#(but she also has very strong rabbit energy)

[helianyx]

the character in your banner is very cool and is giving me gender envy, who are they, i must know them

oh gosh, you and me both! 🤝 that's actually my OC, Mana! Her appearance was originally based on Djeeta from Granblue Fantasy before she spun into an OC, and the art there was commissioned by AoClover from twitter of her in Final Fantasy XIV.

She is the love of my life and heals me sm (and though she uses primarily she/her she is nb and OK with any pronouns). (I have a whole sideblog dedicated to her + her aesthetic over here and her ff14 tag is here - tho warning for some occasional nsfw) but thank you very much please know that she loves you and would make you delicious baked treats <3<3<3

[moonreader1010]

Pac: how people perceive you<3

Note: 1. take what resonates.

2. Take a deep breath. Ask your spirit guides to help you choose the pile and choose the one that calls out to you.

3. Pictures used are from Pinterest. All rights go to the original owner.

Pile 1:

She'll put you in a trance at first glance

Don't wanna fall in love, but I'll take a chance

straight up I got vision of this one picture that I saw on Pinterest a while back. It was a rabbit in an armour with some sort of spikey weapon and it said “soft but not available for mistreatment”. Very do not harm but take no shit vibes. I see major cancer placements. You can tame anyone. I keep getting beauty and the beast vibes. Like, you know how to tame people. People listen to you but I don’t see and boss employee kind of relationship but more like a goddess and her followers kind of relationship. I see you being hurt in the past. Was growing up difficult baby? Did someone hurt you? I wanna hug you right now. You are an inspiration. You are a warrior and you are so so strong and wise. I feel like we are getting away from the actual question of the reading but I feel like someone wanted me to tell you this hahah. So onto the question that how people perceive you, I think they can tell that you have been through something that changed you. Made you stronger and wiser. People definitely see you as someone who will nail the trope of “taming the bad boy” haha. But ofcourse remember that it’s not your job to fix anyone and I feel like you already know this. People see you as someone who dances in the rain, confident (lots of cards show me the theme of confidence actually), hopeful. They also see you as this boss lady (gender neutral). They see you as someone who is busy building empires.

Additional: student, business, garden, summer dresses, flowers.

Song: Dangerous woman by Wieland

Pile 2: You wear that cast so cool

And I'm in awe

A face like you've never seen before

Around

people see you as someone who is constantly moving(it could be traveling or you know, making moves generally) you are not a still entity. You are always doing something. People see you as someone who is very private and mysterious. It’s hard to know anything about you. Moon seems to be really significant for some reason. People also see you as someone who cuts people of very quickly. No bullshit kinda person. You can deal with absence but won’t take disrespect. You are an achiever. People see you as someone who is constantly trying to learn something. You are open to experiences. You walk away from a situation that doesn’t serve you and that’s what many people admire about you. Young hear and old soul is what I keep hearing. People feel like they can come to you for help and also see you as someone who is very sensible.

Additional: wood, earth signs, moon, 3, heart on your sleeves, white flowers, driving far away.

Songs for you: Ever (foreign sleep) by team sleep.

Pile 3: Baby, this is what you came for

Lightning strikes every time she moves

And everybody's watchin' her

But she's lookin' at you,

people see you as someone who works really hard. They see you as someone who is very responsible and completes tasks like a pro. They see you as a leader. Is acts of services you love language? People feel like they can always count on you. You are always there to help people. You honestly are a great leader you know? Some people seem to see you as a rival. A competition. You make people competitive pile 3. People see you as someone who is very faithful. You are almost untouchable to people. You seem to be on an entire different level that they cannot reach. People see you as someone who is smart and has a way with words. You seem like someone who would do great in negotiations and business exchange lol.

Additional: ships, sea, commerce, green,

Song for you: this is what you came for by Calvin Harris and Rihanna. (Very Rihanna energy lol)

[sunshine-theseus]

Bia | Kyra Cooney-Cross x Reader

Words: 2.8k Summary: you create your own boots and meet the most beautiful girl  - sorry I also used this to info dump about the necessity for boots designed specifically for women to lower injury risks Warnings: none i think. lemme know if there are any requested by - @hottiedogs375 i hope you enjoy, it's probably not my best :( definitely not as good as pequeña i think

My family was more of a cricket family than a football one. I wasn’t really fond of either, the shouting was always too much, and the food was somehow sloppy yet rock hard at the same time. Even when we watched at home. The living room would be full of sweaty angry men, sometimes my mum and sister would join if our team was actually doing well. Meanwhile you’d find me in my room at the very back corner of the attic, my room, with headphones on to block out the noise, usually designing something.

Despite the cricket background, I found myself intrigued by the design of women’s football kits. In my design and technology class in year 13, I fell down a research rabbit hole on football boots for women. It was then I discovered the lack of adaptation for the shoe. Women often just wear smaller sizes of boots designed for men, which has been one of the factors in the increase in injuries in the women’s game and I’d decided I wanted to fix that.

That’s how I found myself in front of a crowd, made up of possible brand ambassadors and sponsors, as well as a range of women’s athletes from across the world, pitching my idea.

“And that’s why brands like Bia are important to the growth of women’s football. The shape of the boot, the length of studs, the sole support, they’re all contributing factors to how players perform. When women footballers use the men’s boots, which is basically the only option, they aren’t going to grow used to the details designed for male anatomy. It’s causing stress on not only their feet but every ligament, every bone, every piece of them is suffering because they have to try and adapt to things they can’t possibly adapt to.” I felt like the closing of my speech was rather strong, especially as I watched players and possible sponsors stand to clap. The noise echoes throughout the auditorium and a happiness bubbles within me.

“Thank you for providing me this opportunity. Please, if anyone has any questions.” I gesture to the stand-up microphone in the middle aisle, and people rush to line up.

“What made you intent on creating a boot specifically for women, risking money and time on something people have tried to do before? Something you knew wasn’t guaranteed to work?”

“I know it’s funny, but my family was not a football one, so I didn’t grow up knowing much about the game. But in my a-levels design and technology class, we had to research an issue prevalent in an existing design, and I for some reason was just drawn to the idea that women don’t even get the choice of having a boot made for them. I found it unfair and uncaring. Everyone expects women to play at the same level as men yet won’t provide them with the necessary equipment to do so without them having to risk, quite possibly their career. And I couldn’t just move on after the class, I knew that I had to do something about it. So I’ve spent the past 3 years perfecting the design and building the brand, to be here in front of you all today.” Another round of applause is heard throughout the room before the next person steps up.

She’s a footballer, that I know. Young, no older than 21, my age. And very very pretty.

“This question probably isn’t quite as important as that one but, what made you pick the name Bia? It just seems like an interesting name.” people chuckle at the question, and the (newly discovered) Australian shyly looks around.

“No, I love this question. Bia is the Greek goddess of force and raw energy. She’s actually Nike’s sister, the goddess of victory and very obviously the brand. I think Bia resembles a lot of things within female athletes. They have this driving force and unbelieve power that they bring, and it just felt so right.”

“That’s sick. Can I also quickly ask, sorry, are these boots made for every female athlete? Like can someone in track and field use these or are they just for footballers?” the girl smiles brightly after her question, and I have to remember not to lose focus.

“While the primary focus is obviously footballers, I have researched the compatibility of boots between sports and yes, a professional sprinter like Sharika Jackson can use them just as well as you or Alexia Putellas could. And of course as the brand grows we’ll be able to develop even further and broaden our research further in creating boots fit for anyone.”

-

Questions carry on for a while, then I disappear behind the curtain that’s suspended behind me, rushing to remove my microphone. Eventually I slide out the side door and reach the separate room booked for ‘mingling’ after the panel.

Between talking to rich people desperate to make it seem like they care about others, and athletes who are very eager to know everything they can about the shoe, I try to keep an eye out for the nameless Australian. Every time I think I’ve spotted her; it seems she disappears. Bodies keep moving and she seems to be one of them.

Then I bump into someone. We both go stumbling but she catches me just before I head for the floor.

“I am so sorry I wasn’t looking where I was going.” And there she was, the girl I’d been looking for.

“No, no need to apologise. I’m Y/n.” I give her a hand to shake.

“Kyra.” There’s a pause before she continues.

“I’m a big fan of your boot. It’s truly incredible.” It’s hard not to blush and sputter out random sounds at her praise.

“Thank you. I’m really hoping this function works out.”

“Well I was thinking, when it does, if you need ‘a face of Bia’…”

“Oh my god yes that would be amazing. Seriously you have no idea how cool that would be.”

We talk for quite some time, and she sticks by my side when someone else comes to talk and ask question. When it’s time to go home we exchange numbers and that’s the first and last time I see her for a while.

-

5 months later is the next time I see Kyra in person. We’d both been travelling a lot, me for sponsors, ambassadors, and athletes, her for work. I’d expected to meet with her a few more times before we kick started the ‘face of Bia’ photoshoots, but as the fates had it, we found ourselves in a large warehouse, photo equipment, and many boxes of my shoes filling the space.

It suddenly all started to feel very real, and that made me nervous. So I packed myself into a small room in the corner as I tried to calm down, hoping the isolation and quiet would help me feel better.

Not even 2 minutes in, someone is following and taking a seat next to me.

“You right?” the voice is familiar and smooth.

“Yeah, yeah of course I am. It’s not like the biggest thing I’ve ever worked for in my life is basically in its final stage of release in the next room and I’m freaking out about it. What if they aren’t actually good? What if th-”

“I’m going to stop you right there. You sent me a pair 2 months ago, and I told you I would test them before saying anything, and I did just that. I took them to training. Ran on the pitch, walked, kicked the ball, passed, made risky moves. And what did I tell you after that?”

“‘These are the best fucking shoes ever.’ But what if they aren’t?”

“Listen Y/n, how many other athletes, not just me or footballers, did you send a pair to for testing?”

“Like 43. Basically every one that came to the panel plus some more.”

“How many told you they were good?”

“43.”

“Exactly. So we’re going to go out there together, you’re gonna tell the photographer what you want to see, every opinion, every change, anything, and we’re going to finalise your fucking dream.” Kyra picks me up without me even agreeing, and basically carries me out to the set up.

Ali Kreiger, despite her recent retirement, was currently being photographed. She’d been the one to reach out to me when she heard from, someone, and wanted to be an ambassador. I probably screamed so loud my neighbours thought I was getting murdered that day.

“They’re going to want a couple photos of you too probably. Either with the shoes or with one or all of us. Okay?” Kyra rubs a hand up and down my back as I take it all in.

I nod vigorously and try to shake my hands to get rid of the remaining nerves, eventually taking a seat next to the photographer, Eve. She asks for my input on every shot and manages to carry out my vision without fail every single time. As players filter in and out, I begin to truly relax and allow myself to take in the moment.

Zimmorlei Farquharson and Poppy Boltz, two AFLW players for the Brisbane Lions, were being photographed together when Kyra slid into the spare chair next to me. She didn’t say anything but when I looked over, I had to quickly look away again. Her outfit wasn’t something out of the ordinary, a loose cropped top and bike shorts, plus the sage green boots she was promoting. But the strip of skin that was exposed between her shirt and shorts was enticing and it was hard not to stare at the way her muscles contracted every time she moved in the seat.

I’m certain she caught me staring.

As she stands to take over the Australian Football players, Kyra leans over and whispers in my ear. It takes me a moment to process her words and by then she’s already under the lights.

“Good thing we’re taking some pictures. They’ll last longer.” To say I was stumped was a rather big understatement. Was she flirting with me?

I don’t get to think about it too much, Kyra looking my way every time she changed position or began to play around with the ball provided.

Not long after, I’m asked to join all the girls in front of the camera for a few shots. I knew it was coming but my heart still dropped into my stomach, and I choked on my breath. As expected, it’s Kyra who grabs my hand and instructs me to breathe slowly. Her thumb runs over the back of my hand and the motion begins to sooth me.

I take a place in front of the camera and the group of athletes. I’m not quite sure how to stand, but Kyra takes the space behind me, resting an arm over my shoulder and the other around my waist. It forces me to lean back naturally and as the girls around us take a stance, Eve continues to shoot.

“You and Kyra have a lot of chemistry by the looks of it, and she’s who you’re most comfortable with. Use that. Make it natural. The girls around you will adapt.” I expect the comment from Eve, but it’s Ali who puts a hand on my shoulder and reassures me.

With that instruction, and a nod from Eve, Kyra jumps on my back. It’s a pose that helps with showing off the boot and making me laugh. She then jumps off and takes my hands, turning me to face her as she dips. I rush to catch her as she falls, our faces a hair width apart.

Before I can think, I close the gap. My lips press hard against her’s as the camera shutter repeatedly goes off, but I don’t think anything of it. Until I pull away.

I almost drop her once my thoughts catch up to me.

“I am so sorry. What the fuck did I just do?” the rest of the girls had already walked away, so it was just us.

“Nothing you should regret or feel bad for.” Kyra stands right in front of me, our lips basically touching again.

“And maybe you should do it again.” I pause for a moment before leaning back down, kissing her again.

~~~~~

It takes three more weeks for the official brand release. After years of designing, making, spending every cent I had on these boots, Bia was officially the first woman specific sports boot.

Kyra’s first Arsenal game wearing them was the day of the release. She ended up talking about them in post-match interview after being asked “how were you excelling so well in the midfield today?” Not only was Bia’s sale numbers skyrocketing and the media account blowing up, so was my own.

I’d of course attended the match, excited to see them as an officially released boot. Someone had spotted me in the crowd and tweeted about it, talking about ‘the creator of that new boot brand is watching Kyra rep them for the first time live’. Someone else had caught me hugging Kyra on the pitch after the game and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

The rumours could only be expected. They also couldn’t be denied. Not without lying.

“I’m so proud of you.” The smooth Australian accent almost lulls me to sleep as we rest in Kyra’s bed, the sheets hiding our bare skin.

Her fingers trace shapes on my hip as she holds me, and I kiss along her collar bones and neck.

“And also very, very grateful for your genius brain creating those boots. Not only for helping my game play, but for bringing you to me.”

“I’m also grateful for my genius brain bringing us together.” I tease before softly kissing her.

It’d been impossible to escape her charm after our kiss at the photoshoot, so naturally we went on a date. And another, before she asked me to be her girlfriend. Eve sent me those photos just in case we wanted them in the brand release post. They currently sat in my hard drive, but it was very tempting to post a couple.

Kyra wanted a moment of privacy before the world knew, but I knew it didn’t matter whether it was out or a secret, as long as I had her.

-

A new power couple is on the rise in the world of Women’s Football. Creator of new women’s sports boots brand Bia, Y/n L/n, spotted with girlfriend, Arsenal and Matildas midfielder Kyra Cooney-Cross at a café in North London this morning before the London Derby. The couple confirmed their relationship mere days ago with photos of the lovebirds kissing from L/n’s brand shoot.

I laugh at the article as Kyra pulls into the Emirates parking, hand in mine. I’d become rather acquainted with her teammates and they begged me to come to the London Derby on the weekend. I couldn’t refuse when my girlfriend pulled out the puppy dog eyes and promised to ban me from any sort of affection, specifically kisses, for the week.

“You better win. I have a bet going with Niamh that you’ll beat her and I cannot lose a bet against her again.” Kyra chuckles and leaves with a kiss, sending me into the friends and family section of the stands.

It was nerve wracking going alone, but it was for Kyra and that was all I cared about. Supporting her like she supported me.

-

Kyra doesn’t start, which had been expected. Despite it, the girls were playing well and were up 3-1 at half-time. No yellow cards for either team had most people shocked though. The derby was known to be rough and physical, yet it seemed things were rather calm for the situation at hand.

There’s a substitute at half-time that puts Kyra back on the pitch. I blow a kiss when she looks my way as she jogs out and she pretends to catch it and place it on her cheek. Both of us are unaware of the interaction being caught on the big screen while people wait for the countdown.

It’s when extra time is announced that everyone in the stadium knows Arsenal have won the game. The Chelsea players look tired and defeated and the Arsenal girls don’t look much different, apart from the massive smiles that grace each one of their faces. The final whistle blows, and the crowd erupts in deafening cheers for the gunners, and I can’t help joining in.

After congratulating the blues on their performance and huddling with her own teammates, Kyra comes running for me. The guard on the other side of the barrier grows wary when I stand, clearly about to jump it, but Kyra gives him the okay and grabs me by the waist, helping me join her on the pitch.

“I’m so fucking proud of you.” I whisper as she stands on her tippy toes.

Her arms wrap tightly around my neck and mine go around her waist as she pulls me in for a kiss. It’s deep and passionate and the crowd around us cheers, some of the girls joining in.

“We’re both kinda killing it aren’t we?” I let out a laugh as she hops on my back, pointing me in the direction of her Matilda’s teammates, even Sam, who are grouped in the middle of the field.

She sprinkles kisses around my face as they talk between each other and I’ve never felt more content.

Fuck cricket, football is the sport for me.

[kit-williams]

I wanna know how some of the yans would react to a baseline person making moves on their darlings.

Hahahaha

(I'm sorry this took so long)

Tags:

@bispecsual @egrets-not-regrets @moodymisty @bleedingichorhearts @liar-anubiass-blog

@thevoidscreams @barn-anon @gallifreyianrosearkytiorsusan @squishyowl @ms--lobotomy

You're funny. I COULD just say that they'd be a body that would never get found but how would they end up dead? Also very few of these imply that the darling is against such moves being made on them.

Azazel The baseline better pray to the God Emperor for mercy for Azazel has none. Lilith is his beautiful star of the morning and while he is aware the effects she can have on others... he is aware just how unintentionally friendly she can be... she also knows her limit. Pray dear mortal pray for your mercy... for Azazel has none.

Palion Seething intense jealousy and anger as how dare you. Oh yes he would be thrilled someone else would see how beautiful his Muse is but if he saw how uncomfortable she was it would turn into fury real quick. Depending on his mood he might kill them right in front of his Muse or he might steal her away and have the baseline locked away to personally hear their screams.

Harram Harram is confident in himself because he's actively providing for his Orichalcum. He can deal with a persistent male too as he is certain his fortifications around her heart can withstand a weaker male making his attempts. However the first sign of any wavering and the male is gone, however, Harram wouldn't blame Ori but himself not doing enough for her to keep those defenses strong.

Nogai Nogai doesn't need to do anything for his Хонгор just has to do is tell him that she is tired of this baseline bothering her... and they'll be removed from her presence. And Nogai will be there the one coaxing her to utilize his skills... come now... I can rid of him for you.

Arkyn Arkyn would be chummy with the man who was making moves on his darling. Just before he would grab them and threaten them. Arkyn wouldn't want to get his hands dirty right away but if the dog doesn't understand what he is saying the wolf will put him down.

Astel Astel will get them alone... he knows where the cameras are... he'll start a conversation with them using some bullshit about how he can smell something off with them. The scalpel is buried into their neck as they gurgle softly before he snaps something on them and just stuffing the body in some corner. To rot and be forgotten about by all... especially his little Maus.

Ghosk He really doesn't care if another baseline is making moves surprisingly. Usually Rabbit just has to show her tattoo he got her and most sane men back off... only the really persistent ones he'll dispose of at her request. Its other Astartes he saves his energy for but don't you dare try and make moves on Rabbit while he's in the room and she still showed his mark of ownership on her to them... he's got a very fickle temper.

Sirus Jealousy is an UGLY thing on a Blood Angel. He would watch and not make any moves if his Moonlight just calmly and quietly rejects the advances... Sirus will easily have a snack of the baseline man's blood should his Moonlight be receptive... after Sirus sees what he does that charms his beautiful Moonlight and then happily applies them himself to woo her even more easily.

Marlos Vauth He's curious at how someone else could get so close to his Byte. Its perhaps something like this that sets him off to just keep her all to himself once and for all. Death is slow and drawn out... perhaps he turns off their lungs in intervals only turning them back on to keep them alive. To be at the Mercy of Marlos... is to look into the merciless eyes of death.

Zul Depends on which Zul... freshly returned to his senses... he would think you're trying to steal his "golden goose" so to speak and well a bloody death awaits. When Zul has become a warlord of his own? No one with a brain keeps flirting with her after she reveals who she is... if they do he makes an example of them... he's very protective of what is his.

Tulio Oh no this wouldn't do at all. That baseline would not be the first one he has killed with his bare hands. They would be another body that this son of Guilliman would have to hide... he knows how to make it look like some wild beast ripped a man apart. His whole body would tense and twitch as he would keep a stern and expressionless face as his mind switched to how he is when fighting Tyranids... cunning beasts that best be put down quickly. Just another body to be cut down.

Solos Death can't come fast enough. They better play off the fact that they were making moves on his Lovie as being an ignorant cunt and beg for his forgiveness. Oh and pray that the baseline tries to even imply that it was Lovie who started the flirting. That's death right then and there at even implying that Lovie would be unfaithful to him. (Even if she's yelling at him that they are through)

Nakht Doesn't have to worry much about Birdie as she is a capable sorceress who can handle herself. But if they somehow play the whole being macho card, that he's been playing, oh no no no... Nakht would see your utter ruin. He might be one of the few who wouldn't outright kill any competition but he would certainly ruin them.

Zhur Would be surprised you are going after Dolli. Now he knows she can handle herself but if they somehow didn't get it through their head that she wasn't interested or by the four she actually is interested... you're a bloody smear. And depending on when this Dolli is... she might be cooing to Zhur about how she... appreciates him doing such things for her.

Jihias His neverborn is howling in his ear before he even hears or sees what is going on. The way Lamb's eyes glitter and shine at the complements... the way Lamb just blushes at the kiss on the back of her hand. If its someone from the planet she is from he handles convincing them to suddenly be uninterested in Lamb with a delicate touch. Should they be someone who came to help convert the planet... they feel the draw of the ritual knife across their stomach as they are sacrificed in a display with a horrified Lamb watching as his neverborn is summoned at the death of another.

Nubin He's old and he's patient but he also knows that his darling likes to be flirty... likes to push against the chain he has on her... push the limit of what she can get away with. He won't kill the baseline but his darling is going to be reminded that he's more than enough man for her... and how much he loves her... and how much she is part of his hoard.

Raven Guard Trio Death comes in various shades but it's most likely Sor who deals the killing blow that or Kazi. Jealousy will burn bright for the young ravenguard. Moremo will keep the boys calm until he hears a jab thrown his way... he sees his age as a boon not a hinderance in pleasing their Dove... and Sor... well he's just a malevolent specter just waiting to end the interloper's life.

Omegon He doesn't even have to do anything... his little Vixen gets jumpy when people try to get close so this baseline making advances again and again... he trusts she can push them off. However, the Primarch isn't immune to being ugly jealous as he knows he is larger, more powerful, and naturally scary that perhaps his little Vixen flirts a little... perhaps meaning a bit too much into those flirts. Omegon knows that she is still coming into her title and position as his Vixen... with the man just disappearing into the night and a cozy little dinner with his darling... he can inform her what it means to be his.

Roland Death. Is what he would want to jump to. He will restrain his anger towards the baseline as there are thousands of different ways of showcasing that you are in a monogamous relationship within the Imperium. But oh boy will Roland be cuddly and touchy with his darling after it. But if somehow the fact that she was in an exclusive relationship with him as well as him being the sire of their children was not deterring them... then death.

Bonus

Tyberos Hahahahahahahaha no one within the fleet makes moves onto the Void Mother, minus of course the Void Father, but the instant someone does start making a move... it doesn't even have to be Tyberos to stop it... it would be one of the several guards that would be around her. The Chapter Master is far too busy to deal with petty attempts at slighting him... now the brothers that guard the Void Mother... they are less forgiving especially should those moves make the Void Mother uncomfortable.

Yrac H3X doesn't understand flirting very well. So it might be some time before she realizes another Heretek is making moves on her. It stops rather quickly when she goes to Yrac and simply repeats what was told to her with the additional cock of her head, "But I thought that is what we did together in private... I don't really want another relationship." She says not fully understanding the double entandres that are laced into the binary only understanding that what the other was asking for was an activity she and Yrac did together exclusively. Yrac coos and calms his darling H3X down telling her he would take care of it. "But you have your murder face on." She would say bluntly as he would pull off his mask and kiss her before taking his Omnissian Axe with him to take care of it.

[natalyarose]

𝓚𝓮𝓽𝓾 𝓘𝓷𝓯𝓵𝓾𝓮𝓷𝓬𝓮 & 𝓒𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓻𝔂 𝓜𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬 ? 🌾🤍// 𝓋𝑒𝒹𝒾𝒸 𝒶𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁𝑜𝑔𝓎 𝑜𝒷𝓈𝑒𝓇𝓋𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃

Hi! 🔮 My recent post on Taylor Swift prompted me to take a look at the charts of prominent women in the country music genre. I did some research, and found a strong pattern of Ketu influence, which makes sense if you understand the energy of Ketu & the nature of country music/values.

Country music places a lot of value in authenticity, and being true to your roots/where you grew up hence why we don't tend to see a lot of country artists who didn't actually grow up in or at least spend time in regions associated with the country genre. Country music is also often very patriotic, & Ketu speaks of being in touch with your roots (especially Mula) & your ancestors (Magha).. oh and horses, lots of horses (Ashwini).

I just snoopy snooped and looked into some of major female names in country, and there was definitely a pattern that stood out. I'd doubt eeevery single artist who ventures to create country music will have Ketu influence (for example, another pattern I've definitely seen is Krittika, Rohini & Mrigasira influence AKA 'Garden of Eden' Nakshatras, which makes sense with country music's connection to nature, farming, agriculture, etc), but the prominence of Ketu is interesting. Usually Ketu or a Ketuvian Nakshatra on the Sun/Moon/Ascendant, or Ketu itself in a Ketu ruled Nakshatra (since artists tend to heavily pull from the energy of their Ketu).

I'm not really an avid country listener myself but I just thought I'd share the rabbit hole I went down lol, could be interesting to somebody.

*note that I am using Mid-Mula Galactic Center Ayanamsa, see my post on ayanamsa here ♡

♡

LeeAnn Rimes - Mula Moon & Magha Sun // Loretta Lynn - Ashwini Sun & Ketu in the 1st // Miranda Lambert - Magha Ascendant

♡

Dolly Parton - Magha Moon (& possibly asc) + Ketu in Mula // Taylor Swift - Mula Sun // Carrie Underwood - Ketu in Mula with Ashwini MC (I'll note that the MC is not traditionally used in Vedic, but I definitely see patterns showing its importance).

♡

Carly Pearce - Ashwini Sun & possibly Ashwini Moon (no birth time) // Lana Del Rey announced she will be putting out a country album and has been slowly incorporating country elements into her style lately (although it's not her typical genre) & she has Ketu conjunct Ascendant + Magha MC //

This transition to the country genre partially relates to Lana's friendship & involvement with country artist, Nikki Lane- we don't have her ascendant but I'd say it's very likely to be in a Ketuvian Nakshatra based on her appearance too- she looks a little like Eva Green to me (Magha Asc + Rahu), but that's just an idea for now

♡

Trisha Yearwood - Ketu in Mula // Faith Hill - Magha Venus + Jupiter & Ashwini Moon + Rahu // Shania Twain - Ketu in the 1st

I did check Beyonce's chart out of curiosity since she also recently put out a country album, but interestingly I can't seem to find any Ketu influence. I think that does make sense though if you consider that the album isn't necessarily a true blue country album, it stays true to Beyonce's image as more of a popstar/R&B sort of artist, but incorporates country elements. I think that was her intention too:

On March 19th, Beyoncé herself said in a detailed statement, “This ain't a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album,” and said the album was an effort to, “bend and blend genres together.”

Again though, I'm certain that not every single country artist has Ketu influence anyway lol- in astrological observations like this we're just analysing and interpreting patterns and energy rather than dictating facts. I don't think there's a cosmic law that 'every country artist must have Ketu influence' but yes, there is a natural energetic pull & pattern at play.

Ketu also holds prominence among rock/heavier artists (see Alannah Myles; Mula Sun + Saturn & Joan Jett; Ketu in Ashwini) buut that's for another day lol. I think in general, Ketu influenced artists are going to be drawn to adding an element of 'grit' to their sound, whether that be pulling from a more country/blues esque root, or a rock/metal/punky one.

I hope this was interesting to someone, and I'd love to do more observational posts like this as the astrological patterns come to my attention ♡ 🩷

[lineli225]

Shigaraki Tomura, Izuku Midoriya, and their past selves in Horikoshi's other works, an Analysis.

How their archetypes can be traced back all the way to Hori's oldest works!

Today I finally felt with the energy to write this analysis I've been cooking in my head for some months!

I'll be pulling apart the core elements of each of Hori's past work's protagonist duo and how they are essential to everything Hero Academia has became

It will be long.

First things first, let's start with Horikoshi's first work ever!

1. Tenko One Shot.

This tale tells us the story of two main characters, Hana and obviously, Tenko!

Hana is a woman aspiring to be a samurai, she is hopeful and stubborn, but is shunned down by most and ridiculed by other samurais for being, well, a woman wanting to be something only men can be.

But just like Izuku, she is VERY stubborn, and won't give up her dreams at all.

( You can read the full thing here btw! https://imgur.com/a/v7oBkfx )

Our second protagonist, and main tittle of the story, is a little boy called Tenko, who she meets when he literally attacked her lol

Like Tomura, he has the power to decay anything he touches, and is in seek of revenge, his goal is to destroy all swords after his mother was cruelly killed by a samurai.

Despite all the hatred the feels, he is still a kid, suffering and crying in seek of relief for his grief.

He is known as a vandal, and is being wanted dead or alive by the authorities for interfering in battles.

Hana, gentle and caring, notices the pain in Tenko and takes him with her, to take care of him, after all, he is just a child.

But after being found by an official, believes she has the chance to be recognized as a samurai if she give Tenko to the authorities, and well- it obviously goes terribly wrong- as she is attacked by them instead.

Suddenly realizing how cruel they truly are, she takes her own sword and fight them to defend Tenko, making Tenko also realize, swords can be used to protect and save.

In the end, they end up to saving each other, Hana saving Tenko's heart, making him realize his hatred will never lead anywhere, and lift the weight of his chest by winning a friend, and Tenko making Hana realize war is more than what she thought.

Tenko obviously, is literally Tomura's first prototype, the decay power, the white hair, the hatred, guilt and grieve are all there.

But what if I told you Hana is also, pretty similar to Izuku? Both have a dream that is deemed impossible to reach, due to something they lack, and are a joke to most people, but despite it all they never give up, and manage to reach their goals. They are also strong but gentle and caring ( ngl Izuku might even be more soft than Hana ajhdka)

2. Oumagadoki Zoo

This one, guess what, also have a female protagonist, yes also called Hana.

Aoi Hana is a bubbly, awkward and stubborn girl with her head in the clouds, but teased by everyone, known as "good for nothing" and useless.

She then decides to get a job during summer break, to prove she is more than capable of helping.

As an animal lover, she gets a job at the local Zoo as a cleaner, but she discover that the Zoon principal is a literal bunny person.

Shiina, the other protagonist of the story, is a man-child dude, he was cursed as a kid for being mean to a bunny, turned into a rabbit until he learned to be kind and help animals. Much like Tomura, he is short tempered, a gremlin, a little bitch!

He created the zoo to try to break the curse, and now counts with Hana's help to do so. The zoo, by the way, is also full of cursed half human half animal people!

The manga was canceled, so Hori had to rush the end, it has only 5 volumes, but I believe it would end with Hana finally breaking Shiina's curse.

Well, the similarities to Tomura? Once again through the roof, he is literally Tomura without depression (and scars and wrinkles)! He is a brat, selfish, intelligent and powerful, but incredibly dumb, he even refers to the other zoo people as "comrades" the exact same word Tomura refers the League of Villains as! They even sit down the same, careless way! Bad posture kings 🦐

Now, I think you noticed that Hana's story is also familiar? Yes! IZUKU

Both are deemed useless, are clumsy and awkward, and have pretty much low self esteem, but are kind, gentle and loving, and have an altruistic heart!

Just like in Tenko, Hana is key to saving Shiina's heart, and both learn a lot with each other, as Shiina sees the worth in Hana, and Hana sees the kindness in Shiina, evolving each other to the better.

3. Shinka Rhapsody One shot

This one is pretty much lost media, very few people know about it, but i found a thread about it

(thread here https://twitter.com/HeroFletch/status/1273054822162456578 )

It is literally MHA but the quirks work in a different way

This time the first protag is the man and the girl is the second, but it doesn't matter lol

The story happens in a world similar to the one of the raise of quirks in MHA, criminal rate is all time up.

The protagonist Magari/Masashi(idk) is, again, a guy with strong personality, seeking for revenge and power, as his family was murdered by a serial killer

He got a power similar to Kirishima's, but oh boy his face and personality is just Tomura all over again, Hori's favorite OC

And guess what??? Ohh he also has a female companion helping him???? YES HE DOES!

Her name is Aoi, yes, like Aoi Hana from the zoo one, yes guess what, yes, bubbly awkward, yes.

She is an aspiring detective and has the habit of asking people if they like Katsudon, her favorite food.

Wait... Katsudon? As favorite food... Where I saw this before-

4. Boku no Hero One shot.

here if u wanna read https://yesmangas1.com/manga/boku-no-hero-ym23733/one-shot#1

This one is a break to the pattern, no Shigaraki look alike, no Aoi Hana, but, someone who is pretty similar to her in personality:

Jack Midoriya

Jack Midoriya is a quirkless man in a super society, his job is to sell support items, but he is too awkward, clumsy and stubborn, causing more problems than helping, he has an impossible dream of becoming a hero, so he tries to become the first quirkless hero! (it goes wrong)

There is a girl in this story too, i guess she is this Izuku's Uraraka, they are both literally the same in personality, so i guess hori Split Hana in two for this one.

5. Barrage or Sensei no Bulge

(the second tittle is so funny lmao)

This time hori completly threw everything out and said: fuck the pattern, fuck Hana, fuck Tenko wanabe!

It has literally nothing to do with anything he did previously. Astro, can be similar to Izuku, but hmmm not fit the mold, so i'll just skip lmao, it also was canceled, ending in 2 volumes anyways.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION

So far, we can conclude a very recurrent pattern in every work Horikoshi publicized (except barrage lolz)

Protagonist 1:

Is a gentle, caring, stubborn, clumsy and awkward person, they have a heart of a hero, but are often seen as weak, useless, and stupid for dreaming too high. They can be strong when they want to, but feminine and loving too, they are altruistic, loyal, and focused. Their role in the story is to find their own self worth, as well as help the 2nd protagonist break free from a torment.

Protag 2:

A selfish, childish, mean and also stubborn boy, who's heart is filled with hatred, hurt and grief, they are cursed somehow, and besides having a rough exterior, deep inside they are still just a child who seeks relief. Their role in the story, is to after Protag 1 advances, open up and allow themselves to be saved in heart and mind.

Of course, due to the past series length of few pages to only a few volumes, they open up to each other and befriend rather quickly, but MHA is well- 40 volumes long by now, ofc course P.2 will give much more trouble to open up, it's not that easy to cure someone's bitterness and guilt!

Which leads to Horikoshi's last work, My Hero Academia.

The story of protagonist 1 incarnated as a mix of every character Hori wrote before as Izuku Midoriya, a quirkless boy who feels useless, but has a big dream, a kind heart and the desire to save.

And also the story of MHA's society's biggest victim, a childish man who has been hurt in every possible way, by every person he dared to trust, be it his own family or his "sensei", Tomura Shigaraki is nothing but a child at heart, crying onto his puppy, waiting for the one who will save him.

This is undeniable, I was already sure with everything I've read in MHA that Tomura is getting saved, Izuku yelled it himself, and the narrative is walking towards that.

But after analyzing Hori's part works, and see how wholesome and hopeful his stories are, how he desires to transmit the message that everyone deserves a second chance, i have no doubt.

Tomura is DESTINED to be not only saved, redeemed or live, but to have a happy ending and finally have a friend to trust.

As every story so far ended with the kind one befriending and becoming a pillar to the hurt one.

Izuku and Tomura are more than the heart of My hero Academia, but also the heart of everything Horikoshi wants to tell to the world.

They are fated to end the same way every time, in every universe.

BESTIES ARC IS COMING.

[pant--eater]

I've seen plenty of autistic Wallace headcanons (DESERVED because that man is Autism Incarnate. He also gives me low empathy energy, which makes me happy because it's so rare to see low empathy heroic characters in media 💖)

and I've yapped a lot about autistic Mr. Tweedy before, so now imma throw to the table the girl with croissant hair

🥕🥕Autistic Lady Tottington 🥕🥕

hyperfixates on vegetables. Girl dresses up as a carrot for the fair and has a whole ass fancy royal greenhouse dedicated for veggies. Queen shit 🎉 Hell, all of her outfits are somehow nature inspired and I hc she sews many of them herself! :> Ask her about growing them, fertilizing and reaping, and she will NOT shut up. (also yes my Willace hc still stands that after some first inital difficulties, she and Mr. Tweedy become besties who infodump to each other about veggies and apples respectively <3)

Just like Wallace with cheese, her safefood and continual samefood is vegetables. She was that rare child who always ate her greens LMAO and preferred them to candy

Animals and caring for them is absolutely another hyperfixation point!! Her mansion after the movie's events becomes a bunny haven and she grows rabbits, both as pets for herself, and to give them away to people that she trusts would be caring owners

(more under cut)

She also has a soft spot for other creatures too that are seen as pests or otherwise disgusting, and will always be open to adopting them instead of letting them get killed. Such as rats, cockroaches, ants, possums, raccoons, you name it.

(in fact Nick and Fetcher have more than often crashed in her place LMAO, pretty much using the mansion as a midway resting location, during their big trips to the mainland from Chicken Island. And I imagine they would at some point tell Ginger about Totty, which makes Ginger and the chickens wonder that maybe not all humans are evil to animals!)

Totty has a very strong extreme moral drive, and stirring away from it upsets her to the point of tears. (protecting innocent animals and getting rid of pests in humane ways, no matter how dangerous the situation gets. It does get irrational sometimes but she just can't bring herself to see any sort of critters in pain 💔💔💔💔THIS LADY HAS A BIG HEART OKAY???) She tries her best to make Lord Victor bend to that and be kinder to animals, even if that asshat is a lost cause.

The videogame adaptation also mentions she is a vegan, so she def gets massive discomfort from eating anything animal related

Her kind and forgiving, sentimental nature sometimes makes her stress herself out and put her energy to people who don't deserve it. It's clear that she is not happy with Victor, but she stays and tries to make it all work with him, because she wants to believe she can change him and bring out a kind man in him. (Girl please, your "I can fix him" game is off the charts) And she only dumps him for good once he crosses a line and tries to kill Wallace. Heck, maybe she does not have many genuine friends, also due to her noblewoman status being intimidating to many :( And that's also why she stayed with Victor, and it wasn't until meeting Wallace and Gromit that she was able to get out of the toxic relationship.

Victor clearly sees her as naive and annoying for her autistic quirks and personality during the movie, and is only after her because of her status, money and looks. Reducing her to a trophy. If that ain't a relatable autistic experience I don't know what is

In my hc universe she does not get romantically involved with Wallace. I know Aardman likes to shiptease them as canon and I don't have a problem with it, it's cute! I just personally prefer them as platonic friends, especially since the Were-Rabbit movie subverted the "love triangle" and "nice guy gets the girl" tropes where the whole punchline was that Totty in fact did NOT marry Wallace after him pining for her the whole movie, and it was so refreshing to see. Especially since Wallace was not upset at all about being rejected!! We stan a king 🫶🫶🫶

The whole scene of Totty going "I have caught feelings for you" was, in my hcs, Totty being comphet :''') 💔💔💔She has grown fond of Wallace because he is the first man in a long time who does not treat her like a pretty prize like Victor. And poor Totty, being the affection starved girlie that she is, who also has grown in a heteronormative British noble society, thinks that it means automatically romantic feelings. PLUS she is very touchy and affectionate when it comes to interacting with people she likes, so it's easy for people to mistake it for romantic interest

Either way she and Wallace are very good friends with autism 2 autism solidarity, and THIS SCENE LEGIT MAKES ME SO HAPPY, Totty showing her appreciation by copying Wallace's stim <3

[maboroshi-no]

Hamefura LN14 Chapter 3 Part 3 Summary

I am currently reading Hamefura LN14 and will post summaries as I read.

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1: The Encounter at the Party: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Chapter 2: What Dark Magic Is: Part 1 Part2 Chapter 3: The Domain Where Cyrus Was Born and Raised: Part 1 Part 2

Chapter 3: The Domain Where Cyrus Was Born and Raised (Part 3)

Maria Detect Dark Magic

Maria suddenly calls Katarina and seizes her arm. Katarina quickly turns towards Maria. Her face is very pale. Katarina asks in a low voice if she has sensed dark magic. Maria silently nods. Sora instantly moves in front of them to protect them. He scans the surroundings.

Katarina tells Cyrus that Maria has sensed dark magic. Cyrus asks Maria what kind of presence she is sensing. Maria replies the presence starts from where they are and continues far ahead. 

Cyrus asks the local Ministry employees to return to the fields because it could be dangerous. Tylor asks for at least him to accompany them since they are not familiar with the area. Cyrus tells him they will be fine since he is familiar with this forest. After all, he has played there a lot before. He assures Tylor they will be back by evening. Tylor reluctantly accepts to go back. He warns Cyrus that he will go search for him if he is not back by evening.

Tracking the Dark Magic Presence

After the Ministry employees have left, everyone follows the dark magic presence thanks to Maria. Katarina wonders why only Maria can sense it, not Sora or her. Is it because she has light magic or because she is powerful?

Everyone advances deep inside the forest while following the dark magic presence. They go beyond the maintained area. The inside of the forest is dim, and there are no signs of animals ever since they entered the forest. There are no birds chirping or anything, just the wind blowing.

The Mountain of Animals Corpses

Katarina sees some kind of hill a little ahead. She wonders what it is. When they move closer, everyone has their breath taken away: the hill is a mountain of animals lying on top of each other. The animals' eyes are open and look empty: they are not just unconscious but dead. There are various animals: tanukis, foxes, rabbits, etc. There are also large animals. The animals have no external wounds and are not bleeding. 

Katarina shudders over this ominous sight.

Maria tells everyone she senses strong dark magic coming from the corpses. Laura concludes the animals were killed with dark magic since there are no external wounds. Sora and Raphael approach the corpses, look at them, and confirm they can't see any external wounds. Katarina feels like she should better take a look too, but her legs refuse to move. Raphael wonders if dark magic can murder animals. Laura thinks there was a case of someone killing a person by stealing their energy. She asks Cyrus what he is thinking.

Cyrus looks sickly pale. Katarina asks him if he is alright. Cyrus snaps back and tells her he is fine. He was just shaken. Cyrus tries to take a step back but hits a little rock and almost falls.

Looking at Cyrus, Katarina remembers that he told her he had been scared of interacting with animals ever since he saw his dog dying in front of his eyes. Cyrus is uncomfortable with animals - corpses in this case - but she thought he could manage in work mode like when interacting with young women. But it doesn't seem to be the case.

Laura asks Cyrus if he really is alright. She can carry him on her back if he isn't well. Cyrus assures her he is fine.

Cyrus starts joining the others in assessing the situation but his face still looks pale. He agrees that there is a high chance this was caused by dark magic. He asks Maria if she can sense anything besides the strong dark magic presence. Cyrus seems to have at least recovered the tone of his voice and attitude.

Maria replies she can. She didn't notice it right away because she was shaken, but the dark magic presence continues ahead. If they follow it, they might be able to find the source. She asks Cyrus if she can go after it.

Katarina notices that Maria's face looks more severe than usual. She is really furious. She is making the same face as when Katarina was falsely accused. The gentle Maria is probably furious because all these animals were killed.

Cyrus replies that he would very much like to pursue the culprit but the sun will go down soon. It would be dangerous to go deeper inside the forest.

Maria impatiently retorts that the dark magic presence might disappear tomorrow.

Cyrus replies that everyone's safety is the top priority. He won't put everyone in danger.

Maria is taken aback. She looks at everyone and bites her lips. It seems like she really wants to pursue the culprit but she doesn't want to put everyone in danger. She is probably feeling frustrated. She hangs her head down and reluctantly accepts Cyrus's order. 

Exiting the Forest

Everyone starts leaving the forest. The sun is setting, so they quicken their pace. The forest feels even more ominous to Katarina after seeing the corpses, so she wants to get out as soon as possible. Cyrus leads them out of the forest and they safely exit it before the sun has completely set.

Tylor is at the fence. He has been waiting for them and is relieved to see them back. He seems to have been worried for them since they said there was danger ahead.

Katarina wonders if Cyrus is still pale, but she can't see well because it is too dim.

Reporting the Situation

Everyone hurriedly heads back to the branch office. They go to the same meeting room as earlier in the day. The room is brightly illuminated by magic lights, so Katarina can tell that Cyrus is still pale. His fear of animals must be more serious than his discomfort with young women if he still hasn't recovered. Tylor seems to have also noticed Cyrus's pale face. He asks him if he is alright but Cyrus flatly replies that he is fine.

Cyrus explains to Tylor that they found a mountain of animals corpses deep inside the forest. They were all kinds of animals, from small ones to big ones, and they were just lying dead with their eyes open without any external wounds. Tylor is confused. Cyrus explains he can't say more since the matter is confidential and apologizes. Tylor understands since he also has to deal with confidential matters while working at the Ministry.

Tylor asks Cyrus if the case is very dangerous. Cyrus replies it is, but they have come prepared. He adds that he won't put anyone in danger. Tylor understands but asks Cyrus to promise he will return safely no matter what. Cyrus promises. 

Now that the report is over, everyone returns to Cyrus's house. It is dim inside the carriage so Katarina can't tell if Cyrus is still pale.

Back Home

Once they arrive at the manor, they are warmly welcomed by Cyrus's family.

They are notified that dinner is on the way. Katarina doesn't have much appetite after what she saw in the forest and is worried she might not be able to eat anything. However, after seeing the food, all her worries go away and she can enjoy the food normally.

Katarina looks at Cyrus. His complexion has returned to normal but he doesn't seem to have much appetite. It seems like he still hasn't recovered. His discomfort with animals seems serious. Katarina doesn't recall Cyrus having such a severe reaction when Pochi came out. She recalls Cyrus telling her his dog died before his eyes and then realizes Cyrus probably has a worse reaction to dead animals than to live animals. After all, his dog died before his eyes, so he probably saw its corpse. But even if she has realized this, Katarina can't do anything for Cyrus.

Haru and Cyrus's family worriedly ask Cyrus if he is okay. Cyrus tells them he is just tired.

After dinner, everyone returns to their room.

Katarina Witnesses Haru and Cyrus Talking

Katarina wants to ponder Cyrus's issue but she feels the need to go to the bathroom.

On the way to the bathroom, she sees Cyrus and Haru near the terrace's entrance. Haru has probably come to see Cyrus because she is worried. They have serious expressions on their faces so Katarina wonders if she should leave.

Haru tells Cyrus she has heard from the others that they saw a mountain of animals corpses in the forest. She asks him if he doesn't look well because it reminds him of what happened to "him".

Cyrus confirms but adds that it is something he must deal with by himself and asks her to leave him alone. Cyrus goes alone to the terrace. Haru looks sad because of Cyrus's flat rejection.

Katarina tries to go to the bathroom pretending not to have seen anything but Haru sees her. Katarina can't run away.

Katarina Talks With Haru About the Circumstances of Cyrus's Dog's Death

Haru asks Katarina if she heard them. Katarina apologizes and tells her she did. Haru replies she is not to blame. It is her fault for talking here.

Katarina asks Haru if by "him" she meant Cyrus's dog. Haru is surprised Katarina knows about him. Katarina tells her she heard it from Cyrus at the fields Ministry. He told her his dog died before his eyes in an accident.

Haru ponders, then finally tells her that Cyrus's dog was named Leo. It was a big dog and Cyrus let her play with him many times. She heard that the dog died in an accident when Cyrus went to the royal capital.

Katarina didn't know Cyrus's dog died in the royal capital. She wonders if he was run over by a carriage. Haru replies that despite what Cyrus says, it wasn't an accident. While playing hide-and-seek, she accidentally overheard Cyrus's father say that Leo was killed by someone.

Katarina's eyes grow wide. She asks Haru who killed the dog. Haru replies that she doesn't know. At that time, Cyrus's father sounded scared, as if he couldn't voice the person's name. But after growing up, Haru figured that if a border count's son had his dog murdered and couldn't make it public, there was probably someone with a very high status involved.

Katarina agrees. A border count has a high status since he is a key person who protects the country. Despite it, this border count had his dog killed and had no choice but to keep quiet and pretend it was an accident.

Katarina remembers what Geordo said about the succession strife. Dark magic was revealed when corpses appeared in the royal palace. The royal palace was in turmoil when she was still not old enough to understand. Cyrus is several years older than her, so he may have walked to a place of turmoil without knowing it, and then his dog got killed. And then the royals probably said he couldn't complain even if he was a border count.

It is just speculation but if things really happened like that, Katarina really couldn't do anything for Cyrus. What could comfort him at a time like this would be…

Haru continues. Ever since this incident, Cyrus has started avoiding not only dogs but also animals. And then, after a little while, when they found a dead dog while playing together, Cyrus became sickly pale and fainted.

Katarina is shocked. At this level, this is not a discomfort but a trauma. She wonders what could have happened to him at the royal capital.

Haru is worried about Cyrus and was hoping he would rely on her since she knew his circumstances. She makes a very sad face. Katarina tells her Cyrus tends to not rely on anyone. Haru doesn't feel better.

Haru apologizes to Katarina for telling her such an unsettling story. She asks her to keep it a secret from everyone and lowers her head. Katarina agrees to keep it a secret.  Haru excuses herself and leaves.

Haru's figure looks very lonely to Katarina. It may be because Katarina has overheard Haru murmur "So it can't be me…" after Cyrus left for the terrace. Haru's words sounded just like Mary's in Fortune Lover 1, which she murmured because she couldn't support the one she loved. Haru's position and situation are similar to Mary's, so it feels painful to Katarina.

Katarina remembers she wanted to go to the bathroom. She decides she will speak to Cyrus if he is still around when she returns from the bathroom. She doesn't think she can do anything about his trauma but she shouldn't leave Cyrus alone when he is pale like this.

When Katarina returns from the bathroom, Cyrus is with Maria and his face seems to have relaxed. Katarina feels relieved, but at the same time, she feels sad for Haru.

Mental Meeting

Katarina discreetly returns to her room so Cyrus and Maria won't see her.

Since Maria is dealing with Cyrus's trauma, Katarina decides she will rather think about the case.

Katarina summons a mental meeting.

Based on the animals' behaviors, a Katarina thinks things will go the same way as the case from before. 

A Katarina asks if a dragon will also appear in that case.

A Katarina remembers they fought a dark familiar dragon at that time.

A Katarina remembers Pochi became huge and fought the dragon.

The Katarinas are glad that Pochi can become strong when needed.

Chairman Katarina redirects the conversation to the case at hand. They must think about measures in case there will be more dark familiars or a bigger dark familiar than in the case before. 

A Katarina asks why there would be more dark familiars or a bigger dark familiar.

A Katarina replies it is because they found a mountain of animals corpses. Given the number of animals killed, they may face an enemy of a higher level.

The Katarinas praise the Katarina's smartness.

Chairman Katarina redirects the conversation again. She asks the others what they should do if it happens.

A Katarina replies they will just have Pochi beat up the dark familiar. It is not like they can defeat it with their Earth Bump.

A Katarina wonders if Pochi will be strong enough this time. If Pochi loses, then…

A Katarina tells her she worries too much after hearing about Cyrus's dog. Besides, she doesn't want to think of what to do if Pochi gets killed.

A Katarina adds that Pochi is strong after all.

A Katarina says that Pochi is not invincible and can still lose. That's why they need to fight with him. Pochi is their precious family, so they need to protect him.

A Katarina agrees. Even if they can't use Earth Bump, they can still use dark magic.

A Katarina retorts that even if they can use dark magic, all they can do is absorb darkness.

A Katarina remarks that it could work. Since they could absorb the huge black snake from before, they may be able to absorb a dark familiar.

A Katarina agrees: they may be able to absorb a dark familiar. So if a dragon appears, they will just have to absorb it.

A Katarina adds that when they do, everything will be settled.

The council agrees on absorbing the dark familiar as a measure.

Katarina is intent on fighting with Pochi rather than leaving everything to him. She is determined to protect Pochi and everyone.

Katarina goes to sleep.

Cyrus's POV

Cyrus still hasn't recovered from what he saw in the forest. He feels irritated about it. He is making his coworkers, who don't know his circumstances, worry about him, and he is making his family, servants, and his childhood friend, who know his circumstances, worry about him. He feels so embarrassed about it.

He can't handle animals, especially corpses. Just seeing them makes him feel sick. He feels so pathetic as a director of the Ministry. 

He knows the cause of his ailment. But he has put a hard lid over it so he won't think about it. But after seeing the corpses today, especially those bizarre ones, the lid opened, and it put him in this state. And now that he has remembered, the memory won't disappear. it will probably take a long time before the lid closes again.

Still, as an adult, he can't avert his eyes from it forever. He needs to face it and overcome it.

How Cyrus's Dog Died

When he was still a child, his father took him along when he went to the royal capital for work. He was excited since it was the first time he went to the royal capital. He had his dog Leo with him at that time. It was a big white dog about as tall as him and he would spend time with him whenever he could.

Cyrus's brother was considerably older than him but Cyrus didn't feel lonely thanks to Leo. His parents brought Leo home a little after he was born. They grew up together and he was a precious family. 

Because of this, Cyrus threw a tantrum so he could bring Leo with him to the royal capital. His parents doted on him since he was the youngest child, so they allowed it under the condition that Leo wore a collar. It was a mistake, though. He shouldn't have brought Leo along.

Cyrus enjoyed sightseeing the royal capital, and since he was excited about the big castle, he went along when his father went there for work. Of course, he took Leo with him. But as could be expected, he couldn't take pets inside the castle, so he waited for his father in the garden with Leo. He felt moved by the big castle and excited by the big garden. 

Then he suddenly heard a loud noise. He was really curious about it, so he took Leo and they headed towards the sound. His father had told him to stay put, but he was a very curious child at that time, so he wanted to go see just a little bit. He shook off the servants and started running. Then a little ahead, he came across a scene he had never seen before.

A child of about his age was being kicked by a woman. The child was trampled again and again.

The child screamed. Without thinking, Cyrus ran up to the child. Then he told the woman to stop because the child seemed in pain. The woman glared at him with bloodshot eyes, which gave him shivers.

With a high-pitched voice, the woman asked what a kid and beast were doing here. She walked towards Cyrus and raised her foot above him. Just when Cyrus thought he would get kicked, Leo jumped in front of Cyrus to protect him. Leo's body shook, probably because he took a hard hit. The woman shouted, "That lowly beast has stained my shoe!".

The woman went away. Relieved, Cyrus hugged his dog and thanked him. But then, something dripped down. He didn't know what it was at first, but then he saw blood coming out of Leo's body. Cyrus calls out to Leo in panic. When he looked closely, there was a sword stabbed into Leo's body. While he was dumbfounded, the woman's high-pitched voice resounded in his ears. She told him that she just couldn't let a lowly beast stand in her way. 

Cyrus removed the blade from Leo's body and then blood gushed out. Cyrus's vision turned bright red. Inside his red vision, there was the young woman with bright red lipstick. Her smile was distorted into a frightening expression.

His memory stopped there.

When he woke up, he was on a bed, in the royal capital's townhouse. His father was on the verge of tears and kept apologizing for bringing him here. Cyrus had a high fever and his head was dazed, so he didn't understand the situation. But when his father told him that Leo had died, he cried so much his tears might have run out.

When his fever went down, they returned to the domain. There, his mother and brother, on the brink of tears, hugged him.

Cyrus's Trauma

Since then, Cyrus had been very uncomfortable with young women and scared of approaching animals.

He told the servants and his friends that Leo had died in an accident. He couldn't tell them that he was killed because of him. And then, seeing him depressed, everyone avoided the subject. 

And afterward, when he found a dead dog while playing with Ryou and Haru, he fainted but he didn't get a high fever like that other time. He could gradually heal with time.

And finally, after time had passed, he put a lid on his memory so he wouldn't remember it. Because it was the easiest way for him to live. Even so, he still couldn't handle young women and was still scared of animals. 

When he turned 15 and had to enroll in the Academy of Magic in the royal capital, his parents worriedly asked him if he would be alright. He had put a lid on his memory, so he readily replied he would. 

But at the royal capital, he felt sick when he saw dressed-up young women wearing red lipsticks. The lid on his memory slowly opened, but since people also made fun of him for being a country bumpkin, he convinced himself that it was the reason why he was uncomfortable with women.

Then, after entering the Ministry, the lid on his memory opened after seeing animal corpses. So, he decided he would investigate what happened since he felt that he couldn't stay like this forever.

After investigating it, he learned that terrible things were happening then inside the royal palace because of the succession strife, to the point corpses would appear. But because it was concealed, his father, at that time, wasn't aware of it since he lived in a remote region. As a result, his father took him along to the castle, Cyrus unfortunately got involved with a bad royal, and this happened. 

Thanks to the present king's reform, all of the vicious royals were punished, so they were not in the country anymore. Everything was over. 

Cyrus felt relieved that the frightening woman who haunted him wasn't here anymore but it didn't alleviate his discomfort. However, interacting with Katarina and Maria did.

Just when he thought he might become okay at this rate, he saw animals corpses for the first time in a while, especially bizarre ones, and lost his senses. Cyrus feels pathetic.

He feels like the time has come for him to stop running away, and to face it and overcome it. Even so, he doesn't know what to do.

Maria Talks to Cyrus

???: Lord Cyrus.

Cyrus is startled and turns around. It is Maria. He didn't detect her presence because he was absorbed in his thoughts.

Maria (anxiously): Are you alright?

Cyrus: Yes. It is a problem that I must deal with by myself one way or another, so please leave me be.

Cyrus has told Maria the same thing he told Haru. He expects Maria will also leave him alone.

Maria (flatly): I won't.

Cyrus opens his eyes wide and stares at Maria.

Maria (straightforward look):  No matter how I look at it, you look like you are brooding things alone, so it would be unreasonable to leave you be.

Cyrus feels his shoulders relax.

Cyrus (awkward smile): …You're right. I have been brooding things but I don't know what to do. 

Maria makes a firm face

Maria: For starters, instead of brooding things alone, maybe you should talk to someone, and then something might change. So If you have something you can talk about, please do.

Maria spreads her arms and invites Cyrus to talk. 

Cyrus: I told you before at the Ministry's fields that my dog died before my eyes, right?

Maria: Yes, and then you said you became a little scared to interact with animals since then.

Cyrus: Yes, that's right. But this is not true. …In truth, my dog, Leo, was killed because of me.

Maria: Killed…

Cyrus: Yes, when I visited the royal capital as a child, I went to the castle with Leo. There, driven by my curiosity,  I left the garden with Leo and stumbled on a horrible scene.

Maria: …A horrible scene?

Cyrus: A child of about my age was lying on the ground and a young woman was kicking them. The child screamed, so without thinking, I ran to the child to help them. With my reckless childish sense of justice, I told her "I want you to stop". It seemed to have made her even more furious, so she turned her foot towards me and was about to kick me. 

Maria: …

Cyrus: Maybe because Leo considered me his brother, he always tried to protect me from danger. This time too, he did the same and tried to protect me from that woman. He put himself between me and the woman and was kicked in my place.

Maria: …And then he died?

Cyrus: No, Leo was a big dog, so he wouldn't have died from being kicked by a woman.

Maria: Then how?

Cyrus: It seemed like it got on her nerves that Leo came in front of her. So she snatched the sword of a knight nearby, came back, and stabbed Leo with it.

Maria: ?!

Cyrus: Blood gushed out and Leo died in my arms. And it seems like I lost consciousness there. When I woke up, I was in bed in the royal capital's townhouse.

Maria: …This woman…

Cyrus: At that time, the royal palace was in turmoil because of the fight for the throne. That woman and child were involved in it. That's why, with my position, I couldn't say anything.

At that time, Cyrus couldn't say anything even if his beloved dog was killed.

Cyrus: When I woke up in the townhouse, my father apologized to me, saying "I am sorry for taking you to such a place. It's all my fault". But that's not his fault. It was all mine! I threw a tantrum because I wanted to take Leo to the royal capital, I said I wanted to go to the castle, I willfully walked out of the place where my father told me to wait, I jumped out there because of my childish sense of justice. All of these… It was all me! It was all my fault. I… 

Cyrus has shouted this all at once.

Maria: …Lord Cyrus.

Cyrus: If I hadn't done these things, Leo wouldn't have been killed so cruelly. Because I was an idiot who didn't think things through, Leo tried to protect me and was killed because of me… Even though he was my precious family who grew up with me…

Maria: …The reason you are afraid of interacting with animals… Could it be because you are afraid of something happening to them if you do?

Cyrus opens his eyes wide. 

Cyrus: I am scared of something happening to them…?

Cyrus repeats Maria's words. They perfectly fit that space that has been blank until now.

Cyrus: I see, so I was afraid that animals would be killed because of me again. Like Leo was…

Cyrus stands in shock, dumbfounded. He was only aware of his fear until now. But thanks to Maria, he has realized what he was scared of.

Maria: Also, Lord Cyrus.

Cyrus: Yes.

Maria suddenly moves close to him.

Maria: Leo-chan's death wasn't your fault.

Cyrus: Huh? What are you talking about? No matter how you think about it, it is my fault…

Maria: No matter how I think about it, it is not your fault. Of course, it is not your father's fault either. Everything is that deranged woman's fault!

Cyrus: Th-That deranged woman…

Cyrus freezes after hearing that word coming out of Maria's mouth.

Maria: After all, she kicked up a little child, tried to do something to the child who came for help, and stabbed with a sword the doggy who saved the child. She was mad. No matter who you ask, anyone would definitely say it was that woman who was to blame. If there were one bad thing about you, it would only be your luck. You had bad luck for encountering a mad and crazy person. Aside from that, you didn't do anything wrong!

Maria raised her eyebrows and spoke in an angry voice. It is the first time Cyrus has seen Maria like this.

Cyrus: …The only bad thing about me is my luck…

Maria: That's right! Just your luck!

Cyrus: But if I hadn't taken Leo to that place…

Maria: Lord Cyrus, you didn't get injured at that time, right?

Cyrus: Yes, I somehow didn't.

Maria: Then I'm sure Leo-chan was glad that he could protect his precious family. After all, you were always together, so he probably considered you his very precious family. I don't think Leo-chan regretted being there and protecting you.  

Cyrus recalls Leo. Leo probably considered him as his younger brother and always protected him. That time too, he immediately protected him.

Cyrus's shoulders relax. He feels like his dark thoughts are clearing up little by little. Now that he precisely knows the reason, his fear is fading. It is just like Maria said. Leo was killed because of that woman and since she is not here anymore, animals won't get killed just because he approached them. 

Cyrus: Thank you, Maria. I think your words saved me. But I still can't seem to completely forgive myself. 

Cyrus feels like he can't instantly change his feelings just because he was told it wasn't his fault.

Maria: That's right. I don't think the fear and pain you have felt for so long will immediately disappear. But please somehow forgive yourself little by little. If you keep blaming yourself, I think Leo-chan, who protected you, will also be sad.

Cyrus: …Ah, you're right.

Maria makes a gentle smile. It causes Cyrus's heart to make a big thump. 

Cyrus looks at Maria. Maria accepts not only his facade at work but also his plain country bumpkin side. The more he interacts with her, the more he feels captivated by her inner strength and beauty. And yet, when he is with her, he feels nervous and his head gets blank because she is so wonderful and he hasn't been able to interact with women until now. 

Cyrus is sure of it now: he is in love with Maria. He has for her feelings that he has never felt in his whole life. He wants her. He wants to live with her. He has never felt this before.

As Cyrus starts to smile in response, he feels someone looking at him. He looks in that direction. It is Haru. As soon as she notices his gaze, Haru leaves.

Cyrus decides that he needs to properly tell Haru that he loves someone. That because he has such strong feelings for that person, it would be dishonest for him to get engaged with someone else, even less someone who has feelings for him. 

Cyrus notices that the moon has changed position in the night sky. He needs to let Maria rest since they have planned to go to the forest early. But he still wants to enjoy his time alone with her just a little longer, so he gazes at the night sky a little longer.

[stormdragon23]

Solo Leveling Characters and their Zodiac signs

*Heavily based on my headcanons for their ages and the Eastern/Chinese zodiac

Baek Yoon-Ho - Tiger

This should be obvious. However, I also headcanon him to be 34 (based on manhwa merch) rather than the game age of 37 he can't be that old

I will be using Baek Yoon-Ho's age to set everyone else's age

Choi Jong-In - Snake

This is based on how Baek Yoon-Ho calls Choi Jong-In a snake in the story. So if Choi Jong-In was born in the year of the snake, that would make him 31 (this is where I got his age from by the way)

This also fits into my previous headcanon that his age is somewhere between 28-32 (note that I'm ignoring the in-game age)

Min Byung-Gyu - Monkey

If Yoon-Ho is 34, and Min Byung-Gyu is 28 (stated in-game), then this would make Min Byung-Gyu be born in the year of the monkey.

Also based on this tweet (Long story short, Min Byung-Gyu is called a "gorilla-type healer" (based on a sketchy translator))

Lee Ju-Hee - Rabbit

The game says she's 22, but the novel says that she's 21, so I'll be going with 21

Scaling from Min Byung-Gyu's age, this would make Lee Ju-Hee a rabbit

Woo Jin-Chul - Rabbit

I headcanon Woo Jin-Chul to be 2 years older than Choi Jong-In, which would put him at 33 (he's rather young in the game when the novel states that he is older than that)

He's rather similar to a rabbit too. Just the vibe

Liu Zhigang - Rooster

Based on lobyu's headcanon that he is six years older than Woo Jin-Chul

Also, the rooster suits him. There's also a dragon, though that would make him rather young

Lim Tae-Gyu - Rat

So if Baek Yoon-Ho is 34, and Lim Tae-Gyu is 36 (from the game), then Lim Tae-Gyu would be born in the year of the rat

It's kind of fitting. Also just the vibes

Sung Jin-Woo - Rat

Based on how the other ages have been calculated, if Sung Jin-Woo is 24, then he would be a rat

Very accurate in my opinion-

Cha Hae-In - Ox

Cha Hae-In is 23, one year younger than Sung Jin-Woo, which would make her an ox

Strong woman has a strong animal

Park Hee-Jin - Dog

Park Hee-Jin is 26 according to the game, making her born in the year of the dog

Lost puppy energy. Very cute

Go Gun-Hee - Goat

Had to do some math to get there, but if he's 87, then he's a goat

Wise energy. And will kick your a-

Go Gun-Hee = GOAT (credits to manawari)

Sung Jin-Ah and Han Song-Yi - Snake

Assuming they are the same age and Han Song-Yi is 19 according to the game, they're both snakes

Accurate with how Jin-Ah teases Jin-Woo and based on Song-Yi's personality at first

[moon8th]

Thoughts on Leo Risings 💭

Lmk if y’all want me to do more rising sign thoughts lol

So I was listening to some ~old drake~ and I started to think about how people keep calling him ‘sassy’ (which I personally don’t really care about, that’s more funny to me than an insult lol), but then I remembered he was a Leo Rising and I dove into a rabbit hole����🕳️

~Aubrey

So I know a couple Leo Risings irl and they ALL DO THIS POUT 👄🫦⬆️ 😭😭 they are so cute, ima put more examples below

They have a Sag 5th house and all I can think about is when Snoop Dogg said “This mf don’t miss!! He don’t miss!!!!” Which he literally was talking about drake lmaoo,, the Sag energy here really promotes them being expansively creative asfff they really just endlessly create, they see very little limitations to where they can go in life

~Brent Faiyaz💋💋💋💋💋

Hair! Hair! Hair!!!! Okay!! Leo rules over hair (lions’ mane), so people with Leo energy in their charts have extremely noticeable hair, whether Sun is strong or afflicted

From what I observe they are very into the more luxurious side of life, (Taurus 10th House), most of them love high quality clothes, jewelry, accessories, just in general life

~Tyler The Creator LMAO

These 3 guys ⬆️ all have worked with each other before, which I think is so 🥰🫶🏽🥹

They love to feel like the “leader of their pack” or ��leader of their pride” not in a controlling way, but they love to feel apart of a group of people they deeply care about, they are major supporters and will want reciprocation, “take care of me I take care of you” ex: Tyler The Creator with OFWGKTA <3

They are absolutely not attention seekers (I’ve heard ppl say this about them and I’m just like uhuh.. maybe that’s a low way of thinking about it at least) They are so fierce and so true to themselves which makes them naturally draw attention towards themselves

Bc of their Aquarius 7th house, the general public wants to know a lot about the Leo risings relationship status bc they view that area of their life to be very bizarre, they’re ppl that obsess over Leo Risings’ relationships and how they run them- to that I say.. mind your bidness..

~K’yanna fine af Barber

Going back to hair omg, Ik she didn’t start it, but ever since she posted this first style I’ve seen it everywhere, but also I do believe Leo Risings can be major trend setters

They can be into having meaningful/cute tattoos lol, tattooing things or people that they put a lot of pride into, things that they deem as worthy of being in “their world”

My dad is Leo Rising, he has my moms lips 💋 and name tatted on his arm, so cute

Bc of their Scorpio 4th house they. Don’t. Play. about 4th house matters such as family, their past, anything that usually feels deeply nurturing to them.. if you betray them by speaking ill on these matters, it would be very hard for them to ‘forgive and forget’

Tbh if I’m thinking about nakshatras, for tropical Leo, usually ends up being Pushya, Aslesha, or Magha, that just makes me think about all the other people that can fall under this very alluring energy lol

I love love Leo Risings 🦁 as a Sag rising, tell me what y’all love about them, 🫶🏽

[nitewrighter]

So, re-read your Cindy story (still amazing!) and ended up going down a research rabbit hole with different fairy tales and found out about Donkeyskin. (Wikipedia link: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donkeyskin)

And wow. I know fairy tales are dark but there is a very human kind of horror to me with this one. Read: the king’s incestuous desire for his daughter and the prince spying on her while she’s changing.

Obviously I know it’s a whole thing about oral traditions, there not really being one ‘true’ story but different tellings with different tweaks.

But my point is that if the fairy godmother in this story is anything like Cindy’s I’m getting pretty strong: “hey do you want me to kill this guy for you? Because it sounds like he sucks and I would totally kill this guy for you.” Vibes.

Oh yeah--Donkeyskin was also definitely a variant of Sapsorrow (the version used in Jim Henson's "The Storyteller"), which did also partially inspire my version! Though also the threat of incest to drive the princess to another kingdom in disguise I think is a mechanic that has found its way into multiple fairytales. On a much tamer note, in the Perrault Cinderella, the Dad was very much still alive, he was just a chickenshit who couldn't stand up for his own fucking daughter, so maybe it's cruel of me to heap all that grief on Cindy, but honestly the prospect of having someone who could stand up for her but doesn't got me too angry and I think that anger kind of distracted from the core of the narrative, which is that Cindy holds onto her own hope and kindness in spite of her cruel surroundings. I really didn't want to write a scene where Cindy goes, "Hey Dad, I know you watched me get abused and basically get enslaved by the woman you married and did absolutely fuck-all, but I forgive yoooooouuu." Like, nah, bruh, I could NOT write that. That's also kind of why I avoided writing any outright forgiveness on Cindy's end toward the stepfamily and went for more of a "The center cannot hold" sort of thing when she leaves and takes her labor with her. While Cindy does ultimately find a new family, I do consider labor itself to be a major component of the story. That's also why I do talk about Cindy still doing work as a Princess Consort and it still tires her out but... it's work she's proud of! It's work with people who share her values and who care about her wellbeing! Like, there's work you do because it gives you a sense of pride and purpose and you feel like you're actively making your environment better through it, and then there's work you're doing because you're being exploited--Cindy's happy ending is the former, and her time with the Stepfam is the latter.

Again, Fairy Godmother is partially inspired by east coast energy, and partially inspired by the sheer bloodlust I felt playing as Aqua in Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep when you drop into Cinderella's world literally minutes after her stepsisters have torn her dress to shit.

[here4tripitaka]

JTTW chapter 55: Tripitaka and the sexy scorpion spirit

The title really says it all:

So let’s recap. Tripitaka has been abducted by a demon who wants to have sex with him. He’s on his own this time - unlike last week, when all his mates were around to help him deal with the queen, who also wanted to have sex with him.

So Tripitaka is in the demon's cave, and the disciples are hanging around outside.

Sandy seems a bit over the whole rescue dynamic. He figures that Tripitaka can take care of himself, and that sex kidnapping is not that much of an emergency:

On the other hand, Wukong isn’t confident Tripitaka will pull through, and Bajie thinks it’s hopeless. The whole mission hinges on whether Tripitaka cracks and sleeps with her. Cos if he does, they're packing up and going home:

Well, Sandy was right. Tripitaka ACES it. The scorpion spirit is coming on strong, but Tripitaka just isn’t interested:

Note his forthright, stubborn attitude and conspicuous lack of crying. Contrast last week where he was turning red, looking away, physically shaking and crying:

WHAT IS THIS CHANGE OF PERSONALITY?

Either it's character growth (which has somehow occurred in the time it took for the scorpion spirit to teleport Tripitaka to her lair) or my theory (possibly based on a bit of wishful thinking) is that it’s influenced by whether Wukong is around or not.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love Tripitaka with Wukong. I love their potentially codependent relationship and the male-damsel-in-distress dynamic. Tripitaka is the most hopeless one of the group AND their undisputed leader. It’s amazing. I’ve never seen a male character lead a male group by crying and constantly requiring rescuing. I’m here for it.

But. Interestingly. When Wukong isn’t around, I feel like Tripitaka goes, “stuff it, I might as well save it,” and he calms down and just deals with stuff matter-of-factly.

I will admit he still cries ONCE:

Okay, twice:

Okay. So maybe I'm wrong. But on the whole, there is a lot less “clutching my handkerchief crying” sort of energy.

Anyway. When Tripitaka knocks back the scorpion spirit, the disciples decide he’s worth rescuing:

So basically, they deliberately abandoned him and left him alone with a demon overnight to shit test him.

They try to bust him out, but they don’t fare too well against the scorpion spirit’s sting. What are they to do? Don’t even worry: Guan Yin has got their back.

I love Guan Yin. You know where you stand with Guan Yin. There’s no praying and sitting around anxiously, wondering if she’ll come through. She’s already on it. Having trouble with a scorpion spirit you can’t conquer? Don’t worry:

And that guy is Orion.

Who turns out to be… a giant… rooster?

My reaction was, “Huh?!”

First I kind of assumed Wu Cheng’en was just having fun making up magic powers for random animals. But no! 

From my very scientific googling, it seems like maybe chicken > scorpion is actually a thing. TIL.

As a tangent, roosters got me thinking about alarm clocks, and how people used to wake up before alarm clocks were a thing. That took me down a rabbit hole, and now I’m discovering that candle clocks were a thing in ancient (ancient-ish?) China. Because apparently roosters are unreliable rogues and may crow at sunrise, but may also crow at 3am just cos they feel like it.

Behold:

So that’s that. But let’s circle back to something. I couldn’t help but notice that, in this chapter, Tripitaka calls the scorpion spirit a “powdered cadaver”:

Why so harsh? It isn’t cos of her looks. The narrator is pretty clear that she’s attractive. And it seemed uncannily like last week, where Bajie called the Queen of Women State a “powdered skeleton”:

It seemed a bit rich coming from him, when he clearly found her attractive:

I was starting to wonder if it was some kind of ancient Chinese insult for beautiful women when I found this journal article. It seems like, basically, the skeleton reference came from (separate but overlapping) Taoist and Buddhist practices of remembering that hotness is merely a superficial, meaningless property of the transient material world. Or something like that.

So, good on you Bajie and Tripitaka for sticking to your Buddhism. But… maybe just don’t say it OUT LOUD to people’s faces next time. Sure, stick to your asexuality, but no need to get personal about it!

I wonder if the queen and the scorpion spirit got the reference or if they were just like, “What the heck? I’m not that skeletal or powdery! YOU’RE skeletal and powdery!” We’ll never know.

And now, in no particular order, I wanna give a shoutout to some of my favourite miscellaneous moments from the chapter.

I love how the characters put so much emphasis on good manners, even when rushing around magically bashing people up. Wukung rocks up at Star God Orion’s place unannounced and asks him to drop everything and help him with something that is really not Orion’s problem - yet Orion refrains from telling him to get stuffed. Instead, he just worries that Wukong will think he’s rude if he doesn’t invite him in for tea:

Also, the wild swings between dramatic whining and understated stoicism. Bajie gets stung painfully on the snout, but doesn’t want to make a big deal of it to Orion:

Indeed. I, too, like to communicate my severe injuries only in a roundabout way, in the course of apologising for not being able to uphold proper etiquette.

Loved this sweet poem about Wukong as a majestic bee:

And learned that you’re not a babe unless you have spring onion fingers:

Some things went over my head, though. What do you mean, puns about meat buns and water pudding? I assure you, Tripitaka is not the only one who didn’t get it:

Even after reading Yu’s footnote about it:

As for my least favourite moments, Bajie is still being a chauvinistic so-and-so, calling women sexist words with disturbing enthusiasm. And Orion loses points for agreeing with Bajie wholeheartedly, instead of, you know, talking to him about his choice of language. But enough of that. Tripitaka has transcended the temptations of powdery skeletons, and it’s on with the journey.

@journeythroughjourneytothewest

—

Credits: The images above are either AI, or random pictures from the web that I’ve captioned for this, or a Frankenstein of both. They are not original. The AI is a mix of VEED.IO and Stable Diffusion. As for the images, they should turn up with reverse googling, but ask if you’re curious and I’ll dig up sources. Disability means I can’t draw at the moment, but honestly this turned out to be pretty fun anyway. Thank you dear internet for this bounty of meme-able images.

[number-one-shadisper-shipper]

Behold my Sonic fankids!

Buckle up y'all I'm about to lore-drop

Dash the Hedgehog: Son of Sonic and Amy. He's a speedy, fun-loving kid with a big heart. Future hero of Mobius but for now is mostly having fun exploring with his dad and racing anyone he meets. Also has a hammer like Amy's, with which he can do cool tricks.

Mouse the Owl: Adopted daughter of Sonic and Amy. Found and brought home by Dash after her parents were killed by an Eggman scheme. She's really sweet and a bit shy, and is basically the equivalent of Tails for Dash. Best friends with Tikal.

Nova Prower: The girl that grew from Cosmo's seed. Raised by single dad Tails and is a great mechanic like him! Loves sunlight and nature and going on adventures with her Papa.

Ash the Cat: Son of Blaze and Silver and twin brother of Aura. As the crown prince chosen by the Sol Emeralds, he inherited Blaze's fire powers. He's very stoic and serious, taking his role as future king very seriously.

Aura the Hedgehog: Twin sister of Ash. Is far more spunky and playful, and tries to drag her brother out to do fun things instead of studying. Inherited Silver's telekinesis.

Knuckles the Bat-chidna, a.k.a. Knux: Firstborn son of Knuckles and Rouge. Relatively rare in having mixed species features rather than only taking after one. He's rather rebellious and doesn't want to take on the warrior lifestyle on Angel Island, preferring thievery.

Spear the Echidna: Second son of Knuckles and Rouge. Far more serious about his tribal heritage than his older brother, and because of this is next in line to take on the Guardianship of the Master Emerald. Devoted to the warriors lifestyle and protecting his family.

Jewel the Bat: Daughter of Knuckles and Rouge. Sweet and simple, well-trained in fighting but prefers not to. Is dedicated to finding all the secrets of Angel Island, taking care of its Chao population, and recording the history of the Echidna for future generations. Not named after Jewel the Beetle but they do become friends after realizing they share a name.

Hunter the Bat: Son of Knuckles and Rouge. Inherited both of his parents' treasure hunting tendencies and loves to explore. His wings grew in too small, making him the only member of his family who can't fly/glide, although he can hover for a short amount of time. That doesn't stop him from traveling all over the world! Honorary member of Team Kid Chaotix (the next generation of the Chaotix).

Tikal the Echidna: Youngest daughter of Knuckles and Rouge. Small and spunky! Is still a bit young for warrior training, but she's ready to go when she can! Loves animals and swimming and playing around Angel Island. Goddaughter of her namesake, and is able to interact with her and Chaos. Best friends with Mouse.

Night the Wolf: Son of Shadow and Whisper. Autistic and almost entirely non verbal. Is super powerful, with Shadow's abilities, but is very quiet, calm, and stoic. Because of his resting angry face, people think he's kind of grumpy like his dad, but he's actually pretty chill. Very close with his "cousin" Knux.

Maria the Hedgehog: Daughter of Shadow and Whisper. Fun, spunky, loud, and energetic. Basically has the energy and noise of the rest of the family combined. Loves to get into fights and Night constantly has to bail her out. Also has Shadow's abilities, especially running. Loves to run. Always has a different fun design on her T-shirt.

Mint the Bunny-dile: Daughter of Vector and Vanilla. Like Knux, is a rare mixed-species kid, although mostly crocodile. Is hard of hearing due to physical issues with the connection of rabbit ears with a crocodile head. Is very big and strong, sometimes not knowing her own strength. Sweet and a bit rough-and-tumble. Is a big proponent of body positivity due to being mixed-species as well as growing up around primarily mammal mobians who were a lot smaller than her at the same age.

Gale the Hawk: Daughter of Jet. Fast, cool, and a bit egotistical but ultimately good-hearted. Loves racing and pushing herself to learn new tricks and new types of racing. Like wearing the "retro" hand-me-downs from her Aunt Wave (okay actually I haven't decided if I ship Wave and Jet or see them as siblings so for now it's just "aunt")

Thanks for letting me ramble! Feel free to ask me about my babies 😁

[hyog-blog]

Our Song Season 3 - I came for Liu Yuning, stayed for the comedy of it all

I continue exploring this gorgeous Chinese singing rabbit hole (alternative name - Singing with Legends), and it still delivers. The premise is the same - younger singers join the seniors to perform old and new songs and exchange their experiences.

Humor is strong in this one. In one team there's a comedic duo (quite literally, every time they interact and perform something they make everyone LOL extremely hard) of Xue Zhiqian and Chui Na Li Sha. I had no idea who these people were before the show - I just recommend you watch them live. Their personalities are funny, but their performances are very powerful. He's a very passionate singer with a British rock vibe, she's a slightly overweight girl who acts like a stand-up comedian, has a gorgeous voice. and dreams of becoming a singer. Anyway, all the other members have their funny and exciting moments - the 70-something senior still sings with so much passion! His partner is a cute guy who had to learn lots of Cantonese to sing the songs (which sounds like a totally different language compared to Mandarin, he even used pinyin transcription to be able to read it). Well, the dedication levels are also high, the younger singers do not disappoint.

The host, Mr. Lin, is a 50-ish guy with a smart face and an impeccable taste in suits. He's incredibly intelligent in communicating with everyone, both the babies and the seniors and has a great sense of humor to support all the silliness. This season is really just too funny, I'm enjoying it greatly.

Liu Yuning at one point got paired with 3 gorgeous ladies and came up with a group name National Beauty (well, him included in the list, of course). Seemed so happy, ahah))) I see, you boy XD Two beautiful seniors and a sweet young girl, it's like a dream come true. Anyway, being the only guy in such a rose garden is always a cool choice, but only if a man can pull it off (naturally, he has the looks, the voice, the stage presence, and enough personality to create a beautiful balance with the beauties). You have to love his voice - it never ceases to amaze the audience.

I also have to say that his pairing with Penny Tai is awesome - she's a very open, talented, and easy-going woman, with an amazing voice and lots of emotiveness and charisma, they matched perfectly in their energy and voice ranges. It was hilarious when she met him for the first time, though, that height difference was EVERYTHING XD She's a very petite lady and he looks even taller beside her. They had lots of cute moments together, especially when they discussed how she's too shy to look into a man's eyes when singing (love songs in particular) which they did with LYN all the time. Lots of jokes ensued after that XD But I do have a thing for older women/younger guys combos, and that cute height difference, hehe. Can't help but ship them a little. I think they've paired again in Season 6 of the same show unknowingly XD It must be fate.

Anyway, this season was very emotional, with lots of creativity, beautiful stages, and humor. It's like watching a real-life drama or a musical, singers are very emotional people. Everyone's personalities are also unique, there wasn't a single boring moment on the show.

[incorrectsibunaquotes]

Slamming my two niche fixations into one super niche fixation with my House of Anubis kids but if they went to Ravenwood Academy in the 2008 MMO Wizard101:

Nina is definitely a Balance wizard through and through, which means she draws upon all the elemental schools to perform her magic (this is also lowkey the ancient Egyptian theme school so…). It’s not super powerful, but she’s very good at it. She also is a master at the Celestial schools of Sun, Moon, and Star. She definitely gets sucked into the whole Shadow magic debacle as well, because she’s Nina.

Fabian, my beloved Storm and Myth double major wizard. He was definitely a Diviner to start out, since they’re all about scientific discovery, but the moment Nina came crashing into his world, he definitely fell down a rabbit hole into the School of Myth. He’s also, begrudgingly, way better at being a Conjurer than he was with anything to do with Storm magic. Still, he sticks with both.

Patricia is the most Pyromancer to have ever Pyromanced. Her fire burns bright; she’s quick to anger, completely fixated on whatever currently has her attention. She’s also really into the Gravulum Order, because it feeds the little beast of paranoia in her by having to get readings on chaos magic from places and creatures

Amber is also a Pyromancer. Much like Patricia, the flames of her magic are bright and hot. She also cares a lot about how she looks— a common trait of the Fire School. She’s also almost always found in the Shopping District, particularly the dye shop. She dabbled in Storm magic for a little bit but after she nearly blew up the school, she was asked to switch.

Alfie is a Conjurer. The Myth school feeds into his fantastical whimsy, and he loves learning about all the different creatures and stories. He loves Monstrology, and fills his dorm with all sorts of conjured critters.

Jerome is a Necromancer, but he sucks at it— not because he doesn’t have the affinity for it, but because he doesn’t pay attention in class, way more inclined to be plotting his next prank. He’d actually be very good at Death magic if he could put that mind of his to his studies instead of being a menace.

Joy is a Storm wizard. She’s addicted to tech and pop culture and she loves an aesthetic. Just ask after something (or someone) she likes, and she will go on about it for days and days. She’s a very talented Diviner, and her magic is strong. Don’t cross Joy.

Mara is a Thaumaturge with Storm as a secondary school. As an Ice wizard, she exhibits great patience and strength, but she’s rigid and inflexible in her beliefs. She has a very clear sense of right and wrong, and she will call you on it. It also takes a lot to break her down. Sometimes when she’s upset about something, it starts to snow in a little cloud over her head.

Mick: Mick is a Fire wizard for a lot of the same reasons Patricia is. He’s a hothead, and his flames are absolutely lethal. He can burn opponents to a crisp in moments. Definitely not lacking in the raw magic department.

Eddie: Eddie also starts off solely as a Fire wizard, but once he discovers he’s the Osirian, he takes up Balance magic as a secondary school. He’s not as skilled at the detail work as Nina is, but what he lacks in finesse he makes up for in raw power. He and Patricia sometimes duel for fun, but he only ever wins when he combines Balance magic with his Pyromancy. She insists it’s cheating, but he maintains that it’s “strategic”

KT: KT is a Necromancer. She’s always been drawn to Death magic, ever since she was a child. Her grandfather was a Necromancer and he taught her everything she knows. She’s not super good at speaking with the dead, but she’s amazing at resurrecting them. Sometimes, she helps Fabian study Myth in the school library, and sort of picked it up as an unofficial secondary school.

Willow: Without a doubt, this girl is a Life wizard. Her singing makes the flowers grow, animals flock to her, and her magic is pure healing energy. Much like most Life wizards, her head is in the clouds and she’s a little strange, but you can’t help but love her. She’s also very skilled at Astral magic.

[tsel-bas]

Pretty Little Things: A Pokémon Subsystem

Warning. Headmates may not turn out exactly as described. Anything and everything can be changed to fit your system.

Name(s): Lopunny, Scarlette, Keisha

Pronouns: She|Her, They|Them, Zey|Zem

Gender Identity: Female, Rixagender, Loveballgender

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Orientationless

Preferred Terms: Feminine, Neutral

Age: 19

Role: Dear, Sub-Host

Type: Willogenic

Source: Pokémon Generation IV (4), @/stel-bas

Description: A bipedal rabbit Pokémon with Normal and Fighting types. In this form, she is a bit more aggressive than her plain Normal type counterpart. Despite the newfound aggression, they are actually very kind and loving. Always up to comforting others and protecting them.

Zey enjoy hopping around in meadows, gardens, and other serene places. She is extremely strong and one kick of her legs or one whip of her ear can be super destructive.

Faceclaims:

Name(s): Slurpuff, Cotton, Missy

Pronouns: They|Them, Shy|Hyr, Hy|Hym

Gender Identity: Nonbinary Woman, Ulosagender, Fairytypic

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Lesbian

Preferred Terms: Feminine, Neutral, Occasionally Masculine

Age: 15

Role: Pacific

Type: Willogenic

Source: Pokemon Generation VI, @/stel-bas

Description: A sweet, lovable little cotton candy shaped friend! This adorable furball is very soft to the touch due to the air in their fur. Shy has a sense of smell one hundred times stronger than that of a human. Because of this, hy can sense the physical and|or mental state of someone just by their scent. Slurpuff's goal is to help others. If someone is struggling, they will smell that and begin a goal to help that person feel better. Hyr role as a Pacific goes hand in hand with hys lightness and softness. They allow others to pet them and sink their hands into their cottoncandy-like fur in order to provide some form of comfort.

Faceclaims:

Name(s): Ninetails, Lauren, Kayden

Pronouns: Shy|Hyr, Hy|Hym, Zy|Zyr

Gender Identity: Bigender, Clacgender, Antarcticgender

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Lesboy

Preferred Terms: Feminine, Masculine

Age: 220

Role: Succorer, Sub-Co-Host

Type: Willogenic

Source: Pokemon Generation VII, @/stel-bas

Description:

A gorgeous, ice type, nine tailed fox who resides in colder areas when fronting. Due to it's habitat in source, it is revered as a divine messenger. Shy provides comfort to those when needed and protects them from any harm that comes their way. Hy aids lost people in distress to keep zyr pack safe from harm but also genuinely wants to help people. This headmate can live for a very long time due to the energy stored in each of hyr tails. However, being inside a system has made hym somewhat immortal and unable to age any higher.

Faceclaims:

Name(s): Hatterene, Samantha, Avery

Pronouns: She|Her, Flor|Flora, Bloss|Blossom

Gender Identity: Nonbinary Woman, Florengender, Pastelblossic

Sexual/Romantic Orientation: Asexual Lesbian

Preferred Terms: Feminine with a hint of Neutral

Age: 30

Role: Destressor

Type: Willogenic

Source: Pokemon Generation VIII, @/stel-bas

Description: A tall fairy type figure who is usually docile and reclusive, choosing to stay by herself most of the time. However, when provoked, will use Flors psychic powers to gain an advantage. Sometimes using it to make Blossoms headmates feel better, having them believe that everything is alright while she works to actually make things okay. Flor has others partake in destressing activities to help them calm down or cope with things.

Faceclaims:

Links to Genders Included:

https://lgbtqia.wiki/wiki/Rixagender

https://www.reddit.com/r/XenogendersAndMore/comments/y4a971/loveballgender_a_xenogender_connected_to_the_love/

https://the-mogai-community.fandom.com/wiki/Exemgender(Pok%C3%A9mon)_Gender_System#Ulosagender

https://maidish.tumblr.com/post/696842267037696000/%F0%93%8F%A7-fairytypic

https://the-mogai-community.fandom.com/wiki/Exemgender(Pok%C3%A9mon)_Gender_System#Glacgender

https://www.reddit.com/r/XenogendersAndMore/comments/u15usg/heres_a_xenogender_i_made_antarcticgender_a/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1008947122742248637/

https://www.tumblr.com/genderyboy/684989380385964032/%E0%AD%A8-pastelblossic-%E0%AD%A7

Links to Roles Included By Appearance"

https://pluralpedia.org/w/Dear

https://pluralpedia.org/w/Pacific

https://pluralpedia.org/w/Succorer

https://pluralpedia.org/w/Destressor