#I feel bad posting about real life people but also this info is easy to find online

[sporco-filth]

I'd call this a Slob Spotlight but it's kind of not that slobby. But it's a guy I really want to talk about.

Chikara Omine, who had a Youtube account called Chikaranese, is a runner who is notable for his all junk food diet and his penchant for eating challenges.

One of my favourites of his (and the first I saw) was called 'my tribute to junk food' where he espouses the virtues of junk food and defends it against its critics. But he also did one where he dieted by only eating junk food and there was another fun one where he ate from Burger King every day using coupons he'd stored up.

See the thing is, Chikara is fit. Like he is a runner and he eats a lot because he burns it off. So that diet was legitimately calorie cutting, just he didn't really eat any vegetables.

But regardless, what made me love his work was the things he'd say:

"Sometimes I have to be vegetarian and eat chicken but a challenge is a challenge"

"they messed up my order and gave me a diet coke. Are they trying to starve me?" (takes a sip) "Blegh"

And below the break, there's a transcript I wrote from memory of 'My Tribute to Junk Food'.

See, the thing is, all of his videos have gone now. I guess he decided to remove them. A lot of commentors were convinced he'd died because of his diet, but he's still alive and running.

Nowadays, I save videos I really like because you never know what will happen, but his were already gone by the time I started doing that. The only one I found was an eating video of him on someone else's channel:

This was 14 years ago. I have no interest in disturbing this guy and I don't think he's interested in eating challenges these days. But man his videos were fun.

(also don't look this guy up. all you'll find is stuff about marathon running and maybe a brief mention of him liking junk food. If there were more, I'd have included it.)

Anyway, like I said, read his tribute to junk food below it's good except my memory failed here and there (I watched it almost a decade ago) so there are a couple of parts I'm less certain of

(this image is from the coupon challenge but it gives you an idea of the scene because it's the same background) (in case you wonder how I got it, someone posted a screenshot of it in a competitive eating forum or something)

When most people think of junk food they think of a negative thing. However, I see "junk food" as a delicious source of energy. [Chikara grabs a candy bar from behind him] Of course, I like candy bars, but I also like: [scene change to a table full of receipts] Fast food. My favourites include Burger King, Taco Bell and Seven Eleven. In the past year, I came way to this much in receipts. [return to Chikara who is now eating the bar] I rely on junk food to keep myself from starving. [scene change to fridge filled with various junk foods] In order to do that, I need to keep my fridge well stocked and not waste any space on things such as vegetables. [vegetable crisper (?) opens and is revealed to be empty] [scene change to Chikara in a gym on a scale] I credit junk food for keeping my weight down and blood pressure healthy. (? I forget the exact wording) [camera moves to show his weight, which is low] [return to Chikara] Although I don't care much for vegetables, it's not like I don't eat them at all. Some of the vegetables I eat include: [scene changes to Chikara with a bag of popcorn] Corn! [Chikara eats a handful while text below reads 'note: pop "corn"'] [scene changes to Chikara with a bag of chips] Potatoes! [Chikara eats a handful while text below reads 'note: "potato" chips'] [scene changes to Chikara with a bowl of soup] Mushrooms! [Chikara eats a spoonful while text below reads 'note: cream of "mushroom"'] [scene changes to Chikara holding a pizza slice] And there's lots of veggies on pizza! [return to Chikara] Junk food is tasty, but sometimes I can make it taste even better. The following are some of my favourite … and others I have tried more recently… [scene change to Chikara's hands holding a bag of popcorn and a butter block] They say extra butter, but you can always add more. Add a stick of butter to get what I like to call the "butterball". [cut to Chikara's face as he eats the "butterball" and smiles, giving a thumbs up] Mmm, oily. [scene change to a glass of soda and a bottle of green syrup] Soda is sweet, but you can always make it sweeter by adding syrup. [chikara adds the syrup to the soda and drinks] [scene changes to show a donut, a tub of icing and a tub of caramel] You can add frosting and caramel to make a caramel-frosted Krispy Kreme donut. [he coats the donut with the two as he says it then eats it, smiling] [scene change to show a pizza slice on a plate] Marshmallows go great on pizza. [he sprinkles marshmallows on then puts it in the microwave]

[Chikara eats a candy bar] Mm, so good. In conclusion, I'd just like to say: stay healthy, and eat plenty of junk food!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for advising a woman to get married?

Maybe I'm digging my own grave because this website is very US centric but I'm hoping you see where I'm coming from. I (mid 20s M) come from a culture where arranged marriage is the norm. I have this friend Maya (early 20s F) who also comes from a similar culture, but the difference is that hers values consent more, whereas where I live, only the parents have a say in the matter. We also have a USAmerican friend Jade (late 20s F) who will make an appearance at the end.

Maya is a sex repulsed Ace, and she kept saying she will stay single forever. I know what the situation for women in her country is like, it would be very difficult to live without a husband. One day she made a vent post saying how her parents keep asking her to reconsider, that they are worried about her being alone for the rest of her life, and her father is worried about who will financially support her after he dies.

She didn't come out to her parents, no use of doing it since they won't even understand what Asexuality is. All she did say that she refused to marry a man she wasn't in love with, and implied she will never fall for one. She's trying too hard to prove she can be an independent woman.

Her family, out of concern, told her that marriage isn't about love. She can marry someone who she is compatible with and get along just fine. That many people don't end up married to the love of their lives and even if they do, they end up losing the spark anytime but stay because they built a loving home together.

I don't find this a bad thing. Stability is very important in marriage. I mean sure, I wish I could marry the love of my life, but if my parents decided that my next door neighbor would be my wife, I would go along with it because that's just how things are where I live.

I told Maya this and she got upset with me. She said my case was different because I'm a guy (??) And because I was hetero.

I told her to value her culture more, and she has the advantage over me because she can actually CHOOSE her spouse. She got angry and said I wasn't being considerate of her feelings, and she'd rather die than be touched by a man, which frankly is making me worried.

I told her she wasn't being realistic. She is fine for now, but she will suffer in the future. Being single in our cultures is very difficult and she needs to give up. She replied with long paragraphs about how she doesn't care. I say this because I care about her as a friend, and her parents from what she described are good people too and they care about her too. She doesn't appreciate it and thinks she can live alone for the rest of her life. Unlike the west, roommates arrangements aren't available here. If she loses her family, she becomes dependent on relatives who may or may not be available. Frankly I think she's very influenced by the western lifestyle which will get her nowhere in real life. And she's disabled and works a minimum wage too.

Maya stopped talking to me for days. The whole discussion was a on a public post so by the time our mutual friend Jade woke up (different time zones) she read the whole post and came to scream at me in DMs. Jade was Ace herself, she told me I was being sexist and acephobic. I told Jade that wasn't my intention but she should stay out of our business because she can't relate to our cultures and isn't being helpful to Maya, and she has it easy because she has the resources available that allow her to be independent.

AITA for wanting my friend to realize she's being unrealistic and things won't work for her in the future?

What are these acronyms?

[katzkinder]

Okay so the dichotomy between your Sakuya Cherry Bomb idea and Yarra's Kuro vtuber is hilarious to me because like.

Sakuya: Fans only know him as Cherry Bomb and don't know anything about him outside of his music.

Vs

Kuro: Vtuber Lore is literally just his life but it should be fine because people dont know vampires are real.

I FUCKING FOUND IT. LINK TO THE CHERRY BOMB POST 🍒💣

Anyway one of the reasons for the difference is I headcanon Sakuya as being a 90s kid! as in, he died in the 90s--

This, naturally, makes him a lot more wary about the info he puts out there on the internet, but it also means his internet experience was molded by Ye Olden Days when creators were a lot less available to their fanbases and interacted with them very little, if at all.

He doesn't even have a fanart hub, and his icon is just a random street in tokyo he thought looked nice.

His classmates REALLY do not get why Sakuya is so paranoid, so Sakuya shows them how easy it would be for a super dedicated person to figure out exactly where Mahiru’s apartment is using his cooking tutorial videos (uploaded under the channel name "Sunny Mama" courtesy of Kuro) and basic realtor research

Things like Mahiru apologizing for any construction noise and using the time stamp to figure out which apartment complexes had construction in their vicinity during that time, floor plans, how even his living situation and the model of his appliances can all be used to narrow down the area he lives in.

“He lives with his uncle and the camera man, which means at least two rooms. We can see the stove top and the front of the oven, so I take a screenshot of that and… Ah, this is the brand. Now I research the model. Okay, I have two components. He mentions that he walks to school, so that’s a two bedroom apartment in Tokyo within walking distance of a high school with good quality appliances, which means I can rule out a lot of run down complexes. This grocery bag was in frame during this video, and a high school kid Mahiru’s age wouldn’t have a license, so now I add that name of the store to my list of things I know are around the complex because when you go grocery shopping, you don’t want to carry the bags a long distance home…”

The faces of his friends are full of horror.

"And that’s not even getting into the drinking with uncle segment that happens in their living room, with full view of the balcony because Mahiru hates the place getting musty so he leaves the curtains open a lot. Knowing what buildings are viewable from there can also tell someone where a place is, especially if you’re thorough enough to consider the angle you’re seeing everything at.” Sakuya glances up and closes his laptop. “So, yeah.”

Mahiru makes a Noise, fretting, "Wait, so what do I do now??"

Sakuya feels a little bad for scaring his friend, but it's for his own good! “Keep your curtains closed, make sure the screws in your door frame are the really long kind to prevent someone from just kicking the door off its hinges, don’t get electronic locks because it’s stupid easy to trick those into unlocking, and just… Be more careful? Wear a mask from now on and go back and edit footage to remove your face from the visible shot. Try and keep things focused on your hands instead, maybe…”

"Should I get rid of the drinking with uncle part? Since that always focuses on Uncle Tooru's reactions..."

"He’s a grown up and an old man. Nobody’s going to be interested in pulling him into a windowless white van unless it’s those creep show friends of his…”

"Wh--Why would anyone be interested in pulling me into a windowless white van?!"

"Sex trafficking."

"Eh?"

"Or stealing your organs."

"Eh?"

“Or even just some obsessive pervert who’s built up some kind of fantasy in their head that you’re fated for one another but you just don’t realize it yet.”

"What."

As you can tell. Yeah. Sakuya really internalized those 90s internet safety psas. He's also well acquainted with the idea of a very dedicated stalker for. Reasons.

Tsubaki voice: that boy just isn't right...

[wikifuck]

Writeblr intro

Hello! I'm KAKi, I go by he/him and I write original fiction (I suppose if I were to find a fandom I liked I would write fanfiction too)

About my writing:

I like writing character-based stories, so my main genre is romance, but I love learning and branching out. I like having a "gimmick" in my work, so I often write fantasy because magic gives more variety.

I like writing short stories and novellas that usually turn into series. I want my work to be easy to jump into and satisfying to put down once you are done reading. This is probably a bad marketing tactic, but I don't mind being unmarketable.

I generally strive to write stuff I would myself want to read. This means grounded, soft and cosy stuff where most conflict comes from the world and not from the relationships. I don't really care for melodrama. I had a traumatic childhood, so I like seeing the characters I like happy and thriving. I also try to keep my casts of characters diverse and nuanced, feeling more like real people than characters. Is this an impossible task? Maybe, but I like having a goal to work toward.

You can find my Wattpad and my first book here. I have so far published a fantasy romance novella, a collection of fantasy short stories and some standalone horror short stories.

My WIPs:

You can find the post containing my WIPs here

Genres:

-Fluffy Romance

-Fantasy

About me:

I was born in 2002 and I live in Finland

I started writing regularly in 2020, but I have been a storyteller all my life. I lost quite a few friends as a kid due to info dumping to them about my stories too much ^^'

I'm neurodivergent and part of the lgbta+ community

I have a fascination with psychology and families/family trees, and I incorporate both into my writing

I would like to be a director of my own show one day

Why am I here?

I started this blog in hopes of finding new friends, finding mentors and peers who like reading/writing and getting feedback on my writing and how to improve the way I write characters from different groups and backgrounds.

I would like to encourage constructive feedback on this page as much as possible. As an autistic person, I find the lack of feedback in my normal life frustrating.

Suggest me things, ask me things, infodump to me about the shit you like, introduce me to your fav Thing and get me to make it my whole personality for a week!

When it comes to beta and alpha reading, I'm of course always looking for new ones as my projects move forward, and I will also do it for you in bite-sized chunks.

For anyone worried about spam liking/reblogging/commenting, don't be. Give me all of it. And feel free to tag me in any games, tho maybe DM me how they work first in case I'm too chickenshit to ask.

[lovesongbracket]

Reminder: Vote based on the song, not the artist or specific recording! The tracks referenced are the original artist, aside from a few rare cases where a cover is the most widely known.

Lyrics, videos, info, and notable covers under the cut. (Spotify playlist available in pinned post)

Call Me Maybe

Written By: Carly Rae Jepsen, Josh Ramsay & Tavish Crowe

Artist: Carly Rae Jepsen

Released: 2011

“Call Me Maybe” is a song by Canadian pop icon Carly Rae Jepsen. It initially served as the lead single for her original second studio album Curiosity, which was cut down to a 6 track EP just days before its release. After the immense success this song had, managing to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week of June 23rd, 2012; as well as being named “Song of the Summer” for that year by several publications, she embarked on a quick journey to make her second full-length studio album (and first worldwide release) Kiss, for which Call Me Maybe also served as the lead single. Lyrically, the song is about a crush. The writing is straightforward and visual, with lines such as “Ripped jeans, skin was showing”. The simplicity of the lyrics, as well as their relatability, makes the song easy to latch on to and enjoy. Sonically, the song is mainly held together by a four-on-the-floor style drum pattern, as well as string sounds that shine from the very start of the track until the end, where they slow down and get pitched to bring the energy to a stop. The song has been described as being “Bubblegum Pop”, referring to it’s light and sugary feel.

[Verse 1] I threw a wish in the well Don't ask me, I'll never tell I looked to you as it fell And now you're in my way I trade my soul for a wish Pennies and dimes for a kiss I wasn't looking for this But now you're in my way [Pre-Chorus] Your stare was holdin' Ripped jeans, skin was showin' Hot night, wind was blowin' Where you think you're going, baby? [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Verse 2] You took your time with the call I took no time with the fall You gave me nothin' at all But still you're in my way I beg and borrow and steal At first sight and it's real I didn't know I would feel it But it's in my way [Pre-Chorus] Your stare was holdin' Ripped jeans, skin was showin' Hot night, wind was blowin' Where you think you're going, baby? [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Post-Chorus] Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad I missed you so bad I missed you so, so bad Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad And you should know that I missed you so, so bad [Bridge] It's hard to look right at you, baby But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Chorus] Hey, I just met you and this is crazy But here's my number, so call me, maybe And all the other boys try to chase me But here's my number, so call me, maybe [Post-Chorus] Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad I missed you so bad I missed you so, so bad Before you came into my life, I missed you so bad And you should know that So call me, maybe

Like Real People Do

Written By: Hozier

Artist: Hozier

Released: 2014

Alternate version included: Live in America, 2015

This song is a metaphor. Hozier uses “bog bodies” in Ireland, bodies which are exhumed after centuries of natural mummification, to describe a new relationship.

[Verse 1] I had a thought, dear, however scary About that night, the bugs and the dirt Why were you digging? What did you bury Before those hands pulled me from the earth? [Chorus] I will not ask you where you came from I will not ask and neither should you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do [Verse 2] I knew that look, dear: eyes always seeking Was there in someone that dug long ago So I will not ask you why you were creeping In some sad way, I already know [Chorus] So I will not ask you where you came from I would not ask and neither would you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We should just kiss like real people do [Chorus] I could not ask you where you came from I could not ask and neither could you Honey, just put your sweet lips on my lips We could just kiss like real people do

[trans-leek-cookie]

the thingw the orcs in dunmeshi is sth i skirt around bc like u said it is. not a great modern take on orcs. obv not the worst it could be and kui at least did engage w trying to write a more involved lore on them rather than just having this be the same “orcs are big uncivilized brutes” version 8000000 but that element is still there. and i do think “its not the worst” is hardly what i would want to set my highest expectations to jdhdgksgd

tumblrs being a bitch n not letting me put images in so I'll just paste the text from the other ask

Nodding. ty for the info on the ways halfling racism can be compared to irl examples in “the middle east” like that rly is such a close comparison i wonder if it was at all intentional… AND FR on the whole . wishing we knew what they called themselves bc the “halfling” “half foot” thing i rly cant help but think abt how it feels like irl examples of certain groups being denigrated to category slurs its like. LOL. dunmeshi makinh me feel party to fictional racism and microaggressions against my will...

Idk Abt skirting around bc I think it's smthn we should face head on, but at the same time I'm not in a place where I can really add onto the discussion wrt orcs as a white/East Asian person. IIRC ppl have said tolkiens orcs are black and/or central Asian (Mongolian I believe) coded, which is meaningful cause he's influenced so much of modern fantasy, and thats. Y'know. Not great. Also the orcs in dungeon Meshi are essentially an indigenous group from what I remember so that's also a whole mess. Again, my opinions arent very meaningful when it comes to this, but I feel like it's incredibly disappointing to see an author who's clearly capable of nuanced and interesting commentary on racism in the context of real life and fiction (even if it's not always great it's clear she's thinking about it in some depth) really just. Fall back on tropes. Bc for the other races - human is a wider category than usual, tall men aren't always the Everyman, elves are long lived but that doesn't make them wiser, and halflings are mature, worldly and resourceful, which I feel like does a lot to break free of typical fantasy pigeon holeing. But the orcs are just sorta... The Bad Guy but Not That Bad I guess? Theoretically it's a departure from the "super evil forever no exceptions" idea of the but it's still so far behind what needs to be done to make it less of a lazy, racist trope.

Yeah, again I'm not west Asian or Arab like I said, but between reading stuff ppl online write n talking to my Iraqi friend + rereading dungeon Meshi and really trying to analyze it, it kinda stood out to me. I will say I was a little unconfident posting about it bc it's 3 things (4 if you count the name note) but theyre still really notable at least to me. The hand/foot cutting is I feel the most explicit? Because that's such a fucked up stereotype it just stands out immediately. I don't necessarily know if the half foot/middle east connection was intentional, because I assume Japan/Asia in general has a different relationship with West Asia (since they are the "far east" in comparison, so "Middle East" wouldnt really make sense?), but it could be one of those things that colonialism managed to spread. I'm not very knowledgeable about that, but even if it wasn't intentional I think it's a very interesting parallel in how language can be used to categorize people as "normal/other". So i can't say if its intentional or not, but it's definitely an interesting lens to consider the story thru. Id also say I believe halflings are said to be native to a place that's east from where the story takes place, but not the eastern continent (which is p much easy Asia). I've seen some ppl take this to mean eastern Europe, and I don't think that's wrong, but I think u could also think of it as west Asia? Idk if we ever got much info on it in story, so I might be missing some details. (Honestly I'd personally HC that halflings are generally mixed Eastern European/West Asian- not to conflate the two, but rather Im imaging the majority of them are in a kinda blended culture).

[aleisters]

Hey no offense!! But there is an issue with hcing a racial oppressor who is canonically such, as a part of a marginalized group he would oppress irl. Cullen is a creep to the fem mages in dao, going as far as imagining the individual who he was made to watch over (reminds me of that nazi/jewish person in concentration camp fanfic) as the whole desire demon tricking him *again* Cullen is uh... well he is apart of a group that can be considered by some as comparative to nazi-ism, white superiority... the police.... etc Hcing him as such is a bit... obtuse when he is in fact someone who is a horrible person towards these racial groups and never apologizes with both his writing and character blaming it on addiction.

as a poc myself, I understand taking characters and hcing them as ur race is really important! But in this case it seems exceptionally... well it sounds chronically online, but it's a bit shitty

theres a difference between a noncanon trans character who isnt transphobic being hced as trans, and a character being hced as a race he would be prejudiced against (even the characters coded in game as such he's racist against. but thats also racist writing)

i do see you’re well meaning and normal in sending this ask so i hope you take my reply in kind but i’m no good at this, i try to respond formally and courteously and i understand it kinda makes me sound like a cunt tbh … anyway i want to preface the point of my post which was about literacy around media terminology and not about the ethics or lack thereof around headcanons

so… yeah! you’re right. nothing you’ve said is wrong per se, cullen sucks. and you are completely right that it’s not a great thing to do, that it’s weird and just, whatever, in principle i agree with you and have never thought otherwise

but there’s two important caveats to this

first is that, whatever anyone thinks about that - including you and me - cullen was and remains a very beloved video game guy. i don’t get it, but whatever floats your boat, there’s a tonne of characters i love that are outright intentionally written as evil, which cullen is not. the narrative of dragon age is not intended for you to hate cullen, although your individual character or you may well do. i assume this person probably loved cullen. that doesn’t make it inherently okay, though, so bear with me

i _personally_ don’t believe it’s up to me, to comment on the ethics of an individual person making up headcanons about an individual character that reflects their marginalisation. if a muslim person (and i can’t comment the Facts because i haven’t seen the source info, but apparently the person in question was muslim) wants to headcanon their favourite blorbo as muslim, i’m simply not going to tell them not to do it.

this goes for anyone’s headcanon of a similar nature, which is not in fact about if the character is bad or good or predetermined by ethics. i just don’t believe in telling people that they can’t picture a character a certain way, most especially when that way aligns with their own life. to follow along with your example, if a trans person wanted to headcanon a transphobic (or otherwise real-life type of horrible) character as trans, it’s just not really in my purview to stop them. i’m also trans! and it’s unpleasant or even outright feels bad, but it doesn’t do any lasting harm, because it’s one persons headcanon, it doesn’t form part of the text, and for my own joy i could also block that person.

it’s genuinely fine to disagree with this, but this is the way i choose to operate online, which is that some idiot with a bad headcanon in some corner of the internet is pretty easy to ignore. again, not disputing the headcanon is bad. i’m just not going to argue with the person who had it.

(happy to clarify any meaning in this post cus i wrote it on mobile)

[eyes-talks-ocs]

HELLO THERE! LOOK AT ME, I'M GONNA ATTEMPT TO DO A THING! [And I'm late to the party by a few days, like usual 😅]

I didn't get the chance to participate in Whumptober like I have the past few years, and NaNo has always intimidated me. But when I saw @winterandwords putting on this event, I just had to jump on it. Not only is it low to no pressure. Which is perfect for me since there has been NO CHILL in my life this year. But also I've been meaning to work more on myself, especially with the no chill I've had.

---

Writing Goals:

🗯️ Fix up the new beginning chapters in Social Throwaways - earlier this year I realized I had started my project in the wrong place story wise, and that's why I was having such a hard time writing the beginning and trying to move forward with it. So now I have the task of moving over all the important scenes and info from all the scrapped chapters in the beginning....so yeah...sifting through about 30,000 words and trying to figure out where and how I'm gonna weave all the important world/character building into the current new beginning chapters.

🗯️Try and get to Ch 20 - I'm on Ch 16 right now. Not going to push myself too hard on this goal. My chapters tend to be chonky boys. Averaging 5,500 to 6,500 words. 😬 But if I can get just a couple chapters done and moved forward, I'd be happy.

🗯️Work more on character voice - Just as it sounds, make my character's dialogue have more unique personality. Macaw is easy, he's always had his own distinct voice. But a few of my other characters I feel sound too similar to one another.

🗯️If you think it's weird, make it weirder - taking inspiration from a post I saw a while back. I need to get over the 'purity culture' that's around writing and media. I need to get over the fear of being ruthlessly burned at the stake for writing "bad people", "taboo topics", "grey morals", and just having brutal scenes by deranged individuals. I need to learn just to ignore the posts picking apart media and trying to socially castrate the authors/creators. Basically, 'fuck you, I'm doing what I'm doing, because I know that writing certain topics doesn't mean I support them...'

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Self Care Goals:

🖤 Make a better creative space - that banner I used up there, that laptop, yeah that's mine sitting at my little desk in the living room. I NEED to start getting into the habit of using my computer more for writing. I work so much better and faster when I sit down and write on my laptop. It's just 100x easier for me. But over the past year or so, I've been exclusively using my phone over the computer for writing and it's really lagged me back. Sure the phone is convenient and doesn't take effort to set up. But setting up and getting the laptop out, making a cup of tea and getting into the space to write is FAR better and productive for me.

🖤Do the FUCKING dishes - okay. Dishes are a huge source of dread and anxiety for me. The executive dysfunction and task avoidance is very real for me with them. I'm a very busy person, so my dishes pile up and every Saturday is my Dish Day™️. Where I slog through the pile of dishes in the sink. But if I just wash the couple of dishes every night instead of letting them pile up over the course of a week, theoretically, I'd stop dreading it and the anxiety over it should be less.

🖤Wake Up Earlier/Spirituality - I'm an alarm snoozer trying to get my 45min morning routine done in 5 while trying to get to work on time. I used to be really good about taking my time in the morning to work on my spiritual work (Hello fellow Pagans), but life got busy and my practice fell to the back burner, and that burner is set to low. I wanna move it to the front and get it simmering nicely again.

🖤Spend more time with my family - this includes friends too. I used to stop over at my nephew's house regularly to hang out, help with chores, and be a good adult role model. But life with no chill has me exhausted and not wanting to leave the house. I feel bad because I haven't had a DnD / game night with my nephew or brought him out hiking for a good while now. I know he's been bummed over it, so I need to quit isolating and go socialize. 😅

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Anyway, these are my goals for this month, I think I should be able to hit them. Hopefully 🤞

[maiji]

[image: Collage of four ink illustrations overlaid with a heart and text that says “art by Maiji/Mary Huang for charity”]

INPRNT is running a sale again - $5 worldwide shipping, and discounts on all products!

My shop is here! https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/maiji/

If you've been following me for a while, you may already know I donate all profits from my INPRNT sales to charity. I change up the charities I feature every so often because it's a great way to talk about these important causes. Every time INPRNT runs a sale, I get to help raise awareness and share info!

From today (June 17, 2023) to the indefinite future I'm focusing (again) on the climate crisis and the environment.

I'm donating to the David Suzuki Foundation, International Conservation Fund of Canada, and Nature Conservancy of Canada. Details are in my Art for Charity page!

In North America, the fires throughout Canada have been huge news. We've had, and are having, massive fires raging in practically every province and territory. At one point Toronto had air quality so bad we were ranked among the poorest air quality in the entire world - and of course, air moves, and that flowed through to parts of the US.

There's long been a line of thinking that a country like Canada is one of the places that may be relatively insulated from climate change disasters, and we're very quickly starting to see this is not true. We are all interconnected - what affects one part of this planet affects the rest.

Here's a quick ~6min clip from CBC explaining "Why wildfire seasons are getting stronger and longer" - it's really informative, clear and easy to understand and also talks about why this is something everyone needs to be aware of in terms of worldwide and long-term implications.

What can one person do? The Toronto Star had a really good article earlier this month titled "Wildfires and bad air have you feeling ‘climate doom’? Here are things you can to do right now to help fight climate change" which I thought was very good. It's not the usual fluffy "save the environment, reuse reduce recycle" kind of thing.

In case it's behind a paywall, I've summarized it below the cut. Some details are specific to Canada, but the principles are not, and there are likely similar initiatives you can look up in your part of the world.

( Read More... )

The climate crisis is a very real and big thing we must actively address. At the same time, it's important to not feel despair. There are so many amazing people out there doing things because we believe change is possible if we act.

As with many difficult issues, it's an ongoing balance of recognizing what the reality is, doing what you can in the face of that reality, and also making sure you take care of yourself! Back in 2022 I shared some thoughts and resources about this. For me personally, my mindfulness practice, both by myself and with my sangha, helps me a lot in finding that balance. In a sense, it's an ultimate real-world test or expression of our practice: to be able to live with something bigger than us, to still find joy in the living of life, and to still be engaged to do what we can to help. So I wanted to share this too:

3 questions to build resilience - and change the world

This is a talk from Sister True Dedication offering a Zen Buddhist perspective that may be helpful. Sister True Dedication edited Thich Nhat Hanh's book, Zen and the Art of Saving the Planet, which has been really well-reviewed by many local climate advocates and people I know who are trying to find ways to help and also keep themselves from falling into dark places on this topic. There are more resources in the link, just below the speaker bio!

Thank you for taking the time to read this long post - I appreciate it very much! And of course signal boosts are most welcome and appreciated!

[cheepuppp]

Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement: A Double-Edged Sword

Social media was supposed to revolutionize politics, right? Platforms like Twitter and Facebook promised to give power back to the people, connecting us directly to our leaders and each other. And, in some ways, they delivered. Today, hashtags spark global movements, politicians bypass the press to speak directly to voters, and viral memes turn political gaffes into public debates. But here’s the catch: it’s not all sunshine and democracy. Like most things in life, the reality of digital political engagement is way messier and way more interesting.

The Good: Social Media as a Game-Changer

First, let’s give credit where it’s due. Social media has absolutely transformed how politics works. Take Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, for example. Whether you loved or hated him, you couldn’t ignore him and neither could your Twitter feed. Trump’s tweets weren’t just soundbites, they were a direct line to millions of voters, shaping public opinion in real time. As Enli (2017) points out, his “authentic outsider” vibe on social media made him seem relatable to supporters, and that relatability translated into votes.

But it’s not just about big names. Grassroots movements like Malaysia’s Bersih 2.0 also used social media to mobilize support and demand electoral reform. Johns and Cheong (2019) describe how Bersih activists used Facebook and Twitter to bypass traditional media censorship, rallying people with emotional posts and hashtags. That “networked affect” those raw, viral moments created a sense of shared purpose that brought thousands into the streets.

The Bad: The Dark Side of Digital Citizenship

Of course, there’s a flip side to all this. Social media is great at amplifying voices, but it’s also great at creating echo chambers. Algorithms feed us what we want to see, which is fantastic for keeping us entertained but terrible for meaningful political discourse. Instead of healthy debates, we get polarized shouting matches where everyone thinks they’re right, and no one’s actually listening.

And let’s not forget misinformation. Remember the Cambridge Analytica scandal? Facebook data was weaponized to target voters with political ads designed to manipulate their choices. It’s a stark reminder that while social media feels empowering, it can also be used to exploit us. As Choi and Cristol (2021) point out, true digital citizenship requires more than just access, it demands education, critical thinking, and inclusion.

The Meh: Low-Cost Engagement

Then there’s the issue of “low-cost” political engagement. Retweet a hashtag, like a post, or share a petition, and boom you’re a political activist, right? Not exactly. Bode (2017) calls this the “gateway behavior” of political engagement. It’s a great start, but if all we do is click buttons, are we really making a difference? Hashtags like #BlackLivesMatter or #MeToo can create massive awareness, but the real question is: do they lead to action? Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It’s complicated.

Personal Reflection

If I’m being honest, I’ve definitely fallen into the trap of slacktivism. It’s so easy to retweet a catchy hashtag and feel like you’ve done your part. But over time, I’ve realized that real political engagement takes more effort. During the last election, I used Instagram stories to share voter guides and info about local candidates, and it felt more impactful than just liking someone else’s post. Don’t get me wrong, social media is powerful. But it’s just a tool, and how we use it makes all the difference.

Conclusion

Social media has changed the game when it comes to political engagement, for better and worse. It’s made politics more accessible, allowing people to participate in ways that were unthinkable a decade ago. But it’s also created new challenges: echo chambers, misinformation, and slacktivism. As digital citizens, we need to go beyond the surface. Retweets and likes are great, but real change happens when we take those online conversations offline. The power is in our hands, literally.

References

Bode, L. (2017). Gateway Political Behaviors: The Frequency and Consequences of Low-Cost Political Engagement on Social Media. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305117743349

Choi, M., & Cristol, D. (2021). Digital citizenship with an intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy-driven digital citizenship education. Theory Into Practice, 60(4), 361-370. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2021.1987094

Enli, G. (2017). Twitter as an arena for the authentic outsider: Exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 presidential election. European Journal of Communication, 32(1), 50-61. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0267323116682802

Johns, A., & Cheong, N. (2019). Feeling the Chill: Bersih 2.0, State Censorship, and “Networked Affect” on Malaysian Social Media 2012–2018. Social Media + Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305118821801

[journey-of-the-ip]

Friday, June 8th

Holy crap coming back to life

I left off the last post at 7am so I’ll start from there I guess, I waited around until 10 and decided to start exploring. I first went to La Rambla, which is this big open street market which tbh I found kinda underwhelming. I think I went too early bc I saw people still setting up their booths and stuff but honestly it wasn’t that much to look at anyways.

At the end of the street I dropped off my first treasure spot. Low key don’t think my family is going to find them and feel like I’m essentially littering, but I also think it’s kinda cute and fun? We’ll see.

Oh also finally ate a real meal. I had only eaten like a piece of toast at noon yesterday and then left over plan snacks in between my bouts of napping so I was STARVING.

I got this thing that looked kinda like an English breakfast but Spanish style? It was okay but I inhaled it like no one’s business.

After checking out the street I walked to an empanada place that Justin recommended. The walk is when Barcelona really opened up to me. Walking around the “old city” (idk if that’s what it’s called but there’s a distinct difference between the part of the city designed for humans and the city I was in yesterday that’s very designed for cars.

Old city Barcelona is just wonderful. It’s the perfect amount of sense to provide a lot of shade and have a lot of human density without being overwhelming or dirty or urban feeling. There are big old trees planted along the streets EVERYwhere providing really great shade. There are big areas just for pedestrians every other street it feels like. Most roads are one way one lane, which makes crossing roads really easy.

There’s a really nice diversity within the city as well. Completely different vibe for me compared to yesterday. It felt very unique and European rather than just “global” (another factor that might have affected my perspective is that I was fed and had more sleep compared to yesterday tbh)

The empenada place was really good, perfectly fresh and flaky and chewy but I got a bad flavor, which was like spicy taco meat (it said picana!)

Then I walked to the National museum which I passed in the Uber on the way to the market street which looked super cool. It was kinda fun to “find” the National museum not from the internet but just walking around being like “that looks interesting!” The park surrounding the museum was also really nice

Inside the museum was nice and air conditioned and quiet which was refreshing after all the walking but also accentuated my sleepiness. The art was kinda cool but it was less fun not having anyone to share it with and comment on. While I was taking a foot break I saw Linda’s IG story where she’s traveling with Simon and it made me really jealous and wish I was traveling with Dumpling :(

I started to get really sleepy but made it to most of the exhibits. Some of the paintings were really impressive. The one pic I included really struck me bc there’s something shot it that’s so photography but when you look so the details it’s actually clearly oil and expressive. Crazy.

Outside I had a little snack with Jamon Iberico ham bc I recognized the name from Brooklyn 99. Turns out the ham is just the wagyu of perscuttio it was just really fancy flavorful salami lol. It was good but bc it’s expensive they really skimped on how much they put in my sandwich

I thought about getting real food but did not have the energy and went home and crashed.

I made it to 7pm today! And was able to sleep till 5am! So feeling more confident about being able to exist at human hours for this trip.

Renita is having a travel nightmare though, her flight was delayed and then cancelled and the airline wasn’t able to rebook her for some reason? Not a ton of info rn but she’s spending the night in’s hotel in Dallas and is hoping to be able to get to tangier a day later? At least that’s the best case scenario rn. Fingers crossed

[simonhopes]

Beyond the Likes: The Truth Behind Common Social Media Myths

Introduction to Social Media Myths

Beyond the Likes: The Truth Behind Common Social Media Myths—social media plays a massive role in our lives today. However, there's a lot that people get wrong about it. In this article, we'll explore some common myths and uncover the truths hidden beneath the surface. Additionally, you can find more interesting topics at Laws of Bliss.

More Likes Mean Better Content

It's easy to think that posts with lots of likes are the best. However, likes are not always a sign of quality. Sometimes, they show what's popular or trending. Indeed, some great content might not get many likes because it hasn't reached a broad audience yet.

Social Media Reflects Reality

Another myth is that social media mirrors real life. Many people only share their happiest moments, making their lives seem perfect. This can make others feel left out or less successful, but it's important to remember that everyone has ups and downs.

Social Media is Bad for You

Many believe that social media is harmful. Although spending too much time online can be unhealthy, using social media doesn't have to be wrong. It can help us stay connected with friends and learn new things if we use it wisely.

It's Only for Young People

Some say social media is just for the young. However, people of all ages are now enjoying social media. It's a beautiful way to stay in touch with family and friends, share experiences, and express themselves.

Social Media is Completely Private

Many users think their information is private on social media. Unfortunately, that's not always the case. You must check your privacy settings regularly to ensure you know who can see your posts and personal information.

How to Use Social Media Responsibly

So, how can we use social media in a good way? First, being kind and thinking about what we post is crucial. We should also make sure to spend the right amount of time online—not too much. Lastly, remember to check facts before sharing information, as this helps stop the spread of false news.

Conclusion

While social media can be a fun and valuable tool, it's essential to understand the reality behind the screen. By learning about these myths and how to use social media responsibly, we can all have a better experience online.

FAQs

Q1: Can social media be good for mental health?

Yes, when used in moderation, social media can boost feelings of connectivity and community, which are beneficial for mental health.

Q2: How can I make my social media experience safer?

To make your social media experience safer, regularly update your privacy settings, be cautious about what personal information you share, and interact only with people you trust.

Q3: Are social media platforms doing enough to protect users?

Social media platforms are continuously working to improve user safety and privacy. However, it's also up to the users to use these platforms wisely and stay informed about the best practices for online safety.

Q4: What should I do if I see misleading information on social media?

If you encounter misleading information, checking the facts using reliable sources is helpful. If possible, report the misleading info to the platform so they can take action.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

I suspect quite a few people on this site don’t realize they are struggling with the effects of chronic trauma. In particular I think more people need to learn about the symptoms of C-PTSD.

Distinct from general PTSD, Complex PTSD is caused by prolonged, recurring stress and trauma, often occurring in childhood & adolescence over an extended period of time. There are many risk factors, including: abusive/negligent caregivers, dysfunctional family life, untreated mental/chronic illness, and being the target of bullying/social alienation.

I’m not a mental health professional and I’m not qualified to diagnose anyone, I just remember a million watt light bulb going off in my head when I first learned about C-PTSD. It was a huge OH MY FUCKING WORD eureka moment for me—it explained all these problems I was confused and angry at myself for having. The symptoms that really stood out to me were:

Negative self-perception: deep-seated feelings of shame, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, and stigma. Feeling like you are different from everyone else, like something is fundamentally ‘bad’ or ‘wrong’ with you.

Emotional avoidance of topics, people, relationships, activities, places, things etc that might cause uncomfortable emotions such as shame, fear, or sadness. Can lead to self-isolation.

Learned helplessness: a pervasive sense of powerlessness, often combined with feelings of desensitization, wherein you gradually stop trying to escape or prevent your own suffering, even when opportunities exist. May manifest as self-neglect or self-sabotage. (I remember watching myself make bad choices and neglect my responsibilities, and having no idea why I was doing it, or how to stop myself. Eventually I just stopped caring, which led to more self-neglect.)

Hyper-vigilance: always feeling “on edge,” alert, unable to relax even in spaces that should feel safe. May be combined with an elevated “flight” response, or feelings of always being prepared to flee. (I used to hide important documents and possessions in a sort of emergency go bag, even when I was living alone and there was no logical reason other than it made me feel “prepared.”)

Difficulty regulating emotions: may include mood swings, persistent numbness, sadness, suicidal idealization, explosive anger (or inability to feel anger and other strong emotions), inability to control your emotions, confusion about why you react the way you do.

Sense of foreshortened future: assuming or feeling that you will die young. Recurring thoughts that "I'll be dead before the age of 30/40/18/21 etc." As a teenager I used to joke darkly that I didn't plan to live past 30—not because I planned to end my life, but because I simply couldn't imagine myself alive and happy in the long-term. I couldn't imagine a meaningful future where I wasn't suffering.

Emotional flashbacks: finding yourself suddenly re-experiencing feelings of helplessness, panic, despair, or anger etc, often without understanding what has triggered these feelings. Often these flashbacks don’t clearly relate to the memory of a single event (since C-PTSD is caused by repetitive events, which can blur together), making them harder to identify as flashbacks—especially if you’ve never heard the phrase “emotional flashback” and don’t know what to look for. For years I just filed it under “sometimes I overreact/freak out randomly for no reason, probably bc I am just a terrible human being.” (It turns out there was very much a reason, it was just hidden in the past. I have since learned to be kinder and less judgemental towards myself.)

There are other symptoms too, here are more links with good info.

I’ve been meaning to write this post for awhile, because I’ve noticed that a lot of the people I interact with online have risk factors and experiences similar to mine. These include:

growing up in a dysfunctional household

having caregivers who do not fulfill basic emotional needs (do not provide consistent positive attention, encouragement, support, acceptance, communication, a sense of safety and security)

on a very related note, experiencing neglect or abuse at the hand of caregivers or other adults. I also want to emphasize the significance of emotional abuse, since it is hard to recognize, easy to ignore, and utterly rampant in so many communities. In general, family dysfunction, abuse & neglect are quite difficult to identify when you are a child/teen and that is the only “normal” you have known.

(For example, in my family it manifested as an emotionally absent father I was vaguely frightened of, constant nagging from a hypercritical mother, and a house full of people who yelled and screamed at each other. It took me years to realize I grew up in an abusive environment, because there was no physical violence, because I participated in the fighting, and because my behavioral problems made me the family scapegoat. And I internalized that guilt: I thought I was the problem. But no—I was a child, and I deserved not to grow up in a household full of anger and fear and negativity. You deserved that too. You deserved to grow up safe and loved and treated with kindness.) 

anyway back to more risk factors:

being neurodivergent or chronically ill (especially without receiving proper treatment/support/accommodation)

being queer (especially in a conservative or undiverse community, or without the support and acceptance of family & friends)

being the target of bullying or harassment (from peers, teachers, authority figures, irl, online, etc)

being isolated or alienated from peers, from family, from your wider community.

growing up with chronic anxiety, discomfort, pain, fear, or distress caused by any of the above and more.

There are many other experiences that can cause chronic trauma, but these are some particularly common ones I see people in my own community struggling with. And I want more people to be aware of this, because we’ve been taught to ignore and second-guess the significance of our traumatic experiences. We’ve been taught to feel guilty for our own pain, because “other people aren’t struggling, so I shouldn’t either” or (contradictorily) “other people have it worse, so I shouldn’t complain.” But that’s not how it works—you are not other people, and you deserve to have it better. We all deserve better. We deserve to be happy. We deserve not to be in pain.

I used to think I couldn’t have a trauma disorder because (I argued in my head) the things that happened to me weren’t that bad. And then I spent five years in therapy learning to accept the full extent of my issues. I’ve since learned that trauma comes in many forms, and can happen quietly, invisibly, silently, chronically, and usually without the survivor being aware of the long-term repercussions of what they are surviving. That revelation comes later, after you have survived and must instead learn to live.

Finally, no single type of trauma is more real or harmful than any other. Severity is measured by the way the individual is affected, and the same situations affect different people in different ways. Because no one gets to choose how their brain reacts to trauma. No one gets to choose their hurt—otherwise there would be a hell of a lot less hurting in the world.

We can, however, choose to seek help. We can learn to recognize when something is wrong, we can learn when to reach out to professionals, and we can learn to educate ourselves on our injuries.

And gradually, we can learn to heal.

(posts like this brought to you by ko-fi supporters)

[fullonfandomindulgence]

dimple is a great fucking character and i will fight anyone who says otherwise. specifically i will fight them by making them read this masterpiece client-crashing god-tackle effortpost about dimple

ive deliberately put off watching the telepathy arc episodes so i could finish this. i like tome So Much. you have no idea how much willpower it took. but it is done and its abt dimples like whole story and purpose and life and i think its a real good thing for you to read and enjoy

im so serious about this that I'm gonna capitalize and punctuate. My sorta thesis here is that Dimple's goals of manipulation are an expression of the basic act of choice that Mob Psycho 100 defines as living, but caring for Mob freaks him out because it distracts him from that purpose, and that contradiction and desperation to choose to live through control is tragically what ends him. Dimple is a friend. Strap in, motherfuckers, we're going for a ride.

Dimple's Goals (Dimpoals)

This is kinda an easy one.

I'm gonna be using images from the show and the comics but I'm not talking about anything past season three, episode six, so no worries anime-onlys. I describe all relevant visual info for each image, though there are also extra IDs in the alt text--I try not to repeat information.

Dimple wants to be a god, "the ultimate being in all creation," "the greatest power in the whole world," and "an object of devotion for all humanity." This dovetails with ideas about superiority and idealism in other parts of the comic but this post ain't about that. It's important that he never says what he'd actually do as a god. Like what is the power for? This comes up in his final confrontation with Mob, too.

Dimple claims that Psycho Helmet leads "people onto the right path," but the second Mob interrogates that he admits he has no plan, "no codex of any kind" from the comic. I don't think that's entirely true, though. Clearly Dimple doesn't care about ruling, because he doesn't actually know what he'd do with the power. But he does want to be revered--he wants positive attention!

Dimple's LOL cult is all about people laughing, and in this panel he says he chose that so he could gain a following without violence. Dimple's attempt with the divine tree is the same, he's trying to keep people the same besides their worship of the tree, make them feel happy in togetherness, help them "find peace at heart." I think there is a reading where making people happy is just a means to an end for Dimple. He for sure tries to kill Mob the first time they meet. But he doesn't have any logic for why he's not, like, using his powers to threaten people and demand tribute. He wants to become a god by making people feel good.

All this said--he's not gonna do it by being himself.

Identifying as evil

When Dimple meets Reigen he identifies himself as an evil spirit. Obviously this is sort of a joke. Like the idea that Mob's pet/mascot is actually an ancient malevolent ghost is pretty funny. But it's meaningful for Dimple's character too, so let's talk about what "evil" looks like. First, obviously the possession thing. How good is it that among all the people trying to manipulate Mob, one of them wants to literally control his every move? Second, here's a bunch of bad stuff Dimple did that Mob thinks about right after Teru tries to exorcise him:

Bro! She's like fourteen! (Dimple makes a lecherous comment about Tsubomi in this image.) He threatens Reigen, he tells Mob the body improvement club is a waste of his time, he straight up asks Mob if he can possess him... He's vindictive, pushy, mocking, and transparently manipulative.

Now to be fair lots of Mob Psycho characters are Like That. But there are some other things more specific to Dimple. Third, he tries to possess Ritsu, taking advantage of his fear of Mob. Fourth, again, the attempting-to-kill-Mob thing. Fifth, here's a bit from a recent side story:

My god. Dimple is terrifying in this. If you haven't read it, Uu is a little dog spirit that Reigen's been keeping around as a pet. Dimple notices that it's feeding on Reigen's energy so he gets rid of it. In these panels he waits until Reigen asks him where Uu is before telling him that he ate it. He has all these lines on his face and this expression of like hostile delight. There are creepy effects blobs behind him. He burps! He does a thing he knows will hurt Reigen and then rubs it in his face, acting like he takes pleasure in it. And finally from one of my favorite scenes in season 2:

I love love love this scene, when Mob is asked to exorcise the ghost family and he refuses. It takes the existing tropes in the story and introduces this like moral complexity and thoughtfulness, it communicates a change in stakes... "They won't have to exorcise you if the clients are dead." Again Dimple is smiling maliciously. He tries to manipulate ghost dad into attacking the college assholes, which is the one hand, for the purpose of getting him exorcised by Mob, which is the other hand. Harm in both directions. There is a third hand! We'll get to it.

But I want to summarize this section first: Dimple's default tool for dealing with adversity is manipulation. He, unlike, say, Reigen, is very comfortable looking like the bad guy, and to some extent he believes he is one. He wants to reach godhood by making people feel good, and he's going to do that not through bloodshed or by being a paragon of virtue but by using other people's flaws to control them.

The Living Spirit

Sorry, I want to do some more stuff before I get to the third hand.

I'd like to think I've been helpfully analytical up to this point, though probably not too novel. But I haven't seen anyone talk about this. Dimple is the liveliest dead guy in the comic, by a wide margin. He has multiple genuine relationships with people, he gets embarrassed, he gets happy, he fears things, he fully laughs. Sure in-canon this might be a proximity thing but in a narrative context I think it's significant that he's so much more of a character than other spirits. Here, in essentially his introduction as a significant character, he says, "I don't want to spend the rest of my life as a ghost!" There's also a great pun he makes in the Dark Horse translation when Reigen questions the existence of urban legend spirits--"Look, pal, just because you're a fake, don't disrespect the lived experience of the dead!" He thinks about living a lot.

Dimple comes back from apparent evaporation more than once, first when Mob exorcises him at the LOL meeting, second when Teru exorcises him in their first encounter. He really really wants to live.

Then there's the brief conversation between him and Reigen about the woman being stalked by what appears to be a spirit, but ends up being a neighbor astral-projecting himself. In this panel Dimple denies that spirits get horny. "It's not like we can do anything about it." He doesn't even think about like romantic love. So most importantly, canon aroace Dimple. But also Dimple believes that being a ghost reduces your existence. It's not even a possibility to do certain things, whether you want to or not. There's a tension here, Dimple craves life but knows that as-is he can't have it.

And then there's this six-page omake at the end of volume five. Please please read it if you can, it's not in the anime and it's such a good little story. When Dimple is almost exorcised by Teru, he only just manages to pull together an ant-sized form, and is rescued from being eaten by a pig ghost by a tiny human spirit called Stubble. The above image is an abandoned house in the woods, with Stubble, off-screen, monologuing, "I simply don't want to perish. I don't hold any grudge against this world. Neither do I have any dreams. Years have passed, without a clear goal." Stubble lives an extremely reduced existence, figuratively and literally. He rides around on the back of the ghost of flea, i.e., he is dependent on the echo of a thing that needs to latch onto something else to exist. He has no agency at all.

It's disconcerting, how Dimple starts at Stubble's size and slowly grows--or, reframed, Stubble slowly shrinks. Here Dimple accuses Stubble, "You died, even before your death. But I on the other hand..." Stubble gets angry. "You're dead too!" Again you should read the story, the way it concludes really blows me away.

Remember in the first episode of season three the S&S crew help the bald guy out of his funk, and at one point he says, "Am I doomed to just repeat these meaningless days until my death?" And then, soon after, "Wait, is my life already over?"

This is about the desperation of agency. Because like, Stubble is right. Dimple has been dead for a long time. His goal is ridiculous. His existence is scraps, yet he's clinging to them with everything he has. What's the point? Lay down alone among the insects, shrink and fade.

Dimple doesn't have a counterargument to Stubble. He doesn't justify "why." But the last sentence he says in the omake is, "I want to stay alive." Dimple, and by extension this omake, and if I may be so bold all of Mob Psycho 100, identifies agency with life. It's not even that life is about making choices, it's that life is literally the act of choosing. You have to choose to live. And Dimple does.

He likes control. He likes choice. He may not be alive but he chooses to live every day. Why? Because he has a purpose: he's going to become a god. And he's going to take Mob there with him.

The Third Hand

Are you good? You're like 1500 words in, feel free to take a break, drink some water.

Maybe you're starting to sense where this is heading. On the third hand, Dimple manipulates ghost dad to help Mob. He attempts to take away both of their autonomy in order to ease Mob's obvious distress. Let's talk about Dimple's evolving relationship with Mob.

I say this a third time, Dimple tries to kill Mob when they meet. Then, despite a positive spin on his initial pitch to Mob, he's pretty transparently evil about it.

These frames of the show are from that introduction, the first with Dimple surrounded in stars and bright colors saying "Let's shoot for the top of the world together," the second with Dimple thinking, face lit from below and body language full of menace, "I'll just wait for my chance to possess him." To be fair again, lots of Mob Psycho characters are Like That. Compare this to the first episode of season two: when Mob tells Dimple the story about Emi, Dimple, excited, assures him that they should keep sticking together so Dimple can help him out with these things. The animators even use the same image of Dimple with the stars and colors:

"Looks like you'll always need an advisor like me!" But this time he doesn't have the sinister turn he did when they first met. This is how Dimple keeps acting throughout season two. He helps Mob, apparently so that Mob trusts him so that in turn Mob can help him reach godhood. But he goes so far above and beyond without any malice: he keeps Banshomaru safe, he possesses one of the high school kids bullying Mob, he eats the curse off Reigen's back, he tries to defend Mob against fucking Toichiro.

Here's a great couple panels: after Dimple explains the deal with urban legends becoming real, he reiterates that he wants to be a god. Then Mob asks Dimple to "make sure [Banshomaru] won't get hurt," and little surprise lines come off Dimple. He agrees but says, "You gotta do me a favor sometime too." Dimple is a little struck by Mob's trust, but maybe more importantly this is the first time in a while, and I think the last time in season two, that Dimple suggests Mob do something for him. It only comes after he reiterates exactly what his purpose is. Dimple's priorities are a little unstable.

Yeah this is just a full comic page from the encounter with Mogami but it's meaningful as shit. Dimple has just suggested taking over Mob's body to protect it. The first panel is Dimple looking away and down, deflated, ashamed. A few sweat drops come down his face. He says, "but something like that..." And to his surprise (action lines, closeup, wide eyes) Mob agrees. Dimple puts on an evil affect when he responds: a horizontally squashed panel shows his backlit face. He smiles unpleasantly and laughs a little, "Kuku..." But his heart clearly isn't in it! His eyebrows are worried, not hostile. There's no pleasure in his smile. He's covered in sweatdrops, eyes wide. When Mob assures Reigen, "It'll be okay," there's another panel of Dimple where the remnants of that affect slide off him. The backlighting is still present but not as severe, the echo of that smile is on his cheek. He's openly worried and covered in sweatdrops. Mob's speech bubble covers a large portion of his face.

Points about this. First, by now Dimple has given up on possessing Mob. This thing that seemed like the main path to his goal is not an option. Second, while both Dimple and Reigen believe that this is a bad idea for Mob, Mob disagrees. Dimple identifies as evil. Reigen identifies him as evil. Mob no longer does. This is classic Shigeo Kageyama behavior, being generous to people even when no one including themselves thinks they deserve it. And the worst part for Dimple is he's starting to agree with Mob. When the option he'd dropped is handed to him on a silver platter, he finds he doesn't want to take advantage of this kid that way. He's a different person than he was.

I don't even know how relevant this is but. Look how much fucking fun Dimple has when he's possessing Mob to protect him. He's doing all these flips and kicks. His smile when he's fighting Mogami!Asagiri is so funny. He does the wildest mid-air combo I ever did see when he attacks the Claw guy as Mob.

Mob becomes such a top priority for Dimple that in the first episode of season three he realizes he forgot that he wanted to become a god. Not only that, but when he comes to Mob to convince him to lead the cult together he's immediately distracted by Mob and what's going on in his life. Mob has to prompt him for him to remember that he's there about the cult.

All this is why Mob's mistrust of Dimple in this conversation is so tragic. Dimple has helped Mob so much, and been so much of a genuine friend, because he knew that Mob trusted him. Where did it go? What happened? Mob's parting words to him are, "Why don't you give your schemes a rest already?" What schemes?? This is the first he's had in months. The translation in the comic, though, is so much more brutal:

"Why don't you stop doing bad things?"

Dimple is

Dimple is terrified of Mob. When Mob wonders if Dimple is scared of him, he's right, of course he is. He has lots of reasons. Mob almost evaporates Dimple when they first meet, threatens him multiple times. Dimple saw him at 100% rage, Mob's first on-screen. He watched Mob hit ???% without being knocked unconscious. This is all especially threatening given Dimple's drive to live. He's terrified when Ritsu tries to fight Mob, he's terrified when Mob asks him if he had anything to do with Ritsu's kidnapping, he's terrified when he thinks Reigen is about to tell Mob that they don't know what happened to his family. But I also read his fear as a symbol of how important Mob is. Dimple attached himself to Mob as the way to achieve his goal. Dimple helps Mob out in so many ways, putting off his goal, so that eventually they can fulfill his purpose together. Then he starts caring about this kid so much that he forgets his purpose! Of course Dimple fears Mob, because their relationship threatens what drives him to live. As much as Dimple is a manipulator, Mob is the one who ultimately has power over him.

Dimple so easily reverts to an evil persona once he leaves Mob because without Mob that's all he can be. If he can't get to the top with Mob, then he has to do it the old way, by using people's flaws to manipulate them. He's able use the broccoli to become a physical presence and get around the "amazing power" problem--though the broccoli's presence and power are still kinda Mob's! But why does he need to become a god at all? Because that's all he is. If he doesn't have Mob and he doesn't have his purpose, then he has nothing.

"Don't go casually denying the thing I've been wanting so badly!" Dimple gets so angry when Mob tells him he's being fake because first, Mob is denying Dimple's manipulative tendencies, which are really important to Dimple right here because he feels his identity is so precarious. And because second, Mob is denying Dimple's purpose. Dimple is in equal danger from Mob's physical attacks and Mob's denial of what he wants. What he wants, what he chooses, is what living is. Dimple doesn't want to die.

Here's a lot of a comic page again, from the final confrontation. Dimple tells Mob that he's just been using him the whole time they've known each other. Mob says, "I'm sad... Does that mean it's time to say goodbye to Dimple?" He steps towards Dimple, who screams in fear and anticipation. I think this is basically the worst thing ever, because god, Dimple is so afraid. Mob is justified in what he's doing but Dimple's desperation is what stands out to me, how hard he's tried to cling to agency and life and how sincerely he believes Mob is about to take it all away from him anyway, to disappear forever and ever.

And then Dimple insults Mob's shirt.

Dimple insults Mob's shirt

Fucking kills me. These are two frames from episode six, Dimple sees how much Mob suddenly trusts him and his reaction is anger, "You okay with leaving me like this?" His eyes are wide, brow down in anger. And then what he says next, "I'm... a dangerous evil spirit!" Here the anger is present but has softened with worry on his brow. The lines by his nose and his pouty lower lip make him look scared and sad. This fight has made it important to Dimple's identity that Mob try to stop him, because he's evil, and Mob stops evil spirits.

Panels from the comic where Mob tells Dimple, "You weren't doing bad things. You were just doing what you wanted to do. Together with me. You trusted me before I trusted you, Dimple. Thank you." Mob doesn't think Dimple is evil, but he identifies how important Dimple acting on his wants is, and he tells him that he still values their relationship. He denies that he has to hurt dimple but affirms his power to choose.

I maybe could've skipped a lot of BS if I put this page further up but I wanted this to get felt, what Dimple's admitting to himself here. It's another section of a page. Panel one, a white splotch in darkness with Dimple's thoughts, "It felt like my ambitions would fade away. Did spending time with unselfish Shigeo cause even me to lose sight of my goals?" Panel two, Dimple is the white splotch. He's scared. "...eh? Wait, that's a problem...!! I'll lose my reason for existing!" So Dimple tells Mob, angry, "No, not yet... I'm not done yet! Even now... I've still got... plenty of things I want to do! And ambitions!" Mob agrees, with that tired, frank look. "I'll hear you out for real. As your friend." Accepting Mob's friendship like this is terrifying, because it means what it always has, forgetting about this purpose. What if Mob stops trusting him again? If he really, consciously abandons his purpose, will he still have agency? He wanted a friend, always wanted a friend. Will it be enough? Will he disappear?

Dimple takes Mob's hand anyway. This was such an amazing shot, I've reproduced its animated glory here, Mob and Dimple reach towards each other, Mob weakly, so Dimple closes the gap and grabs him. The hand grasp of all time. I'm not gonna talk about how this fits into all the other Mob Psycho hand symbolism, that's another 4000-word megapost.

It's worth it. I'm convinced that by involving yourself in a network of people and creating some sense of obligation to others you can actually give yourself an even deeper kind of agency than you could achieve alone. And this is awful, terrifying. Because it involves giving yourself up a little bit. You have to give up some control. Dimple wants to be a god, to have ultimate power and control, so much of him is his manipulation, but he has to give that up for this. Goals that may have guided you for a long time can become irrelevant--and then who are you? If you've defined your life by something for years, and at the end of the decade you realize you don't fit your definition anymore, where do you go? Dimple tells Mob, "Let's go home." But...

Panels from the comic, where Dimple carries a sleeping Mob and thinks, "I said 'let's go home,' but I don't really have any place to 'go home' to... And I don't have anything to aim for from here... I wonder what I should do now." That Dimple is allowing himself to think this is really powerful. I don't think this has to be a sad moment. Like obviously Mob thinks that Dimple's home is his house. He just asked him to stay away until he reverts to his smaller form, as in, he otherwise would've expected Dimple to stay with him. I appreciate the larger point that now Dimple feels unmoored, and deciding on a new purpose is existential. But I think Mob also has a larger point that he believes he can help moor Dimple. I think allowing yourself to wonder where to go next is so important. Dimple is where Mob was a few months back when he decided he wanted to join the body improvement club! He has a future, even if he can't see it very well.

Or, um.

I keep fucking crying while I'm writing this. I love the translation in the comic here. Dimple kneels before a prone Mob and, finger touching his forehead, says, "Listen well... I'm giving you orders for the first and last time. First, wake up. Stand up, Shigeo." Mob is still for a moment and then says, "...it's no use. I can't put any strength into my legs. I can't move my arms either." Dimple is very serious now as he relays, "Your body may complain, but still... stand up. Even if you cannot stand... you must stand." God damn it, god fucking dammit.

Sometimes it's not so easy to change. Your actions have consequences. Your history follows you. Dimple's desperate attempt to keep his old wants comes back to kill his new ones.

Dimple's final act is the same thing he always does, he manipulates Mob to protect him. And it is good and kind. Suddenly his reason for existence is paradoxical: he's going to have to die to fulfill it. Who exists to die? But that's not what it is. Because he's making a choice. He denies death, he says, no, you can swallow me whole, you can annihilate me, but even then you can't take my agency away from me. And I will use this final choice to protect someone I love.

Dimple was a friend.

[aceofshitposts]

hi I’m too nervous to ask this without anon on so here it goes: I was wondering if your fanfics you’ve posted have affected your ability to get a job or get into a college, etc? such as when they to background checks and see that romance stories are associated with you. I’d like to start posting some fics and possibly some more spicy ones, but I’m afraid that if I do it will mess up my chances at the career I’m pursuing. thoughts/knowledge?? I really appreciate this, thank you! 💓

Oh, dear sweet anon. I can tell you with a good amount of confidence that people who are not terminally online in fandom circles generally don't care. Most people don't even, for example, even know there were multiple Robins let alone this whole bat family thing.

But to answer your question, no it hasn't affected my ability to get a job or go to school because I've worked the same job for the past nine years and nine years ago I didn't have any fanfiction posted lol I did have some semi spicy cosplay photos on my FB page but I don't think my boss ever looked me up beyond our interview.

But here's a secret anon, you don't have to post under your real name. You don't have to be findable. That FB page I mentioned was always posted under an incorrect spelling of my name specifically so I couldn't be looked up unless I gave it to you and that wasn't because I was worried about potential fandom drama that was just a healthy amount of internet paranoia lol

Shipping jaytim has affected nothing except the occasional nasty internet comment which I'm more than well adjusted enough to handle. I know I'm not doing anything wrong and anyone who feels the need to comment nasty things to a stranger has their own problems and they're trying to enact control over something they feel is an easy target.

Overall the jaytim community has been one of the nicest communities I've been a part of so I really think the positives outweigh the negatives. But like, I'm sure you know but, there will always be someone who hates your stuff no matter what it is. I've gotten shit over batquinn, stony, sterek, peter/gwen etc there's always gonna be someone who lashes out.

Anyway. Honestly i don't know what kind of searching employers or schools might do nowadays, my info is over ten years out of date, but making yourself hard to find with a pseudonym is never a bad idea. But also remember most people aren't terminally online and probably won't even know the context if they're not already deeply entrenched in batman (or whatever) trivia lol

Also, tbh, if someone has a problem with you enjoying or writing romance genre I wouldn't want to work for them anyway. (I also wouldn't want to work for someone who goes snooping into my personal life that doesn't affect my work but. We sure do live in a society :T)

[astrobydalia]

🌸OBSERVATIONS!! (finally lmao)🌱

Credit: Tumblr blog @astrobydalia

It's been a long time coming! So happy for spring being finally here! Here's the long ass observation post you guys asked for. Since it's quite a big amount of observations, I've decided it'd be a good idea to number them so that it's easier to reference them. As always, enjoy them!

🌸 1. Lilith in the 2nd house can indicate something fishy going on with the relationship between the native’s parents.

🌱 2. Malefic placements such as pluto, chiron, Saturn or Lilith in the 12th indicates a lot of skeletons in the closet when it comes to family and family history

🌸 3. Chiron in Aries/1st house or Leo/5th house is kind of bitch placement. The person basically feels like they can’t be themselves and there’s a lot of self-denial and/or not accepting themselves, how they really are, what they really want, etc. Lots of self-esteem issues

🌱 4. People with sexual placements in the 2nd house (Mars, Venus, Lilith, Eros, ruler of the 8th house) base their self-worth on how sexually attractive they are. If they don't feel sexually desirable to everyone, they feel like they're shit

🌸 5. Lilith is what people think Pluto/Scorpio is!!!! All that stuff about magnetic, sexual and intoxicating but dangerous? Lilith.

🌱 6. Scorpio/Pluto in 4th could mean that the person had to work hard to survive something growing up. It could be poverty, their parents’ expectations, an early trauma, etc. Whatever the situation is, the native felt like they grew up in a high-stress environment where they had to endure and survive

🌸 7. When it comes to degrees, the higher the degree, the bigger or stronger the effect. For example Leo degrees (5º, 17º, 29º) are fame degrees. 5th degree would give small fame, 17th degree would be normal and significant fame or recognition inside the person’s field and 29th degree is moreso widespread or permanent fame

🌱 8. Saturn in the 5th house is a huge indicator of turning your hobby into your job. Also these people can be very awkward in their personality

🌸 9. I’ve noticed people with Neptune in the 6th (maybe 2nd) house may have been hospitalized and if Uranus or Pluto are placed here also indicates getting surgery or operations for health reasons

🌱 10. People with Uranus or Pluto in the 1st, 2nd or conjunct the ASC could get surgery due to aesthetic reason

🌸 11. Mercury dominant people (or strong Gemini energy in the chart) like to have or get things quick and easy. For example they prefer a straight forward summary over an in-depth and elaborated explanation with too many details

🌱 12. Your moon sign shows how you see your past. Your 4th house represent how you see your childhood. But your moon represents under which light you always view your past and everything that has happened in your life in general. It also shows the type of stuff from your past you tend to focus on. Since Cancer and Pisces represent past and remenaicence, that's why Cancer and Pisces moons have trouble getting over the past.

🌸 13. Your 10th house on the other hand is how you see your future. Whenever someone asks you “where you see yourself in 5 years?” your 10th house is the one that’ll be answering that question

🌱 14. Gemini moon/mars are the LEAST likely to hold grudges (unless chart says otherwise)

🌸 15. The house where you have your Neptune indicates the themes you tend to lie about, don’t give much info, say stuff about it that are misleading etc. and in consequence people might not have a clear/correct idea of this part of your life

🌱 16. Virgo risings rarely or basically never pose for pictures. They just look straight forward to the camera, sometimes smile and maybe make a small gesture like putting one hand in their pocket or tilt their head but that’s it. (Virgo = minimalism)

🌸 17. Scorpios really don’t give a single fuck they just DON’T 😭💀 Remember this sign is all or nothing, they either care too or don't care AT ALL

🌱 18. I said it once and I’ll say to a hundred times more: Geminis are not two-faced, it’s LIBRA!! Seriously Libras are the FAKEST people I’ve ever met. Why? Because it's ruled by the planet of love (Venus), which means Libra has a knack for being liked by everyone and making everyone feel liked. HOWEVER Libra is an AIR sign and air represents mind, NOT feelings. In conclusion, Libra can make you feel "loved" (venus) and still not give a damn about you bc its air nature makes them prone to emotional detachment. That's why they are able to roast you and make it look like they're complimenting you, specially when they have Scorpio mercury.

🌸 19. Just like you look at where’s the ruler of your rising sign to get more info on your rising, check the ruler of your Sun sign for more info on your personal identity (check sign and house). For ex. I have Virgo Sun in the 9th. Ruler of Virgo=Mercury. I have mercury in Libra in the 10th house which makes me more serious (10th house) and diplomatic/people pleaser (Libra)

🌱 20. If you found that you “couldn’t” do what’s previously described because you’re a Leo sun, check the degree and decan of your Sun

🌸 21. I’ve noticed mercury retrograde people are the type of individuals who always know exactly the right things to say. You’ll always see them take a couple of seconds before answering but they tend to give very good responses

🌱 22. I’ve noticed many women with Virgo Venus/Sun/MC/Lilith have been slut-shamed at some point of their life or they’ve been seen as promiscuous/sexual/etc.

🌸 23. Capricorn moons are not emotionless machines. The thing with these natives is that their mothers treated them like an adult the second they came out of the womb, so basically they skipped the “love and affection” stage and went straight to the “grow up” stage, but they can love really hard and real deep (Capricorn is deep down a very sentimental sign). They are very ride or die people tbh, they are very patient, accepting and understanding

🌱 24. I've noticed that people at first deny their rising sign in Vedic astrology, but eventually they end up accepting it and they actually end up relating to it a lot. I feel like this is because our rising sign in Vedic astrology is usually the sign of our 12th house in Western astrology, which leads me to believe that our 12th house sign is not our shadow side but more like our deep subcontious personality and that's why we have a hard time accepting it when we see it as our rising sign in Vedic astrology. It's like your rising sign (in western) is the director of the play but your 12th house is the energy that previously wrote the script

🌸 25. So many celebrities have moon in the 11th house. Also this placement indicates that you had a mother that put you out there constantly like posting everything about you on social media, bringing you to big events or your mom was “famous” in some capacity

🌱26. Gemini risings tend to believe everything they are told. More specifically, once they find someone that knows a little bit more than them they’ll believe everything they teach them and will most likely rely on them intellectually, for advice, guidance, etc. This is bc they have DSC in Sagittarius which makes them see the people they associate with as masters and mentors while, as a Gemini rising, they identify as an apprentice.

🌸27. Both 8th house and 12th house have been associated with secrets. The different is that the 8th house represents what you CONTIOUSLY and deliberately hide from others and most likely deny to yourself (or not, depends on the person). 12th house on the other hand represents subconscious, things that are hidden even from you and you didn’t even know were hidden. 4th house is not necessarily secrets, it represents privacy, like when people have a sanctuary to just relax, unwind and feel secure, that’s the 4th house.

🌱28. Sun or Moon in the 4th house will make you a sociable but private person.

🌸29. Sun or moon in the 8th house will make you an intriguing and mysterious person.

🌱30. Sun or moon the 12th house makes you a very elusive or wishy-washy person

🌸31. I’ve seen many Scorpio sun/moon/mars/rising individuals obsessed with the idea of being prepared for a catastrophe. They could be the type to, for example, have some saved cash just in case something bad happens with their bank money, have a backup account just in case their main one gets deleted, could have a “leave before you get left” philosophy, etc.

🌱32. Is it just me or the astro community talks a lot about Aries moons???

🌸33. I’ve noticed people with 4th house in Virgo could have been raised in a very judgemental household where there was lots of taboos and prejudice as to what’s right and what’s not and the family was too preoccupied with a perfect and immaculate reputation. For example could have been raised with values such as “only criminals wear tattoos” or “you should stay celibate till marriage or else you’re a whore”, etc. and if the native broke those rules they could have been very criticized and almost loathed by the family. They native could have been highly criticized in general by their family

🌱34. I’ve noticed women that have their moon harshly aspecting Pluto, Uranus and Mars or overall have a very afflicted moon tend to have very painful period cramps

🌸35. Something I have noticed with Venus or Moon conjunct Saturn people is that the concept of unconditional love sounds like alien language to them. That of course doesn’t mean they can’t love but they have this deep belief that they have to achieve something in order to deserve love and stuff like that

🌱36. Also, I just noticed that people with Saturn conjunct sun/moon/Venus/ASC, Capricorn big 3 or Capricorn degrees in personal placements have gone through IT man, specially on an internal level. I've noticed going through depression is a common theme for people with this Capricorn/Saturn influence

🌸37. Virgo Suns could often struggle to find balance between having healthy ego and being humble.

🌱38. Also people with Virgo+Leo energy are the MOOOOST judgmental people out there. Imagine ego mixed with a sense of knowing what’s correct. They tend to believe they’re morally superior and easily liable people as inferior

🌸39. The underdeveloped energy of a sign asimilates negative traits of its sister sign. For example underdeveloped Virgo is overly perfectionist and judgmental to the point where they have unrealistic expectations (Pisces)

🌱40. On the other hand the developed version of a sign is balanced out by understanding its sister sign. For example Leo knows they are unique and special and deserves recognition but understands everyone is also unique in their own way (Aquarius)

🌸41. I’ve noticed a person can very easily manifest the stereotypical characteristics of the sign that naturally rules the house where their chart ruler is. For example if someone’s chart ruler (ruler of the ASC) is in the 7th house the person can easily manifest stereotypical characteristics of Libra like being a people pleaser

🌱42. Sagittarius ASC/Mars people are all fun, amicable and outgoing.... until they don’t get their way. They will get away from people and situations that won’t give them what they want and they can genuinely dislike people solely because those people don’t let them have their way. They tend to go around life like they have a free pass to get away with everything they want.

🌸43. People with ASC-Neptune aspects don’t have a very reliable vision of reality or themselves to be honest. I don’t know how people with this aspect haven’t lost their mind already. They are prone to subconsciously manipulating or easily getting manipulated. With hard aspects this is a lot more obvious but I’ve noticed with easy aspects this energy tends to go almost unnoticed and they easily get away with stuff

🌱44. Have seen many famous people with North node in the 2nd, 5th, 11th and 12th houses specially

🌸45. Air risings or air dominance with Sagittarius placements/degrees are people who love cartoons/animations/videogames regardless of their age.

🌱46. When I got into astrology I didn’t understand why Sun is in detriment in Libra, but oh man... All Libras I’ve met had HUGE issues with trusting themselves. They doubt themselves 24/7 and that’s not even an exaggeration and I’ve noticed they actually may have grown up doubting themselves for some reason or they had a family (their dad) that caused this feeling in them. Also I’ve seen that those Libras with Scorpio placements feel like they have to hide something about themselves otherwise they’ll be rejected. Yes they are endlessly charming, but that's because they have essentially created their personality around the desire of being liked/accepted. They always need to feel they have SOMEONE. Their sense of self, INDIVIDUALITY, independence and assertiveness is lost in the process. Unless they have fire and specially Aries placements to balance this out they can feel like they have no personality and that’s why they are often perceived as fake or shallow.

🌸47. Literally ALL Virgo placements one way or another will always suggest a way to solve your problems when giving emotional support

🌱48. I have a theory that, since 4th house is how you were raised, your home and your parents, your 10th house is how you’d be as a parent yourself and the type of home you’ll create yourself

🌸49. Contrary to my expectations, I’ve seen priests having a much more prominent 4th house (many times combined with 8th house/Scorpio energy) than 12th house. People with 12th house placements or stellium seem to prefer artistic fields rather than classic spirituality

🌱50. The house where you have your Pluto is a house you just can NOT take lightly EVER. This area of your life feels like a heavy topic to you in some way (you are either obsessed with it, find It traumatic, get extremely defensive over it, find it spiteful, you feel everything goes wrong, etc, etc.) Can also apply to the house where you have the sign of scorpio

🌸51. In synastry, Venus falling in the 12th house creates a healing dynamic in the relationship, the connection can feel cathartic specially for the house person. The house person might tend to always be comforted by the venus person’s support, always feel better (or even energetically “cleansed”) after being with them. The venus person never judges the house person and accepts them and is always willing to be there.

🌱52. I’ve noticed this pattern in people with mutable moons where they have absent mothers in some shape or form. Their mother is very inconsistent, she always comes and goes. Very often the native may have felt like their mother always “left them be” (virgo moon moms put restrictions but eventually are rather flexible)

🌸53. People with cardinal moons have bossy mothers. In many cases they can have the type of mother that is constantly making decisions for them, like their mother decides what/where they’re going to study for example (the house tells what type of things the mother tends to make decisions on).

🌱54. People with fixed moons have possesive and protective moms. While mutable moons have absent mothers, natives with fixed moons have mothers that are ALWAYS there in some shape or form. At the very least the influence of the mother is always there and they always have this sense of “loyalty” towards their mom.

Credit: Tumblr blog @astrobydalia

That's it for now, next observation post is just as long but much better, stay tuned and safe loves 💕