#I know exactly which approach goes well with people from which countries

[greppelheks]

Employees will demand so much knowledge and skill and then only offer you minimum wage.

Like we'd prefer it if you spoke four or five languages, you need amazing people skills and a good understanding of cultural social norms to be successful, an extensive knowledge of wine, you'll need to lead a team, work nights and weekends and be on your feet all day. Your wage will barely be liveable.

[noangeleither]

yin and yang: carmy and sydney's creative processes + menu planning

what i love about analyzing carmy and sydney is the way they mirror each other. their similarities and differences, and how they have the potential to complement each other well. truly make each other better at this.

this is most evident with the way they approach creating a dish.

sydney's creative process

evidenced by sheridan (s01e05) and sundae (s02e03), sydney is very imaginative when it comes to creating a dish. the editing in these episodes gives us an intimate view of her creative process. recipes often come to her in dreams/daydreams.

sydney gets inspired by her passion for cooking, her family history and her city/world around her (architecture, nature, other restaurants in Chicago). this really fits into sydney's motivations as a chef.

Sydney uses food to make people happy. She likes to take care of people. someone on here explained the significance of sydney wanting exactly one michelin star, which would signify affordable high quality food that normal everyday people have access to. in braciole she mentions to marcus that her dad and her didn't really go out to eat so when they did, they made it count and it was special. she wants to create an experience like that with her own spot (the Bear).

so naturally that is reflected in her food. its not simply a great meal, but a fabric/archive of her culture, history, worldview and entire character.

while sydney has a very imaginative creative process, she often just jots down her ideas in her little notebook(s), for later reflection.

carmy's creative process

carmy has a more tense relationship with cooking. while sydney and carmy are both amazing chefs, carmy seems to be more jaded and detached from his work.

for carmy he grew up in a household where food was a big part of his family. his mom, mikey, and nat can all cook well. he is naturally very great at it. he uses food to be closer to the people he loves. thats why in the face of rejection from his brother, he goes off and becomes one of the best chefs in the country out of spite. why he uses the beef to try and fix his relationship with mikey. why he was so devasted when syd quit and why he started his dream restaurant with her after she came back.

because we dont get an intimate look into carmys psyche when creating a dish, its harder to say but based off his monolouge in braciole (s01e8) and the way he uses food to connect with people he loves rather than having passion for it independently i can surmise that carmy isn't imaginative as sydney. food is more like a math equation (ironic)/a science.

“he’s the best bc he didn’t have any of the bullshit”, emotional ties/relationships of any kind. his career esp at EMP were isolating, rigid and cold. he was the best bc he was calculating, precise and competitive. which breeds excellence in his field while straying him further away from love and true passion.

i imagine carmy to be more pragmatic with creating a dish.

but carmy is a creative person at his core and while creating a dish might not be as colorful as when sydney does it. we do know that carmy can draw and visualize his ideas onto paper. "Sistine Chapel" level drawings according to syd.

sydney + carmy - potential true partnership

on my 3rd rewatch, i couldn't help but feel so dissatisfied with their partnership. granted this is on purpose since the show is only 2 seasons in and they are trying to do a slow burn in all aspects, not just romantic.

it really hit me that carmy and sydney have never - at least on screen - created a meal together. in s1, we never see the risotto come to fruition, we just get carmys input but never the finished product. in s2 finally, carmy and Sydney work together now that their dynamic has changed from boss and employee to partners. we get like what? 4 scenes of them creating the menu, and having this amazing professional chemistry but ultimately leads to two failed dishes, which would be ok if they worked together after that. but they dont...

instead for the rest of the season, we see them (mainly Syd) working on the menu separately. the menu is....alright. mainly has carmy written all over it (he has a the seven fishes + cannolis, weird homage to one of the worst nights of his life).

*putting on another pair of shipper goggles to say this makes the whole "you make me better at this" confession, even more mind-boggling bc better at what? you guys haven't even worked together all season. this = life , i rest my case*

in s3 and beyond, im excited for them to truly start working together as partners and actually see them create a dish together.

i want to see how their approaches to creating a dish can help the other.

how sydneys creative process can help carmy

besides the obvious romantic implications of the palette cleanser outing, the potential for them to understand each other on a deeper level in regards to food is something i mourn everyday.

after sydney goes on her trip solo, we see her ride the ferry and just take a look at her surroundings. shes thinking about the food she ate, shes looking at buildings, windows, looking at the snow. all inspiration for a dish.

imagine if carmy was there with her. he would be curious about what she's thinking about, get insight on how she creates and maybe want to learn to see food in a less practical way.

i mean he hadn't drawn in years it seems until he was inspired by sydney and the chaos menu to draw again....now imagine if he didn't ruin the moment by bringing up claire (LMFAO). the point is, sydney naturally sparks creativity and passion in him, even when they aren't together.

i know many people are theorizing that carmy will leave the culinary industry (and i agree most of the time) but i also think sydney is slowly but surely helping him discover/re-discover a passion for cooking. i think that carmy likes that sydney likes to take care of people because subconsciously he knows he does the same thing or has the potential for it (i.e making tiff sprite from scratch when she was experiencing morning sickness). evidenced by fishes (s02e6), care often feels like an obligation (he takes care of drunk donna when shes going through an episode) but it doesnt have to be this way. and now carmy wants to get a star for her....their interests are slowly aligning.

how carmys creative process can help sydney

this isn't as concrete as the one above but i found it interesting thinking about how carmys more pragmatic approach and sydneys idealistic approach can work in tandem.

first scene in pop (s02e5) shows sydney and tina late at night working on the tasting menu. later in the episode we find out that carmy has been pushing back menu planning leaving sydney on her own. she trying an elements concept which is extremly creative and impressive but even tina says, which sydney later agrees, that its a lot for a tasting menu.

im stretching maybe....but based on carmys comment on her risotto from the season before (needs acid) + his practical approach, it seems like he acts like a buffer when sydneys ideas get "a lot".

*in chemistry buffers are solutions added to resist pH changes when acidic and basic components are added*

so if carmy needs to be more creative and sometimes sydneys ambitions gets ahead of her....

sydney is the heart, while carmy is the brain (???)

one cannot work without the other. when they truly come together to create the menu, they both need to learn from one another to elevate the restaurant. not to mention with carmy's italian american roots and syd's Nigerian-Caribbean/southern roots, they have the potential for amazing fusion dishes and real partnership. i and others want the menu to physically reflect both of them.

conclusion

i literally dont know where im going with this. sorta kinda meta but its more like hopes and dreams for next season and me wanting to type my ideas down.

they complement each other well ok? and have potential for a great partnership once they communicate better. i like this part of the definition of yin and yang:  Their interaction is thought to maintain the harmony of the universe and to influence everything within it.

carmy and Sydney are the leaders of the bear, their relationship is foundational to the success of their restauarnt and team, once they work together truly, play to their strengths and weaknesses, then will come true harmony in their universe.

bonus

more sydcarm parallels/similaries/differences/yin yang moments:

carmys gold chain, syds silver earrings

carmys white t-shirts, syds white button ups

carmy is bad at math, syds great with numbers

carmy wasn't really great at school, this is sorta fanon but i can imagine syd excelled in school

both wear birkenstocks (more a chef thing but i still think its cute)

sunshine x grumpy trope but like better...usually the sunshine (syd) is more emotionally vulnerable making a space for grumpy (Carm), but they switch positions. carmy allows sydney to be more emotionally vulnerable often initiating deep conversations, while syd is more closed up/guarded

overall tho i think its cute that they are both shy/emotionally stunted but i do think purely aesthetic wise, sydney has a softer exterior ( doe eyes, colourful scarves, awkward) while carmy is more intimidating (tats, smokes, looks angry all the time)

both fight dirty - i.e their individual fights with richie (review, the bear)

carmy tho is more prone to outbrusts of anger/violence while sydney lets that shit shimmer until she explodes on you

both their passcode being 11111

carmy having dark mode on his phone, syd having light mode in s2

their matching clothes moments earlier in the second season and in bolognese

if theres more, pls comment/reblog, bc i always think of this shit and need more to cry about

fin!

credits: gif 1&2 , gif 3 and gif 4

[scavengerssuccotash]

Do you have any more Katya headcanons?

Aww Katya! I love her so much so thank you for asking and getting my brain juices flowing! Hehe

Katya is as smart-assed as her father when she’s comfortable around you. As soon as she feels like she can let her guard down around you she quickly becomes the most sarcastic one out of the bunch! She’s also very opinionated like her mother, you will know if she doesn’t like you. (Although that’s rare, because she’s genuinely a pretty laid back person.)

She gave a kid a black eye at the age of eight, which greatly alarmed Clint who was fully prepared to give her a stern talking to. His rehearsed I’m disappointed in you talk however flew right out the window upon the news that the kid with the black eye was also the ring leader of a group of bullies. A group of bullies that were harassing Katya’s new friend Daisy, a deaf child. Once the principal told him that, Clint shrugged his shoulders and told the principal, “Actually I think my daughter is the one who deserves the apology for having to do your job for you! And I deserve an apology for you wasting my gas, Principal Townsend!”

Katya later asked him, after a pit stop for some ice cream, why some kids were mean to those who couldn’t defend themselves.

“Sometimes it’s because at home they can’t defend themselves so they take it out on other people. They think it makes them feel better.”

“But that’s stupid, daddy.”

“Yeah, it is stupid ain’t it? If you promise not to tell mommy, do you wanna do something fun with daddy tonight?”

Later that night on a secret spy mission with daddy Katya learned that the bully, little Kevin Granger, couldn’t defend himself at home. She also believed that her daddy was a hero for real that night and that there were far scarier monsters than aliens in New York. Mommy was NOT happy with daddy when they got home.

Katya almost caused an international incident when she went on a ski trip to Finland. Having grown up around little influences of Russia via her mother’s heritage Katya was insanely curious about her maternal country. Natasha, however forbade her from ever visiting, and discouraged her at every turn to learn more out of fear that someone or perhaps the Russian state might kidnap her for testing or training. Katya was after all the daughter of a Widow. So, when Katya and her friends have some free time, Katya ever so carefully persuades her friends into a quick in and out trip next door. “Come on! They won’t even find out! I just want to see it! Please!!”

They make it in just fine and are visiting St, Petersburg Square when she gets the FaceTime call from her mother. It all goes to shit shortly after that. Katya tries to hide her surroundings with the help of all of her friends hoodies dumped over her head, but the call quality is shit and all Natasha sees is Katya’s slightly alarmed face with what looks like a black bag over her head. Then Natasha hears Russian voices in the background and the call cuts out. (Russian police had started to approach them to question what they are doing and spooked Katya. She jolts and her phone flies out of her hand and skids right into a rainwater drainage grate!!)

Tony stark nearly kicks off WW3 (Russia had restricted their air space, because of course they would!) Clint severely injuries eight police officers and one train conductor. And Nat, well…Nat slaps her daughter across the face for the first and only time in her life. It was intense and a very fraught time for the Barton-Romanoff family. It’s after this entire mortifying fiasco that Katya learns what exactly her fearless mother fears the most in the world. Ultimately it brings Katya closer to understanding her mother on a very deep level.

Katya didn’t start officially dating until her junior year of high school. Can you guess why? Starts with a C and ends with a T. She’s a daddy’s girl alright! She loves her father so so much. Not more than her mother or anything but she just understands Clint better. Clint is also a girls dad too, which such a combination does not for vivacious blossoming romance make! She tried of course, but after Clint met her date to the middle school dance by sharpening his knifes on the porch, Katya realized she had to play things a little differently than her peers. This of course doesn’t mean that she didn’t come home at three in the morning a little high or drunk with hickies on her neck once or twice. Her mom, of fucking course, was waiting for her on her bed.

“Sit, before you wake up your father. We need to talk.” “Are you going to tell dad?” “Only if you don’t tell me the truth, are you going to lie, Katya?”

She really hates it when her mom uses mind tricks on her, because damn it they work. After that Katya stops sneaking out. She brings her boyfriend over for breakfast two weeks later. Clint’s cordial on the surface, but obviously doesn’t really like him.

“He’s got a tongue ring Nat!? Do you know who has tongue rings these days! Bad boys! Boys who think no means yes and—“ “Do you trust our daughter, Clint?” “Of course I fucking trust her, it’s him I don’t trust! Look at him! He smells like weed!” “Trust her, Clint.” A sigh. “I just miss my little girl. When did she grow up so fast?” “All things grow old, honey, even you.” “Yeah?You still like this old man?” “Play nice tonight and I’ll prove it.”

Katya would later erase this conversation from her memory, and sleep with her headphones in. Eww. Parents. Are. So. Fricken. Gross.

Eventually, Katya and her high school boyfriend drift apart. She is now dating a young med student at Princeton. She’s planning on bringing him home in the fall.

I might have to fic some of these! Thanks for getting my creative juices flowing!! 👁️👄👁️

[thatkippycat]

Freckle&Ivy x Poly!Reader Headcanons

My first shot at headcanons, and I had to pick something I have no personal experience with. Enjoy!

---------------------------------------------------

• You saw Freckle and Ivy dancing one night at the Lackadaisy, and boy were you starstruck.

• Two beautiful people who are seemingly opposites, yet are still lovey dovey? Yes please!

• Is what was most likely thought in your head.

• Of course, having multiple partners at once isn't exactly mainstream, so you settle with approaching them and, at the very least, befriending them.

• Guess what, the feelings didn't go away, in fact they multiplied.

• Eventually, after a while you work up the courage to talk to Freckle and Ivy.

• Soooooo, pitching the idea to them was a hassle.

• You wanted to take it slower with the explanation of what you were asking, but you kept tripping over your words.

• Eventually you ended up just, spitting it out, a decision you immediately regretted.

• Curiously, though, Ivy and Freckle were...cool with it?

• Granted, some of it had to deal with Ivy thinking it'd be an interesting idea, and Freckle being a people pleaser, but you got to take victories where you can find them, y'know?

• The three of you decided to go for it, and boom, poly couple.

• Unfortunately, no matter which way you identify, you'll have to hide the affection for them.

• The 1920s had lots of cool beer and neat criminals, but folks weren't exactly accepting of anything out of the norm, and Freckle and Ivy were already an established couple.

• Don't worry though, that just means you get extra love in private!

• Well, as in private you can get, that is.

• Private time is short, having to fit between Ivy's college classes and y'all's work at the Lackadaisy.

• Because yeah, you probably landed a job over there, either because you wanted the job, or because they desperately need supervision.

• Bonus perks if you're good with a needle and thread, because Ivy needs someone to fix her clothes up, and Freckle needs someone to fix his cousin up.

• Speaking of Rocky, he's not really suprised when he finds out.

• Man's been traveling the country, he's encountered lots of stuff like this.

• Actually, a lot of the Lackadaisy members are atleast fine with the idea of the three of you together.

• I mean, speakeasies were the place for people and relationships who didn't conform after all.

• And that means you can be all lovey dovey with them at the Lackadaisy with only the odd stares of new patrons.

• Of course you do have one-on-one dates, especially when either Freckle or Ivy are busy.

• Ivy will take you out shopping and just generally hanging out around town.

• Whether you're fem or masc, she'll get you the perfect outfit.

• Just know, you'll be carrying the stuff, and Freckle's aching arms are ever so grateful for your sacrifice.

• Late night study dates at either her dorm or a local library (depending on gender) are also pretty common, especially when finals roll around.

• She also likes when she can take a break from the work to sneak off somewhere private where you two can be all cuddly.

• As for Freckle, he mainly just goes with what you want to do.

• Want to head out and see a play? Freckle'll come along too. Spend some time just fixing things and cleaning? Freckle loves that? Recover after Rocky convinced you to do something stupid? Trust me, he's been there, and he's right there next to you.

• That's not to say he's completely hobbyless, he'll take you out to baseball games and parks when he's feeling confident.

• Freckle will stay away from anything too high energy though.

• He doesn't want to show off his more... psychotic side.

• He'll invite you over to his house however.

• As a friend, of course.

• You are about 70% sure that Nina knows, though, but doesn't say anything to keep Freckle happy.

• All in all, you three make things work, even with the weirdness of the situation.

• Oh and by the way, I hope you don't mind not having both of your hands when you're alone with them.

• Odds are the one of, if not both of them, will be holding your hands throughout the day.

• But hey, who needs hands when you've got a kick-ass girlfriend and a shy, unstable boyfriend?

[eruverse]

Mongolia according to sidereal vedic astrology chart

For Mongolia’s birthday, I’m using his independence day from Qing Empire aka December 29 1911. Technically, yes, of course Mongolia is way older than that — but there’s no way we can accurately determine when exactly he was born and December 29 is already there celebrated throughout the country. For his ‘birth hour’, I am choosing 12.00 noon as I assumed it was around the time Bogd Khanate was established.

This is where I entered the data: astro-seek website

(Note: if you think to yourself like “why does this sound weird and unlike what I’ve known before” that’s because this is a sidereal astrology. Sidereal uses a different calculation system compared to tropical, or the one we all commonly know. So don’t be surprised if say, you might be a Virgo in tropical but in sidereal you become a Leo. I am also going to be explain my findings with Vedic terms and system, so if, again, you find differences — that’s because I’m using Vedic, not tropical (Western) system)

I am by no means an expert, as I’m just doing this for fun. So if you wanna read the chart and look things up yourself, you can enter the data and do it on your own! You might come up with a different birth hour/date as well (there’s another whole topic called birth chart rectification but it’s not the scope of this post nor it is by any means an expertise of mine. It’s an actual astrologer doing lol)

Here is his big three: sun, moon, ascendant:

1) 1st house (lagna/ascendant): self (ego, sense of self, appearance, identity, temperament)

Ascendant and moon in Pisces, Revati Nakshatra: Revati is the last of 27 Nakshatras (lunar mansion), which means that with this sign things come to completion before they begin anew. Revati means ‘shining one’ and people with this nakshatra act as a guiding light to others, ever helpful and nurturing like the sign’s ruling deity Pushan, who is a protector for herds and flocks, protecting and sending them to safety in their owners. Revatis are sweet, sincere and caring. They are also deeply optimistic and unmoved by pressures, will see to completion any goal they have in mind, which can be as high as the sky. They’re also highly intuitive and dreamy. However, Revatis can be pretty detached and they also have an independent streak; they cannot be easily controlled. While sweet, Revatis can also be cunning even if they don’t much look so.

Moon in the first house also means Mongolia wears his emotions on his sleeves. Basically, emotions are tied to his sense of self. This placement makes him observant and attentive to his surroundings, since he’s so good at working through emotions he’s able to care for others emotionally too. Moon in this place also makes him highly instinctive. He doesn’t mistake what his gut tells him. Since his moon and the ascendant are the same, this pretty much means that his emotions/mental state and the way he sees things in the world are the same, that of Pisces (Revati).

Chart ruler (owner of ascendant sign) is Jupiter, in 9th house of Scorpio. This means that the theme that goes on throughout his life, his guiding compass, is through Jupiter in that house (explanation later). Both houses will influence each other.

2) 2nd house: possessions (material and immaterial), personal values and ethics, self esteem, family as possession

Saturn in Aries (Bharani): Saturn is said to be debilitated in Aries, meaning that Saturn cannot do what it’s good at doing in Aries. Saturn is a planet of discipline and caution but Aries is aggressive and impulsive; the power of these two clash. That is how Mongolia approach possessions including money or finance. Since Saturn here is retrograde, the Saturnian energy is directed to be introspective rather than externalized. This means that Mongolia often sits with his own vulnerabilities regarding his possessions and works through the inner workings in his mind. Saturn in retrograde may cause more of an emotional turmoil than direct. Being a planet of inhibition and limitation, Saturn here will also make possessions often lacking or that Mongolia will feel it lacking.

Rahu/north lunar node in Aries (Aswini): Rahu is a ‘planet’ of obsession or desire. Rahu in second house means Mongolia has a desire to accumulate wealth, because it’s an area he’s lacking at in this lifetime. This is also the case with self esteem and family. In Aries, Rahu multiplies the ambition and drive.

Lord of the second house of Aries is Mars in third house. It means that the way to accumulate wealth can be done through third house, with both houses influencing each other.

3) 3rd house: early learning, mental intelligence, communication, short distance travels, siblings, neighbors/neighborhood

Mars in Taurus (Krittika): also lord of Mongolia’s second house. Mars’ fiery nature is calmed by Taurus’ earthly characteristics: this makes Mongolia patient, stubborn, and practical in regard to fighting for his desires, which not only influence the third house but also apparently the second house which it rules.

Mars is also his darakaraka/spouse planet, also an area in which he is lacking and thus is what he seeks. Mongolia does indeed want to stand up to his neighbors, to be more assertive when communicating especially to neighbors. Might also indicate dependence, if it’s what he seeks.

Lord of third house is in Venus in eighth house of Libra. This means that he also fulfills his third house needs through his eighth house, and that the goings in the third house can influence the workings of eighth house. This position doesn’t really give a good result, since eighth house is sixth from third and third is eighth from eight. In Vedic astrology, 6 and 8 are malefic number and this may cause enmity in regards to third house matters, such as with siblings and neighbors, which is true for Mongolia. However, since Venus sits in its own sign in Libra, Mongolia will gain some relevant strength even during the whole enmity.

4) 4th house: house/home, roots, (mother)land, mother, vehicles, real estate, domestic happiness

Pluto in Gemini (Mrigashira): there is a need to undergo deep transformation through situations at home. At the same time, it makes Mongolia too secretive, guarded and possessive. He is preoccupied with making his home/motherland secure, and there is control issues as well. This transformation is done through deep curiosity for information and intellectual pursuits. Sadly, this doesn’t make a good focus as it’s too scatterbrained; Mongolia wants to fix many things at once which often results in fixing nothing.

Lord of the house is Mercury in tenth house of Sagittarius.

5) 5th house: creativity, romance, children, joy, pleasure, self expression

Mongolia has Cancer at the cusp of this house which means he approaches the themes of fifth house in a nurturing, sensitive, and comfortable manner. Mongolia often appears unflappable outside, but inside he is a mush. He’s not easy to open up either, but can show dependency once he gets really close! Cancer being in fifth house means he hates drama when it comes to romance or children, because he wishes for emotional security with these people. His own feelings can be overwhelming even without drama, anyway.

Neptune in Cancer (Punarvasu) means Mongolia can be dreamy in romance to the point of getting his head in the clouds. This is a planet that makes you escape the mundane. This also means the emotions: they can be brought to greater heights with this planet’s influence. Neptune also makes Mongolia highly understanding of his romantic partners/children.

Mongolia has the lord of fifth house sitting in his first house (moon). This means that he brings and gives himself in romance/creativity/children, and that romance, creativity and children would be important for his sense of self. Considering that his ascendant and moon are the nurturing type, and his fifth house also is, the tendency will be heightened up the sky.

Cancer in fifth house is also Mongolia’s arudha lagna (pada of lagna, of first house) or the image he brings into the world, that of parental and nurturing energy.

Aspects: Neptune sextile Mars. A sextile is a cooperative energy between two planets, and Neptune in fifth house would give Mars in third house ideals as well as ideas for Mongolia to fight for in his communication attempt. Mars itself would be giving Mongolia tenacity and drive to fight for his ideals.

6) 6th house: health, wellness, daily routine, diseases, debts, enemies, obstacles

Leo at the cusp of sixth house: when it comes to dealing with day-to-day matters, or facing obstacles, Mongolia is full of vigor, confidence and charisma, and there’s a need to take the lead. Leo being in sixth house could also mean he has a good health.

Sixth house is empty, with lord sun in tenth house in Sagittarius.

7) 7th house: spouse, partnership, business partners, sex as physical intimacy (one-on-one relationship)

Virgo at the cusp of seventh house means Mongolia is earthly, pragmatic, attentive to detail, with a focus to be in servitude to a partner, which could be either sexual or platonic.

Seventh house is empty, with its lord Mercury in the tenth house. With that in mind, Mongolia will meet his partners through matters pertaining 10th house. With Mercury as the lord, he will attract intellectuals and people he can share ideas with, with the relationship built off of communication as a base.

8) 8th house: death, sex as intimacy, shared money, inheritance, transformation, rebirth, the mystic and esoteric

Venus in Libra (Vishakha): Venus is right at home in Libra! The very social, fair, dynamic and harmonious sign is ruled by planet of love, relationship, and seduction. Venus is also Mongolia’s atmakaraka/soul planet, with this being a planet at the highest degree in one’s chart denoting the most potent power one could have. Venus in Libra in eighth house means Mongolia puts a high emphasis in connection with others, being strategic and objective with it, and as the most social sign Mongolia could handle intimacy with many people at once. Libra at the cusp of eighth house will also make him very sexual. The downside is that he could be a bit too accommodating to others and putting himself to the side, though Libra in principle will always strive for fairness or equal give and take. Libra in eighth house would also mean that Mongolia’s partners help him accumulating fortune.

As mentioned before, Venus is the lord of Mongolia’s third house, which rules communication and neighborly relations. Since Venus is really strong in eighth house, Mongolia will gain strength through it when dealing with his neighbors, even though he faces difficulties there as explained above.

Ketu/south lunar node in Libra: since Rahu is in 2nd house and Rahu represents obsession while Ketu represents detachment and liberation, Ketu in eighth house makes Mongolia lives almost thoroughly in the present in order to obsess over worldly possessions and be unconcerned about what lies in the dark or beyond. The mystic or esoteric doesn’t move him. But since Ketu represents what one had in abundance in the past life, Mongolia can ‘tap’ into the unconscious to retrieve the blessings. It will still tend to be done badly however, but since Mongolia has a benefic Venus sitting in the same house with Ketu, the bad aspects caused by Ketu is likely to be nullified by Mongolia’s strong Venus.

Aspects: Neptune trine Venus means both planets give power to and help one another. Neptune in fifth house gives Mongolia’s Venus the power to be even more dreamy and understanding. This would make him a very romantic and attentive partner. Mongolia also has Venus opposite Mars, which is a very intense connection when aggressive Mars and the seductive Venus pull as strongly at each other, which makes Mongolia deeply intense in relationships and would love partners who could give back as good as he gave them. Since his Mars sits in Taurus, he’ll perhaps be quieter, but the stubbornness and intensity would be twofold.

9) 9th house: visions, wisdom, philosophy, faith, higher learning, travel to foreign lands

Jupiter in Scorpio (Anuradha): here sits the lord of Mongolia’s lagna and the whole chart, Jupiter. Jupiter is a planet of guru, fortune, expansion, knowledge, growth, and optimism. Scorpio is the sign of sexuality, depth, and magnetic intensity — therefore in Jupiter in Scorpio will increase these Scorpian tendencies to greater height. Scorpio is inward looking while Jupiter is outward however, so likely there will be some clash in how the energies operate, but nonetheless it will be magnificent! The ninth house is traditionally ruled by Sagittarius and its ruler Jupiter, therefore Jupiter works really well here — and it being Mongolia’s chart ruler would mean the ongoing theme of Mongolia’s whole life is full of gaining wisdom and to impart his findings to others.

The ruler of the house is Mars, in third house. This means that the way Mongolia deals with communication and neighbors would give him wisdom and insights. The insights brought by Jupiter in this house will also help Mars deal with third house.

Aspects: Moon trine Jupiter makes Mongolia warm hearted, generous, confident, broad minded, popular and friendly. Since moon sits in the lagna and Jupiter is Mongolia’s chart ruler, both of these are intimately tied to Mongolia’s sense of self and his whole person, and both Lunar and Jupiterian influences are how Mongolia affects the world.

10) 10th house: career, reputation, power, contribution to society, father, vocation

Sun in Sagittarius, Purva Ashadha Nakshatra: Purva Ashadha means invincible or unconquered. This is a Nakshatra of warriors, wars and physical power, and the native might find a job in the military or politics, especially considering that Mongolia has this sun in tenth house which rules profession! The symbol of Purva Ashadha is a hand fan, which can mean to cool oneself as well as to fan a fire to keep it flaming. With Sun in Purva Ashadha, Mongolia is deeply driven, passionate, and ambitious. He will also be truthful, righteous, and believe in justice. Since this is a Nakshatra of war, Mongolia can also be paranoid at times thinking it’s him against the world.

Sun is also the lord of Mongolia’s sixth house. This is a placement that can bring some difficulties, considering sixth house is a house of illness and obstacles and tenth is a house of profession. Mongolia could very well face several obstacles in work. If the sun is strong however, it can likely bring in ‘health’ as sixth house also concerns health and ways to get it.

Mercury in Sagittarius (Mula): Mercury has a natural clash in this sign, as Mercury is analytical and detailed while Sagittarius is more concerned with the big ideas of everything. Also, Mercury here is retrograde which means that as a planet that also rules communication, it will get disrupted and there will be misunderstandings and confusions. Considering Mercury is also the ruling planet of Mongolia’s fourth and seventh house, there will be disruptions and difficulties in fixing problems at home and also in communicating with sexual partners as well as business partners.

The ruler of tenth house is Jupiter in ninth house of Scorpio. This means that the workings of his ninth house will influence the workings of his tenth house. However, since 9th house sits 12th from his 10th, which is the most malefic number in Vedic astrology, this likely means he will face significant hardships in his work. However, Jupiter is also Mongolia’s lagnesh/chart ruler, and it sitting in an auspicious place of ninth house will provide blessings and protection as well.

Aspects:

Sun conjunct Mercury: conjunct is an aspect where two planets sit very near and thus will intensely feed each other energy. Sun is synonymous with ego or consciousness while Mercury is intellect or mind, so with them sitting nearby together Mongolian will have the brains to achieve his ambitions — except his Mercury is retrograde, so it probably won’t be very effective at times.

Sun square Moon: square is an aspect where two planets are in conflicts, quite like opposition. With Sun square Moon, Mongolia would be having a war between his ego and emotions. However, this will also provide a chance for him to work through the challenges.

Sun trine Saturn: Sun’s determination and vitality would help Saturn do its discipline work. Usually Saturn can make people prone to extreme anxiety, but Mongolia could find a way to rise from worry and do the necessary work (even though it could still lead to a lot of frustration!)

Sun opposite Pluto: Pluto is transformation and Sun is ego, so when they oppose each other it will result in Mongolia often having too big ego to accept having to change his way. At the same time, he will feel the need to change, but he will feel dissatisfied and may face destructive tendencies.

Mercury opposite Pluto: there is a tension between working on something in depth (Pluto) and articulating it intellectually (Mercury). Especially with Mercury ruling the house where Pluto sits at, Mongolia could be obsessing over every nook and cranny to detriment, and Mercury being retrograde would mean he’s not good at it.

Mongolia also has Sun conjuncts Midheaven, also in Purva Ashadha. Midheaven is the peak of a birth chart and denotes one’s legacy in life. Having Sun conjuncting Midheaven means Mongolia’s ego is tied tightly to his work and legacy, and this makes him especially charismatic and attracting others to his work, the attention of which he will really love.

11) 11th house: gains (income, fortune, connections), friendships, social circles, society

Uranus in Capricorn (Uttara Ashadha): Capricorn is the most stable and conventional sign in the zodiac while Uranus speaks of freedom and liberation. Having Uranus in Capricorn means Mongolia always seeks to liberate himself from the traditional setting of friendship, aka Russia and China. The same can be said about gains; Mongolia always looks for new ways to get things.

The lord of eleventh house, Saturn, sits in the second house which indicates link between the two houses. This can mean that Mongolia’s social circle will become his family or asset. This could also mean that his fortune comes from family.

Aspects: in Uranus opposite Neptune, Uranus, being a planet of rebellion, change and defiance would be opposing Neptune, a planet of dreams and imagination. The end result would be disharmony in his social circle of friends, or that’s what Mongolia would feel! While with Mars trine Uranus, Uranus would be helping Mongolia standing up against his neighbors with a touch of rebellion, while Mars’ tenacity would be helping Mongolia rebelling against his traditional social circle.

12) 12th house: loss, isolation, decline, secrets, mystery, expenses, detachment, liberation of the self, spirituality, foreign lands

Closing the chart with the twelfth house, Aquarius at the cusp of this house speaks of innovative and progressive nature to deal with one’s sense of detachment. At the same time, the often misunderstood nature of Aquarius will exaggerate Mongolia’s sense of isolation, giving him a deeper mysterious bent.

Since the lord of twelfth house, Saturn (as well as Rahu, since Aquarius is co-ruled by Rahu) sits in the second house, this will make Mongolia’s family be the reason of expenditure often beyond the means and speed to accumulate them. Family and possessions will be how Mongolia experiences the deep turmoil in loss.

[albinotapeworms]

For my request, can you write IzuOchaTenya in an Aladdin AU please? I imagine Ochako as a princess who's holding a royal ball and Izuku, a street rat, disguises himself as a royal to spend time with her. But he also comes into contact with visiting Prince Tenya which leads to the three of them getting closer together while in the palace. What do you think?

Royal balls and loving bonds

(IzuOchaTenya)

“Your majesty, the ball is almost prepared, would you like to open the doors for the people?” The servant said.

Uraraka closes her hand mirror shut side eyeing the servant from afar

“yes open the doors, and make sure everything is perfect, this is my grand ball after all and it needs to be the talk of the year.”

she says getting up from her bed.

“Yes your majesty, as you wish” the door closes with a bang and the room goes silent.

In the kingdom of U.A princess ochako was holding a ball for all the people of the country and the neighboring lands.

She was well known for her grand balls and kind gestures. she held these balls for everyone to have a magical time.

she had all the pamphlets sprinkled around the kingdom, being dropped by messenger birds and being delivered personally by rajah (her pet tiger)

The streets were vibrant with chatter and excitement about the ball but deep down in those streets there was a young street rat named izuku.

Izuku never cared for royal balls but that one night when he met Uraraka it changed his whole life.

Ever since that day izuku would dream about saving the princess on loop.

It was like it was stuck on repeat never to disappear from his mind, and that made him long for her even more.

Izuku dreamed of going to the balls held by the young maiden and dancing about with her all night long but due to his status, it was nothing but a silly dream.

As lzuku stumbles throughout streets, he found a suspicious cave. Growing curious he goes down further and until he finds the cave filled with gold.

Desperately thinking this would change his status he stuffs the gold into his pockets until he finds a lamp.

Being drawn to the lamp he picks it up and rubs it

The genie pops out explaining the rules to the street rat. “I wish to be a prince” izuku says to the genie, the genie makes his wish come try and lzukus clothes are transformed into that of a royal.

With his newfound appearance, he entered the grand palace without a hint of disapproval and blending effortlessly into the crowd.

His heart raced with excitement and nervousness as he was looking for the princess.

In the midst of the glittering ballroom wandering around Izuku's eyes met Ochako's, he felt his heart jump seeing the beautiful princess.

She seemed more radiant than ever, her smile captivating everyone around her.

As izuku started to approach her, he bumped into Prince Tenya a visitor from a neighboring kingdom.

“Excuse me! Who exactly are you-“

Tenya turns to izuku, Tenya directly faces

izuku and raises his eyebrow at izuku

“I never seen your face before.. what kingdom

are you from?”

“The kingdom of shiketsu”

Izuku says, scared that he will be uncovered

Tenya’s face lights up and continues

“Oh! Then you must know my friend ___ we go wayy back, if you do can you tell him I said hi? I haven’t seen him at the ball all night but I’m pretty sure-“

“I’m sorry but I’m in such a hurry, let’s continue this conversation another time”

Izuku bolts from Tenya trying to find uraraka desperately.

Still thinking to himself, he found himself drawn to the prince he had bumped into.

There was something about the prince's earnest demeanor and the way he spoke of his friend that peaked Izuku's interest, maybe it was beginning of something new.

In the midst of his contemplation, fate intervened once again.

At the end of the 3 hallways they all stood at, there it was standing before him, both Princess Ochako and Prince Tenya, Their eyes widened in surprise as they locked gazes with Izuku, their chance meeting bringing them together once more.

Izuku's heart raced as he stood before them, his disguise concealing his true identity.

For a moment, time seemed to stand still, the grandeur of the palace fading into the background as the three of them shared a profound connection.

Breaking the silence, Princess Ochako smiled warmly at Izuku. "Ah, it seems fate has a way of bringing us together, doesn't it?"

she said her voice filled with a mixture of excitement and intrigue.

“Would you like to introduce yourself stranger?”

Izuku's heart skipped a beat, but he maintained his composure, bowing before the princess.

“Your Highness, I am Prince Izuku, a visitor from the Kingdom of Shiketsu," he replied careful to maintain his disguise.

“It is an honor to be in your presence and to attend such a magnificent ball."

Prince Tenya's gaze shifted between the princess and the disguised street rat. "Ah yes I just saw you.. how fascinating," he remarked, a glimmer of interest shining in his eyes.

“I must say, you certainly caught my attention by bumping into me and leaving in such a hurry Prince Izuku.

Perhaps we can exchange stories and learn more about one another since that is the proper way of course.

Princess Ochako's smile widened, sensing the connection forming between the two men.

"Indeed, it would be wonderful to get to know you better Prince Izuku since I have already met and spoken to Tenya.” she said, her voice filled with genuine excitement.

Izukus manner shifts from nervous to calm as he examines the two.

"I would be honored to exchange stories and get to know both of you better," Izuku replied, his voice steady and filled with genuine enthusiasm. "

As the three of them deepen themselves into conversation, the grand ball continued to unfold around them.

The symphony of music, the elegant dance of the guests, and the shimmering lights created a magical ambiance creates a sense of beautiful artwork above the balcony they found themselves standing at.

Izuku found himself immersed in the warmth of their company, feeling a sense of belonging he had never experienced before.

Throughout the night, they shared stories of their kingdoms, dreams, and aspirations.

They laughed, danced and discovered shared passions and interests.

Izuku's disguise became secondary as he was struck with genuine connection he had formed with Princess Ochako and Prince Tenya.

The barriers of social status seemed to fade away, leaving only the essence of their personalities and the magic of their shared moments.

As the grand ball reached its peak, Princess Ochako took Izuku's hand and Prince Tenya joined them.

They swirled together in a graceful dance, their steps perfectly synchronized and their spirits intertwined.

In that moment, they became a trio of kindred souls bonded by fate and driven by a desire for genuine connection.

Their paths would intertwine further, and their bonds would be tested by unforeseen challenges.

But for now on this day of the royal ball hosted by princess Ochako, they discovered that destiny could be an interesting and strange thing.

[rainbowsalt0412]

Osamu Dazai’s Entrance Exam - Interlude 2

Nightfall.

Tilted on its side, a police van burns on the street alongside the coast facing the Yokohama harbor. Two officers lie dead under the shaking car.

“W-wait! Wh-what does the M-Mafia want with me?!”

Two more figures are still alive. One is a young arms dealer. He was arrested and in the middle of being transported to a military police facility when he was attacked and injured.

“You really don’t know? How absurd.”

The only other living soul, approaching the young man, is a dark shadow cloaked in a wriggling overcoat—Akutagawa.

“You disrespected the Port Mafia. You purposely fed us information on that organ-trafficking cabdriver so that we would dispose of him for you. Every person who has ever deceived us for personal gain has paid the price, and this time will be no different.”

The young man falls on his rear as Akutagawa’s black boots get closer.

“N-nobody! Nobody can kill me! Die!”

Right as the young man lifts his arm into the air, a tattoo-like pattern appears on Akutagawa’s skin. The number is '21.' Then, as he swings his arm, he swiftly accelerates Akutagawa backward. However…

“What—?!”

Although Akutagawa was knocked back, he gently stops before slowly returning to where he had been standing, unfazed.

“Is that it?”

His overcoat transformed into countless black needles that pierced the ground, acting as a cushion to support his body and soften the impact.

The two-headed beast Rashomon arises from the overcoat and soars in the arms dealer’s direction. The young man tries to dodge, but he is too late, and the cloaked hound’s razor-sharp jaws tear him apart. He screams in agony until he is nothing more than a pile of meat. Akutagawa coldly continues to watch.

“Wow, there goes my appetite.”

He turns around to see a shadowy figure behind him.

Akutagawa immediately releases Rashomon’s dark blades. The blades, sharp enough to slice through metal, shoot toward the shadowy figure’s neck but are deflected by some invisible force the moment they connect. Rashomon’s fangs claimed only a few layers of skin before they were blocked by a skill.

“Hey, where are your manners? We’re business partners, are we not?”

“That still doesn’t change the fact that you used the Port Mafia for your own personal gain.”

A middle-aged Caucasian man wearing a black cap walks out from the shadows—the same American agent Dazai and Kunikida met at the embassy. The agent scratches his neck as he addresses Akutagawa casually.

“This is some sort of misunderstanding. I’m a client of yours, in a sense. You get the foreign trade route that young arms dealer once had, and we get to say we prevented an illegal exporter from our country from stirring up trouble in Japan. It’s a fair deal if you ask me. So could you quit acting like I stole from you?”

“Deceiving and instigating is common practice for agents. I am sure you have other reasons for getting involved.”

“Well, yeah, we do. But don’t you worry about a thing. It’s over,” the agent continues with a smile. “I can’t even begin to tell you how spooked we were when the Azure King started killing people. See, one of the lawmakers he executed was an illegal collaborator we’d had in our pocket. That Azure King probably had no idea, but it would have come out if the case dragged on too long. That’s why we needed him to retire permanently…which is why we decided to investigate the case behind the scenes and tip off the Armed Detective Agency about his whereabouts. Of course, we falsified the source of the information. Then we fed the police investigation headquarters faulty intel to create confusion within the chain of command. It went exactly how we planned. The Azure King was surrounded by a few police officers, so he blew himself up and died. The truth remains shrouded in mystery, and everyone was relieved knowing the dangerous criminal was gone. A happy ending for us all.”

After taking a few moments to ruminate over what the agent said,

Akutagawa opens his mouth.

“Setting aside the arms dealer, I have a hard time believing a foreign intelligence agency would kill a Japanese terrorist to protect a secret. Why did you do it?”

“Oh, it’s got nothing to do with any governmental intelligence agency. I belong to another group as well. We call ourselves the Guild.”

“A double agent? How cliché.”

“It’s a side business of mine. Every member in the Guild’s got a day job.” The agent turns on his heel, then begins to walk away. “I’ll probably be getting in touch with the Mafia again soon with another job. Until then.”

Akutagawa sternly watches the agent go. “Wait. I’d like to ask you something.”

The agent stops in his tracks.

“I’m looking for someone. He has the ability to nullify others’ skills upon contact. Know anybody like that?”

“Sorry, afraid not.”

“Then get out of my sight.”

“You got it.”

He begins to walk again before disappearing into the darkness of the evening twilight.

“…Where did you go? Why did you suddenly disappear?” Akutagawa soliloquizes, alone on the street. “For a moment, I thought you might have been the Azure King, but I was wrong. Where are you? There’s no way you’re dead. You are somewhere here in Yokohama. I just know it.”

The winds of the night collect his words and carry them away.

“I’ll find my mentor if it’s the last thing I do. I’ll find you, former Port Mafia executive Dazai.”

***

[psychologeek]

you, I got fic recs for you!

The Threads That Bind by SpaceWall (complete, Words: 5,921)

In which Jack and Janet Drake accidentally give seven-year-old Tim a pair of grimoires. -- Letting the knife go, Jason aimed a fist at the center of the Replacement’s chest. It bounced off like punching a yoga ball. The Replacement shuddered. “What the fuck is the Scarecrow Braid?” Demanded Jason, heart full of visceral hate.

Gotham Caves and Reality Aberrations by IzzyMRDB

Gotham was built on a cave system. Batman has referenced a Bat Cave before. Tim is currently in the cave system. He is in the cave system that he entered from Drake Manor. Drake Manor is right next door to where Batman- The Bruce Wayne- lives. Holy Cavern, Batman! Tim had just accidentally wandered into the Bat Cave’s cave system. OR Tim, having found a weird hole after a storm, decides to go exploring ignoring the fact that This Is Gotham and They Probably Have Cursed Stuff Down There. Luckily, it was just a cave system that spans the entire Gotham underground. Unluckily, Tim is a very curious child.

Hoarding Robin by ConfusedShades

Tim was cursed as a kid by a magical necklace his parents brought home. He's a dragon now. Or well, sort of. He can't breathe fire or fly, but he does have an obsession with Robin. Specifically Jason Todd. --- Or when Jason's attack on Titans Tower goes awry because he didn't account for a dragon.

not REALLY what you asked for, but OMG READ:

Gotham Knockoff by raven_of_hydecastle

Stalking Batman is hard as a starving orphan in Crime Alley. Tim would know; that’s his life. Luckily, Tim is excellent at his self-appointed calling, and once he cracks Batman’s secret identity, he discovers an empty mansion next door to the Wayne estate. Some would consider squatting uncouth; Tim calls it free real estate. Anyway, the Drakes won't mind. They'd have to be in the country for that. Besides, a little identity theft never hurt anybody.

I'm Not Convinced, Alfred by njw

The magician is beginning to tremble, and his left eye is twitching repetitively. “Okay, what the ever-loving FUCK. How is this even fair? THAT is even scarier than your vigilante form! How the HELL do you guys keep doing this. Each of you is somehow more terrifying than the last!” He rounds on Robin, pointing a shaking finger at him. “And what is YOUR name going to turn out to be, huh, CTHULHU?!”

Rise Above It (Spread Your Wings) by clarakent (mintaejin), njw, Silver_Snow_77 for vellaphoria

The dark fire twists and rises, orienting on the Gotham walls. It seems to be aimed for a point right in front of the battlements where Bruce and Damian stand, defenseless while casting their own spell. The black flames blast forward, closing in on the closest thing to a family Tim has left. Like hell. Tim knows exactly what he needs to do. Just as the black, corrupt hellfire approaches the village walls, he drops into a dive, closing his wings tightly around his body to plummet faster. He’s got this—he’s so close— As he falls, what sounds strangely like grief-stricken cries of denial in his father’s and brother’s voices reach his ears, but that’s not possible. He must be mistaken. As the burning, excruciating balefire surrounds him, burning the very tears from his eyes, Tim’s heart twists in painful satisfaction. Now the others will be able to save Gotham and defeat Ra’s. I did it, Bruce. Even if you never really wanted me to be part of your family, I hope… I made you proud.

The Warmth of Pandora's Box by faithms

How does a child grow into becoming part of The People without being told the stories They are supposed to share by word of mouth and word on paper. Sometimes he wonders if They were told the warnings of being alive from Their parents. If you don’t watch, your child will be taken by a fairy. If you don’t pay attention, a changeling will switch with your child. If you don’t love your child, a beldam will steal them away with attention and obsession. He wonders if They cared at all. As Tim sits criss cross on the JL meeting table while everyone converses heatedly and worriedly about the mysterious magical creature they’ve noticed in the forest near where children have gone missing, he can't help but absently mourn the children in the photos as he thinks of memories from long ago. Warnings are often only given too late after all.

Of Rings and Reptiles by kieran_granola for chibi_nightowl 

When is a gift not a gift? When it's an accidental wedding proposal, of course! (Or why homeless teens should know better than to keep the rings clueless magical boys gifted them as thanks for helping them back home.)

Home Alone: Christmas at Titans Tower by Miss_Lazy_Tuesday

Tim is nine. Well, apparently he’s supposed to be fourteen and Robin (so cool!) but he’s nine right now because of a wizard. Batman left him alone in Titan’s Tower because he needs Tim out of the way while he deals with some new crime boss in Gotham. And now a mysterious bad guy in a red helmet has locked down the Tower from all outside communication and is trying to get in. Tim doesn’t remember being Robin, but he’s going to have to get Robin-y in order to defeat this enemy on his own. Luckily, the Tower is full of so many interesting toys…. Inspired by the Christmas masterpiece Home Alone.

i need a homo-magi tim drake au.

like, i find it very hard to believe that in that mausoleum of a mansion filled to the brim with ancient artifacts jack and janet drake collected throughout their travels, that not a single one of them was cursed —

— and that a nine year old tim didn’t use an ancient aztec macuahuitl as a baseball bat and now knows several dead languages with weird cursed powers from some ancient meso-american demon that camps out in his body.

but like tim has no clue that whatever is going on with him is not normal because he was never told it wasn’t not normal,

and then imagine other people’s reactions to this, especially other magic users like zatanna and constantine —

zatanna: i don’t understand why i can’t seem to get these runes right..

13 year old tim drake: because you’re working on them backwards, it’s supposed to be [fast paced nahuatl]

zatanna: how…?

tim (blissfully unaware of his abilities, smiling sweetly): the voices :D

and then i just imagine his shadow is some looming creature or something idk, kinda how in yj comics his shadow is batman’s silhouette 😭

[asteroidtroglodyte]

[exert of a conversation between Martin Scorsese, Paul Shrader, and Roger Ebert from 1976 regarding Scorsese’s 1973 film Goncharov]

…

Scorsese: Because there's a lot of violence to this picture, some of the New York reviews are calling it an exploitation film. Jesus! I went flat broke making this film! My films haven't made a lot of money, you know? Right now, I'm living off my next film.

Schrader: If it's an exploitation film, I wish we had a dollar for every time you were told it would never be a success at all. That screenplay got turned down by everybody.

Scorsese: We showed it to some New York media educators, and I thought we'd get lynched! We showed it to some student editors...there was this wise guy there I recognized from a screening we had of "Alice." He asks whether, after all my success, I'm about ready to fall on my ass. I've hardly gotten started!

Schrader: You got zero valid reactions immediately after the screenings. The immediate response is usually very visceral and angry, but I remember, this one, silence. The anger came later. But, if this film weren't controversial, there'd be something wrong with the country.

Ebert: What you give us in this guy, Goncharov, who comes from nowhere - we get hardly any background - eventually we realize he's seething inside, he's got all this violence bottled up....

Scorsese: And he goes back again and again to where the violence is. One of the reviewers, I think it was Andrew Sarris, said how many times can you use [The Clocks] as a metaphor for hell? But that's the thing about hell - it goes on and on. And he couldn't get out of it. But you're right that we don't tell you where he comes from, or what his story is. Obviously, he comes from somewhere and he picked up these problems along the way.

Schrader: You told me you wrote it that way after thinking about the way they handled "In Cold Blood." They tell you all about Perry Smith's background, how he developed his problems, and immediately it becomes less interesting because his problems aren't your problems, but his symptoms are your symptoms.

Ebert: Pauline Kael has said that Scorsese, Robert Altman and Francis Ford Coppola are the three most interesting directors in the country right now - and that it might be due to their Catholicism, that after Watergate, the nation feels a sort of guilt and needs to make a form of reparation, and that Catholics understand guilt in a way that others don't, that they were brought up on it.

Scorsese: Guilt. There's nothing you can tell me about guilt.

Schrader: I've got a lot of Protestant guilt.

Scorsese: You can't make movies any more in which the whole country seems to make sense. After Vietnam, after Watergate, it's not just a temporary thing; it's a permanent thing the country's going through. All the things we held sacred - the whole Time-Life empire...whoosh! Well, Time's still left.

Ebert: In a lot of your movies, there's this… ambivalent attitude, toward women. The men are fascinated by women, but they don't quite know how to relate to them...

Scorsese: The goddess-whore complex. You're raised to worship women, but you don't know how to approach them on a human level, on a sexual level. That's the thing with Katya, with Sofia, he loves them but he doesn’t really see them as people. They go from garbage to goddess and back and forth.

Ebert: I’m reminded of Katya with the candles in her bedroom.

Scorsese: Exactly, she's like a saint to him! He can't imagine these people treating her the way they do. Before he goes to avenge her, it's almost like he cleanses himself, like in "The Virgin Spring" when Max von Sydow scourges himself with the branches before he goes out to avenge his daughter's death.

Schrader: We actually had that shot in the movie, and we took it out. Goncharov whips himself with a towel before he goes out with his guns. We took it out because it looked a little forced and unnatural.

Scorsese: But the Catholic thing? I suppose there are a lot of Catholic references in the film, even if they're only my own personal reference. Like the moment when he burns the flowers before he goes out to kill. And when he's buying the guns and the dealer lays them out one at a time on the velvet, like arranging the altar during Mass.

…

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Coffin Head: Part 1

Fandom: Stranger Things (Vampire/Witch AU)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Summary: Things had been looking up for Eddie Munson. He finally graduated high school and left Hawkins to pursue his dream of being a rockstar. He did it...along with becoming a vampire in the process as well. But after hearing that his Uncle Wayne is sick, Eddie goes back to his hometown where he meets you.

Warning: implications of sex, mentions of blood.

A/N: takes place in the 90s. woo!

Series Masterlist

Eddie woke with a groan. The curtains of his hotel room were wide open, the sunlight making him hiss.

He immediately grabbed for his sunglasses on the nightstand and slipped them on. He looked around to see two women on both sides of him. He quietly felt their necks. Still a pulse. Good. He didn't completely drain them last night after his gig.

He checked the time and saw that it was past noon in California, which meant it was nearly 4 in Hawkins.

Eddie grabbed his cellphone, dialing his Uncle's number. He promised he'd call after his gig.

"Hey, kid."

"Hey, Wayne. How'd your appointment go?"

Wayne sighed, "It's not lookin' good, Eddie."

"What do you need? You need money for surgery? I can do that. I can take you to the best hospital in the country. Take your pick. I can-"

"I don't think that's gonna happen, son."

"What if I turn you? I turn you and-and you'll be better. You'll never get sick again and-"

"That's not the kind of life I want, Eddie. I just," Wayne sighs, "I have to accept this and so do you."

Even though Wayne can't see him, Eddie is shaking his head, "I'm coming to see you."

"Don't do that, Eddie. Your tour is almost done-"

"I don't care! I-I need to see you. When's your next appointment?"

Knowing how stubborn his nephew is, Wayne answers, "Two weeks."

"I'll be there at the end of the week. I'll take care of my stuff here and I'll go see you. You've done a lot for me, Wayne. You've fought tooth and nail for me to have a decent life. I'm gonna pay you back."

"Son, you know you don't need to pay me back. We're family."

"And that's exactly why I'm coming home. I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Yeah, alright. Be safe, okay?"

"I will."

"Bye, kid."

"Bye, Wayne."

______________

Something dangerous had entered Hawkins.

Hawkins was known to be a very cursed town. People disappearing, getting murdered, earthquakes, monsters, etc. That's why your coven decided to send you, one of the most powerful witches in the coven, to protect the town.

For two years, your stay here has been fairly smooth. You put a protection spell around the town. Strengthening it at the end of every week. It notified you whenever some supernatural being entered its threshold.

The only issue with the spell was that it wouldn't tell you who, which meant you had to go investigating yourself.

With a sigh, you got up from your couch and slipped on your boots. You grabbed your bag and keys, heading out the door. The sooner you found this creature and got rid of it, the better.

You went to the main road where the spell was breached. You took out your vial of tracking dust and blew it over the road, it showed a residual of the a van driving down the road. Good. At least that narrowed things down for you.

You followed the trail and it led you to a trailer park on the outskirts of town. The van was parked outside of a trailer.

You pulled out another vial, your invisibility potion and took a few sips. You watched as your body slowly faded and you began to approach the trailer.

As quietly as you could, you crept up to it, and peered through a window. There were two men sitting on the couch, drinking beer. The older man was balding, greying stubble all over his face. He looked ill. The older man, much younger, was handsome. He donned a white tshirt and black leather jacket. He sported brown long hair, permed, reminiscent of an 80s rockstar.

"I thought you were coming at the end up of the week," the older man stated.

The younger man shrugged, "I managed to tie things up sooner."

The older man sighed and shook his head, "Eddie, you really didn't need to come out here. I'm fine."

"Uncle Wayne, you're clearly not. Just-Just stop pretending like you're fine. We both know you're not. And-And I know you said 'no' but I'm asking again, what if I-"

"Kid, please. This is just a part of life. We all gotta die someday, well, most of us anyway." your brows furrowed in confusion at the man's statement.

You moved to get a better look at the two, but you lost your footing. You hit the side of the trailer, causing both men to look your way.

"Stay here. I'll check it out," you heard the younger man, now known as Eddie, say. He got up and you knew it was time for you to go. Besides, you knew the invisibility potion would fade soon.

You immediately start quietly walking a few feet away from the trailer, stopping when the door swung open. You watched as Eddie scanned the area. You figured he might not be able to see you since it was dark.

Though you might be right, he could definitely smell you.

"Wayne, stay here," he said as he stepped further out of the trailer, heading towards you.

You remained still as he was two feet away from you.

"I don't know who you are, but I know you're there," he spoke lowly, "And I can smell the magic running through your blood." That made you freeze, "Stay the hell away from me and my uncle, and I won't tear your throat out."

With that the you watched as Eddie walked back towards the trailer, giving one look in your general direction, before heading back into the home.

You let out a sigh and walked away from the area, your body coming back in full view. You groaned, running a hand down your face, "Vampires? Seriously?"

You'll summon the coven tomorrow and see what they advise for you to do.

[transmalewife]

HUGE fan of your tick garden post. As a country mfer seeing ignorant city slicker suburb livers (key word ignorant) talk about this shit is so infuriating. My family keeps a low cut lawn because even with our low cut, well maintained grass lawn, we frequently get ticks. Within the past 2 years I've probably pulled 30+ from my body, countless more thoughout my life and as someone who's already disabled I have to get tested for Lyme disease frequently to ensure my symptoms are still from my other issues. Ticks ain't something to dismiss so easily. They are a huge issue. They can be deadly. Are they extremely important to the ecosystem ? Yeah, and that's why we keep em around and why we use bug sprays n shit when we venture into their home. Talking about biodiversity lawns without touching the topic of ticks irks me so bad. Thank you for taking time to make that post !

The funny thing is I am absolutely an ignorant city slicker, maybe even worse than suburbs since I've spent all my life in flats in the strict city center. never even had a lawn. I did however have a tick once and it, without any exagerration, ruined my life. like almost every big setback I've faced in my life, the reason I've been in first year of uni 4 times, soon to be 5, barely graduated highschool despite having mostly good grades, because I was barely above the 50% attendance minimum, all directly traceable back to lyme.

I expected that post to get like 15 notes at most, not 10k in one day, and although i'm glad bc this is important info, I might have written it differently. for example mentioned why and how to safely remove ticks (without killing or squishing or suffocating them, so you don't push the lyme into ur bloodstream, by levering or pinching them up from underneath) and mostly that the overall point is that just letting things grow wild is not biodiversity.

Restoring biodiversity takes more work than keeping up a manicured lawn, not less, at least at first, even though some people try to offer an easy way out. letting things just grow as they please will actually atract more invasive plants. You need to do your research and carefully plan out which places you'll dedicate to food, to pollinator friendly wildflowers, and which you're actually planning to hang out on, and thus will need to keep short. people in the notes have been suggesting great alternatives like clover, moss or woodchips, and other ground cover plants that stay short and require less upkeep than grass, but you still need to do research to lear what's good for your area, and since I'm polish, I can't do that for americans.

someone tagged that post saying smth like 'people want laws to go back to how they were before humans adapted them that is unihabitable' and they were right. there are places (vacant lots, golf courses, fenced off decorative patches of grass, that can and should go back to wildflowers and native grasses as tall as you wish, but for hanging out it, you need sufaces or short, walkable, high visibility for snakes etc, plants. or at the very least paths of those.

my family has what is essentially two vacant lots near the woods, attached to falling apart, rotting, half-built cabins in the countryside, so I know very well how the 'low effort' approach to lawn restoration goes. One used to be a well maintained grass lawn up until like 2005, now it gets mowed once every year or two. it's knee high grass so thick it tangles around your legs and trips you if you try to walk normally. people get several ticks each every time they visit. the other hasn't been touched in at least 20 years, and it's all stinging nettle taller than me (and I'm not especially short) so obviously not exactly hospitable to human life either. if you have a bit of land you never use, let it go wild if you want. But in order to make a lawn usable and biodiverse, you're gonna need a lot more work that just giving up

[cremebrulee666]

a nobody

grayson x y/n

tw - i think none???

a/n - this is not exactly how my blurb was intended to be like (they are absolutely 2 different things, but it basically has the same context, just changed to fit the inheritance games story line)

-also, in this you are the same age as grayson (avery hadn't inherited yet & grayson is still going to heights country day. also, emily exists but jameson y grayson no son enamorado con ella (jameson and grayson are not in love with her))

~y/n pov~

it would never be an average day at Heights Country Day. Going to school there was always rumors upon rumors, add on so much drama and numerous possibly toxic relationships. It had taken me one year to get used to the layout of the school. i still will never fit in.

everyone who goes to school here comes from a wealthy background/family. the people here are witty and practical... that's where my similarities with them end. they are glamorous and prosperous.

my parents, though they used to be well off & wealthy, became careless, emotional trainwrecks. they spent money on unreasonable treasures. they gambled. they fell in love with other people on the side. but they never divorced, never fought. because they thought that as long as around me they acted normal, everything would be normal. they thought that i wouldn't notice and find out.

but i knew this family was falling from the beginning. sometimes, they cared about people's feelings too much. other times, they didn't at all. they were irrational, insane, manic, even. but they're my family. and despite everything, i can't hate them. even when we are falling short of money and are not as well off as we used to be. i don't know what happened to turn this family into a mess, but it happened, and here we are.

at least my parents already prepaid my years at Heights Country Day in the first year. at least i can finish my last.

to be quite frank, i'm relieved. Heights Country Day might be a prestigious, luxurious, & fun school, but i'm tired.

i'm tired of being nothing.

tired of being nothing in a world full of people who are something.

tired of watching a boy i fell in love with from afar.

a boy who could only be described as everything.

grayson hawthorne.

well-known, wealthy, and all the girls love him. and as a nobody, he probably doesn't even know that i exist, which is why i must graduate the school with no problems and never see a trace of grayson hawthorne ever again.

~timeskip~

the day at school was pretty average... until xander hawthorne approached me, of course.

"hello!" he said in the his alexander hawthorne voice - peppy & vigorous - as he sat next to me where i ate.

"why are you talking to me." i asked in the most deadpan voice i have ever heard myself talk in, feeling pity on xander for my hostility.

"i thought you looked lonely" he replied, unfazed.

"i'm not lonely, i'm merely alone" i remarked, which was true - i have grown so accustomed to being alone, it was impossible for me to feel lonely.

"i'll say this in the most blatant way possible..... you currently have no friends. i took it upon myself to introduce you to some of mine." xander explained.

"...you've only brought yourself." i deadpan, again.

"yes! and my friends are also known as my very diverse alter-egos." xander answered, still as lively and positive as he first was when he approached, "...and i guess you can become acquaintances with my brothers... if you want"

"i prefer to surround myself with fewer people" i said, after pondering the appeal.

"so just me and my alter-egos!" xander celebrated, "i feel extremely honored, by the way"

for the first time during out interaction, i smiled, "y/n y/l/n" i introduced myself, holding a hand out for him to shake.

"alexander hawthorne, at your service. the baby of the hawthorne family. and the handsome one." xander said with a smile, returning my handshake.

~timeskip to later that day, when xander brings y/n to hawthorne house~

"and down there is the..." xander was showing me all the rooms in the hawthorne house, though there were too many for me to remember.

i only agreed to come to hawthorne house for xander. so if he decided it was a good idea to introduce me to any of his brothers, mostly grayson, expect me to be plotting his murder and him to be gone by the next day.

"oh, and look! theres grayson!" xander exclaimed, which snapped me back into reality.

i glared at him and whispered, "no. i don't need to interact with other people. i already had to interact with you!"

"but wouldn't it be sooo rude to not greet someone who was passing by?" xander replied in a quieter, more taunting voice.

i rolled my eyes and said nothing.

"good, now let's go say hello!" xander said as if disciplining me, dragging me over to where grayson was, even though he was approaching and we could have just waited for him to reach us.

"are you even sure he has time to be introduced to a nobody?" i questioned under my breath, trying to get myself out of having to talk to grayson.

"i'm sure he has loads of time." xander stated confidently, "no need to worry."

i sighed in relinquish.

"xander, who is this." mr boy-i'm-in-love-with asked xander as he approached.

"meet my new friend! y/n y/l/n!" xander introduced me, as i winced internally. i was supposed to make it through the year without ever coming across grayson davenport hawthorne.

despite my dismay, i forced out a smile at grayson, "hello"

~grayson's pov~

meeting xander's friend had completely messed up my tightly-packed schedule. it was supposed to be schoolwork, paperwork, & being perfect. but now it has become talking with y/n & xander, schoolwork, thinking about y/n, paperwork, thinking some more about y/n, & being close to perfect.

how could i have fallen in love with someone i had barely known? was it her dark mood & humor, her subtle smiles, or her sunny disposition after getting to know her?

whatever it was, it had gotten into my head and i'm convinced i may never forget her. especially if xander kept bringing her around.

(ok that's it for now, but i'm probably going to post a part 2 to this soon, i just didn't want to promise something and then never come out with it)

(have a lovely day, wonderful people!~ <3)

masterlist

[naydraw]

About the Cuphead show!!

Oh boy, this is going to be looooong

I remember when the game was popular and people were talking about it, but I didn't pay much attention 'cause it wasn't my interest back then, but now with the new episodes on Netflix and the DLC, i decided to give the franchise a chance, and man! The characters are so cute, and fun! I love how they tried to adapt the story from the game, but with lighter aspects (such as change the the way Cuphead loses his soul to the devil, making him lose it in a carnival game reather than a casino bet bc of that "it wouldn't be a good message to the children" shit, and also casinos are illegal in some countries so...) and i love how the show is an opportunity to flesh out the characters and their dynamics with each other.

Speaking of dynamics, I'm going to highlight Henchman's relationship with the Devil and KD here. I absolutely love how he's always trying to calm his boss down, and it feels like he doesn't do that just because it's his job, it feels like he really cares about the Devil's well being. When the Devil was in a bad mood because of his critiques, Henchman new exactly what to say to make him feel bettter and even adviced him to go out and fuck some shit up, whilling to listen everything with joy when he comes back. And you could say "oh he only does that 'cause that's what he's suppose to". NAH DUDE! He even cares for King Dice's well being, like when he dragged KD behind the rock to prottect him from the flames of the Devil's rage episode. Like, he can sense when his boss is about to lose it and knows things can get pretty ugly so he antecipates like "dude take cover, boss is mad!". And the fact that he was worried before the Devil drags Mugman to hell I-

Talking about the end of the season, people said that it was better than S1a which I agree and you know why? Because it change the status quo of the chracters. We all know the standard dynamic is the cup bros vs the Devil. Chuphead does something stupid, the Devil tries to take his soul, Mugman comes up with a plan to escape his grasp. It's important for the bros to stay together, but as everyone could see, they weren't exactly in tune for this batch. And i actualy like that! it builds tension between the brothers so when the Devil kidnaps Mugman, it hurts even more knowing that Cuphead whould probably feel like shit after that. At the same time that i was like "yeah, thats what you get for being such a prick to your brother!" I also couldn't help but feel sorry for him. His expession and the way he says "Mugman?" finaly realising the big mistake he's made... Dude, i can't! It was the best way to end the season!

Now I wanna talk about the cup bros and Chalice dynamic and this can get into a ship-y territory so beware.

First, Chuphead and Chalice. Man, where do I sart with these two... I adore how Cuphead can see that chalice uses her charm as a way to get what she wants, and actualy admires this in her. He tries too act cool around her to get her attention, and once she agrees to help them get the cookies, he immediately considers her as a friend and proceeds to defend her, even after mugman points out that they went to prision because of her, and that she could be lying about the angry mob. He still likes to have her around, and I bet that after he found out she was half ghost he admires her even more now, besides his mischevious personalty goes well with her sly behavior, I can see those two planning the craziest shit just for the sake of adventure.

As for Mugman and Chalice, I love that at first he´s kinda shy, but honest to her unlike Cuphead that wanted to paint himself as someone cool for her, Mugman takes the approach of telling the truth and admitting they just wnated to hang out, because beside him also seeing her manipulative behavior, thought she was a nice person. But of course he would be taken aback after she ditched them when the cops showed up. So much that he was still bitter about it when she came back. He felt betrayed by that, but changed his mind when saw her sad for having to go away, and deal with the angry mob by herself. I think it's partly because he related to her at that moment, as he stated earlier "it was nice not being alone for a while".

But yeah this show has some great potential and i'll talk more about soon bc i just can't get enough.

[bts-weverse-trans]

201128 Weverse Magazine ‘BE’ Comeback Interview - Namjoon

RM: “I spend a lot of time thinking about where I am now” BTS BE comeback interview 2020.11.28

The story of BTS’ new album BE started on April 17, 2020 when group member RM announced its production on the BANGTANTV YouTube channel. In the seven months that followed until the album’s release, RM’s mind was full, his thoughts flowing in and out of his head.

How do you feel about the unique approach you took to making your new album, BE? RM: The other members were a ton of help to me. My lyrics made it on the album, but the music I composed didn’t, so I’m really thankful to the group for the music. How should I say this? I feel like everyone is doing a great job. There are so many parts in these songs that I’m indebted to them for. “Stay” was originally going to be the title song on Jung Kook’s mixtape, but everyone liked it so much, and they all agreed to put that on our album. That’s how much influence they had. I’m really happy my room idea was chosen to be the album photos. Since we’re spending a lot of time in our rooms because of COVID-19, we laid out the idea of each of us decorating a room in our own style. I can’t remember for sure (laughs) but I think I’m the one who came up with that. I made a comfortable room, one that’s modern and warm because that’s what I like.

There’s a painting in the middle, and symmetrically arranged figurines. RM: The figures are from my own collection. I wanted to show one of my paintings, but that didn’t pan out. But still, those are the things I hold most dear to me right now, so I let the room embody the things I wish I had, too.

It’s well known that you like art and frequent exhibitions, but how do you feel when you look at art in your home or another space where there are no people, like in the album art? RM: Someone said, “You don’t have to buy this painting; it’s yours so long as you’re looking at it.” That’s my favorite sound bite these days. What I most envied about painters was that, even after they died, their work would be hanging up somewhere, maybe even in another country, still defining that space. Musicians leave behind their songs and videos, too, but it’s only through fine art that viewers in the future are able to completely meet artists from the past. I’m envious that this is only possible for painters. These days I’m trying to find spaces where I can have more relaxed viewing experiences.

There’s a full experience involved, from the time you get ready to leave your house until the time you’re actually looking at artwork in the gallery. RM: That’s perfect to me. There’s art you can keep at home, and then there’s art that should always be viewed in museums.

What effect do you think that type of experience has on your music? You didn’t compose any of the songs but instead participated in writing the lyrics to all of the tracks. Did that experience affect your lyric writing in any way? RM: I think it’s helped me develop a way of thinking using all the senses. I used to be attuned to speech and focus on language and auditory textures, but now I can look at my thoughts from many different angles. That’s why I spend more time studying art now. I’m waiting for the day that it all comes to the surface, like when you paint the base on a canvas over and over so the colors pop. It’s hard to answer in one word if it has a direct influence on my work, but I think people who create music develop a way of seeing the world through their personal experience and their creative process. Painters naturally exhibit their art over a very long period of time. I think it gave me an eye for looking at the world in one long, continuous stroke. So now it’s become a little challenging for me to write lyrics these days. I’ve become more cautious.

Why is it so challenging? RM: I used to have so many ideas pouring out that it was hard to pluck one out. So I would stack them up like a Jenga tower and ponder over which one to remove. But now, it’s hard to even add a block to the stack. I’m not sure why but, when I look at these artists whose works span their entire lives, I sense that the rhythm of my creativity is slowing down more and more. That’s the source of my dilemma. I’m only 27 years old. I still need to wander around and get tripped up a little. But am I just trying to imitate what the fine artists are doing? Or maybe BTS experienced so much in the past seven years, that now it’s time for us to take a breather? I’ve got so many questions, I feel like my hair’s turning white. That’s why none of my songs are on the album. I wrote some, but they were too personal to use there. I don’t exactly like myself like this, but I have to see through to the end in this direction and find the answer.

Maybe for that reason, your rapping has shifted focus to the lyrics more so than trend or musicality. It emphasizes the feeling of the words over a particular format or beat. RM: Exactly. In—was it 2017? Pdogg was talking to Yoongi, Hobi and me about our style, and said, “Namjoon, it feels like you’re becoming a lyricist,” and it really stuck with me. I have a lot of thoughts lately when I watch Show Me the Money or listen to hip hop songs from the Billboard chart. My music started out all about my life as a rapper, so I spend a lot of time thinking about where I am now.

So you’ve started to ask yourself who you are as a musician? RM: I listened to Lee So-ra’s seventh album again today. I keep changing my mind but, if I had to pick between her sixth and seventh album, I like her seventh a little more. And then I listen to the most popular songs on Billboard, and I feel kind of thrown off. Um … There’s something Whanki Kim said that’s been running around in my head lately: After moving to New York, he embraced the style of artists like Mark Rothko and Adolf Gottlieb, but then he said, “I’m Korean, and I can’t do anything not Korean. I can’t do anything apart from this, because I am an outsider.” And I keep thinking that way, too. That’s my main concern lately.

You can feel that on BE. As the members take on more prominent roles as songwriters and producers, characteristics of old Korean music—the kind of music you likely listened to in middle and high school—gradually entered your sound. But your music isn’t from that era, and it sounds like pop, but not quite. RM: The sound has to fit with the whole album so I couldn’t incorporate that feel into BTS songs, but the songs I’m listening to most lately have been Korean. Songs like P-Type’s “Don Quixote,” Dead’P’s “Spread My Wings,” Soul Company’s album The Bangerz. The impressions the songs from back then have left on me, the lyrics from back then and the lyrics from now, they’re different. So BE is both Korean and pop; it’s very unique, in my view.

I think that’s especially true for “Life Goes On.” It’s got a pop melody, but compared to “Dynamite,” it has a very different feel. It doesn’t slip deep into the sentimental, instead allowing the melody to flow naturally. RM: Exactly. The chorus is totally pop, and one of the writers was also American. But the song doesn’t really follow American music trends, weirdly. So I don’t know how “Life Goes On” is going to be received. It’s really calm, almost contemplative. So there’s lyrics, like, “Like an echo in the forest,” and, “Like an arrow in the blue sky.” The song kind of feels like that: It could just float off and disappear. It might even come off as bland next to “Dynamite.”

If nothing else, it seems the song will stick around for a long time. Maybe kids now will listen to it later on in the future. RM: I hope so. That’s the one thing I really hope for, people in the future, thinking back and saying, “Oh, right! Remember that one song?” That’s what my favorite artists and other people who leave a lasting impression on me have in common. One thing common among the songs that have affected me a lot, like Lee So-ra’s seventh album, is that the lyrics they utter in their voice along with the overall sound stick with me. I hope when people look back, my words uttered with the sound of my voice, echoes for a long time in an auditory or visual way, or even throughout their entire lives. But that’s the dilemma: We have all these bling-bling symbols of our success, but we’re not that kind of team.

And yet, BTS’s career path is even more “bling-bling” than ever. “Dynamite” was the top song on the Billboard Hot 100. RM: I was the first one to check our position (laughs) but I didn’t want to get too excited about it. I was scared of facing disappointment so I put the brakes on out of habit, and restrained myself. But on the other hand, I feel like I should relish this moment. This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing; shouldn’t I enjoy myself a bit? But I disliked that sensation of only feeling elated so I tried to be as objective as possible. I was just one small part of everything that made this happen.

It reminds me of that part, “Running faster than that cloud of rain /  Thought that would be enough / Guess I’m only human after all,” from “Life Goes On.” RM: “Only human” sounds so appropriate for me right now. One time, I saw a dark cloud over the N Seoul Tower while I was walking along the Han River. I was with a friend and we talked about where the border between where it’s raining and where it’s not might be, and suddenly, we came up with the idea to run and find that spot. But after running for 10 minutes, the cloud was even further away than it had been. At that moment, the puzzle pieces snapped into place. You think you can go faster than that dark cloud? No. That’s what I realized then. And I just like what Whanki Kim said, that maybe I can’t do anything not Korean, because that’s what I am. I used to work late and then stay up all night when things weren’t working out, sometimes walking from Samseong to Sinsa station, thinking everything through. But now, like the saying, I realize that maybe I can’t do more than what I am.

On Weverse, you said that you gained some muscle from working out. Could the change to your body improve your creativity in the long term? RM: I started to think I better change myself a little, physically or mentally. I’m talking about being steady. I used to bombard myself with challenges and worries and just get over them, but now I think it’s time to find that one sturdy thing and plant myself there. The best choice was working out, and I think it’s changing my behavior a lot. I’m hoping that, if I keep working out for a year or two, I’ll become a different person.

Music is your job, but also your life. Like you expressed in “Dis-ease,” how would you say you feel about your work? RM: This is my job and my calling and I feel a great sense of responsibility. I think I’m lucky and happy that I can solely worry about my creative process. And I feel very responsible to those people who put their trust in me, so I try not to cross any lines, judge myself honestly, and always be professional. Those are the responsibilities that come with the job—the things I have to do and the promises I won’t betray. But if I’m going to do it, I’m going to be happy while I do it. That’s not always going to be possible, but that’s generally how I feel.

Well then, how do you feel about BTS at the moment? RM: BTS is … Well, it’s really hard to tell. (laughs) When BTS started out, I thought, “I know everything there is to know about BTS,” but now it’s, “I don’t know a single thing about BTS.” In the past, I felt like I knew everything, and that anything was possible. Call it childish or ambitious. But if I were to ask myself, “What is BTS to me?” I would say, we’re just people who met each other because we were meant to. But it feels like the stars aligned and a startup company became a unicorn, with perfect timing and lots of smart people. Looking back, there were a lot of ironies and contradictions in this industry. I thought I figured them out one by one, and then finally understood the whole thing. But now I feel like I don’t know anything at all. Anyway, to sum up: My young, reckless twenties. The events of my twenties. There were a lot of contradictions, people, fame, and conflict all tangled together, but it was my choice and I got a lot out of it, so my twenties were an intense but also happy time.

And what about you, as one individual person? RM: I’m a real Korean person. (laughs) A person who wants to do something in Korea. I think millennials are charging into society stuck between the analog and digital generations, and what I chose is BTS. So I try to integrate myself into our generation, try to understand what people like me are thinking, and try to work hard to capture that feeling without being a burden on them. This might be another kind of irony itself, but this is who I am. I’m a 27-year-old Korean. That’s what I think.

Trans © Weverse

[benevolentbirdgal]

Purim: a Jewish holiday and wild ride from start to finish

So let me tell you about the absolute soap opera that is the Jewish holiday of Purim. The scene is set in ancient (appx. 4th century B.C.E.) Persia during the first Jewish Diaspora, in the city of Shushan (typically identified in secular sources as Susa, a now-abandoned ancient city in what is now Iran). I’m telling you, as a work of literature (even beyond theological implications for Jewish people), this book has everything: love, drama, royalty, intrigue, ego, plots, irony, mystery, and a strong female lead. 

[some non-slur swearing below]

Ahasuerus, party-loving king of Persia executed or exiled (translations argue) his wife Vashti, and had to find a new queen. Why did he do this, you ask? Well, it really starts with an 180-day party across his kingdom for all his subjects to celebrate the third year of his reign. After that absolute rager, party-bro KA has another one immediately after for a week, this time just for the capital city of Shushan. Vashti was having a woman’s party in her quarters, presumably living her best life, when party-bro sends his top seven yes-men to deliver a message to Vashti. This sleaze-ball wants her to appear at his party in front of everyone, wearing her crown, with the clear implication being only her crown. Vashti more or less tells him to pound sand (I mean, not the literal translation, but that’s the sentiment). 

KA’s advisors convince him that this is not only an offense against the king but also against all the men in the country (ah, the joys of ancient patriarchy and toxic af masculinity). KA writes a degree that women must respect their husbands so he has an official reason to get rid of Vashti. Vashti is soon thereafter out of the picture and the king is short a queen. Whether she was a Wise Lady With A Point Who Got Screwed Over or a Vicious Jew-Hating Adulteress Who Had It Coming has been a matter of furious debate for over two millennia (the Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud vociferously disagree on her). In any case, KA regrets it pretty quick and wants a new queen. 

At the behest of his advisors (you know, since their last advice worked out soooooo well), KA had a big contest/forcible gathering of young women from around his kingdom and a Jewish woman, Hadassah, was the winner.  Hadassah was an orphan raised by her cousin Mordechai in the city of Shushan. Hadassah is more commonly known as Esther, because she changed her name to hide her identity as a Jew (at the behest of Mordechai). In any case, KA decided he liked Esther best and she became queen (it’s specifically mentioned both that he loved her most and that the palace staff liked her because she was nice to them-it’s unclear how much of an influence the latter was). 

Concurrently, a wicked man named Haman was the top advisor to the king and the king would basically rubber-stamp whatever Haman wanted. Haman was a raging Jew-hater-this will be relevant later. 

Some time into Esther’s reign as queen, Mordechai, who has taken to hanging around the gates of the palace to keep in touch with Esther, overhears a plot by two guards, Bigthan and Teresh, to kill the king. Mordechai alerts his cousin, and she tells the king. It’s recorded in the book of deeds and life keeps moving. 

Some time later, Haman decides (after a promotion to head lackey) that he wants all to bow to him as he passes. Mordechai refused to bow to Haman every single day (citing that as a Jew he bowed to no man), and that did not sit well with Haman. So despite being prime minister and presumably having more important things to do, “genocide the Jews” made it to the top of to-do list. He didn’t like them before, and Mordechai refusing to treat him like a special snowflake was something he took really, really personally (totally can’t think of any modern politicians like that, nope). He told KA, who frankly doesn’t seem to ask enough questions, that there was a people disrespecting the king and his laws throughout the land, and could he pretty-please exterminate them. As a bonus, Haman would “donate” 10,000 silver kikar to the royal treasury (modern conversion vary, but all agree this an absurd amount on money). 

KA handed him the royal seal to do so. Haman was feeling lucky I guess so he decided the best course of action was to draw lots to pick the day for the massacre. [Purim is lots in Hebrew, so that’s where the name of the holiday came from]. The message went out to all the provinces that on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, that they citizens and leaders should murder all of the Jews, young and old, man, woman, and child, rich and poor and take their possessions as spoils. 

As this wasn’t exactly a state secret, the Jews knew and were quite distressed. The planned slaughter was like a year out, but what the actual fuck were they supposed to do? If you lived in Persia at that point that, the empire was functionally your entire world, unless you were fabulously/ridiculously wealthy and well-connected. Having several months notice the other locals and your rules were going to slaughter you and take your stuff isn’t particularly useful when there’s really nowhere to go. 

In Shushan, Mordechai (who, although not explicitly in text, is in oral/Talmudic tradition a leader of the Jewish community) goes into mourning. He dresses in sackcloth and ashes, he weeps, and he fasts at the gates of the palace, as Jews throughout shushan and the kingdom are doing. Esther hears of her cousin’s mourning behavior and tries to send along nice clothes through a messenger, which he refuses. It is then that she learns of the decree. Mordechai (through the messenger) implores her to go ask the king if the Jews not getting murdered could be a thing. Esther explains that she could be killed for approaching the king unsummoned. Mordechai stresses the severity of the situation. Esther agrees to ask the king and tells Mordechai to have the Shushan Jewish community fast day and night (as opposed to just day as prior) for three days, and she and her handmaidens will fast too (no word on what the handmaidens thought of this).

On the third day, Esther bravely approached the king, asked him if she could request something. He said anything, up to half his kingdom (which implies to me that homedude, for all his flaws, was actually into her). Esther invited him to a party, where he and Haman would be the only guests. At the party she asks if she can another request. KA is open to it and she invites him to another party the next night. Party-bro king is obviously down and Haman is tickled to death at this second invitation. 

He goes home to brag to his wife, Zeresh, about the invite and also to bitch about how angsty he is Mordechai is still alive (this angst reignited by passing him on the way home). Zeresh suggests he have fifty-foot gallows built to make Mordechai an example on, with the king’s permission, ASAP. Haman orders the building of the gallows, feeling secure in the knowledge that his bestie the king will execute Mordechai on them. 

Back at the castle KA can’t sleep. He demands a bedtime story from the his records, because those will presumably put him to sleep. The story that gets read, ~coincidentally~, is of Mordechai saving KA’s life. Haman had sidled on up to the castle to speak to the king about killing Mordechai, and the king called him in. KA asks Haman, if he were to honor someone, what should he do? Haman is thinking “this is obvi about me” and tells the king that the honoree should be donned in royal clothing, and ride through the streets on a fancy horse with people someone shouting how great he is. KA is like great, love it, perf, go do that for Mordechai. Haman is not a happy camper but does the thing. After that, he goes home and tells Zeresh about it, who warns him that this is a very bad sign. 

Finally, that night is the night of Esther’s second soiree. Haman and KA attend. The latter offers to Esther anything she wants, up to half of his kingdom. Esther asks that her life, and the life of her people be spared. KA is like “whomst” and Esther revealed it was Haman. At this point Ahasuerus.exe stops working and he takes a walk to the gardens. He comes back to see Haman begging Esther for his life, and KA thinks Haman is assaulting her. Haman was seized by nearby guards.

One of the chamberlains is then like, hey, KA, coincidentally there’s these super high gallows Haman just had built. Why not take care of the problem that way? (The fact that the random nearby chamberlain was like yup, that dude, hang ‘em in the morning, probably says a lot about how Haman treated most people around him, even more than forcing all to bow to him). KA orders it be done. 

Not that Haman was around to be sad about it, but what happened next would have massively pissed him off, as his old job then went to Mordechai. Esther then implored of the king that the degree to allow the massacre of the Jews be reversed. The king couldn’t Cntrl+Z the order to murder-all-the-Jews, but he could issue an order that they could fight back. The proclamation was sent throughout the land, and the Jews were able to prepare. Since the royal decree had been amended, the governments (princes, governors, satraps) largely reformulated their plans accordingly, but plenty of Jew-haters still wanted to use the opportunity. The ability to self-defend meant that the communities weren’t massacred. In most of the kingdom, the Jews were now safe. Outside of Shushan, the fourteenth of Adar became a feast day. 

Shushan was still not safe though. Antisemites were still out and mad (and apparently had not learned from the previous day), so Esther asked the Jews of Shushan to be allowed to defend themselves once more. Her wish was granted, and the Shushan Jews were able to defend themselves once more (so Purim is celebrated a day later in walled cities). 

The story ends with the decision to write it down, and although there some debate on authorship, it is traditionally attributed to Esther herself cowriting with Mordechai. 

Nowhere in the book is God mentioned. Nowhere is there divine intervention (at least not explicitly). Just Jews sticking up for themselves, being brave in the face of mortal peril, and a metric fucktown of chutzpah. 

[ilikefandoms]

Can I please request where Robby is trying to decide if he’s just friends or in love with the reader and he decides they’re just friends. And then they all go to a formal event and she shows up all dressed up and Robby is just like “nope, definitely not just friends, definitely in love” and he spends the night being jealous and longing before he finally confesses and they kiss??

Friends or More? - Robby Keene

Name/pronouns used - none, She/Her

A/N - I am in love with this request, I’m sorry I spent more time on the build up. My bad xx

Warnings - None

Word Count - 1710

You and Robby had been friends ever since he had joined Miyagi Do. You were friends with Sam beforehand, and so when Mr Larusso wanted someone to teach Karate, you were the first to volunteer.

Both of you started getting closer as training continued. Truth be told, you got along like a house on fire, always looking out for each other, in training, and out. At this point, you were practically best friends.

However, Robby wasn’t sure if he felt something more, and to be honest, you weren’t either.

**********

The annual Country Club Holidays Party was today, and You, Sam, and Robby had been invited by Mr Larusso to attend. You were looking forward to it, as you had never really been to a formal event before.

You and Robby were sitting underneath the tree at Miyagi Do, and the Holidays Party came up in discussion. “Robby come on, it’s not gonna be that bad,” 

“That’s easy for you to say. The last time you were in that club, you didn’t almost get kicked out, and have your ass beaten,” he said, referencing the last time you were there in the summer. 

“Okay that’s true, but your Mr Larusso’s guest, so if anyone has a problem, they have to take it up with him,” you reasoned.

“Okay, I guess you’re right,” Robby smiled.

“Yeah. Hey, do you know what your gonna wear?” you asked.

“Basically just a nice shirt and pants. I’m not really a suit guy,” he said, “What about you?”

“Dress and heals,” you said shrugging, “I didn’t really know what else to wear,”

“I didn’t either,” Robby chuckled.

“First time going to a formal party?” you asked.

“Yeah. first time for you too?”

“Oh, no I’ve been going to these since I was little,” you said, with blatant sarcasm, “I once went to the Mayor’s birthday party, and they personally complimented my social skills,”

“Wow, that must’ve been such an honour,” Robby said, going along with the joke. It was common knowledge that you weren’t the best in social situations.

“It really was. I’ve been invited every year since, but now they’re just too casual for me,” you put on a false posh tone, “I prefer the high end state formal dinners. Its much more up my alleyway,” 

You both laughed, “So, that’s a no?” Robby questioned.

”Yes Robby. That is a no,” you replied, smiling.

“Hey Y/N!” Sam’s voice made you both look around, “You ready?” she asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be there in a second,” you said, as she walked back to her car.

“Ready for...?” Robby asked, slightly confused.

“Sam and I are gonna get ready together, y’know makeup, and hair. That type of thing,” you explained.

“Ok, ok. I’ll see you later then,” He said.

You gave him a hug, “Yeah, I’ll see you later,”

You walked out of the dojo, and got into Sam’s car. “So, you and Robby huh?” Sam said, wiggling her eyebrows at you.

“Shut up Sam. We’re just friends,” you told her.

“Friends that like each other maybe,” she said, which made you give her a look, “I’m just stating the facts,”

**********

“Hey, Y/N should I do my eyeshadow natural?” Sam asked, turning to look at you from her vanity.

“Umm...yes,” you replied.

“So...” Sam started, “...do you like Robby?” she asked, patting her first shade onto her lid.

“What? No, why would you think that?” you said, hoping that she would believe your lie.

“Y/N, come on! I see the way you look at him, and that is not the look of friendship,” she remarked.

You sighed in defeat, “Okay, maybe I do like him a little, but he probably doesn’t like me back, so-”

Sam cut you off, “Are you kidding? He totally does. Trust me,”

You didn’t believe her, but don’t argue with her. Its practically impossible to argue with Sam anyway.

The two of you continued to get ready, helping each other pick out shades of lipstick and eyeshadow, and giving advice on what do do with your hair.

You were both just about ready when Mr Larusso knocked on Sam’s bedroom door. “Girls are you two ready?” he shouted through the door.

“Yeah, dad! We’ll be out in a second!” Sam yelled back, before turning to you, “Are you ready for your first Country Club Holiday Party?” 

“Yeah, as ready as I can be I guess,” you replied, before asking, “Everyone that’s gonna be there isn’t like super formal right? I know I probably should’ve asked this earlier,”

“No it’s barely formal. The most formal thing about it is how it looks. Trust me the people are all normal. You have nothing to worry about,” she replied.

“Okay, good. Shall we?” you asked in mock formality, raising your arm for Sam to link.

“We shall,” she said, linking her arm. The two of you strode out of the door, and down the stairs, before the four of you piled into the car. Anthony - Sam’s brother - had been left with his grandma, as he was too young to attend.

**********

Mrs Larusso had attempted small talk while in the car, saying mundane things like ‘Are you excited’ and ‘I’m so glad that you could join us today’. Which didn’t really lead anywhere, but you appreciated it all the same.

When you walked in, you were in awe at the sight around you. Sam wasn’t kidding when she said it looks formal. Christmas trees sat in every corner of the rooms, fairy lights were strung up on the walls, and roses sat in the centre of every circular table.

“Wow,” you muttered under your breath.

“They really outdid themselves this year,” Mrs Larusso said, impressed, “Okay, you two girls can go off, do your own thing. If you need anything just text or come find me alright?” you nodded, and walked off, “No drinking!” she called after you.

“Hey Sam,” you said, “I’m gonna go talk to Aisha,”

“Okay Y/N. I’m going to go and get a drink, do you want anything?”

“no thanks, I’m good,” you said, and went over to Aisha.

Sam found the bar, and got herself a glass of water. She looked around, and saw Robby walk in, looking a bit out of place. She decided to walk over to him.

“Hey Robby,” she said as she approached, “You look nice,” referencing the black button-up shirt and  dress pants he was wearing

“Thanks, so do you,”  he replied, smiling at Sam, before scanning his eyes around the large room.

“Are you looking for Y/N?” Sam asked with a knowing look on her face.

“Don’t give me that face,” Robby said looking back over at Sam.

“I’m not giving you a face. She’s over in the corner with Aisha, just in case you wanted to know,” she told him, nodding over in your direction.

“Wow,” he said, as he laid his eyes on you. You looked stunning, your makeup was perfect, your hair was styled just so, and your dress compliment you perfectly.

“She looks good right?” Sam said, noticing Robby’s stare.

“Yeah, she looks amazing,” he smiled.

“Ok, don’t start drooling yet. Go up and talk to her,”

“What? No. Look, she’s with Aisha at the moment, and she’s having fun, and I don’t want to interrupt her,” he stumbled through his words.

“So are you gonna just stare at her all night, and not talk to her?”

“No, come on Sam,” 

“Robby, just talk to her, she’s your friend,”

“I will talk to her, alright?” he said. You were his friend, that was correct, but now he was seeing you as more than that. In fact, he had for a while, he was just realising it now.

“You like her don’t you?” Sam mentioned, glancing over at you.

“Yeah, I do,” Robby admitted. He was finally able to say it.

“Well, she definitely likes you too,” 

“Really? How do you know?”

“Well, one: its obvious, and two: she told me,” she told him, “so, what are you waiting for? Go talk to her!” 

“I will later. I promise,” Robby wasn’t quite ready to tell you just yet.

“You better,”

**********

Robby had spent most of the night by himself, occasionally talking to people that came his way. He was sending death glares to the guy that was talking to you. 

This was it, he was gonna do it. “Hey, Y/N!” Robby said as he approached you.

“Hey Robby, I haven’t seen you all night, where have you been?” you answered,

“Oh y’know, just around. can I talk to you, in private? Please?” he asked.

“Yeah sure. See you later,” you said to the guy.

Robby lead you outside, and turned to face you, “What did you want to talk about?” you asked.

“You look beautiful tonight,” he said.

“Thank you, you look amazing too,” you replied.

“Thanks,” he smiled, “Can I ask you something?” 

“Yes, of course,”

Robby heart began to beat faster, “Okay, um. Y/N I really like you, and when you were talking to that guy over there it really sorta bummed me out, because I was too nervous to come talk to you today, but I really wanted too, but I knew that if i talked to you I’d have to say this so here it goes: Y/N would you maybe like to go out with me sometime?”

“Yes! Robby I really like you too,” both your smiles grew.

“Can I kiss you?” Robby asked. You nodded, and leant in. Your lips met, it was a soft - slightly short kiss, but it was enough. It was enough for you.

“Yes!” Sam’s voice shouted, making you both whip your heads around, “Sorry! I um... Called it. I’ll leave you guys be,” you both chuckled.

“May I have this dance my Dear?” Robby asked is a posh accent, making you laugh, and offered his hand to you.

“Yes, you may,” You smiled, placing your hand on his.

**********

The night had ended in the best way possible. Robby had kissed you goodbye, which prompted Sam to start her questions, asking exactly what had happened between you two. You just chuckled, and told her everything, with a smile on your face the entire time.