind so I watched the clip on youtube.

Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth. Neo: What truth? Spoon boy: There is no spoon. Neo: There is no spoon? Spoon boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.

There were some amazing comments under that video that I think are gold and good food for thought (or even to meditate on) - I saved them and wanted to share. I know this is also a materialization-themed post* but I'm more wanting to point out the concept of limitations that we've had ingrained/may deeply believe but for Self, there are no limitations in this world of illusion, it is just like The Matrix. And this explains why materialization of anything is possible for the realized being (or one who truly understands this principle) because they have dropped all concepts (including ideas of limitations), understand that there is no "reality" as we know it, and that it's all just a reflection of our mind. That's why even in loa*, they say not to try change the physical or even focus on it because "it is not the spoon that bends" (it is not about the physical) but you (and your mind) - when you change your mind, the projection/reflection changes. And that's why there are no limits and nothing is impossible for the one who truly realizes all this because all limitations are only self-imposed through one's own thoughts and beliefs! And we always have a choice to think/believe/know something differently, it's just that it can be hard to allow ourselves to do this due to past conditioning which we falsely believe (which we can drop when we want!) - so we try to rationalize why it's not possible or real and thereby basically shoot ourselves in the foot and become a self-fulfilling prophecy for why it isn't possible or real, because we thought so lol. *disclaimer: I am not a loa/materialization blog, please don't ask me about manifesting/materialization of desires :D Besides, all answers should already be available from 4dbarbie and realisophie's past posts and asks if you want to look for them.

Some comments that I enjoyed a lot are below. I think they had a good grasp but I recognized even they do not understand the full extent of there being no limitations (the person who wrote the reality bending comment then later wrote that this concept was exaggerated for action and entertainment purposes hah). Truly I feel so blessed to have learned all that I have since discovering 4dbarbie, non-duality and my Self.

The boy was trying to iterate to Neo that by maintaining awareness of the fact that You're in the Matrix and that all physical things that "exist" within said Matrix don't actually "exist", the ability to "bend" the rules becomes apparent and achievable

To understand this scene you simply need to replace the word spoon with reality. "Don't try to bend reality, that's impossible. Instead only try to realize the truth. What truth? There is no reality. Then you will see that it's not reality that bends, it is only yourself."

In truth, all appearances are just one's own ideas, which have been thought up by "the spirit" itself, like reflections in a mirror

The whole thing is about getting out ahead of a thing and creating the thing that you want. Looking at something as it is, it will leave it as it is. But getting out ahead of it means he wanted something different: he wanted to see a bent spoon. Before he could get that, he (in his mind) saw the spoon as bent then so strongly, believed that the spoon could bend, that he changed the matrix (or the matrix changed for him). This is an exact mirror to our lives. Whatever you want in your life, see it, visualize it**, believe it so strongly, and watch the path to that desire appear. The beauty in this scene the kid did it right before, helping him to believe faster or deeper. But we have mentors and tons of people doing great things we by now should know the impossible is actually possible.

(in response to above comment) Exactly right. It's really hard to get behind the conditioning that we have learned from early on in our lives and so it was for Neo.

Matrix World Rule: If you believe it's real then that's your reality. If you don't believe it's real then you can change the reality of matrix. Ultimately there is nothing there except your perception.

There isn’t a spoon, the line in the movie is the core of the deepest truths of life. There isn’t a you, and when we realize that the human form and life experience we have everyday is just imagined, then you have awakened and overcome the illusion and can “move mountains” (i.e. do the "impossible").

**I want to add that it's not necessary to visualize or even imagine in order to materialize, a single thought of knowing it to be so or accepting it as absolute fact (in loa terms) is enough if you are free of limitations, otherwise techniques/methods can help you get to this knowing.

[plutoswrath]

Hey Luca, how's it going? I'm really not if you've ever done this before a long time ago but now I want to know your observations on the red flags in composite. Specifically romantically, like case in point 'forget commitment, could this possibly lead to heartbreak or a tragedy full of regrets'? Just to keep in mind of them since I know we each have to give our inputs in a relationship :D

𝕮𝖗𝖎𝖙𝖎𝖈𝖆𝖑 𝖆𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙𝖘 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖕𝖑𝖆𝖈𝖊𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘 𝖎𝖓 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖔𝖘𝖎𝖙𝖊 𝖈𝖍𝖆𝖗𝖙

Hello! I've written a post about 'key placements' in synastry and composite and what to look out for, you can look at it here, maybe it'll help you too! x

A reminder, that your natal chart and synastry will play a huge role in how you'll personally experience and deal with these aspects and placements! And yes it's true, regardless of certain aspects and placements in composite you can still have a succesfull and loving connection! I can confirm, the people that are basically my soulmates and the loves of my life that stuck with me through thick and thin share stereotypical 'horrible' composite with me lmao not even our synastry is that great but we lead very healthy and loving friendships <333

Disclaimer: I will focus on the WORST outcome of these aspects, if you are easily triggered by these hypothetical possibilities I'll advice you to NOT read this post! Thank you x

✦ First of all, I want to talk about Pluto in the Composite: critcal placements of and aspects to Pluto can create power struggles, mind games, secrets, paranoia, insecurities and at worst (I repeat, this is only the worst case scenario!!) forms of abuse due to that in a connection. I would say every harsh aspect to Pluto and the personal planets or the angles can feel deeply uncomfortable over time, but I will focus on a few aspecs that I want to highlight since I think they can be especially precarious in a composite chart.

✦ Moon square/Inconjunct Pluto: Will start out with this banger aspect and just straight up say that especially if Neptune and Mercury are also critcally aspected and you have 8th and 12th house placements ON TOP of that then there's going to be lots of build up emotions, trust issues, fear if re-living old trauma, assumptions, and power struggles due to that. Attachement issues. One person might be more visbly emotionally distressed due to the paranoia and feel unsafe in the relationship, the other person might withhold information/feelings and will grow the resentment quietly, but both parts will try to control the situation on their own. The advice here is to be open and upfront with feelings, to talk about worries and especially to be open with any sort of trust issues/past bad experiences you fear of resurfacing! No power plays, both partners need to be willing to be honest and be completely vulnerable. Emotions should be validated, heard and the worries of the other handled with care and grace. This aspect can harvest a lot dark and negative emotions quickly, watch out for it to not become a self fulfilling prophecy.

TW ✦ Mars square/inconjunct (would even say conjunction has the potential too) Pluto, especially if it's in a water house: The build up to the explosion might take a while, but both can probably easily feel the underlying tension. Both want to have it their way, and here, values and deep rooted fears and intenalized beliefs play a role in it. We deal here with the instinctive flight, fight or fright response, only in this case chances are high that this will be pure fight (in the passive way Pluto plots its revenge though). It can be an aggressive aspect and in my opinion way nastier than harsh aspects between Mars and Sun, because at worst (!), this can be about emotionally, mentally and physically controlling and therefore abusing the other. While Mars and Sun in negative aspects can be equally frustrating, this aspect can point and reveal to painful truths, fears and insecurities about the people involved. Lovers to enemies trope, seeing each other as a thread. I think water houses make it worse because these houses deal with our psyche and emotions, our uttermost vulnerable parts, great damage can be done here. For example if you'd have this aspect in the 4th house, your home could be a psychological battelgound. The fighting could happen at home, behind close doors, etc. END TW

✦ Sun square/inconjunct/opposite/conjunct Pluto: The theme of power and power struggles can become the core themes of the connection. Therefore this can be rally exhausting over time, both people feel like they are constantly trying each other (even if the other didn't do so) and that they can't catch a break when they're together. It's like there's always something waiting around the corner they have to tackle. One or both can be too demanding of another. If feelings fade, both might be afraid that the relationship loses its meaning and becomes too dull. This is were the constant emotional highs and intensity will show their addictive side and cause fear of the mundane, the healthy.

✦ Pluto can be tricky in every house, but I'll say in the composite I'd say the 1st, 4th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 10th and 12th house can be the most complicated ones, but it's really dependent on other aspects and influences. The 12th house especially can point to the relationship ending by some bitter truths being revealed, leading to a painful end.

✦ Neptune square/inconjunct the personal planets: Do I have to say it? You called it, it's mainly about the dellusion aspect and yes, it's necessary to acknowledge that both parties can chase a dream that might not be really found in reality. It can lead to deceiving behaviour, idealization, lying, strong disappointment and even resentment when finding out the other person/relationship is not living up to your dreams. It can also talk about trying to make the relationship work, when outer circumstances are working against it! Here, I want to mention Uranus. While Uranus in harsh aspects to the personal planets can point to on-off behaviour and feelings, I think more often it can also lead to outer circumstances forcing you to be physically apart. Due to sudden events, you might spend lots of times apart, having to rely other forms of communication and socializing to keep the connection alive.

✦ Generational planets conjunct/in close harsh aspects to Saturn: Can feel like outer circumstances breaking your foundation apart. It's not like you can't work this out, but can feel like your world is falling apart in one minute, with Saturn being nvolved the two people can feel way top defeated and pessimistic to try again or fight against outer circumstances and individual shortcomings to try again and make the connection work.

✦ Personal planets conjunct/in harsh aspect to Chiron:This doesn't have to be a dealbreaker, but given the nature of Chiron, definitely worth a mention. Especially when Moon and Venus are involved, loving each other is working through pain and healing together, Being vulnerable and intimate with each other can bring the biggest pain, but also the biggest reward. Love that feels heavy and dutiful, love that requires high amount of maturity (!). Both need to be responsible for their own pain. Being together might feel bittersweet. Similar feelings can arise with Chiron in the 8th, 7th, 12th, 1st.

✦ Black Moon Lilith being strongly present in the composite chart: I'm talking close aspects, contacts to the personal planets, the angles, NN/SN. BML can point to self destructive behavior. Two people acting out on their desires too much, indulging fully in chaotic energy without caring about the consequences. This pair might have to undergo a lot of judgement and stares from the public, which can tear them apart too. One part tries to controle the Lilith nature of the other. In general, in order to benefit from srong Lilith energy in composite and synastry both people have to respect the other and have to align their individuals powers! Disputes due to different values and ownership can occure as well with Lilith being prominent in this chart.

✦ This is not an aspect, but look at aspect patterns in your chart and potential apex planets in order to identify re-occuring themes and problems in your relationship!

✦ People often are often afraid about (personal) planets in the 12th/8th house or stelliums there, since they can indicate secrets or hiding the partner/relationship from the public, but I would digress and say that these placements grand two people extreme intimacy, the only thing I'd suggest is to always communicate, be transparent and give each other the emotional space and time to open up and grow together in a very natural and authentic way.

✦ Sun in conflicting aspects to Moon, Venus, Mars, Saturn, more so when multiple of these planets form tight, critical aspects with the Sun: Can indicate that there are just certain parts 'missing' in the connection that would lead to emotional and physical fulfillment that you need to address and work on. Again, Mars and Sun can talk about a clash of egos and pulling towards different directions, too much egocentrism, no team player mentality, lack of direction, Saturn often hints towards outer circumstances making it harder for two people to be together, both can be very pessimistic and have a hard time continuing to invest into the relationship.

✦ Having a very prominent, very afflicted Jupiter: Jupiter is the point in composite were our (shared) hopes, desires and talents come together, were we collaborate in order to create our own luck and strive for it, it's the soul of the relationship. Having Jupiter in a critical position can lead to a lack of fulfillment, we feel like our soul can't grow and expand in the relationship, uninspired to make the best out of life.

Credit: plutoswrath on tumblr, 2022. Please don't copy and repost my work.

[taciturnakaryocyte]

I think the cool thing about davesprite is that he’s also the hero of prophecy who kills English, not alpha Dave! The whole time he felt inferior because he wasn’t “real” Dave and he wasn’t a hero anymore but he’s the Dave who repeatedly picks the hero’s path of self-sacrifice that alpha Dave rejects, and ultimately he’s the prophesied Dave who kills English and the “cosmically important” one, not alpha Dave :p

GOOOOOOOOOOD you're so right. you're SO right. i love davesprite so much. starting from maybe the lowest point possible, coming back to the start to protect your friends, and then losing them all again because they aren't yours anymore, they're alpha dave's, and because you were first you don't get to be him anymore. you never were.

and then the three years crossing the yard. GOD. i think about that tweet thats like "if i was davesprite on that ship i would have killed myself imagine being 13 forever" fucking constantly. i'll add it if i find it i've been looking for like 20 minutes. but anyway the slow poisoning of the groundwater where john begins to hate him and jade stops Caring (which honestly might be worse considering they were fucking dating)

and then fucking game over. he went through ALL of game over. imagine hopping out of a doomed timeline only to be thrust into another one. it must have been fucking awful. we don't see much of davesprite after the yellow yard until post-retcon (which is kind of a shame, honestly) but just thinking about it is like. MAN.

making it through and past the retcon and then becoming davepetasprite too. the core of who you are has been altered, but somehow you're happier like this. and then he survives, and he KEEPS surviving. and he watches the game end. but he knows it's not over.

so davepetasprite kills lord english. and it's enough. their duty is fulfilled. so much pain for longer than anyone else combined in the sessions, but they took down the big bad.

i need to davespritepost more he makes me LJHFUKDJAHGLJGH

[hollowtones]

watching your streams and vods has made me more confident to appreciate things without irony or cringe, i see something """Bad""" and see the genuine energy and love behind it and say "that fuckin rules" and honestly mean it. its Nice : )

I like engaging with things earnestly. I think it's good to engage with a work on its own terms & see what things work & don't work for you, see what's compelling, see what's chafing, rather than worrying what others think of it or fretting over how others engage with it. It's good & valuable to talk with others & hear others talk about their own thoughts, I hope this post does not come off as otherwise, but...

There's a pattern I see sometimes (something that I used to do to myself!! hell, I probably still do it sometimes without really thinking about it!) where a lot of people will say, oh this is the Bad media, or oh this has a Very Awful Fan Base, and you see enough that going around that you just kind of internalize it without thinking, and it becomes this self-fulfilling prophecy. Sometimes it's fine, sure, sometimes you can tell well enough that something just isn't for you, and that's fine. But sometimes you end up overlooking something you would have otherwise really liked. You never know! I straight up ignored stuff like "Dark Souls" and "One Piece" for years because of that.

"I already know how other people feel about it. How do I feel about it?" I think it's a valuable (or at the very least interesting and fun) way to think about stuff like this. And thinking about it involves being earnest, and showing yourself intellectual and emotional honesty! They're two sides of the same coin to me.

[liauditore]

LIAU MY BELOVED

ask game question

Jimmy x Martyn

:D

romeo asking for mirror birds in MY ask box?!!?!??!?!?! (i know u pref mirror birds but solidwood is too funny im so sorry)

ah yeah. these losers.

see, a lot of my thoughts surrounding these two would kind of spoil my own AU that i never make stuff for so im usually somewhat hesitant to talk about them but basically., (toxic!fh mention)

post-evo divorced property police is so real. ive always imagined it as a childhood friends situation, with martyn being a bit older than jimmy.

they probably caught feelings for eachother fairly late and already well into teenhood but neither of them were really sure what it was (this is maybe going a little bit into sexuality hc territory but ive always imagined jimmy as whatever the male equivalent of a useless lesbian is and martyns biphobic towards himself lmao).

i touched on this briefly in that one fic i wrote but i've always headcanoned martyn as being somewhat parentified and thus ties his worthiness to be loved into his ability to perform acts of service for someone rather than just.. existing and letting himself be loved.

so as jimmy became more independent, martyn becomes a bit more insecure about their friendship. this becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy as he distances himself from jimmy, feeling like jimmy wouldn't love him if he didn't Need him, and jimmy in return feels confused and hurt as he helplessly watches someone he knew all his life drift away.

that + jimmy has this not-so-subtle crush on scott that martyn's always suspected. he's a jealous bitch.

The storm formed after a final sip, my fingertips frozen solid, I pretend that again I can see, you past the rails, ready to meet And I wonder is it too much to ask, to once more, hold you warm in my hands? To accept I can’t forget, and embrace what still fails to fade?

Milk Tea (Oktavia's translyrics) (because I wasn't kidding when I said these two were cheesy yuri to me lmao)

we had a clown to clown communication moment i think cus I also love the idea of them splitting up and meeting in Third Life years and years later (altho i like to imagine it as more of a voluntary separation).

some stuff copy+pasted from that cursed shipping doc i mentioned awhile back: ((scott + jimmy became a thing while martyn was gone pre-3L))

Now reuniting in 3L as fully grown adults after years apart, all those suppressed emotions come bubbling back up to the surface. An adult Martyn is much less unsure about what he's feeling and Jimmy still has those fantasies of what could have been playing on loop in his head. Of course, Jimmy is still attached to Scott and can't abandon his Bethrothed. He loves and knows what's best for him, he would sooner die than forsake his loyalty. But it does hurt when he hits him. Martyn still cares for Jimmy deeply, whether he wants to or not. He takes the time to keep an eye out for him, even though they had no real reason to interact anymore. He becomes one of the only people to realise what Scott was like with him, how devoid of love it all was. He throws out a line, offers to help him run away. Jimmy refuses. Betrayal. A second time. For the same man. Who cares about Jimmy anyway? (he always did take me for granted)

(a little note here before anyone sets me on fire - time works a bit differently in my writing and the players don't have exact ages but jimmy and martyn's age gap is probably not as dramatic as their cc counterparts)

(it's still there but neither of them even recognise their feelings as remotely romantic until they reunite as adults, as kids it's all just them being silly and having grade school drama with each other)

So uh yeah lots of mutual pining and suppressed feelings and puppy love turned angst👍 tis all i shall say cus i wanna make art of the rest lol

Just a second to lessen the ache, or minute to kiss it away I’d give all I have for the chance to go back to youth and you

[fandomanimatic-tournament]

Fandom song animatic tournament: Side A Round 1

Me, you and Steve (Me, You and [blank] / Your friend [blank]) - Garfunkel and Oates

"I could've wished a thousand wishes For this night, I can't believe That it's finally me and you, and you and me Just us, and your friend Steve Do-do-do-do-do-do, Steve"

Oh No! - MARINA

"I know exactly what I want and who I want to be I know exactly why I walk and talk like a machine I'm now becoming my own self-fulfilled prophecy Oh! Oh, no! Oh, no! Oh, no, oh!"

Remember that we're voting on how Iconic they are for ANIMATICS, not for the song itself. In order to make things fair, the tone and mood of the song should not affect how iconic it is (for example, a serious song should not be considered more iconic than a joke song just because it's serious)

Propaganda and animatic links of the songs under the cut:

Me, you and Steve - Garfunkel and Oates

Propaganda:

It's ripe for the angst of love triangles, vaguely romantic bromances, and unfullfilled canon desires, and also has the bonus of being a funny song, so people will draw comedic little gremlin faces for the characters. Also doo doo doo doo doo doo doo Steve!

Animatics with the song:

Carry On Snowbaz Animatic

Hamilton Lams Animatic

Tower of God

Merlin Merthur Animatic

BNHA Erasermic Animatic

Oh No! - MARINA

Propaganda:

At least one marina song has got to be on this tournament

it's such a staple of mental illness in fandom and faking who you are until you figure it out

Animatics with the song:

Helluva Boss

Arcane

Deltarune Spamton Animatic

Beetlejuice

The Sun and Moon Show

Please be cautious and read the title, description and warning cards on the animatic videos if you decide to watch them. If you've got specific triggers I'd recommend even more caution when watching animatics of fandoms you don't know, since sometimes canon-typical themes don't get warnings.

Please keep in mind that I don't know all the media and fandoms of the animatics provided as examples and I don't have the time (nor the will) to research them all. Don't come into my notes or my ask box complaining about them being included, I will simply block you. If a ship animatic included is about an adult and a minor, do tell me and I'll take it out of the post

ALSO keep in mind that I don't know all the artists submitted; in fact, even if I do know them I do not know absolutely nothing about them as people (I do not have twitter nor tiktok) and I could not POSSIBLY have the time to research ALL of the artists' controversies and what came of them so PLEASE don't flood my inbox with the artists' entire crime list.

[autisticbokutoenthusiast]

halfway point only friends character rankings

(i am bad at rank so i tiered them, also i don't dislike any character this is more a scale of how many hours i lay awake thinking of them)

tier one: ray

ray: I think anyone looking at my only friends posts can immediately guess who my favourite character is and why. ray is THE character for me, i knew in the first episode before the title sequence that he'd make me extremely unwell (his "being known as a burden who is either professing his love for anyone who cares to listen or begging people not to leave him in his drunken desperation" captivated me ok) . besides relating to parts of his characters and story, i am thoroughly invested in this man and his emotions. like will he fall victim to the cycle he's already convinced he's doomed by? will he find a way out? will he continue living as self-fulfilling prophecy purely out of spite for himself and everyone around him? will he get better? can he get better? will he ever want to????????? i think i always had the potential like ray as a character but i also think the actor plays him in a way that has altered my brain forever (like i am not good at reading faces but the look on ray's face sometime feels like im looking into his thoughts, its thrilling) deciding to play ray as layered and complex and oosing with pain no matter the circumstance was a choice that made the character for me, and i also think it takes a lot of skill to have an asshole insult everyone close to him and ruin relationships he has no buissness ruining for most of his screentime and have the audience come away with "wow that guy is absoultey dripping in pain, i feel so much for him"

tier two: nick, boston, mew

nick: i love nick so much, maybe its my thing for pathetic little guys but something about him makes me scream throw shit whenever i see him. i'm obssessed with all the crime he commits, because he's such a cutie about it. like watching him get all sad listening to the topboston tape fully sympathizing with him and his little sad face to the point i forget he only has the tape cause he WIRETAPPED BOSTONS CAR. just excellant character, i hope his crimes being revealed leads to him looking more pathetic and then becoming 5x more evil but 10x more cute about it (i also am desperate to know what comes of him chasing after a man who has made it clear so many times he doesn't want him only for nick to fall harder like what is up with that)

boston: boston has always been a favourite character of mine because he may not be a good friend and he may not be a good person but one thing he will NEVER not be is entertaining. like if he is on screen your ass will be tuned IN, and for that reason i love him. what i want to see from boston in the rest of the series? i think he is an interesting case of how far is to far when it comes to friends doing you dirty, and im interested to see what the lasting impact to his relationships are and then the impact to how he views relationships in general. i think it'd be nice if there were consequences that made him reavaluate the way he treats other people, but i also find it absolutely necessary for him to retain his sluttiness. like it doesnt hurt anyone else, and i think he genuienly enjoys it, so i hope he keeps it along with his love for photogrphy (would love to see him get more into getting consent of people before he records them and spreads that around tho) stay messy my king 🫡

mew: mew was my designated little guy after watching the first episode but kinda got lost in all my love for sandray. i will say he shot back up towards the top after seeing this one post (i cannot find it now its lost under the thousands that have been posted since) about mew, control, and bdsm (and all the new meta that has come out since too tbh). also realizing around epsiode 4 we knew absoultey nothing about him as a person had me watching everything he did like there would be little clues left. i think its safe to say after episode 6 that the relationhip between sex and control will continue to be interesting as well as WHATEVER THE FUCK HAPPENS TO MAKE HIM ACT UP LIKE THAT IN THE BATHTUB anyway... i am here for his villain?? era

tier 3: top, sand, cheum

(again i tiered them cause im not good at straight ranking and this doesn't mean i like them any less its just they make me personally a little less insane then the others do)

top: i think he needs to be topped by mew and that it has the potential fix him, i've thought about this a lot (A LOT) and thats all i have to say.

sand: i am still kinda obsessed with him, like don't get me wrong. i like the way he mirrors the other characters while still maintaining traits that are specific to him. the fact that he has his heart broken by the belief that ray didn't truly care about him and only saw him as a distraction, distinced himself from ray, took insults and physical attacks from ray, and STILL chased after him because he knew ray was in an unsafe headspace speaks to how strong this guy is, cause you saw everyone else in that bar abondon ray to whatever self-destructive thing he decided to do next but not sand, never sand. anyway maybe its because i relate to ray so much that whenever i see sand on screen or think about him my mind gets overtaken by hearteyes (this is my way of saying i don't have many coherent thoughts about sand in my brain theres just 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰) anyway i can't wait to see how he develops, if we meet the sandtop mutual ex and what chaos that brings, and whatever the fuck happens with the sandray codependency dynamic and i am dying to know if he does indeed have something in his past related to driving under the influence and what it is about ray specifically that made mr "i can seperate love and sex" into the character we see now

cheum: my girl isn't in the show as often but whenever shes on screen with april i have to smile. anyway i wonder if we'll get an explaination as to why shes always presurring the rest of the friendgroup into monogamous relationships or if thats just who she is (i do think her lying to april about how she feels in order to keep them together at all costs was an interesting detail in all this, like is she scared of what it means to be single/alone, does she feel intense pressure to be in a certain type of relationship, etc)

anways this is inspired by @thatgirl4815 and my autocorrect broke so sorry if this makes now sense

[dichromaticdyke]

skwisgaar feminism word salad response anon on another tangent again !! (is 💉 taken for an anon sign off? didn’t see so in ur beloved anon tag but i’ll be usin’ that for ease of communication on both ends)

regarding the shows take on gender: i definitely agree in the sense that it has a lot to say about gender, as well as the take of “deliberate critique of misogyny” vs “the show kinda also sucked with women” co-existing statements!!! i think in this case it just makes the internalized misogynistic fandom space behavior so much… worse in that sense, though? yes, the show did suck with women and their focuses, but with the show’s critique of celebrity + metal culture thus lending dethklok to view women of objects… it just feels like when the fandom discounts women in the show just as easily, it’s falling into the same trap dethklok does and i would argue that gets into the whole other issue of glorifying dethklok despite the fact they’re portrayed (initially, anyway) in a sort of always sunny in philadelphia “don’t be like this” way. which then turns the fans into a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts but that is a WHOLE other tangent-

either way, it’s disheartening to watch at times.

as for depth of the show vs sometimes it’s not that deep, even for how the fans react:

1. i adore ur analyses please continue having these fits of divine madness

2. i agree sometimes it’s not that deep! sometimes fans just want to watch two guys kiss! and that’s okay!

and i definitely agree that people don’t leave their implicit biases at the door when entering fandom (and i am forever grateful you do not leave your gender studies degree at the door either; truthfully, i would not feel so open critiquing the fandom with any other creator, as your perspective is inherently unique due to a variety of factors)

but i guess my whole perspective is… yeah, it feels a lot like there’s a portion of the fandom that doesn’t work on their inherent internalized misogyny, even on tumblr, which goes back to your post regarding skwisgaar finding all women beautiful and how his willingness to sleep with fat and elderly women has become a joke to many. of course, it also gets into fatphobia, lookism, and ageism, which honestly the ageism confuses me considering most folks are also thirsting after literal middle aged cartoon men but i suppose in their minds it’s different because they’re men and “not geriatric” or something.

in the latter case: cowards, all of them, as there is an inherent beauty to aging (and skwisgaar would agree)

-💉

(also im sorry for word vomiting in your inbox AGAIN there’s so many thoughts and not enough words but like ily and everything you do for the fandom. ur brain is galaxy level always)

ehehe don't apologize dear! i'm honored and proud that i've created a space where people do feel comfortable to talk to me about feminism and lesbianism despite the overwhelming focus on men within this community (again, understandable given the context of the show, but it doesn't make it any less exhausting sometimes).

i don't really have much to say in addition to this, you hit so many points i agree with! i remember some mtl creators talking about how if you can't meaningfully recognize where the show is satirizing oppressive thoughts and behaviors and instead reinforce those behaviors through your own actions, then you're not mature enough to be engaging with the show, and that's pretty much my stance on it! again, as we've mentioned, there will always be people who don't unpack all their internalized biases, and it's very easy to let those slip through even in good faith, but that's basically the viewpoint i have.

dethklok can be genuinely awful people sometimes, and we're not meant to agree with them on everything, and we have to remember that. as much as they've become massive comfort characters to me, i would guillotine all five of them irl.

[mercless]

MINI CHARACTER PLAYLIST

Share at least five songs that remind you of your muse, or that you associate with your muse's character arc. Including lyrics is optional.

1. alien blues - vundabar

"I only talk to dogs because they don't understand me my teeth are yellow, hello, world would you like me a little better if they were white like yours?"

Relating to Talon's difficulties with life and their social standing, especially when they were brought up from the slums to rubbing elbows with the aristocratic life of Noxus. Even now their life is an isolated one, with convoluted rituals and daily tasks to keep themself preoccupied, busy, and not needing human connection, so the assassin tells themself.

2. family happiness - the mountain goats

"Look at the person I've turned into Tell me how do you like him now? No standards of any kind to break, no creeds to disavow."

Initially this one was added to the playlist for the bitterness and held for the other passenger in the car, relating it as Talon's complex feelings for Marcus and everything he's done to them. Molding them into a weapon but doing very little to help them be a person. But now with the comic out, and reading more interview questions relating to the song, it aligns far more to Talon and Katarina's relationship, with Marcus' ghost still deciding both of their actions, and how this has lead to Talon's difficult relation with Kat.

One of the comments John Darnielle (the artist behind tmg) had for the song included this bit; This song, this song is about people who have chosen whatever the opposite of victory is. Talon is someone who's chosen the opposite of victory.

3. my town - frank carter & the rattlesnakes

"My town, it looks like yours We hide those tears behind closed doors Never talk about our fear Don't know why we're living here, my town."

Talon's difficult relation with Noxus Prime, and Noxus in general. It's the heart of the empire, and just as power hungry as it's history. When Talon grew up under Darkwill's rule, Noxus promised the best of life for the strongest, and that meant proving yourself in every way possible, and climbing over anyone to do it. Watching a demonic monster take the leading role for himself hasn't helped Talon's view of Noxus as a system, but there is a least now understanding that many are just like them; born into this. Although that understanding is without sympathy. Talon hates Noxus, and the rest of the world hates Noxus, and hates them.

4. get out the way - mother mother

"there's spit on my face the hot breath of the human race and I know, I know I'm suppose to integrate but hows about instead I inch away?"

Talon has a habit of keeping people at arms length at best, and becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy by not trusting anyone, and not being trusted in return. Even if they wanted a normal life, they can't bring themself to build the foundations of a normal one without making it an awful, painstaking event. It's just easier if people get out of their way.

5. fleabag - yungblud

"I wanna turn back time I wanna fix the way I was designed Crawl behind my eyes And kill my stale state of mind."

No matter what they do, Talon can never do the right thing. Looking out for themself, following the orders of their teacher, it all leads to death, betrayal, and blood spilt because of them. Talon was a useful weapon to Marcus, until they failed him. Betraying Katarina's trust further proves relations with them are no good. But the most damning part is the lack of trying to improve this, instead letting this fester into part of their character instead of an issue to work at. Even in the hypothetical situation of getting to change their life around, Talon wouldn't know where to begin. They feel like it's easier to stay as an unlovable fleabag because it's all they've ever known.

tagged by: @dolls-runeterran-dollhouse unsure of who hasn't been tagged yet; consider yourself & tag me in your post!

[acerikus]

Uh random headcanons for Flowey Undertale Baldr KH and Volo Pokemon!

Oooh some good ones 👁️👄👁️

Flowey (gonna go w some post pacifist headcanons mostly I think)

It takes him a really long time before he feels like he can be open with anyone, but he's working on it. It's always far easier to lash out rather than to process anything he's been through, but he'll get there.

He has genuine respect for papyrus and is one of the few people who understand his brand of humour and sarcasm. Part of his distaste for sans stems from thinking he babies him too much.

Even if other characters eventually learn that he used to be Asriel, he's very firm in the fact that he doesn't want to be referred to with that name again. He's feels so far divorced from who he used to be that he basically considers it his deadname and everyone respects that. Once he starts to learn how to live with himself that hasn't changed, but he sees it as a fresh start with a new name and another chance to try to make it up to everyone.

Flowey and Suzy (assuming she's Susie's undertale counterpart) get along like a house on fire. They like yelling and swearing and giggling about violence together. Frisk has their work cut out with these two.

Flowey really wants to imitate Chara's creepy faces so, so badly.

Anything he does to scare people is 100% projection, he just thinks of things he knew HE used to be scared of (or still is!)

Baldr

Despite his own insecurities with his darkness, Baldr tried his absolute hardest to stay positive and fight for his friends. He was completely genuine in saying he wanted to become a master to protect those he loved, but he was failed by the system so much that it just wasn't enough.

Him and Hodor tried to pretend to have the perfect sibling dynamic, but deep down they both felt how flawed it was. He knew he'd never have her light, and she knew he'd be taken by the darkness eventually. In the end, it sort of became a self fulfilling prophecy.

He's definitely a descendant of ephemer. Extremely distantly mind, but he'd end up on that side of the missing link blood feud for sure.

Riku is absolutely either part of the same bloodline as him or his reincarnation lol

He KNOWS the irony of his name, and he thinks it fucking sucks

Him and Xehanort were great friends before everything kicked off, probably him and Vör too. It's part of why he saved them for last (vör was admittedly more luck that he appreciated, and eraqus lasted so long bc he wanted xehanort to have to watch the boy he liked die lol)

The darkness that took over him wasn't capital D darkness. It was his own plaguing him - all his darkest thoughts and most negative emotions rather than any kind of outside entity. Probably still some kinda Evil Magic sprinkled in there and influence from the general force of darkness, but no direct possession. He probably could've been saved if he wasn't abandoned in a room alone for over a goddamn week.

Before All That, his friends always tease him about being a total weenie. Scary stories freak him out and Hodor makes sure he had a night light so he doesn't get too scared after Bragi whips out some of his spookiest tales. He feels faint at the sight of blood.

Whenever they go anywhere chilly, he's the most likely to be unaffected. His jacket is nice and toasty :]

He's... Not great at magic, and tends to avoid it. He especially sucks at healing magic.

Volo

He sees his pokemon as tools, but unlike some of the other villains his mentality towards them is 'Pokemon are weapons, but weapons must be maintained and taken care of'. He looks after his pokemon diligently and showers them with affection - it's much better in the long run.

All of his pokemon absolutely LOVE him. This also applies to Giratina, there's no way the big silly dragon doesn't adore this man.

All his pokemon have the serious nature in canon and I choose to believe it's specifically because he fed them those mints for modifying natures. No silliness in HIS battalion!

Cogita is DEFINITELY his aunt imo.

I see a lot of people hc that he'd hate Cynthia and everything she stands for, but I think he'd be extremely proud of her. The reason he's Like That is implied to be bc he's had a rough time w life, and I think he'd be delighted to see how much fear and respect Cynthia emanates and just how much power she holds over Sinnoh - and that she doesn't NEED to remake the world to live a good life. AND she's met arceus! His bloodline succeeded in everything he truly wanted in life and I think he'd be satisfied with that.

Volo is immortal and keeps an eye on things from a distance. After leaving hisui, he takes some time to reflect and educates his descendants on his mistakes so this never happens again. He's probably gone after Enamorus, Xerneas AND Celebi before for the sake of his lifespan. The reason Giratina sometimes hangs around with Cynthia is bc he asked them to watch over her.

Alternately: Cynthia is his reincarnation rather than his descendant, explaining why there's seemingly two Cynthia ancestors instead of one. Big fan of this one.

Different alternative: Volo is immortal and also trans. She's actually just Cynthia. Since she calmed down and stopped trying to remake the world, Cogita has been helping her cover her tracks for years so nobody realises she's not aged.

With either of the last two, Arceus appearing to Cynthia in hgss is a really big fucking deal. Cynthia's proven herself worthy of their respect and trust.

[wordtowords]

To be Sanguine

sanguine - adjective - optimistic or positive in a particularly difficult situation

I have a favorite saying that of late has become a bit of a mantra or at least, a refrain for me: "Everything works out in the end." To be sanguine in any situation isn't easy, but sometimes, to keep one's sanity, it is essential. It also may give way to a self-fulfilling prophecy if Fate is in your corner.

Last Monday, I looked at my adult daughter's twenty-five-year-old, free-standing basketball set-up leaning precariously in the direction of the garage and decided to sell it on Facebook Marketplace. Within a day after posting the ad, a polite yuppy who had just bought a house in an upper-middle-class neighborhood in an adjacent, upper-middle-class town messaged me to say he would buy it. Although I forewarned him that he would need a large truck and a few friends to lift it, he drove into my driveway in his shiny new Ford pick-up alone, armed with minimal tools, and the desire to perform miracles. After working unsuccessfully for an hour, he pretty much threw up his hands in defeat, gave up on the project, leaving me with payment and a fallen basketball set-up, the body of which lay disabled, prostrate on the macadam. The next day, I called several junk removers who speculated that it would cost me $200 to remove the mess. Armed with my optimistic mantra (and a brief prayer), I kept the faith that someone else on FB might just be interested in it for free. I was right.

A man, ironically named Jesus and just as authentically Christian as his namesake, arrived from the wrong side of the tracks with all of the right tools, a big enough truck and a precocious, teenaged son (named Lucas, close enough to Luke), who had all of the right questions and answers both in Spanish and in English. Between the two, they were able to eliminate the unnecessary weight in the base of the stand so that they had the remains of the set-up in the truck within minutes. Jesus handed me a twenty that I didn't want to take, but he insisted. The whole ordeal I chalked up to serendipity as I watched them drive off with smiles on their faces and a lot of metal in the way back. If you are thinking what I am thinking (this woman is under the protection of angels), both of us are probably correct.  

The moral of the story is binary: 1. Sanguine individuals who put positive vibes out into the Universe (particularly around high holy days) are rarely disappointed. 2. "Everything works out in the end."

Rest assured that everything does work out, one way or the other, in the end.

Happy Easter! Happy Passover!

#word-to-words, #slice-of-life,  #blog, #blogging, #editorial, #reading, #vocabulary, #ReadersMagnet, #spilled thoughts, #good advice, #personal-essay, #writing community, #writing, #optimism, #angels

[fcb4]

If this reflects your only exposure to endtimes/eschatology ie LeftBehind, Late Great Planet Earth, A Theif in the Night, Chick Tracts etc. Then you’re probably on edge today. Maybe not, but probably.

America has had a wild fascination with apocalypse, armageddon, prophecy and the anti-Christ. It’s at a fever pitch in many circles.

Lately these subjects have been surrogated in the womb of internet teachers that bring suitcases of conspiracy theories. Rothschilds, Illuminati, One World Order, Bill Gates, UN, Medical industrial Complex, alternative this and that..the bad seed is taking root all over.

It’s making many people rich because fear sells. Every post you linger on or click puts money in the pockets of someone. The algorithms rule peoples minds. Folks think they are scrolling freely but tech is paving the roads you think you’re driving.

Much of internet life is self-fulfilling prophecy. Reading, watching, clicking, etc bends every future search or read back in on itself. You attract more of what you digitally touch. Your devises learn and serve up various versions of your perceived desire and tastes.

You become the mind puppet to the mind puppet masters whether charlatans or well meaning rabbit hole tumblers.

Discernment is desperately needed in this hour. People’s relationships, bank accounts, mental health, spiritual equilibrium, church stability, biblical sanity, political perspective and personal productivity are all impacted by these matters.

The red-pill becomes the black-pill and the Matrix gets exposed to be produced by directors or “handlers” that have a worldview and social-moral vision completely at odds with a biblical world view. It’s not liberty but slavery and those thinking they are riding the Nebuchadnezzar are actually being slipped into the goo of a pod meant to feed you endless supplies of distracting mind funk while draining you of actually living the life God saved you to enjoy.

When my pastoral advice to focus on caring for one’s family instead of losing oneself in these fantasy worlds is rejected as unbiblical, I know things are going off the guardrails.

Yes times are complicated and concerning but that’s been true for many cycles of history.

CS Lewis “If we are all going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb when it comes find us doing sensible and human things-praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts-not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs. They may break our bodies (any microbe can do that) but they need not dominate our minds.”

So…please for the love of the book of Daniel and all things red dragon, stop.

The internment camps and black helicopters didn’t pan out, the blood moon phased, and Gorbachev’s birth mark wasn’t the sign. The Euphrates water level isn’t the barometer, the vaccines didn’t have nanotechnology, your dogs microchip isn’t the precursor and your not going gay from drinking tap water.

Jesus is Lord over all, even…pedophiles, Monsanto, microplastics, the Ozone, 5G, Apeel, fighting age males crossing the border, Michelle Obama’s sexuality and Presdential elections.

[windowsandfeelings]

49 and 50 for the ask game!

49. What are you currently working on? Share a few lines if you’re up for it!

I've got about 3 things going right now with minimal progress on all of them, but here's a bit of a Nace fic that's tentatively titled A Crack in Everything (I started writing this pre-season 4):

Bess sighs. “A spellbreak,” she repeats. “It’s a ritual that’s, well, it’s basically turned the building into a magic-free zone. It can’t get through the door.” “What does that mean?”  Nancy’s got that look in her eye, like she’s assembling a thousand piece, three-dimensional puzzle in her brain. He misses watching her build a mystery, feels the loss of it like a sharp jab to the heart. He wonders what she’s seeing that the rest of them aren’t, yet. “Magic can’t get in,” Bess clarifies. “Rituals, curses, they get washed away as soon as someone crosses the threshold.” “Was that the sensation when we came in?” Nancy asks. “What sensation?” “Like walking through an ice cold shower,” he says. “But..more dry.” “As soon as we walked through the door,” Nancy adds. Bess shakes her head. “I didn’t feel anything,” she says. “Did you?” she asks Addy. “Not that I noticed.” They both turn to look at Nancy and Ace. “You must have had some sort of magic clinging to you,” Bess says. She looks at them so closely he’s about to start squirming.

50. Answer any question of your choice, or talk about anything you want to talk about!

Hmm, how about:

38. Did any of your fics get surprisingly popular (whatever that means to you)? Which ones? Why do you think they were so successful?

I am always and forever baffled by the popularity of All the Lights that Light the Way are Blinding, not because I don't think it's good (I do!), but because it's SO MUCH more popular than anything else I've ever posted. I published it almost 11 years ago, and it still gets several new kudos every week, sometimes several in a single day.

I know at this point it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy, because a lot of people go into ao3 and sort by kudos, but the initial success was weird. It's not my primary fandom (or even one I was actively participating in, beyond screaming into the void of twitter and tumblr back when it was on), I had never written anything for the fandom before, it took me like 8 years to write another Dair fic...I'm sure there was just some sort of unpredictable chemical magic to the time that I published it (which was admittedly only a couple of weeks after the series finale), but...I don't know! It's weird! (And wildly flattering and lovely and I'm so glad people seem to like it so much.)

It just goes to show that you never know when or why one thing will hit and something else won't. And it's usually not about quality.