#AND ANOTHER THING but I also think for as much as Leo wants to prove himself an individual he is also TERRIFED at the thought of being known

[twin-disaster-tutel-brainrot]

Op. Op where's the essay. I need that essay. Op.

Leo as a character is deeply tied to the very concept of identity that it is deeply ingrained into every aspect of his character and in this essay I will-

[youremyheaven]

Saturnian Women: Bad Girls to Trad Girls? 👀😲👩‍🏫

Saturn is the planet of discipline, restriction and rules. Saturn is considered a "strict teacher" who uses discipline, difficulties, delay, duties, dealings, and denials at times to ensure that the student really imbibes their lessons.

There has been much discourse lately on Saturn mahadashas and tbh, I would say to not worry about it too much. Saturn punishes but it also rewards, so if you stay true to its teachings, i.e, keep your head down, do the work and stay firm but humble, Saturn will give you success in proportion to your efforts.

Jennie, Vishaka Moon, finished her 19yr Saturn mahadasha in 2019 and you can clearly see the many themes of Saturn that played out in her life. She spent 5yr living overseas by herself as a child with another family (Saturn deprives you, to some extent, of your family's love and support) and after she moved back to Seoul, she began living at the YG dorm and trained for 5 years and 11 months, which is one of the longest training periods among popular idols today. She has talked about how she's never lived at home or had the experience of living with her family until she was 18-19 and she's always sounded bittersweet about it but all her hard work paid off. Today she's the face of K-pop, one of the most successful idols of all time, an icon and an it girl. She gets torrential amounts of hate over her "attitude" for the supposed partiality that YG had towards her and yes for being "lazy". This is Saturn's harsh energies coming through. Are Jennie's performances lacking from time to time? Yes but is she the only idol whose performances feel meh/"lazy"? No. Is she the only one who gets brutally called out for it? Largely, yes. Saturn does not allow you to get away with your skimping and most definitely does not let you take shortcuts.

The reason most people suffer during this mahadasha is because its human nature to want instant gratification and choose the "easier" option. But yk who does not like that? SATURN. This planet is all about being principled and doing things the "right way". You cannot do something immoral and expect to get away with it during this mahadasha but another thing about Saturn's influence is that it often makes natives deliberately "rebel" or step out of line because they internally crave punishment and want to be disciplined. Think of Saturn like the dom in a BDSM relationship and yourself as the bratty sub who's always asking to be punished. Its kinda like that. I've noticed this with many Saturnians as well as people experiencing Saturn dashas, they have no intention of being "bad" or doing the "wrong things" but they do anyway?? because they want Saturn to discipline them and put them in their place. Often times these natives choose the "harder" path subconsciously by forgoing many chances to choose from other options. They really want to prove themselves "worthy" and "deserving", sometimes to their own detriment.

Karina from Aespa, Punarvasu Moon is also currently undergoing her Saturn mahadasha and so is Wonyoung, Purvabhadrapada Moon (they'll both finish their Saturn mahadashas at around the same ish period of 2031-2032). They're both incredibly successful so if you're experiencing this dasha, dw about Saturn depriving you of success bc its not true. You just have to work hard.

Wonyoung started training at 12yrs of age when she was a few years into her Saturn MD and Karina also started training during her Saturn MD (she was 16 tho). They both spent yearsss training and became massively popular upon their debut (Saturn rewarding hard work) but often got unwarranted hate for absolutely nothing because Saturn "punishes" you to keep you humble in the face of massive success. With Wonyoung, I feel like her Magha Sun (leo rashi) works in her detriment in this dasha because she can be very self indulgent, come across as pompous or bratty or arrogant and Saturn does not like those things 😬with Karina, she received hate initially but things were cleared up and it was understood that those rumours of her being a highschool bully were fabricated along with those fake screenshots and some of her old classmates spoke up about her virtuous character and how kind and sweet she actually was. This is again, Saturn's karma coming thru. Good karma will help you out of tough places in life. Karina has kept her head down and worked hard, people criticized her initially for being a bad dancer but now she's known for her stage presence and x factor.

She's now known for her kind, humble and goofy personality because that is who she really is. Saturn rewards those who remain down to earth and humble and all the love Karina receives now (she is the most followed 4th gen female kpop idol surpassing Wonyoung in less than a year) is part of Saturn's rewards. However, she still faces challenges, like with her dating scandal or with her Chinese boycott last year but again, its her willingness to stay focused and power through that has helped her navigate those situations with grace. She hasn't been dragged the way Jennie or Wonyoung has been. I also think her having Mercury & Venus in UBP (a Saturn ruled nak) has helped her embrace Saturnian principles easier than the other two but she also does have a debilitated Saturn so ://

I think Jennie has had it especially tough because she's Uttarashada Sun and Sun & Saturn are enemies so she's struggled to be as grounded and docile as Saturn wants its natives to be.

If you think about it, there is a reason why all the Kpop it girls have Jupiter ruled Moon and experience Saturn mahadasha at the height of their fame. For starters, the Korean music industry is very "restrictive" in nature and idols are very tightly monitored and controlled (all Saturnian themes) and those who thrive the most in this system are Jupitereans who are undergoing their Saturn MD. They learn to channel the expansiveness of Jupiter through the restrictions of Saturn. Think about how Jennie, Wonyoung and Karina have all been deprived of creative freedom, how their labels pick and choose their endorsements and limit their interactions and in general, despite being young, rich and famous, they live like blue collar workers in some ways?? This is all Saturn's effects. It makes you work hard, rewards you for it but does not let you indulge too much in it.

There is a reason why Jupiter moon is soooo common among popstars. Performing in front of packed stadiums with 50,000 fans is an experience only few get to have in this world and to get that, you have to toil day and night through punishing schedules and constant travel where you dont enjoy yourself materially. This is a very blatant manifestation of Saturn restricting pleasure and enjoyment. (Jupiter ruled Moon natives experience Jupiter dashas first and then its followed by Saturn mahadasha, so usually at their peak, they're undergoing their Saturn MD)

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Now, I want to mention something Claire Nakti mentioned in her Saturn men video, she said that Saturnian men are often extremely rebellious when they're younger and deliberately "act out" because they crave the punishment and discipline that Saturn imposes on them. They subconsciously want to be put in their place. This sounds hella masochistic but I think its helpful to think of it in terms of BDSM dynamics (dont laugh lmao). To an average person, its confusing as to why someone would want to be spanked or tied up or hurt or be in "pain" or be submissive but some people genuinely derive pleasure from being in that position, that's what's fun for them. They "ask for punishment" bc they enjoy being "punished". I dont want to say Saturnian individuals are kinky masochists who deliberately do things that will lead to terrible consequences and harsh punishment but tbh, there is no other explanation for their behaviour. I suggest watching Claire's video where she cites manyyy examples of Saturnian men "acting out".

In Claire Nakti's video about Saturnian women, she mentions how these women are more at ease with following traditions and submitting to them than others because they find it 'freeing' to obey.

But tbh, although women internalise their qualities more in general, I think Saturnian women are just as likely to have an "unruly/rebellious phase" before they embrace the rule abiding nature of Saturn because the truth is limitations are what gives us true freedom. Saturn teaches us that if you have "too much", you can feel confused and lost. it's more important to have "enough".

Hwasa, Pushya Sun

Hwasa is a great example of Saturnian natives and their need to both rebel and conform. Hwasa belongs to the group Mamamoo and although they're all talented, they weren't as successful as other Kpop groups in the mid to late 2010s, esp since they also came from a smaller company. In 2018 at the MAMA awards, she performed in this red latex bodysuit and went instantly viral and her performance became vvv controversial since its practically unheard of for a kpop idol to reveal this much skin or put on a performance that is very sexually provocative. she received a LOT of flak for it, people bodyshamed her, slut shamed her etc but this also brought a lot of attention to her and her group and people started taking more notice of them.

Hwasa was on the cover of Cosmopolitan later that year (you have to be a pretty big deal to land mag covers in Korea esp when you have sooo much competition from sooo many idols/actors etc, Hwasa was up until then just an idol from a smaller company whom others often criticized for not being "pretty enough").

Hwasa continued to "rebel" by posing semi nude, appearing on the cover in what Koreans considered "immodest" clothing etc. But some of the criticism subsided bc as more and more people discovered her music, her talent as a singer and performer stood out so they started praising her for her talent & hard work (Saturn rewarding hard work).

she continued to receive a lot of flak for her outfit choices and Hwasa it seemed was almost hell bent on pissing Koreans off by doing exactly those things that they shunned. She was criticized for this look as her bra is visible through a sheer top and what did she do next?

she went to the airport in a white top and no bra 😂😂needless to say K-netizens were PISSED OFF. but at the same time she started making appearances on variety shows where she gained praise for her humility and lack of pretence. (Saturn punishes but rewards)

this is an excerpt from her 2020 interview with Cosmo (the Cosmo cover above is from her 2019 cover), here we can see Hwasa admitting that "one year ago I was more daring because I felt like I had to be that way no matter what" which reflects on how many Saturnians are rebels without a cause. She then says that "As I go on, I feel like I'm being more strict with myself" showing the progression from the rebellious, unruly phase to one that embraces strictness and discipline. This does not mean becoming a doormat, it means you become more gentle and patient. Its through suffering (which Saturn def brings about) that we learn grace.

I think Hwasa has described it well.

Saturn is considered the most aggressive and cruel in Indian astrology. It symbolizes karma and rewards or punishes based on one's deeds.

Selena Gomez, Pushya Stellium (including Sun & Rising)

When her Revival album came out in 2015, Selena was 23 and trying her best to shed her Disney girl image. So she did what most child star turned popstars do, she posed nude. This was very out of character for a girl who wore a purity ring until she was 18 years old and was generally perceived as the "sweet innocent" one among all Disney stars.

During a roundtable interview in 2022, she said

"I actually did an album cover and I was really ashamed after I did it," Gomez said. "I had to work through those feelings because I realized it was attached to something deeper that was going on. And it was a choice that I wasn't necessarily happy that I made, but I think that I've done my best, at least I try to be myself. And I'm not an overly sexual person, sometimes I like to feel sexy, but that doesn't mean it's for somebody else. It can be for me. Now I understand that there are certain boundaries that I need to set for myself, and I respect and adore so many people, but I’ve got to do what’s best for me."

Obviously the need to "rebel" against her Disney sweetheart image was imbedded in her by the people who work with her, like her management team but Saturn's most powerful tool is regret. You do things without much thought or act out or act rebelliously and through regret or after suffering its consequences, you learn to draw boundaries and impose limitations upon yourself. Just because you can do certain things does not mean you should do them. Saturn teaches us this by limiting freedom.

Miley Cyrus, Anuradha Sun & Mercury

We cannot talk about Disney stars gone wild without mentioning Miley lol

She was the biggest Disney girl of her time and worked vvv hard, doing world tours starting from her early teens and then filming the show, girlie basically never had a minute to spare. Once the show was up, she was in a hurry to shed her Disney image and lets just say... she embodied Saturnian rebelliousness to its extreme.

Miley lost her virginity to Liam when she was 16 and by the time she was 19, she was engaged to get married to the only guy she ever seriously dated. She definitely was embracing "tradition" etc so her "rebel" era was a sharp left turn. She went from being a teen bride to twerking in nude latex on stage. For the next couple of years, Miley smoked weed, embraced a hip-hop sound, wore little clothing and "rebelled". Her rebel era marked the end of her relationship with Liam and interestingly enough, the end of her rebel era was marked by her renewed relationship with Liam.

She entered her soft girl era and started to shed her "rebellious image" and found balance

“I carried some guilt and shame around myself for years because of how much controversy and upset I really caused,” she says. “Now that I’m an adult, I realise how harshly I was judged. I was harshly judged as a child by adults and now, as an adult, I realise that I would never harshly judge a child.”- Miley said in her British Vogue interview

Miranda Kerr, Pushya Rising

If you watch her interviews from the late 2000s and early 2010s, she's super flirty and now she's more mature and ladylike which is kind of a superficial evolution of Saturnian influence.

Miranda is rumoured to have been the world's most expensive yacht girl at one point in time. She accepted $8.1 million worth of jewellery from fraud Malaysian billionaire Jho Low. All these gifts were seized by the government later on bc Saturn does not let you keep things you obtained illegally or in unprincipled ways.

In 2014 during an interview for British GQ (these pics are from the shoot) Miranda said:

"The older I get, the more confident I am about asking for things I enjoy," she said. "One thing I've noticed is now that I'm having less sex my body isn't as toned. The more sex I have, the more defined my arms and stomach get. Orlando and I always had great chemistry. One-night stands aren't my thing. I made Orlando wait for six months until I even kissed him… I always ask for a critique on my performance. I always want to better myself in every way."

She also said,

"Let's put it this way, I've had an orgasm in the air before. Alone. And together." 😲😲

This is sooo remarkably TMI for a woman who now presents herself as so poised and ladylike??

After she started dating her now husband Evan Spiegel, CEO of Snapchat, they remained celibate for the 2years they dated prior to marriage and Miranda said they're "very traditional".

Interviews of Miranda now make her sound like one of those femininity coaches on YouTube.

"My grandma taught me that men are visual and you need to make a little effort," the model said in an interview with The Edit. "So when [Evan] comes home, I make sure to have a nice dress on and the candles lit. We make time to have a nice dinner together. At work, I'm like, 'We need to do this!' and, 'This needs to happen!' But at home, I slip into my feminine and empower Evan to be in his masculine."

In another interview, she said:

"Don't feel like you have to do and be everything. Let the man do some things for you, because if he cares for you, he will want to. When I get home, I'm not the boss like I am at work — I slip into a more feminine role. I take everything off and put on my Stella McCartney silk robe. I'll put on a red lip or red nails, and it lifts my mood. Sexy underwear also gives you a spark. I collect underwear from my travels. Lace, lingerie, bodysuits ... they're like souvenirs."

And in yet another interview, she said:

"He would rather me hug him than give him foot massages. He's like, 'Can you just come and cuddle up? Can we just snuggle? I don't need a foot massage.' I'm like, 'Come on, it's good for you!' … He's very loving like that. I'm a very lucky girl."

She went from being a "rebel" to living like a trad wife.

Eva Mendes, Pushya Moon

She's yet another Saturnian who had a rebellious early career ("rebellious" for a woman basically means capitalizing on your sex appeal) and then embraced a more "traditional" life.

In 2020, she said:

"You can’t do sweatpants,” she said on Extra while promoting her makeup line, Circa. “Ladies, number one cause of divorce in America, sweatpants, no!” 

This is again an example of a "femininity" minded person who thinks women have to "ladylike" (Saturn embracing traditional gender roles).

She took a 10yr break from acting to focus on being a mother and said that if she returns to acting she wont do "violence" or "sexuality" which she did do prior to her marriage and motherhood. She also got married later in life and had this to say:

“When I was 40, it was a big deal for people when I was pregnant, and it wasn’t for me,” Mendes said. “And then I was 42 and I was pregnant with my second one and people were like, ‘Oh my God, you’re going to be so tired. That’s why people have kids in their 20s.’ I was like, that’s the most sorry, asinine thing I’ve ever heard.”

She continued, explaining of parenting, “It takes more patience. In my 20s, I shouldn’t have even been around a child. I was just foul-mouthed and smoking. I could not have raised kids in any other era of my life but now, for sure.”

She's indirectly referring to a more "rebellious" phase of her life and how now she has the patience to be a mom. one thing Saturn teaches you is patience, thats for sureee.

Saturn influence also causes delayed marriage.

Madhuri Dixit, Pushya Moon was 32 years old when she got married (in 90s India this was ancient and not as "normal" as it is now).

Salma Hayek, UBP Moon

there isn't enough dirt on Salma to show that she had some "bad girl" past to move beyond but she struggled for many many years. her life really exemplifies the delayed success of Saturn bc saturn truly rewards patience

Rani Mukerji, UBP Moon

She got married when she was 36yrs old and is married to one of the biggest film producers in India.

The themes of Saturn delaying marriage but ultimately pointing to marrying into wealth has been true in the lives of many of these women, including Salma who is married to a billionaire.

Ellen Pompeo- Anuradha Moon

She was 38 when she got married. Another thing I've noticed with many Saturnian women is how they struggle to conceive or have issues with their fertility (usually caused by the delay in marriage as they're older when they become mothers).

Salma has talked about how she struggled with gestational diabetes when she was pregnant and how she wishes she could have had more children. Rani Mukerji has spoken about her struggles with fertility and how she lost her second baby to a miscarriage, 2/3 of Ellen Pompeo's kids were carried by a surrogate.

Monica Bellucci, Pushya Moon

She was 35 when she married Vincent Cassel and had her daughters in her 40s.

Hillary Swank, Pushya Sun

She was 44 when she married her current husband. (She did get married at 23 and was married for 10yrs , which means they separated after her Saturn return)

Jennifer Lopez, Pushya stellium

She married Ben Affleck when she was 53

She was 35 when she married Marc Anthony with whom she has 2 kids and was married to for a decade. All her other marriages were brief and short lived, pointing to how Saturn makes you get rid of anything that isn't "right" for you

Usually whenever Saturnians get married young, they end up getting a divorce. This is a massive generalization and obvs wont apply to every Saturnian but I've seen this with many people, even Miranda Kerr who married Orlando Bloom in her 20s ended up getting divorced after her Saturn return.

Sophie Turner, UBP Moon

Sophie started dating Joe when she was 19 and married him when she was 21 and he was 28. According to rumours she felt really trapped in the marriage and felt like she hadn't experienced much life. She went from being on a TV show for 10yrs and missing out on normal teen experiences to being a wife and a mom. Many have accused Joe of grooming her as well. They've ended up getting a bitter divorce as well.

Mariah Carey, UBP Sun

She was 23 when she married the CEO of her label who was 20yrs older than her. He had known her since she was a teenager 🤮🤢🤢Mariah has, like Sophie described feeling "trapped" in her marriage and how she had "no freedom". Tommy is famously controlling and kept her under lock and key pretty much. He is now married to Mexican pop star Thalia who was once a huge name in Latin music and is now virtually absent from public life. So his tendency to keep his wives locked up wasn't limited to Mariah, I guess.

Mariah divorced Tommy when she was 29 during her Saturn return as well and he made her life hell for the next few years (do not marry and divorce your CEO kids)

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All throughout this post I made mentions of how Saturnians "rebel" and then "embrace tradition" but what is "traditional" isn't always "right". These two things aren't synonymous. Hwasa went against tradition by dressing sexy. Would that be considered scandalous in say, America? No. She went against the tradition of her culture. But it did not make her actions "wrong".

But sometimes this tendency to obey traditions can manifest in more extreme ways and make someone have very right wing esque or conservative views, even.

JK Rowling, Pushya Sun, Saturn in 1h (in Purva bhadrapada)

Rowling was once a beloved author who was known for her highly inspirational rags to riches journey. She became the first writer to become a billionaire. But now, she's known as a transphobe and many of her former friends and allies have distanced themselves from her. Its crazy bc she almost exclusively tweets about trans people and has made it her life's mission to talk about who is a "real" woman and who isn't (Saturn's desire to conform to traditional gender roles) but her transphobic era seems to be her rebellious Saturn phase where she is seeking punishment. It literally makes no sense as to why out of the blue one day she started to tweet and say these things and why she's sooo insistent on her views but its like she's digging her own grave.

Saturnians often do bizarre things that seem like obviously bad ideas to others and suffer terrible consequences for it because they crave Saturn's harshness. She could've never written another book after Harry Potter, fucked off into oblivion with all her money and farmed strawberries for the rest of her life with her legacy intact but Saturn has stripped her of it. I wont be surprised if in another 10yrs or something, she comes forward to talk about how embarrassed and ashamed she is of whatever she's doing now as this is also a pattern among Saturnians to feel guilt and remorse for their past and apologize for it.

Oprah Winfrey- Anuradha Moon

Oprah hasn't been fully exposed and cancelled yet but I hope she gets what Ellen got because she's such a vile, toxic hateful person.

Oprah has a long history of platforming some incredibly toxic people, leading to a lot of pain and suffering. The relevant one right now is Dr. Oz who used his Oprah-given influence to sell scam miracle cures and other supplements.

Worse (in my opinion) is Dr. Phil, who has used his Oprah-provided stage to send children to “reform schools” in exchange for kickbacks. Many (included the infamous catch me outside girl) have claimed that these institutions are hot beds of physical and sexual abuse. There are also allegations that Dr. Phil actively aims to make guests on his show appear less well adjusted so that he can yell at them. Famously, a winner of the show survivor who was struggling with alcoholism claimed that Dr. Phil’s staff gave him a bottle of vodka to drink before the show so that he would be drunk and look like shit to justify Dr. Phil berating him.

Oprah also dedicated two shows to a man known as John of God, heavily implying that he may actually be able to heal sickness through faith in God. He was, obviously, a grifter who would perform dangerous surgical procedures (and would cut people’s eyes with sharp objects) on people without a license. He was also a serial rapist, and several women have claimed they traveled across the world to meet John of God due to Oprah’s show only to be raped.

This example is more fitting of the traits I explored in part 1 of my Saturn dominance post where I talked about how many Saturnians seem to be scammers and liars.

Grimes, UBP Sun

for an edgy alternative indie artist, Grimes has surprisngly trad views

In one interview, she said:

"I kind of like the patriarchy, I like the supply chain, food, Uber, roads... umm, civilization, you know there's a lot of good things that came from it. I think it's sort of oppressive and overly dominant, and if you don't include women in things they can easily become toxic, you know."

she was married to elon musk so im not too surprised that her worldviews are...weird... (she likes the patriarchy bc it gave her uber,,, gotcha...lol)

Sometimes honestly, esp in today's world where everybody has more social freedom esp in America and can do whatever they want, a lot of people "rebel" by embracing tradition. Grimes is actually deploying Saturn's need to rebel against the order by peddling her faux trad views.

The current tradfem movement (that I predicted 2 years ago😌) is a reflection of how each generation rebels differently. You give someone a lot of freedom and they do whatever they want with it but soon enough fatigue sets in and you desperately crave structure and order, so you discipline yourself and restrict yourself. in an era where dating has become so toxic and loveless, a section of society embraces a 1950s type tradwife lifestyle to go against the norm.

there will be a part 3 that expands on Saturn's manifestations further but this is it for this post<333 tysm for reading<33

[itsabouttimex2]

Since ROTTMNT are allowed, how about some headcanons of the turtles with a reader who’s very reckless? They’re always throwing themselves into danger whenever the team is fighting, and reader just insists they’re trying to help.

also love your writing ❤️❤️

Turtles with a Reckless Y/N

(Thank you so much💗 I’ve been watching season two, and I’ve got a lot of thoughts!)

No. No, no, no. Raphael does not tolerate your shenanigans. He’s worried sick about you every time you try something new, you hear him? Expect lots of gruff lectures about how ‘You need to learn to work with me and the others as a team, or you’re staying home with Splinter!’

This is not an empty threat. Keep pushing and getting reckless, Y/N. Realizing that he’s going to have to teach you a lesson the hard way, Raph sneaks up behind you as you try to sneak out, wrapping you into his arms.

“Sorry, Y/N- but I did warn you,” he says, carefully binding you up in sloppy knots. After he’s got your wrists and legs tied, he wraps a blanket around you. Then, another round of rope. Raph plops you onto Splinter’s chair, grabbing the remote and turning on a safety awareness video he (with the help of everyone in the Turtlefam) made for you.

This isn’t necessarily going to be a one time thing, though. The ante is upped every time you make another boneheaded decision, another grounding, another lecture, another video. He’ll get through to you.

Eventually.

Leo can be arrogant and overconfident himself, so he’ll relate to the things you do and say. It’s easy to want to prop you up and encourage you. He’s suffering from an inferiority complex, trying to make up for his self-perceived shortcomings by acting like he’s better and stronger than the people around him.

And he wonders if maybe you’re going through the same thing with the way you insist that “I’m just trying to help, Leo,” and “I don’t need you to baby me!”

And then Leo starts to think that telling you off for the way might only make things worse. For all he knows, you’ll decide that getting even more reckless will be the way that you finally ‘prove yourself’, making the same boneheaded approval-seeking decisions that he does.

In the end, he decides to settle things by subtly sabotaging your efforts to join fights. Leo “accidentally” locks doors before you can run through, sneaks your gear into dark corners where you’ll take too long to find it, taking extra risks to try and end fights before you can join.

It’s for your own good. Please believe him when he says that.

With poor communication skills and a potential developmental disorder that only muddles his understanding of others further (same, bud), ‘talking it out’ is not an option for Donnie.

So he turns to the one thing he knows best- tech. A tracker first. Then two. Then three. Eventually he’s got a dozen tracking devices in all different shapes and sizes, each one snapped into a different device or gadget.

It’s not that he wants to hurt you, of course not.

But if an electrical shock or painful squeeze can “convince” you to keep out of danger and think things through before you hurtle headfirst into an enemy’s unmerciful hands… fine. Fine.

Donnie will snap a bulky metal cuff around one of your wrists, sighing as he does. Does this make him the “bad guy”? Probably. But he’s fine with that, because being “bad” is better than being at a funeral. He’ll muster up a half-hearted apology, sighing as he locks the metal around you.

“Enough with the reckless stunts, Y/N. You’re keeping this on until I know you’ve grown a functioning brain.”

Big-hearted and equipped with a somewhat gentle demeanor, Mikey decides to try talking things through first. It’s very possible that this problem is some kind of misunderstanding that could just be unraveled with a little bit of one-on-one time!

Sure, he probably doesn’t have to cuddle up to you and wrap you both in blankets with hot drinks, but he does anyway! (Because he wants to steal you away for a moment to have all to himself, under the guise of ‘helping you’.

There’s an admitted half-effort from Mikey to talk you through whatever it is that’s causing you trouble, at least. It’s just that he’s more focused on the ‘therapy’ approach, hoping that he can grow closer to you while keeping you content and out of danger for the moment.

Though, if you really insist on such reckless behavior, Mikey always has his kusari-fundō to wrap you up head to toe. Given his status as the ‘baby’ of the family, no one is going to take his behavior all too seriously.

You’re stuck tight, helpless against his loving, brotherly whims.

[sugarpasteltmnt]

First of all, I gotta say that I absolutely LOVE your fic. I read the first chapter and just... didn't stop reading lol. It was so compelling and the way you describe emotions and depict Leo's mental state is so good!!!! I can't get enough of it. I love how you write his manic thought process and the way that his thoughts jump around in a very 'word association' type way! (That's super accurate to manic episodes!) I also really like the way that his awareness ebbs and flows and how you are able to indicate that to the reader while also maintaining the narrative. For real, kudos to you, that's a super difficult thing to do and you've pulled it off so well! It's absolutely stunning!

Question (and feel free not to answer if this is a spoiler or if you aren't sure), did Leo age in the Prison Dimension? Cause obviously the five years was FIVE YEARS, he didn't just time skip or anything, and he's definitely five years older mentally (for better or for worse, poor guy) but if the Prison Dimension essentially 'stops' bodily functions like hunger, thirst, exhaustion and.. dying, was his aging paused as well?

I'm low-key dying over the idea of Leo still being a kid physically. Like, the mental image of his brothers coming face-to-face with a visibly teenaged Leo who is more scar tissue than skin, it's just, ugghhgg. It's one thing to know 'oh he was a kid, he shouldn't have had to deal with this. He shouldn't have had to have been in that position, this is all so fucked up' but it's another thing entirely to see it, y'know?

Anyway, again feel free to ignore the question if it's spoiler territory or completely off the mark or if you don't have the spoons to answer. I mainly just wanted to say that I'm obsessed with your fic and it has me completely unhinged (pos). Was literally sobbing at 3AM while reading it. 10/10. Would recommend.

(also how the fuck do you write Leo so scary and threatening and yet also so adorable and charming and 'wet meow-meow stuck in the rain'. I'm frothing at the mouth wtf. The whiplash of being all 'oh no he's gonna kill- oh he's purring now, he's baby' is so fantastic holy shit)

THANK YOU THAT'S SO NICE WAAAAAAH 😭😭😭 i'm so glad people seem to enjoy it because i can always go a little TOO in depth at times and i hope it's never like, too boring or repetitious

and yes, Leo did age!! while the idea of Leo being a time capsule of his teenage self but now so warped is DELICIOUS... I love the idea he aged for several reasons. It was one (or maybe the only) way Leo knew time was passing for him-- which adds to the mental strain of knowing he was stuck there. Forever. And the emotional damage it would inflict on his family because it makes it just more transparent and painful how much time had passed. How long they left Leo there. As well as prove the point that time in the Prison Dimension passed at the same rate as it did on Earth.

Plus, I feel like there's another, dark, angsty edge to it that I couldn't resist. I feel like when the Prison Dimension was made, the primary goal was to trap the Krang for eternity. Whether intentional or not, the Mystic Warriors had practically made a place you could age. Where you can get hungry. Where you can get thirsty. Where you have to face all those painful needs of the body you just can't satisfy... But you just couldn't escape it. Ever.

That might make it a bit TOO dark to think about, but ultimately I just loved the idea of the brothers seeing Leo older like them and knowing that they had left him behind for so long. (toot-toot all aboard the angst train)

but omg i'm so glad you like it 😭 thank you for the ask it was super sweet 🩵

also

My Brother in Christ Pizza Supreme I wish i knew

[chiistarri]

i love you merging interests ,, anyway genshin pjo au

annabeth : pyro – passionate, dedicated their lives to something they like. her passion/interest/etc would be architecture, obviously. even tho she's a child of athena, it's not that her biggest trait is searching for any and all knowledge about whatever. it's that, even removing her godly heritage, she would still have a burning passion for architecture that she would 100% put into use regardless of whatever world or au she's in

percy : hydro – strong dedication/desire to help people (or their movement). percy's fatal flaw is literally loyalty. even removing the fact that he's the son of the sea god, the fact that he is overly loyal to those he adores is just really hydro of him. and yeah, other characters can be loyal asw, but it's the forefront of who he is, and defines him, just like his element

grover : dendro – wanting to know things/skills that are hard/forbidden/that they like. for years, he and his ancestors searched for pan. he and his uncle and other satyrs dedicated their lives to it, which was clearly a hard skill-esque thing to do. it's only fair that in teyvat that he'd get a similar story of finding the knowledge and completing what's been lost. even as a human, he'd find something nature-focused to dedicate his life around

jason : electro – seeing the world uniquely and are considered weird/in their own world. the whole camp half-blood vs. camp jupiter arc he had would make you think he would be cryo (stuck between two things) but really, even at either camps, it'd still be off for him. from his parentage to how he was raised and who he is as a person, it just makes sense for him to be considered hugely different from his peers. and if you want to keep in the raised by wolves things, think razor

piper : geo – hardworking in general, does anything to achieve their goal(s). she was a struggle to decide, honestly. but her goal in pjo was to just live a normal life. from having normal attention from her celebrity father to eventually seemingly abandoning the mytho world in toa in favor of living a much more normal, mortal life, she does anything she can to get there. she dates jason to have a normal, loving relationship in the middle of a time where nothing was close to her normal (the war) and leaves him and the others for the mortal side of her life, and achieves what she always wanted

leo : cryo – contridictory life, stuck between two worlds/the past and present. it's his mom's death. even well-past her dying, he's haunted by it, and constantly thinks he's the cause because of his powers. no matter what he does, it always somehow links back to his mother, in one way or another. his life is so interlinked with her death that he's just stuck on it, and has been ever since it happened, and will always be

frank : geo – hardworking in general, does anything to achieve their goal(s). he was hard, like piper. unlike her, i don't think he'd really have one gigantic goal. in pjo, he did, which was to survive, and he managed it, and got rid of his life being tied to a woodstick. i think he'd be hardworking to prove himself, also like in the books. he proved himself to be useful to the seven despite his whole life-stick thing, to the camp despite being in the worst cohort

hazel : cryo – contridictory life, stuck between two worlds/the past and present. it's kind of self explanatory? from the whole sammy-leo plot to her having been literally dead for a while (think qiqi too), it's the most fitting. you can maybe add the whole dead mom thing like leo, although it would weigh more on her of how her mom was the cause of her death due to her being manipulated by a higher-being rather than leo's whole haunted by the memory of his mother plot

nico : cryo – contridictory life, stuck between two worlds/the past and present. like hazel, he's from the past. like leo, the death his mom (and sister) weigh on him heavily. bianca's affected him for four straight years, with him being completely on his own when he ran and had to face her death. he even tried to bring her back. i think that's reason enough for cryo

reyna : anemo – desire for/chasing after a form of freedom. she, although not being forced into it, had been a foundational role for camp jupiter for a long while at a young age, and eventually took her chance with the hunters to find herself. her freedom is her ability to now discover who she wants to be without feeling like she needs to step up into a heavly burdening role

only vaguely describing the reasons based off their pjo stuff rn, plus only main characters BUT i have more, cred to @wherefore-art-thine and @starrykanon for doing this with me

[agirlwithglam]

how to develop self love and confidence

— a step by step guide by yours truly ♥

disclaimer!! for some people it can take a lot longer to love themselves than others, so don't be discouraged if it takes a bit longer. just remember that no matter what you think, you ARE WORTHY OF LOVE.

step 1: identifying the root cause

first you need to find WHY you dont love yourself. it usually comes down to these main reasons:

society

your looks

comparison

your abilities

childhood trauma

your current situations

it can be just one or more than one, and sometimes it may not be as simple as "my looks", sometimes you may have to dig deeper.

for me, it was because i thought i was "ugly"

step 2: once you know the WHY, research about the topic and try and solve it.

here ive broken down the 6 reasons to help you a bit: (but remember that this is just a small break down, if you want you can research more about the topic & try to battle it)

society: society has tricked us into believing that loving yourself is considered 'vain' or 'narcissistic'. let me tell you right now that THAT IS NOT TRUE. loving yourself is a basic necessity that everyone should have!!

your looks: this is something i struggled with for a loong time. remember that beauty is subjective!! bob could think that travis looks 'average' but Leo could think that travis looks absolutely gorgeous!! ☆ so how did i overcome this? i actually 'glowed up'. bc the main thing i didnt like was face- my teeth to be specific. so once i got braces, my teeth aligned and i started looking so much better. ☆ other struggles: ↴ for you if it may be acne, then you could start trying to take care of your skin better. or if its body image then if you reeeeally dont like it then literally just start working out. if you have the option to yet you still dont then dont complain. but remember that ALL BODIES ARE PERFECT. ★ another thing that helped me a lot was affirmations! i listened to a bunch of affirmations -> i used this video by thewizardliz and it did wonders! (you can also search up on yt self-love/ beauty affirmations)

comparison: for most people comparison comes from social media right? the simple solution to this would be unfollow accounts that dont serve you, or delete/ set a time limit on the social media platform "but what if i compare myself to people i meet in real life?" well we can't exactly unfollow or delete these people but what we can do is turn that jealousy (yes, jealousy) into inspiration! be inspired by the people with greater lives and use that to pull yourself forward! ☆ a quote that i read once (that may or may not help you) : "do not compare your chapter 1 to someone else's chapter 50." you never know what the other person has gone through or is going through that got them to this point!

your abilities: okay theres not much i can say here except that you can learn almost everything online nowadays. stop complaining and get off your lazy butt to prove to yourself just how much potential you have! (but don't beat yourself up for being a lazy butt, im one as well) here is a link to a TON of stuff you can learn online!

childhood trauma: this is a bit of a more delicate subject which i do not know a lot on, my best suggestion would be to just go to therapy (or use an online therapy app- betterhelp). - watching thewizardliz may help as well as she might know more about the topic.

your current situation: whether its trouble with friends, at school, at work, or with family i promise you that these things do not last forever. humans were not put on earth to be unhappy and miserable! (whats the point in that?) my advice is to learn more about the topic (for ex i was struggling with being left out w friends for a while and it did hurt a bit) and see what you can do to fix it or at least make the best out of it. + another reminder that you can use the law of assumption- in basic words the law states that whatever you desire, you have. all you need to do is accept that. heres a quote i read: "if you dont like where you are,, then move. you aint a tree." this is literally YOUR life. RESPECT yourself and dont let people treat you bad because that is disrespecting yourself!

step 3: focus on yourself!!

my favourite step!!

this is your sign to stop focussing on others' lives and start focussing on your own.

when you start to focus on yourself, up level yourself and try to become your best version of yourself, you actually end up falling in love with that version of yourself, and your current version!

ask yourself: is there even something to love?

ask yourself: would you want to date or be friends with someone like you? think actually deep about this; if your answer is no, then that obviously means that there is some work to do.

if you're constantly negative and complaining and rude all the time, trust me, literally no ones gonna want to hang out with you. and then you'll adopt that 'victim mindset' of "nobody likes me and i suck". instead of doing that, why dont you try to just suck a bit less? there isn't any pressure on you to become amazing the next day, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try.

small things/habits to start:

gratitude

hydration

exercising

journalling

meditation

eating healthy

developing a skill

get enough sleep

take cold showers

taking care of your skin

invest in your appearance

focussing on school/ your grades

go outside! go for walks, be in nature!

changing what you consume (resources below)

some resources that helped me SO MUCH:

♡ thewizardliz

♡ tam kaur

♡ persephone's mind

and meditation! its so extremely underated but SO VALUABLE.

xoxo, vanilla

[dandylovesturtles]

Does the movie still happen in SideLines AU? \

Yes! Though it would be radically different and I haven't thought much about how exactly events would play out. Leo already got his character development, though, so someone else would be the driving force of the story. Probably Raph, or maybe Mikey?

Ooooo, actually, idea for a very Raph and Mikey centric movie plot: Mikey wants to prove himself but Raph keeps trying to protect him (because he has even more ptsd about not protecting his brothers with what happened to Leo) that they are the ones fighting in the beginning, and Raph's inability to trust Mikey is what leads to the key being stolen. And the way to win is for Raph and Mikey to reconcile their differences, with Raph acknowledging that Mikey is as strong as the rest of them and he needs to trust him, and Mikey acknowledging that his brother's help isn't meant to be a sleight but is there out of love.

I'd have to think about this a lot more to give you, like, a chain of events. I actually had a completely different answer ready for this and then thought of that while I was typing lol.

As for what I was going to say, while I'm not sure exactly how the movie events go down in Sidelined AU, I do have some idea of how it changes the bad future timeline.

By the point where the timelines diverge, Leo is recovered as fully as he ever will, able to walk around the lair most days and even go out on missions, provided he's careful and knows his limits. He still uses a range of mobility aids, given how he feels on any particular day, including the wheelchair for bad days or days where he knows he would be walking more than he could otherwise handle, but he's still relatively active.

The Krang invasion reverses a lot of this. As supplies dwindle, Leo starts suffering from malnutrition and a lack of sleep, and doesn't have access to medicine to help with the pain and fatigue, which takes a big toll on his body. Also, he really overdoes it and pushes himself too hard in the early days of the invasion, which accelerates his decline. By the time Casey is old enough to remember things, Leo is entirely wheelchair bound and doesn't often leave the base, only using his portals when he needs to to evacuate members of the resistance or help civilians.

He is still very much Master Leonardo - he's highly respected in the resistance, and anyone who wants to look down on him for his disability (or for being a turtle) either learns quickly or dies. However, he's not Casey's teacher in this timeline, instead leaving that to Raph and sometimes Donnie and Mikey. So Raph is Sensei now, and Leo is Master Leonardo or just Uncle Leo.

Leo takes over most of the care of Casey after his mom dies, since he's always at base, only sometimes sending Casey to Donnie or another adult when he's particularly busy (he's still the guy in the chair here, and also handles a lot of the day to day running of the resistance). Sometime early on, Donnie builds Leo a new chair that either hovers or has some other way of mitigating rough terrain (spider arms maybe?), and he frequently lets Casey ride on it. Even as Casey gets older, hanging off Leo's chair as they move around the base is second nature to him.

Casey was so used to Leo only being in his chair he was a little shocked on coming back to the past and seeing that Leo walks fairly frequently. He also grabbed onto Leo's chair sometimes out of habit, which made younger Leo tense up initially; something they eventually work through as they get closer.

Though all four turtles make it longer in the invasion than I usually headcanon (since I usually think of Raph as dying while CJ was too young to really remember him), they do still die, and Leo is the first to go. Casey is about 11 or 12 when this happens. When the Krang finds their base while the others are gone, Leo tells Casey he loves all of them and then portals him and the other non-combatants to safety, giving his all to hold the Krang back and give them a chance to escape. After that, Raph (who was already close to Casey anyway as his teacher and another of his uncle-dads) took over as the main adult looking out for him, and started taking him out on missions.

I'm not sure what happens next but I think it's Donnie who goes next, and then Raph and Mikey's deaths playing out the same way Leo and Mikey did in the movie. Especially since that goes with what I was saying above: Raph in the future comes to see and accept Mikey as an equal rather than someone to baby, foreshadowing what their relationship will become under happier circumstances.

Thanks for the ask!

[aayakashii]

So I was thinking abt Yuri’s theory abt pacts and most humans being allergic to demonic particles causing them to die. If his speculation is correct then doesn’t that mean people planning on making pacts could try using immunotherapy?

Sooo just imagine. A few months pass and there’s still no hint of her curse being cured. MC doesn’t want to jump the gun but she wants to have a back up plan of her own instead of just trusting the institute to cure her curse, so she starts considering making a pact. She doesn’t wanna risk just happening to be one of the few that aren’t allergic to demonic particles (it’s not like her lucks all that great after all) so she seeks a ghoul who has a blood type that is compatible with hers (or she just has AB+ blood so she can accept any blood) and is just trying to not seem suspicious as she awkwardly asks if they’ll let her take their blood samples for months until the last week (or earlier depending on wether she even knows how to find a demon to make a pact with) before her year limit is up so she can build resistance. Whether she tells them her true or intentions or not tho may depend on the person.

Like I can just imagine that she’s type O (O- if you wanna give her less options) so she’s forced to ask Tohma, Ren, or Taiga who also have type O blood.

Or having to ask Leo or Romeo for whatever reason and you can only convince them by:

A) Giving them a reason they’d believe and care enough about

B) Telling the truth

C) Doing their bidding

Or

D) A combination of C and another one

It also makes me wonder how Yuri would respond. I’m guessing he would know why without having to question you for long since he is the one that told you about his hypothesis. Now whether he would initially refuses cuz he knows he can find a cure or he agrees right away to prove his conjecture is the question.

Sorry for rambling I know this is long 😭

I think it’s a pretty cool idea though, thx for reading it!

PLEASE I LOVE LONG ASKS LIKE THESE, KEEP SHARING IDEAS WITH ME!!!!!

That's actually such a good theory, too! I honestly think MC could be honest with almost all the ghouls, except Kaito and Luca. They would most definitely be 100% against the idea of her making a pact. Maybe Alan and Haru too, since they have a protective streak on them that would probably make them very against the idea. So maybe she would have to hide her intentions from these guys. But the rest could pretty much be aware of her goal. Some would be more resistant, but then they could just shrug and think "ah whatever it's worth a shot ig 🤷"

It would still force her into a bind, though 💀 it's not like Leo or Romeo would just accept it without getting something from it. But I don't think they would be against her using their blood like that. They would call her crazy for sure, but they would hardly stop her. It's not like they care about the poor girl all that much 😭

I think Yuri would be very conflicted. In one hand, he is adamant that he can cure the curse. But in the other, this would be the perfect way to prove his theory. He doesn't seem like a person who creates a plan B for any of his scientific endeavors, but maybe because it plays into something very important to him, he could accept it.

Although I wonder if he ever tried using his own blood to search for the specific antibodies in order to check whether or not his theory is valid.

Oh, but he would definitely need demon antigens to see which antibodies latch on them, and getting that must be very hard (I don't think Darkwick has a demon sample at all). yeah nevermind, immunotherapy for a probable allergy is the only option 💀

I wonder what types of adverse effects she would have to face though! Like, since she'd be building immunity, her body would be working overtime to fend off those antigens. How would that appear in her body? Would she get high fevers, vomiting, weakness, and other cold-like symptoms, like when we take a flu vaccine?

The thing is, she would need to start the therapy right away, so she can have at least those last 10 months of intense treatment. The mermaid guy did it for only a few weeks I think and it went horribly wrong 💀

But all in all, that's such a good theory! I love how they're pushing a medical pov through Yuri! It kinda gives me war flashbacks because I immediately think of work but that's okay dkjdsjdjd

[aemondsbabe]

Thoughts on today's episode? On Aemond especially?

i honestly am pleased? i don’t think there was anything this week that i at least don’t feel neutrally about.

i hate what happened to aegon lol but i’ve hated that since i read the book so i at least knew the disappointment there was coming! i also hate that they transported him in like a coffin looking contraption 😭 i know that was on purpose to build suspense for non-book reader audience members and obviously to hide/protect him on the way back to the red keep etc etc like i get it but i also hate it 😅😭

glad that daemon is still getting his shit rocked tbh i love alys for that ❤️

as far as aemond is concerned, i really really honestly feel like they’re still keeping it vague and/or that he’s milking the fact that people fear he may have done it on purpose, which WOULD be a very aemond thing to do imo. i feel like he maybe looked concerned (i don’t think that’s the right word but it’s the only one coming to mind rn) when he was standing at the foot of aegon’s bed. i’d like to believe that was a bit of an “oh shit” moment, even if nothing was voiced.

i also think it’s in character for him to immediately launch into “we gotta get to work, someone needs to run shit” kind of stuff. he’s always been blunt and to the point, even when he was leo ashton young aemond, so i’m not really assigning emotion to that, i don’t think.

genuinely i think aemond’s desire, i guess, to be regent stems more from wanting to prove himself to alicent than it has anything to do with aegon. like alicent offers herself up first but when the rest of the council starts going “but aemond…” you can see him smirking. then he gives her that pointed look when he picks up aegon’s ball thing. both of those i think are like “told you so, i can prove i’ll be good at this, etc” kind of moments.

and again, i think him getting right to work is very in character and is possibly another way to like… stick it to alicent maybe? like show her he can be calm and serious and not just like a living weapon, essentially. i think that’s echoed slightly in the scene from the preview for next week’s episode where she’s cupping his face. the guy looks like he just wants to prove himself to his mom idk.

also, i’ve rewatched the scene from the preview with aegon and aemond about a hundred times and really can’t tell what’s happening so i’m not reading too much into it yet ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ we shall see next week.

thank you for asking sweet anon! genuinely baffled that people are interested in my thoughts but i do love discussing these lil blond bitches so i love you for asking! 🩷🩷🩷

[toraawa]

Why Serena Can't Hate Yuri (and What May Happen in Duel Links) Part 1

This post is a mix of analysis and speculation, with specific focus on Serena's character and the similarities between her and Yuri due to their shared upbringing at Academia, as well as specific scenes in Duel Links that clue us in on what Serena's possible perspective on Yuri is.

It's a common idea in the fandom that Serena would hate Yuri and vice versa, but a closer look at her character reveals that there isn't much support for that idea at all. In short, it's OOC.

There's many reasons for it that I will outline below. But for one, if Serena hated Yuri, it would make her a massive hypocrite.

Before Serena betrayed Academia, she was willing to attack any and all people who used Xyz summoning. She had no qualms about hurting people as long as she got what she wanted and believed it was right. As we all know, her motivation was carding the Xyz remnants so Leo could recognize her abilities. This resulted in her carding Hokuto (and most likely other LDS students as well) and waving the card in a mocking gesture. Very Yuri-esque behavior.

There is also her duel with Dennis, which portrays how Serena's self-certainty and arrogance was so strong that she refuses to listen when Dennis says he is not an Xyz remnant. Even after she realizes he wasn't who she is looking for, she is dismissive of the fact that she could have hurt someone uninvolved with the conflict. This Serena would most likely brush it off as collateral damage if she did end up carding him.

(Interestingly enough, even though it's implied that Reiji brushed Hokuto's carding under the rug, Serena is never shown to reflect on the mistake even after meeting Shun. But that's for another day LOL.)

Serena, like Yuri, was generally arrogant and overconfident in her abilities, and saw herself as superior to all other duelists. Her desire to be recognized was a selfish one, even if it was so she could be useful to Academia's goals that she thought were honorable and just. That's how Academia's culture is—constantly proving that you're better than everyone else so you can climb the hierarchy. But a large part of Serena's character is introspection. She reflects on her past mistakes, and realizes the horrible things she did in the name of Academia—and her own pride/ego.

I believe that with the amount of self-reflection Serena does in Arc-V, it's only inevitable that Serena compare herself, or her past self, rather, with Yuri. All the reflection of everything she has done and what has happened to her probably makes Serena think that Yuri is the person she could've become had Leo given her what she wanted. A fate she escaped, in other words.

Of course, there is also Serena's horror at what Academia did to Xyz, which most likely still would have rocked her core even if she did achieve her dream of fighting on the front lines. She wanted to fight honorably, and is disgusted at her former peers for treating it like a "hunting game". This contrasts with Yuri, who is shown to not care at all about all the innocents carded in Xyz. But when it comes to hurting others for selfish gain, both Serena and Yuri have shown to be very capable of it, and to be bad people in general.

It's all about conditioning. Serena, a kind and compassionate person at heart, was able to be conditioned to feel superiority and arrogance and attack anyone to impress Leo, which she thought was wholly justified. Just about everyone in Academia is conditioned to be bad, though it's interesting how some are more susceptible than others (a poignant point in real life as well). What is it that makes some people more willing to engage in the "hunting game" and take glee in dominating others, like Sora, and some people horrified at the behavior of their peers, like Serena, Asuka, and the girl she tried to help escape? Is it being entrenched in that part of Academia's culture enough? A willingness to abandon one's humanity because they think there is nothing else for them? Or is it a desire to prove something?

Which then brings up the point of Yuri's own conditioning, and how it parallels Serena's.

I know a lot of people in the fandom think Yuri was completely bluffing here, and while I agree he was pretending to be swayed by Asuka's words, I do think his upset and grief was genuine. Otherwise, they probably wouldn't have shown flashbacks of his childhood. This scene is from Yuri's point of view, after all!

We know little of how Serena was as a small child, other than she was constantly frustrated with Leo's treatment of her and wanted to prove herself to him, but Yuri's childhood more clearly shows how Leo got through to him. Yuri didn't start out as a bad person at all—he actually seems good, as all the Yu-boys are without Zarc, but his conflict was that everyone hated/feared him for being too strong (It can safely be assumed that it was Starving Venom in particular, or Zarc's benign influence). He was confused that someone like Asuka could be simultaneously strong and well liked, and was envious of her. At this point, all Yuri wanted was to duel others and have fun defeating them... and hopefully make a friend out of it.

It's obvious, but Leo finding him in the midst of his isolation was the perfect way to manipulate him. Yuri immediately idolized Leo for reaching out to him, and thus accepted carding people with no second thought because of it. There were no questions asked; Yuri embraced it immediately, just like how Serena embraced carding her own opponents and fighting the other dimensions to create Leo's "utopia". Both Yuri and Serena only cared about pleasing Leo at first.

(Interestingly, in the English dub, Yuri screams that Leo ruined his life and he was too blind to realize it).

This devotion to Leo obviously falls apart for Yuri later, and I'll get to that. But there is something very striking about these lines in Duel Links that encapsulates Serena and Yuri's conditioning by Leo perfectly, and just how much pain and self-deprecation Serena's hindsight brings her personally:

Serena and Yuri never, ever, ask any questions.

Ever.

I mean, every time someone in Arc-V demands for Yuri to tell them why he's kidnapping the girls, he doesn't bother with thinking about it. As long as it's an order from the Professor, Yuri will obey without question. And Serena tells Yuzu that Leo's words are absolute in Academia; she believes in a utopia with united dimensions because it's Leo's idea. No questions asked.

They just don't bother with thinking.

Yet another similarity between Serena and Yuri's conditioning is that they do make way for their own pursuits outside of Leo's orders. Yuri does everything he does because Leo tells him to, but his more central goal is deriving pleasure and excitement from chasing the girls and carding whoever else. Serena goes so far as to directly disobey Leo, but it's only because she thinks he's making a mistake in not recognizing her ability—she harms her loyalty to become more loyal, in a sense. Though Serena wants to be helpful to Leo's goals, boosting her pride and sense of superiority is her more underlying central goal. It's the same with Sora and Dennis, too. They follow orders without question, but they were both more interested in other things: the hunting game for Sora, and entertainment for Dennis.

Academia's culture not only cultivates absolute, unquestioning loyalty to Leo, but also a huge ego fest in which everyone wants to be superior. They're never given the opportunity to do much else. Serena says so herself in Duel Links, when Yuzu is sad upon her saying that no one was waiting for her to come back.

In Japanese, Serena says it's because she was under house arrest in Academia since she was little. Either way, both versions convey that there is only so much you can do at Academia but fall in line with the paths they paint for you. This is doubly so for Yuri and Serena, who had special circumstances.

With all this in mind, it's clear that Serena understands very well how Academia conditioning works. How it can transform you into a bad person who only sees one way of life, and how Leo can make your worth revolve around him. Serena despises Academia and is hostile towards everyone affiliated with it, but that doesn't erase her understanding of these things. She's extremely familiar with how easy it is to embrace something bad with no questions asked, under the pretext of impressing Leo or believing it's good.

To allow herself to recognize the manipulation she was subject to and how it made her capable of terrible actions and not extend the same understanding to Yuri (or anyone else from Academia) would be very hypocritical. It would be a different set of rules for her and a different set of rules for others, in short, and I don't think Serena would stand by that. She believes strongly in fairness and integrity.

If Serena were to hate Yuri, who exhibits very similar behavior as she used to, she would have to hate herself too.

The limited paths Serena and Yuri have been subject to their whole lives paints yet another close parallel between them.

Serena learns the truth about Academia from Yuzu and Shun, and eagerly takes the path that leads towards the light. She's surrounded by people willing to give her a second chance and prove herself. Yuri knows nothing except how to win duels and please Leo, and when he stops caring about the latter, he only sees a path into the darkness. Everything Yuri does at this point is a means to an end. He's going to card everyone, keep satisfying himself, let himself be absorbed and resurrect Zarc, and die. This is all there is to him; there's nothing else anymore, because Yuri is incapable of having faith in any other possibility, or in any other version of himself. He doesn't understand them. It's how it's been for as long as he can remember; why would it change?

It's never explained why Yuri suddenly stopped caring about Leo (maybe because the Arc Area Project was pretty much complete and he saw no use for Yuri anymore), but I find it really interesting how surprised Leo is when Yuri says he doesn't care about making him happy anymore. It shows that Leo genuinely believed Yuri would always be wrapped around his finger. His manipulation over Yuri is much more severe than Serena.

Perhaps there was a chance for him to escape Academia like Serena did, and Yuri briefly considers it right before the flashback, but that's impossible when he sees nothing else but what's in front of him. With Zarc's influence in full strength, Yuri thinks carding and satisfying himself is all there is. That it's all he is. Ironically, Yuri's reducing himself to what exactly Leo made him: a carding machine. Except this time, it's on his terms (like that makes it any better, because it doesn't).

What is most ironic about the paths Serena and Yuri take is that Serena goes from bad to good—an arrogant, selfish soldier with no qualms about hurting uninvolved people in the crossfire to a more compassionate fighter for justice, while Yuri goes from good to bad—a child who only saw joy and fun in dueling to a heartless attack dog. Who Yuri used to be is highly reminiscent of Yuya, who only wants to entertain and connect with people through duels, and it is that very quality that Serena eventually learns to enjoy for herself. Basically, what Yuri lost is what Serena gains, and what Serena lost is what Yuri gains.

Either way, they were both majorly screwed up by Academia and Leo.

There's definitely more analysis that can be done regarding Serena and Yuri and Yuri's character as a whole (who is unfortunately seen as one-dimensional and any further insight is even shunned by some), but with that foundation established, let's focus more on Serena's possible perspective on Yuri.

I'm running out of picture space, so part 2 continues here.

[marsprincess889]

Thoughts on ketu in purvashadha. I read your post on ketu's association with creativity but also any other observations. It's in 6h saggitarius with sun and mercury in mula. Thanks ❤

Hii

Again, rambled a lot 😭 but it's worth it.

Basically, you can read my post about ketu, I also talk about my ketu in jyeshta there but you just apply that to purva ashadha and its themes.

A good way to understand purva ashadha (and any other nakshatra) is to compare it to other nakshtaras ruled by the same planet, in this case, venus.

Bharani is venus channeled through mars(active mars, aries/1st house), which means that it takes the energies of venus and protects/defends(mars themes) them. This is mostly the origin of developing/cultivating beauty and abundance and the neccessity of gatekeeping in order to achieve that. It's also focused on self, because it's in aries, so, bharani is the nakshatra connected to physicality and the rules of the material world(in every sense), and how the female body itself is what birthes and manifests life into the material, and how its THE thing to be worshipped. I have a long post about bharani and yet I still have so much more I want to say about it 😭 but you get the gist.

Purva Phalguni is venus channeled through sun(leo/5th house) but it's more laid back, relaxed and more actively focused on enjoyment. Bharani is more passive and more focused on self-preservation than Purva Phalguni. Purva Phalguni finds pleasure in giving(Bharani is the yoni, P. Phalguni is the phallus). It's venus integrated into the identity/ego/self(sun). Bharani's self-focus is more about the literal body and basic self-awarness, P. Phalguni is about love, pleasure and art as enjoyment. Both Bharani and P. Phalguni are very sexual in nature, in different ways, but in my experience, even if natives of those two don't have much in common they still get along well, or at the very least genuinely appreciate and respect each other. Their yoni animals are said to have a special relationship(elephant and rat).

Now to Purva Ashadha, which is not as sexual(not usually and not overtly at least) as other venus nakshatras. It's venus channeled through jupiter, so, venus here is focused on expansion and philosophies. This is venus energies being idolized, moralized and "promoted", so to speak. It's literally what it sounds like. Purva Ashadha is about gaining alliances to secure your victory, about determination. I think out of all venus nakshatras purva ashadhas have the most potential to be snobbish, just because it has a tendency to moralize beauty and art. There obviously is a lot of truth in one thing being superior to another, but unevolved purva ashadhas are the ones that fail to realize that some things they claim to be objectively good might just be enjoyed by them, but they don't back down easily. I just realized how propagandist this nakshatra can be omg. Anyways, aside from that, evolved ones know when to be not bother with trying to prove their superiority and realize that the oens who are meant to share their ideals and be their true allies will naturally reveal themselves.

The thing about ketu is that you yourself know it best. It's verrrryyyy personal. It's literally yoir past lives stored together, your most primal and familiar part, so, if you're asking someone else what its about you're kinda doing it wrong, cause no one else can tell you about that part of yourself(any part of yourself, actually, but this part esp. so). I think you already have an innate understanding of your ketu, I think everyone does. It's what you've known since very early childhood, it's what you think your past life was like, it's those themes and energies you know too well. Ketu is stillness, the hidden, the transcendental. It's your foundation, it's the conqueror, it's where YOU set the rules, because you have a clean slate. It's about liberation.

Btw, if you see a lot of posts nudging you towards rahu cause it's the future and your destiny, do the opposite cause rahu is already a very high-alert, hyper-aware, anxious place in a chart and since rahu is always connected to ketu, ketu is what gives you the power to achieve your destiny. Rahu will make you aimlessly chase different things, thinking it's doing a good job, but ketu has the real power, in a sense that it has a real knowing understanding of what its doing, without being aware that it is. Rahu thinks it knows and it does not, Ketu does not even know there's anything to know and it just naturally moves. So, I'd advise to not fall into the trap of looking oitside of yourself, thinking there's something to do. Find the stillness within yourself and you'll discover things you probably did not even know were there. Be natural, be detached, be yourself and I think you'll connect to your ketu.

I'd love to know if this has resonated with you.

[lullabyalikpoptarot]

Jin and Jungkook Dynamic Reading

Alright, time for this requested reading of the eldest and maknae of this group. I did find their bond to be adorable. The two that just adore to bicker, or we call them the bickering duo, so let's take a deeper look to their dynamic and see what is going on energetically.

Overall energy: There energy seems very confusing to me looking at all these cards, so their overall energy is Leo energy and the Star card. So, there is something about them both being the star. Both seem pretty confident in themselves withing this dynamic. They both may boast to one another and want some sort of attention from one another. I am just getting, look at me see what I can do from one another. It seems these two like to appear better in front of another, like they want to prove something to one another. I am not seeing a deep connection here overall.

Jin's energy: So, his archetypes are the Slave card and Virgin card. He seems to just let things flow in this bond. I don't see him putting much effort here. He puts faith that things will work out for them. To just accept things as they are. Maybe he allows Jungkook to pull more of the strings, which is weird since he is older. This Slave card confuses me for him.

Now, with the Virgin card. I can see this as him wanted to show a pure image. He doesn't want to appear weak, vulnerable or flawed in front of Jungkook. There is a pureness and an innocence he likes to keep around Jungkook. He seems shy and timid around Jungkook. I don't really see him being that open with him.

Now, this is where I get really confused, these cards make no sense. So, the 8 of Wands is about fast movement, lots of excitement, so he has fun with Jungkook. This may seem he has lots of fun around Jungkook. But then you get the 3 of Wands, which is stillness, he is making no sense to me here. I can see this card as the ride or die card. It seems he will do anything for Jungkook. I can also see this as he doesn't take the leap or put himself out there when it comes to Jungkook, like he waits for him to make the move.

Now, he got the 3 of Swords, this is about being hurt and communicating that to others. I don't see him being able to communicate his pain to him though, but maybe he has. There is something he is upset about when it comes to Jungkook, maybe this means they could hurt each other's feelings from time to time. Or he has yelled at him and said hurtful things to him. This can also indicate being hurt by a third party. They may have played a role in this as well.

And now he takes me to the temperance card, which is about peace, stillness and compromise. So, this is showing me even if they have their differences, they find a way to come to a compromise and work things out. There seems to be a calmness to this bond he does stress, or maybe since these two are apart, this is why I am seeing this stillness. I do see him showing there is distance between them and that could be upsetting to him as well. man, this dude is so hard to understand, he is not the best communicator.

His guidance is the Koala Spirit, this card is asking him to put himself out there more and trust others. I feel Jin closes himself off from others because he does not want to get hurt, which creates difficulties in bonds with others. He has to work on opening himself up to the universe and others. I feel he is always trying to seek pleasure and happiness in life, which affects his bonds with others. If he sits back and appreciates what he has. He can learn to appreciate the people around him, but he seems hyper focused on his own satisfaction to entertain or engage with his close companions. This could create distance and a disconnect from friendships. If he relaxes and chills a bit, he can make time for his friendships with others.

Jungkook's energy: This is very interesting to see him with the Mother archetype. You would think this would be Jin's energy, so this is weird. He may be pretty protective and nurturing when it comes to Jin. He seems to show him a lot of love and support. He may be the one that gives Jin the assurance he needs.

Now, with the Martyr, he will help him no matter what and put his neck on the line for Jin. He seems to be more of the open one and the one willing to put himself out there. I can also see this with the Fool card. He is a bit more carefree when it comes to this bond. Jungkook doesn't think too much or worry too much about things when it comes to this bond.

He may feel really sad and down that they aren't around each other. He feels some sort of loss or ending is happening with these two. Maybe a new chapter is happening with this bond. He feels a bit neglected and left out. He may feel he doesn't get much support from him as well. It seems things have changed in their bond, but it could be due to them being separate right now, but these changes make him sad. I just get a sense that Jungkook puts a bit more effort to this bond than Jin does. And that could upset him.

Now, his guidance is Parrot spirit, which states watch your words, so as I mentioned he may say some hurtful stuff from time to time. Maybe this is what pushes Jin away at times. Didn't I also get from him in another bond that he may say things about someone to others? I think I did, so this is cautioning him to be careful of what he says about Jin to others, maybe that is why Jin closes himself off, who knows. Also, he may overthink what is happening and create his own storylines of what is happening, but it is his own thoughts are not necessarily the truth of the situation. He may need to be cautious of the words he says to himself, Jin and others. That might get him in trouble from time to time. Jungkook may struggle to communicate in an effective and diplomatic manner, which may cause strains in this dynamic.

Whew that was a difficult one. I don't feel this bond is all that great as an observer here, very little communication on both ends, not much of an emotional connection either. Yeah, they support each other, but I don't really see trust, commitment, loyalty and much love here, but hey, this is the energy now, who knows if this is how it always is, but as of now, not much of a relationship here to be honest.

[myokk]

i'd love to see 13 and 20 from the OC asks for eloise and/or leo!! 😽

Hi!’😙💓😙💓 thank you for the ask!!!!! These ones were fun to think about bc I didn’t think anybody would ask them😆

13) Their embarrassing memory from years ago

Growing up, Eloise never really felt embarrassment. She only knew three people (her parents and Leo) until she was twelve, and at home the only things guiding her life was doing things the right way or the wrong way (the whims of her mother). Because of this, (before Hogwarts) most of Eloise’s embarrassing memories happened at the muggle finishing school when she started to associate with girls her own age.

For Eloise, what fills her with the most shame and embarrassment is when she clearly doesn’t understand what’s happening but everyone else does. When she first arrived, she was trying her hardest to fit in but there was just SO MUCH of muggle culture that she had never learned that quite often she was ostracized for being strange. Yes, her French was flawless (she IS a Black, after all), but how could she not have known who the queen was? How could she never have heard of the Brontë sisters, or Jane Austen? The other girls caught on quite quickly that for some reason she knew NOTHING, and they always had fun putting her on the spot. Her muggle fiancé’s mother would also meet up with her and criticize every part of her manner and appearance as well, trying to shape Eloise into the perfect future wife. All of this is the reason why she doesn’t want anyone to pay attention to her at Hogwarts and why she’s working so hard to PROVE that she deserves to be there. You’ll never catch Eloise again not knowing the answer to a question or showing any weakness😤

Leo, on the other hand, was always being paid attention to. He was their parents only focus once he showed his magic and they could present him as their heir, and the rest of the magical world had their eyes on him. Being the sole heir to the Babbit fortune (their father was also an only child) makes him quite the catch and so many families are trying to get into the Babbits good graces to potentially arrange a match between their children (now that Eloise has been announced to the world, the same thing is beginning to happen with her…). Since he started Hogwarts there have been a lot of embarrassing things to happen. Valentine’s Day is a holiday he particularly dreads every year💓💓💓 he has started staying in the Slytherin common room for the whole day, especially after his fourth-year when a secret admirer bribed some pixies to follow him around and sing love songs all day.

20) Their reaction to a mystery love letter

Eloise is SUCH a hopeless romantic…her mind would probably immediately start racing with all of the possibilities of who it could be (only imagining Sebastian…😇…it wasn’t him😆) and she would involuntarily smile every time she read it, picturing him writing it to her. Even if it WASNT him, I think she would start being a bit more affectionate with him, trying to push things a bit…once Sebastian finds out SOMEBODY ELSE😳 wrote HIS Eloise a love letter😤😤😤 To be honest, he would probably find out (through Anne) that Eloise thought it was from him and he would lean into it….taking advantage of it and writing her BETTER love letters that aren’t a SECRET😤😤💓

Leo is kind of used to them by now, and when he sees a letter tucked into his arithmancy book he doesn’t really give it a second glance. Another one, he thinks to himself. But…he finds himself pulling it out and reading it before leaving the library for the night. The writing is so captivating, the secret author seems to just get him…Leo finds emotions waking up inside of him that he never felt before😳 Who wrote this???? Now, he finds himself sometimes looking around during breakfast, between classes, trying to figure out who the author is👀

(Leo thinking about the letter)

[lumiambrose]

               I match you with Reo!! 

For starters, you two are really similar in the type of people you prefer; both of you are looking for people who can peak your interests. Honestly, with how Reo treats and handles Nagi, you can definitely tell that he will never treat you as a second choice or fallback option. Once Reo finds a "gem", he'll never let go of it, no matter what happens. 

With how both of you are really intelligent, getting along in the academic sense won't be a problem! Furthermore, although it's not explicitly stated anywhere, I feel Reo would definitely be interested in learning programming  with you! ^o^ 

Also, I feel Reo can definitely bring out the best in you, while you can naturally bring out the best in him too! Reo is driven and idealistic— he's trying to prove his self-worth, as he sees winning the world cup as a way to prove his existence, and he's determined. His determination carries on to how he acts towards the people whom he cares for. Honestly, you remind me a lot of Nagi, so I feel he would also try to give you the motivation, support and comfort to help you do your best (while also respecting your boundaries). Whenever you're feeling unmotivated or lazy, he'd always be there, trying to encourage you to have fun, perhaps gaming, going out, or even playing volleyball with you! He'd also love spending time with you, whether it be talking about each other's days or even just sitting together in each other's presence.

On the other hand.. Reo tends to sometimes think his worth lies in what he can provide and accomplish, and hence sometimes meet with huge barriers that gets him down. With how loyal you are, you'd be the perfect match to get him going again! (loyalty, a quality both of you share, is another reason why I think you two would work out really well!)

Reo is also just like a chameleon— adapting and changing to his surroundings based on the situation at hand. Just like how you also have different preferences based on the situation, he does too! And it just so happens that both of your way of thinking is pretty similar— so discourse in terms of decisions won't be an issue. 

Reo is also a pretty big fan of physical touch with his loved ones, and also definitely would love to gift you things that you like too! Look at this really pretty designer black bag through a glass window for too long? It's hanging with a small note attached on your hanger the next day. Feel your court shoes wearing out? You've got the most comfortable court shoes of your size Reo could find on your shoe rack the next day. Reo would definitely treasure whatever you gift him too! Whether it be bought or handmade, he'd probably keep it in a collection in his room to admire, and if it's portable he'll probably keep it with him wherever he goes as a good luck charm, even to his matches <3

Looking at your personality types and zodiac signs, you guys are also perfectly compatible! Seriously.... Leo x Gemini is one of the healthiest and top matches ever, and INTJ and ENTJs help to work on each other's weaknesses while also maintaining a healthy relationship. 

Your style in clothing has also got to be Reo's ideal. Literally everything about it, from the colour scheme down to the style. Definitely compliments you even before you start dating on how your fit looks! 

He'd also DEFINITELY show up to everyone of your volleyball games, cheering you on (and would also send you home in his fancy car while yapping about how cool you were!! :3 ) 

That being said though, Reo would love to introduce you to Nagi too! You three would probably play games together while Nagi mumbles about how he doesn't want to be a third wheeler yet still stays LOL 

other possible matches who might work: sae, hiyori, nagi

OH MY GODDDDD VAL YOU OUTDID YOURSELF!!!

this is my second reo pairing and it’s making me giggle so much 🤭

fucks sake this is so good

thank you for the match up exchange!!! <33

[mistressoftherant-blog]

TMNT Crossover Fics and Trauma

Something I find really weird about some writers in the TMNT fandom is the absolute insistence that if a bunch of different iterations met up, they would all be horrified at what happened in Rise, being shocked that they've gone through such terrible things at their age, and then would coddle the living daylights out of the 18 boys after learning about their Krang/Shredder. Warning, spoilers ahead.

Don't get me wrong, the Rise boys do go through a lot of traumatising incidents at a young age, and if you consider the other turtles to be older than them when they meet they probably would try to help out. It's just, every iteration of the turtles goes through a lot of traumatising events at a young age, and most crossover fics just seem to sweep these under the rug to prioritise Rise.

I guess this is fine if Rise is your fave version and that's all you want to look at, but it always comes across as weird to me when you have characters from 12 for instance being like oh no, 'one of you got possessed and forced to fight the others, one of you got melded with a piece of tech, one of you almost got locked in a prison dimension, and your city was invaded by Krang, etc, I can't even imagine the suffering you have been through', when all of these things have happened to the 12 boys before, some even multiple times.

They've all been possessed/mind controlled and used against their brothers, Donnie merged with the Speed Demon, the Krang have invaded their city, their entire world was destroyed! Same with 03, they've been possessed/mind controlled, their city was taken over by the Demon Shredder (and Don saw the SAINW Shredder controlled world), they had to fight at least five Shredders, one of whom was also a demon, etc etc Also, as most of the other series ran for longer than Rise (trust me, I am also annoyed that we didn't get more of the 18 boys as 18 was the first show to properly get me into TMNT and I do love it), they also went through more traumatic events than the 18 boys.

Again, I am not trying to say that what the 18 boys went through isn't traumatic, because they definitely had a lot of bad stuff happen to them. But it does feel so weird to dimish everything that the other turtles went through when they were pretty much the same age as the Rise boys.

Take, Donnie: In 03 he's double mutated at least twice, tortured by an invasive mind probe that also electrocuted him, lost a friend to another dimension, got sent to an alternative future and learns that another of his friend and his father are dead before he watched his brothers get killed in front of him, believed himself to be responsible for the loss of his father and went through his own mini depression arc trying to cope with thlle guikt whilst working to bring him back, and that's all off the top of my head.

Poor 12 Donnie... he has died multiple times one of which was beinh literally torn apart on a molecular level by a possessed version of the girl he loves, has also been double mutated and/or possessed multiple times (not sure whether being turned into a vampire counts more as death or mutation), has immense guilt over a variety of things that aren't actually his fault (Leo's coma, when they thought Splinter died during the first invasion, everything that happened with Pulverizer), has also been tortured via electrocution to the head, spent an episode being beaten up by his mind controlled brothers only for them to be snapped out of it pizza, is constantly pressured to be able to fix/solve everything and is frequently told he isnt good enough etc etc

Again, these are examples for just 03 and 12 Donnie that come from the top of my head. Looking at other iterations and characters would make this post even longer than it already is, but I think the Donnie examples alone are enough to prove my point.

In conclusion, if you are writing a crossover fic with Rise as the central point of focus, that is completely fine! If you want to mainly prioritise looking at their trauma because the others are older than that is valid. I just wanted to point out that it can come across a little weirdly if you have some of the characters being completely horrified by the events of Rise, and acting like they could never even begin to understand what they have been through when they've all had similar trauma in their own pasts. Or when you have a bunch of characters being like, 'Oh you almost died, you are turning my scales grey', when they have all almost or actually died multiple times.

It's just a little funny to me for example to have any of the 12 sibling act like, 'I can't even imagine how much you must have suffered when you thought Leo was lost in the prison dimension' when their Donnie has legitimately been killed in a horrific way in front of them, their dad has been 'killed' in front of them multiple times, their own Leo pulls self sacrificial stunts, their entire world was destroyed in front of them, etc

This may just be me coming across as a little bitter but, if you are doing a crossover, it doesn't make sense to me why you would just ignore all the events of the other shows completely in order to make it sound like Rise had it the absolute worst. It seems like it would make more sense to have the characters relating to one another around shared or similar traumas 🤷‍♀️

[nerves-nebula]

apologies if someone’s already asked before but; does raph ever feel guilty he didn’t “stop” leo from becoming a little monster as the oldest sibling. obviously there’s not much he could’ve done, plus he’s only like a year older

they’re all so mad at leo and rightly so because she mistreated them badly, but do they realize she’s also a victim, just differently? or does it take them longer to realize this.

i keep thinking about the bit where you said leo promised to be on her best behavior at the farmhouse but since she didnt know how to behave normally she just started treating everyone the way she treats splinter. that is so heartbreaking for everyone involved. terrible implications for leo but also imagine being one of her brothers and she starts treating you the way she treats your abusive parent. i imagine it would be confusing at best

YEAH I MEAN YEAH I MEAN. yeah. yes to all of this.

Raph feels bad about it sometimes but he's gotten more ANGRY than self blaming in the past few years. he remembers Leo being nice and he hates that Leo is just kind of a dickhead now. he wonders if there's anything he could have done but, oh well, nothing he says matters to Leo anymore. it's too late :( (or so he thinks)

And yea, I think they all sort of vaguely know that Leo is also a victim. especially Mikey, who's the most aware of how fucked up and abusive their situation is. But it's hard to remember that when the abused person in question is actively tormenting you. there's only so much sympathy you can have before you tell him to fuck off haha.

no spoilers, but they DO learn more about the specifics of Leo's abuse/fucked up upbringing when they go into her mind but uh. that's a comic for another time!

Leo treating them like Splinter mostly means being really good about doing... basically whatever they want. which is weird and kind of nice at first (hey, leo is getting me a cup of water! that's nice! And he's helping with dinner, cool!)

but it's also being very formal and respectful, and they very quickly get uncomfortable cause Leo is like.. openly desperate to not have his devotion questioned. he wants to prove he's a good brother, he wants their approval so bad it's painfully awkward. he'll stand off to the side separated from them as if he's their servant who's only there to fetch things. he doesn't know how to joke around with them and treat them with "respect" (aka like Splinter) at the same time, so he just temporarily stops acting like their peer and instead acts like hes beneath them. like a tool or something.

Which makes them realize that is if this is how Leo acts when its just him and Splinter then,,, like, fucking yikes, yknow?

but pointing that out just makes Leo feel like he's failing at Being a Good Brother fadshfuahsghusadg. rough times.