#I think her personality can quite easily be summed up as ^-^! - in a very benign and well-meaning way

[the-moon-devi]

🌺 KLET TALK!! ||Asteroid Klet 😻💗

🔞⚠️🛑TW:THIS INCLUDES EXPLICIT GRAPHICS AND S3XUAL CONTEXT!! READER DESRECTION ADVISED!!

⚠️NSFW❤️‍🔥

♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯ ♀ ☯

I haven't seen many post or descriptions on certain asteroids,( especially s3x ones) and I think it's fun how astrology can tell you how your whole body, mind and soul operates!! WITH THAT BEING SAID WELCOME TO MY SEX ROOOMMM JK LOL!!❤️‍🔥 my aqaurius moon and aries sun is talking! LOL 😂

I'll be descriptive as possible when talking about these asteroids. If your offended or uncomfortable about these things then click off. It's important you keep in mind that I'm going off of my own intuitive mind and my personal wisdom. This is how I think placements would manifest in the physical. BTW I'm always right,🤣  just a disclaimer!!

( da pics from pinterest)

Every vagina is beautiful just as flowers 🌸

♡♡《ASTEROID KLET (2199)》♡♡

♡ TYPE IN ASTRO.COM

♡ PRESS ON THE THREE LITTLE BARS IN TOP SCREEN IT'LL BE ON THE UPPER LEFT CORNER

♡ PRESS ON FREE HOROSCOPES

♡ AT THE VERY BOTTOM PRESS "HOROSCOPE DRAWING & DATA"

♡ PRESS "EXTENDED CHART SELECTION "

♡ TYPE IN BIRTH INFO

♡ SCROLL DOWN TO VERY BOTTOM YOU SHOULD SEE A TEXT BOX (IT SAYS MANUAL ENTRY) ENTER "2199"

♡ SHOW CHART

♡ LOOK FOR KLET IN THE HOUSE, DEGREE, AND SIGN

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀

❤️‍🔥🔞♀️💋KLET is basically feminine sexuality, it can also represent how your vagina might look like certain special features etc. (EACH DESCRIPTION WILL VARY BASED OFF OF ETHNICITY/ GENETICS). I would even associate it with how others perceive your sexuality and how your vagina💦💥 performs during sex. Oh and of course the klet≈clit.🌺 What does it take for her to get stimulated? 🌸💮🍓

KLET IN ARIES ♈:

❤️‍🔥 you could like to take control or you like very dominate partners

❤️‍🔥you are seen as someone who is very sexually active or very sexy in the eyes of others

❤️‍🔥 your sexuality can be quite domineering in the bedroom

Channeled song:

💋your vagina might be warm or either Hella tight because aries is about war and friction it just gives me those vibes for some reason

💋men could get easily intimidated with your vagina

💋 raw and rough sex

💋your vagina may have a red hue to it

💋 big sexual appetite

💋 to get the clit stimulated you might have to use a lot of force

💋 doesn't take long for you to climax

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

KLET IN TAURUS ♉:

🧡 YOUR SEXUALITY IS VERY SENSUAL AND PLEASURABLE

🧡 MONEY & STABILITY COULD LITERALLY MAKE YOU 💦🍦

🧡ATTRACT MEN WHO ARE WEALTHY OR HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BE

🧡 YOU MOST LIKELY DONT LIKE CASUAL SEX YOU WANT IT WITH SOMEONE YOU COULD BUILD WITH AND WHO IS COMMITTAL

Channeled Song:

🍉 ( could have really pink/brownish hues)

🍉 you might have a more fatty vagina could have more skin like an outie or something like that

🍉 I feel like yall need to get ate out since Taurus rules the mouth and throat

🍉 you are what you eat 👀👀💋

🍉 also you kinda like to be teased and worked up slowly to stimulation

🍉 you might prefer head over intercourse

🍉during sex you like to be kissed as well as your 🐱

🍉might take longer for you to orgasm

🍉 your clit gets stimulated with someone giving you mouth action

🍉 slow and steady wins the race 💦💦

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

KLET IN GEMINI ♊

💚 KNA YALL KNOW GEMINI IS THE LOVERS CARD IN Tarot SO STOP TALKING SHIIIII ABOUT GEMINIS

💚 yall have a very youthful young and free teen ager type vibe of sexuality

💚" once you have my mind you got my cookie"

💚you play mind games on men and make them think they gone get sum

💚pure sexuality and curiosity about sex

Channeled Song

Positions-Ariana Grandé

🌱 your vagina could look very new or versatile that's the best way ik how to put it (hope it makes sense 😕)

🌱this sounds weird but give this a try let your partner talk to your 🐱 listen your coochie is a living entity too. So let your partner whisper to her let him blow some air on that kitty 🤭😹 (gemini is a air sign, words of affirmation is key!)

🌱very experimental in sex

🌱changing positions

🌱 I feel like whoever yall have sex with you take a piece of their brain 🧠

🌱 speak affirmations on your womb it could really benefit

🌱 I think yall like an equal give and take in the bedroom

🌱 to stimulate the clit your partner might have to change up their motion if ya know what I mean 😫😌

🌱 clit gets stimulate through being talked through orgasm

Aka I'm here for a good time not a long time- Gemini in klet 🌱

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

KLET IN CANCER ♋:

🌸 "SLIPPERY EXCUSE ME PLEASE ME" 💦💦💦

🌸 "69": BY TEYANA TAYLOR

🌸 YA'LL SEXUALITY IS LIKE I JUST WANT TO LOVE YOU

🌸 ITS GIVING VERY SENSUAL AND CUTE

🌸 MOTHERING TYPE

🌸COULD COME OFF AS CUTESY OR INNOCENT THIS COULD BE APART OF YOUR FEMININE SEXUAL ENERGY

🌸 YALL LIKE YOUR BOOBIES SUCKED ON

🌸 NIPPLE STIMULATION 😮‍💨

🌸 VERY BEAUTIFUL SEXUAL ENERGY AND MOON LIKE

Channeled Songs:

💗your vagina may look very moist

💗fertile looking ?

💗pretty p*ssy fr fr

💗 may get a lot of compliments on how wet it is

💗 may get stimulated when you have an emotional connection with your partner

💗 you definitely don't like casual sex / one night stands

💗 breeding kink ??

💗you might get alot of men who try to get you pregnant on purpose

💗 yall can be freaks ONCE YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE

💗 69 ??

💗 your womb wants to have sex with men who feel like home

💗 p*ssy fairy 🧚‍♂️

💗 typical for yall to have sex with someone you see yourself being married to and having kids with

💗 clit gets stimulated by foreplay & touch ☝🏽

💗they can get turned on when they are able to nurture their partner

💗 Cancerians need someone they feel emotionally secure with but they really are very sexual and once they feel comfortable with you anything you do is a turn on 😫😮‍💨

( this my placement btw)😁💓

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

KLET IN LEO ♌:

🐱RAW SEXUALITY

🐱BIG CLIT QUEEN ENERGY 👑

🐱 YOU MAY GIVE OFF PORN STAR VIBES THATS NOT A BAD THING PEOPLE MAY JUST SEE YOU AS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND ATTRACTIVE

🐱 YALL HAVE A PRAISE KINK FASHO

🐱 HAIR PULLING AND A** SLAPPING

Channeled Song:

Private Show - T.I.

💛CASUAL SEX

💛LIKES FLIRTING

💛DEFINITELY GOT SIDE PIECES

💛GOLDEN P*SSY

💛 VERY SHINY & WARM VAGINA

💛 DEFINITELY BEAUTIFULLLLLL

💛 LET THE SUN HIT YOUR VAGINA SINCE LEO IS RULED BY THE SUN

💛YALL HAVE VERY PASSIONATE

💛 yall need to be praised perioddd

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

KLET IN VIRGO ♍:

💙 "THIS P*SSY BOUGIE, THIS P*SSY DONT DO NO FAVORS"

💙 VIRGO VIRGO VIRGO YALL HAVE A VERY WHOLESOME SEXUALITY

💙 LIKE I WONT HAVE SEX WITH YOU UNTIL I KNOW YOUR CLEAN AND HAVE NO STDS

💙BUT IF YOU PROVE TO THEM YOU ARE YOU CAN EXPECT THEM TO REALLY PLEASE YOU 😌

💙VIRGO IS ALL ABOUT SERVICING OTHERS BUT THEY ARE VERY ANALYTICAL ABOUT WHO THEY GIVE THAT SERVICE TO

💙THEY CAN COME OFF AS RESERVED THEREFORE EITHER IT'S LIKE THEY ARE THE ONE THAT CANT BE TOUCHED

Channeled Song

💮ITS TIGHT AND RIGHT

💮 HIGH MAINTENANCE

💮DEFINITELY A PAMPERED KITTY

💮 YALL PARTNERS DEFINITELY LIKE TO DO THE SMALL THINGS TO PLEASE YOU

💮LIKE KISSING YOU AND MAKING SURE YOUR OK

💮 YOU ALSO TAKE CARE OF YOUR PARTNER

💮 CONNECT TO EARTH .

💮YOU MAY GET TURNED ON WHEN YOU SEE YOUR PARTNER WORKING HARD TO PLEASE YOU

💮 A LOT DAILY SEX TOO💛

💮sex could calm the nerves for ya'll

°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°

KLET IN LIBRA ♎:

🖤THIS IS THE TYPE OF SEXUALITY WHERE YOUR JUST BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE THATS THE VIBE YOU GIVE OFF

🖤 PEOPLE COULD APPROACH WHEN YOU SHOW OFF YOUR FEMININE SIDE

🖤 VERY PRETTY DOWN THERE

🖤 MAYBE PINK OR JUST AN EVEN TONE

🖤 YOU ATTRACT A LOT OF PEOPLE IN GENERAL

🖤IF YOUR LOOKING JUST TO BRING IN SEXUAL PARTNERS EMBODY YOUR LIBRA ENERGY

Channeled Song

🤎 whenever you have sex with partners they probably feel like your yoni is perfect

🤎equal give and take in the bedroom

🤎 I feel like yall get stimulated by a beautiful environmental and feeling appreciated

🤎depending on what degree/house klet is in could give more insight because libra is such a balanced sign

🤎 you don't like it too slow or too fast just in middle to enjoy the act, may be into a lil rough stuff tho....👀

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

KLET IN SCORPIO ♏:

❤️ DARK AND SULTRY SEXUAL ENERGY

❤️ FIERY & PASSIONATE

❤️ YALL WANT TO FEEL CONNECTED AND INTENSE DEVOTION

❤️SOME MIGHT SEE YOU AS A MYSETERY OR WONDER WHAT SEX WITH YOU IS LIKE

❤️ SEX WITH ME - RIHANNA IS YALL CHANNELED SONG 💋💦

❤️TABOO/ SEX MAGIC THINGS LIKE THAT

❤️ IF LILITH IS ASPECTJNG THIS YOU MIGHT FEEL EVEN MORE DARKER OR ASHAMED FOR YOU SEXUALITY

❤️ LIKE ARIES PARTNERS MAY EITHER BE INTIMIDATED OR THEY COULD BE INTRIGUED

❤️ DEFINITELY MIGHT HAVE STALKERS AFTER YOU HAVE SEX WITH THEM

Channeled Song

🍒HIGH SEX DRIVE AND CAN EASILY REACH AN ORGASM

🍒DEVOTION IS HOW YOU TURN THESE PEOPLE ON

🍒 BDSM??

🍒KINKS??

🍒RED & PINK HUE TO THE VAGINA

🍒 WET & HOT BECAUSE SCORPIO IS WATER AND OF COURSE HOT BECAUSE THE ORGINAL PLANET IS MARS

🍒 I FEEL LIKE PEOPLE WILL LOOK AT YOU AND KNOW THAT THEYLL BE ADDICTED TO YOU

🍒 IN WORST CASE SOME COULD BE ADDICTED TO STIMULATION

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

KLET IN SAGITTARIUS ♐:

🤍BDE

🤍 I FEEL LIKE YOUR SEXUAL ENERGY EXPANDS AS YOU LEARN

🤍 THE MORE YOU RECIEVE BLESSINGS THE MORE YOU ATTRACT SEXUAL ENERGY

🤍 YOU COULD REALLY BE BLESSED WITH GOOD COOTIE CUZ JUPITER IS HERE AND YOIR CONSTANTLY RECIEVEING

🤍 YOU MIGHT HAVE A BIG CLIT

Channeled Song

🍇 I FEEL LIKE YALL HAVE WATER

🍇MIGHT NOT BE AS TIGHT

🍇 OUTIE

🍇 JUICY & FAT

🍇GETS STIMULATED THROUGH AN ABUNDANCE OF FOREPLAY

🍇 I THINK THESE ARE THE TYPE OF PEOPLE WHERE THEY NEED A LOT TO GET PLEASURE 😌

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

KLET IN CAPRICORN ♑:

🌳 BDE

🌳 daddy energy

🌳I feel like you get turned on when there is a chase to get you

🌳 you may attract partners who have to work to get you

🌳people feel like they have to do what you say

Channeled Song

💐 gets turned on when you see your partner working hard to please you, and when they put in time & effort

💐you may be very determined in the bedroom to please your partner

💐 your vagina may look very intimidating ( take it as it resonates)

💐 very pretty 😺

💐a force to be reckoned with

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

KLET IN AQUARIUS ♒:

👾 you or your partners may be very spontaneous & eccentric

👾 random outbursts of horniness

👾kinky

👾 people may feel like sex with you is different and unconventional

👾raw & real

Channeled Song:

Tumblr wouldn't let me use anymore audio, so here's a link!

S&M - Rihanna

👽your clit gets stimulated when you feel free and on edge

👽you feel sexy when you can be you unapologetically

👽there might be a shocking factor to how your vagina looks

👽 maybe ethereal or something like that

👽open-minded and willing to try new things

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

KLET IN PISCES ♓:

🔮 YOUR FEMININE SEXUAL ENERGY COMES OFF AS MYSTICISM, and dreamy.

🔮 people could feel you have healing energy to you and they may feel deeply connected when you have sex

🔮 sex feels emotionally connecting

🪄 your vagina may look dreamy/ enchanting

🪄 since pisces is a water sign you could have a ocean down there 🤭

🪄 you get turned on when you feel spiritually connected to your partner

🪄 you may also enjoy role play

🪄 unconditional love is how you get stimulated

Channeled Song:

P*ssy fairy- Jhené Aiko

🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺🌺

♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀ ♀

Thanks for reading to the end!

Hope you guys enjoyed this! Tell me your placement, and if you feel it fits the description!

💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓💓

Catch ya later lovelies! Til' next time!

~𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵 𝓴𝓲𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼 xx💋🤎

𝓕𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵

🔮🪄 ☯ 🔮🪄 ☯ 🔮🪄 ☯ 🔮🪄 ☯ 🔮🪄 ☯ 🔮🪄 ☯

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

𝓓𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓷𝓮 𝓓𝓮'𝓛𝓾𝔁𝔁𝓮 (masterlist)

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

©𝓟𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓽𝔂 𝓒𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵 (Do not copy or steal my work!)

[s-b-party]

Nous & Mythus: A Cycle of the Known & Unknown

****Honkai star rail version 1.6/crown of mundane and divine spoilers ahead****

After getting another update to the Simulated Universe & w/ Dr. Ratio coming soon, it’s a good time for me to discuss about these 2 Aeons & give my thoughts/analysis on them!

So who are these two?

They are Nous the Erudition & Mythus the Enigmata

We’ll start off w/ Nous so what does erudition mean? A synonym we can use is knowledge although that might be a bit oversimplified

Erudition often has the meaning of extensive learning whether it’s from books, practice, lectures, etc. The implication is that an erudite person or thing has a LOT of knowledge; think of a person who’s well-rounded but also has extensive knowledge in the many fields/subjects they have learned about, they can be considered erudite (this is reflected in how Erudition Pathstriders function in terms of gameplay, normally their specialty is dealing AoE dmg to multiple enemies at once as opposed to just a singular target)

Nous takes the form of an astral computer, they are a machine w/ many dangling wires visible & a red “eye” in the center, very much mechanic all around; as for their symbol it seems to speak to their concept quite well

If we look at the background, the cylindrical shapes can be interpreted as scrolls which are often associated w/ learning & knowledge; in the center, the abstract shapes seem to make an eye (their gaze perhaps) but I think it could also be taken as a flash of light which could represent “enlightenment” which we often think of as a sort of critical point in one’s journey in obtaining knowledge

Is it possible that the center is meant to symbolize the moment when Nous reaches their own enlightenment?

To name a few of their more well-known factions, we have the Genius Society & Intelligentsia Guild, both of which have members whom we’ve already officially met in the game: Herta, Screwllum, Ruan Mei from Genius Society and Dr. Ratio from Intelligentsia Guild

Seeing as they’re 2 different factions following the same Aeon, that means there’s something differentiating them, presumably their approach to knowledge

You can tell based on the name of the Genius Society what exactly they focus on (geniuses) which is a bit of a contrast to what the Intelligentsia Guild focuses on which is the dissemination of knowledge meaning that they believe everybody should have access to knowledge

The Genius Society doesn’t seem to share their knowledge that easily which we can see based on how some of the members tend to work alone, one even became known for killing some of the other members despite being in the same organization (#4 Polka Kakamond), Ruan Mei often sticks to herself when it comes to her research, etc; as a result it’s a contrast to how easily knowledge flows within the Intelligentsia Guild which even goes as far as to view it as currency in their motto

Although we’ve pretty much met only one character associated w/ the Intelligentsia Guild officially & despite how much of an asshole he may be, there are aspects related to Dr. Ratio that are in agreement w/ the belief of the Intelligentsia Guild

The name of his banner is Panta Rhei/Panta Rei which is usually associated w/ Heraclitus & it often translated to “Everything Flows”; Heraclitus was a philosopher whose focus was on the movement & changes that the universe goes through which sounds similar to how the faction wants to make knowledge easily accessible (therefore making knowledge flow through the universe)

Ngl the convo between him & Screwllum at the end of the continuance quest had me lost for a bit but I got the gist of it; to sum it up Ratio ended up rescuing the researchers who got teleported by Duke Inferno, Screwllum was wondering why Ratio would just stand back & observe when he could have prevented the situation from being dragged out any further since Ratio had the Phase Flame; Ratio explains that the best thing when dealing w/ ignorant people (in this case, the researchers in the space station including the people in the chat who were gossiping about the situation) is to stand aside & observe bc according to him foolishness is the most difficult thing to cure; Screwllum deduces that Ratio was attempting to make the employees realize that they shouldn’t be idolizing geniuses so much; Dr. Ratio is in a way similar to Alhaitham; they both think that geniuses shouldn’t be made into such a big deal or overly revered; in both cases the reverence of geniuses creates a gap between people based on intelligence

Another aspect which I find both funny and fitting is that Dr. Ratio as a 5 star will be available to EVERY player; as it is implied in the livestream, it’s his way of spreading knowledge to the mediocre; as much as he can be very arrogant & rude, it’s interesting to see that he still upholds the belief that knowledge should be available to everybody, not just to geniuses, in his own unique way

4. The last aspect of Dr. Ratio that I want to touch upon is the combination of his title & name: his full name is Veritas Ratio, veritas meaning “truth/truthfulness” & ratio meaning “reason” in Latin; the title doctor comes from the Latin verb docere which means “to teach/instruct”

This may be a stretch but hear me out: when put together, the name (not necessarily the person) Dr. Veritas Ratio gives off an impression of someone who is either qualified to teach others about “truthful reasoning” or a teacher who is truthful & rational (it might not sound like it but this kinda falls in line w/ Screwllum describing him as candid). Something I noticed is that based on what we’ve seen, not many people in the Genius Society go by the title of Doctor; what I’m trying to get at is that there is something to be said about Ratio having the title of someone who is qualified to teach while members of the Genius Society usually do not really seem that interested in spreading knowledge to the masses or teaching them

This isn’t to say that the Genius Society is entirely incapable of teaching, they probably could if they wanted to (keyword: wanted), it’s more so their motivations & values that differentiate them from the Intelligentsia Guild

Getting back to Nous, both factions do reflect specific sides of the Aeon: both are interested in expanding their knowledge but the Genius Society overall seems to be removed from civilization/society or at least a bit distant (matched by the quote describing the knowledge seeker as having a cold core) while the Intelligentsia Guild has a more cooperative aspect in terms of having a network of intelligence which can be seen in the meaning behind Nous’ signal which is explained in the entry of the Genius Society (although the signal is more so reserved for geniuses, it’s still an attempt at having a group of people work together to find the answers to the universe)

Now that we’ve looked a bit at Nous in detail, I’ll talk about Mythus; as the Aeon of Enigmata, they represent the concept of mysteries that can’t be easily perceived & their form is quite interesting to look at

Their name is related to the word “mythos” which usually refers to the stories & arts that help demonstrate values, beliefs, & attitudes of societies

*I found out recently that apparently the word myth is more of a pejorative term for mythos bc it’s more often than not used to describe stories as false or not true so there is controversy around that*

Overall they look like a jellyfish w/ the main body being faceless & legless while their tentacles/tendrils dangle out; some parts of their body have a unique effect on them that resembles oil spills or the surface of a bubble which is probably meant to be the fog that accompanies them; the staircases that come from their body seem to never end & even fade out into the darkness of space

Their symbol is very similar to their form; you can see the jellyfish w/ tentacles flowing down & in the background there is a ring of rectangles that overlap each other which may be referring to the stairs that appear in their art

The usage of the jellyfish is interesting; just like how the ocean can carry them along, the jellyfish can symbolize flow & movement, perhaps it’s to establish how mysteries simply exist in the universe without push or pull from outside forces

I can see them using the jellyfish due to its connection to one of the biggest mysteries of the world: the ocean (or at least the deeper parts of it); if we think about it, space is like an ocean of stars and unknown things so I think it’s kind of fitting using a jellyfish form to represent mysteries but it might be a stretch

Now a few known factions that follow Mythus are the Riddlers & History Fictionologists: both are pretty straightforward in terms of their agenda which is to enshroud the universe in mysteries

The Riddlers create mysteries by altering texts & words while the History Fictionologists create mysteries by eradicating evidence of past events aka history itself

It is interesting seeing how these factions actively create mysteries sometimes to the point of destruction (of texts, history, etc) even though the existence of Enigmata should be able to exist as long as Mythus exists bc Aeons themselves are manifestations of concepts; in some cases, Aeons can die while the concepts they identify as may still persist to the current time

So how do Nous & Mythus even relate to each other in the overall world building ? Their identifying concepts might appear as opposites of each other (known vs unknown) but I think there’s more to it than that

There is a readable item written by Fu Xuan called “Glimpses into the Beyond” where she explains that Nous doesn’t necessarily provide answers but they provide many questions & that “answers may only be found by oneself”

We also hear of Nous doing calculations & trying to solve the mysteries of the universe & since the Enigmata exists, Nous doesn’t have all of the answers due to the existence of mysteries

I think that while they do know a lot about the universe & can represent knowledge, they can also represent the learning process/the journey for knowledge

Something interesting is that Nous in Greek philosophy refers to the ability to process & perceive information so if Mythus is meant to be the representation of the things that can’t be easily perceived, does that still apply to Nous themself when they’re both Aeons?

Also where does that leave their dynamic? They’re enemies of sorts bc Mythus is trying to destroy certainty left by Nous but this is also a relationship where Nous is essentially searching for the answers to the universe’s mysteries aka what Mythus encapsulates, making Mythus their “goal” I guess you could say

Life will always have people who desire to gain knowledge & it will always have things that have not been discovered/figured out; there is one particular thing that I do wonder about amidst all of this: with Mythus wanting an uncertain future, I wonder how this will spell out for one of the most important concepts in many HYV games: fate

I guess we’ll have to wait & see if they’ll connect this to fate in the future 👀

*I hope you guys enjoy the first lore thread of the new year! :3

[loquaciousquark]

hello quark! i've gotten to the szarr palace again in bg3 and am now super curious about tavish and astarion's thoughts about amanita szarr and vellioth! i imagine personally that astarion had no idea amanita even existed, and that finding out about vellioth's rules might give him a knee-jerk but ultimately conflicted rejection response—something about how those rules are why cazador treated him so poorly, so he rejects them on principle, but also his life experience has been such that he actually agrees with them... it'd be a tangle for him to try to work through, i think, but what about you? what are your thoughts?

I! LOVE! THIS! QUESTION!! Thank you so much for asking!

I definitely agree that Astarion had no idea Amanita existed. That Cazador had turned a full vampire and then imprisoned her in their attic; that she was resisting her compulsions and defying Cazador's orders; that a powerful vampire hated Cazador as much as Astarion did? No way. No way does Cazador ever let Astarion or any of the other spawn even get a hint of her existence. I don't even know if she knew very much about them, actually; I think if she really thought there was someone she could help or someone she could ally with in this very lonely, isolated existence, her journal entries wouldn't have been quite so despairing.

(Sidebar: I adore the tragedy of the attic in the Cazador mansion being the only place that allows in some shafts of light. I bet he did that to her on purpose.)

After finding out about her existence, I think Astarion would be conflicted at first, then decide that if she's abandoned them all, he's not going to waste another thought on her. He didn't know her, she didn't know him, and if she fled without helping them, he's not going to worry about where she's gone. He'd have even less of an interest in her outcome than his siblings, I think, and those relationships are already contentious at best.

Now, Vellioth--I think that's another story. Finding out that Cazador, who has effectively set himself up as god-emperor to the spawn, the source of all pain and pleasure and the total sum of their universe, couldn't even come up with his own base set of rules? Finding out that Cazador is just one more link in an endless chain of suffering?

Man, I think it'd be rough for Astarion. I can easily see him going in a circle of laughing at Cazador for being a pathetic copycat -> a pathetic copycat enslaved me for 200 years -> does that make me even more pathetic than I originally thought -> is my escape therefore worth less in the grand scheme of justice -> no, what I did was great and good -> Cazador was pathetic but he was also powerful -> it is admirable that I killed him and therefore he must have had intrinsic value as an enemy -> Cazador was powerful in his own way even if he stole from Vellioth -> Cazador stole everything from Vellioth & was nothing more than a pathetic copycat, and so forth. Exhausting!

Once he got over the initial surprise, I do think he would have looked back at his time under Cazador and wonder if it needed to be reframed. The account of Cazador's impalement is horrifying. The brutal murder of Cazador's friend (Cazador had a friend!) is horrifying. And at the end of that horror, Vellioth still made Cazador a full vampire.

What does that mean for Astarion? Did Cazador really think he was being merciful by only imprisoning him for a year? Would Cazador have ever fully turned him if the ritual hadn't come into play? Probably not--probably he's just as cruel as Astarion always thought he was, and likely even more, but I think it's one last element of rug-pulling viciousness from Cazador to Astarion right at the end, one last time. Cazador dies, and Astarion can't even be unquestioningly happy about it.

As far as Astarion internalizing those rules, I think post-Cazador's death, he has a kneejerk rejection of anything like them for himself, just like you say. I do think if he's not checked by Tav/his LI, he may unconsciously lean into similar rules for them (see: the nearly identical ruleset he gives a turned Tav after Ascending), but I think a spawn Astarion with a healthy relationship could be coaxed out of that mindset given enough time & support.

An incredible question. Thank you so much for asking! :D

[quantifiableconnections]

I just finished watching Skam (Norway) today and let’s just say I’m not kidding when I say this is one of the BEST shows I’ve ever watched. I did take a lot of time to watch all the seasons (spanning over one year) but I enjoyed each and every moment of it. Well, some a little less than others. Hence, I have some thoughts and please forgive my yapping.

Okay so Season 1. I actually liked it quite a lot. The acting was good, and it gave a nice start to the whole story.

The getting together of the girls was the highlight obviously, but I really liked the portrayal of Eva in this, as a kind of lost teenager who doesn’t have a lot of direction in her life and is mostly dependent on her boyfriend.

I did think the Isak plot line in this was a little badly done, but I guess it was necessary for the big reveal in the end.

I think the fact that Eva was able to resolve things with Ingrid was very unrealistic, considering they had literally been besties and she basically stole her man. But really idk.

Talking about Jonas, he was majorly gaslighting Eva during the season so I think their relationship was a little immature. Classic right person wrong time.

Penetrator Chris is SO HOT. Especially in that mf smoky eye makeup istg. But he’s a giant asshole and we do not support him.

Season 2. Okay. First let’s start with the showstealer. Eskild my man. I don’t think Eskild is appreciated enough in the whole series but I absolutely love him!! He is so mature, and is such a good friend. I love the dynamic between him and Noora and even him and Linn.

Now let’s address the elephant in the room because why not? I did not like Noorhelm all that much. William never had much of a character development and we never get to see him expressing a lot of emotions. I forever stand by the opinion that Noora was too good for him. Many people talk about William’s support of Noora’s decision to not have sex, but really, that’s like settling for the bare minimum that can be expected from a decent person.

I think the dickhead of a brother had more personality than William. So in conclusion, season 2 did not really impress me but I’d watch it again for Eskild.

Eva hooking up with Chris?? The guy she cheated on her ex with? Can’t say I like this.

Season 3 is SO well done. There’s no question about it. I love Isak’s slow acceptance of his sexuality. From being a closeted gay guy who made homophobic comments to fit in, to a happy and out gay guy in a relationship.

Absolutely adore the boys. Jonas, Mahdi, Magnus. I especially loved Magnus and his take on the whole situation.

Eskild coming in and stealing the show yet again?!!

Emma and Sonja are VICTIMS. As much as I love Evak, they fucked their girlfriends over pretty bad and I hate them for it. Also, Emma is soooooooooo pretty.

The story of Even. His whole character portrayal. The picturisation of his mental issues. Chef’s kiss.

Minute by minute??? Are you trying to kill me here??? It is SO wholesome and they both have matured so much, especially Isak, dealing with his sexuality plus his boyfriend’s mental issues so delicately.

Their chemistry. Their chemistry. Their chemistry.

Sonja should NOT have apologised.

Overall, this season is tied with the fourth as my favourite.

Season 4. Sana is my favourite character hands down. She is portrayed so well, we see all her insecurities, beliefs so beautifully.

Yousana is my favourite couple. Evak is a close second.

The understanding between them, the intellectual conversations, the level of maturity. Just wondrous.

I did think the whole situation with the russ bus was overdone. I never really understood why Sana was so involved with it in the first place. This could easily have been summed up in one episode leaving time for more Yousana development.

Yousef is such a green flag omg. He’s literally the cutest out of all skam boys( my opinion). I just wish he had more screen time.

Elias and Sana??? Whatever bits and pieces we got to see of their relationship were GOLD.

I. Love. My. Girls. So. Much. I just wish Sana was shown interacting more with all of them, not just Noora. Also Yousef and Noora working together to thaw Sana??

I canNOT stress this enough. Yousef and Sana are the best couple ( besides Evak obviously). The chemistry, the flirting, everything was done so right that it got me blushing furiously through the screen. And they managed to do all this without showing any kind of physical contact. Just lovely. The way they counter each other’s opinions with such delicacy and respect makes me believe that they are definitely going to last.

The situation with Even and Mikael and all the balloon squad boys should have been given more screen time.

The way Sana’s faith and her relationship with her family were handled are commendable. We see the dilemma, the cogs of her brain working, and how she accepts her fate and doesn’t sway from her beliefs. I strongly believe that her and Yousef will handle their differences maturely and still come out to be a strong couple.

I SWEAR SHE AND I ARE SOULMATES?????? Cutest shit I’ve ever seen.

Sana and Isak’s friendship means so much to me. In Season 3, we see her rising above her opinions and respecting homosexuality. Here we see Isak figuring Sana out and helping her see beyond her strong opinions. And wdym Sana??? You are best buds.

Okay. The last episode. I absolutely loved it. It’s one of the best season finales I’ve ever watched. We go into the lives of all the girls and some of the guys too. I literally teared up at the Eskild and Linn part!!( idk why they still address Chris as penetrator Chris when his face is literally on the screen like people we know it’s not our girl?? Idk I find it extremely funny). I wish they had shown more of Vilde and Chris’ friendship in the past and not just the final episode. The Even part was absolutely incredible. His insecurities, his fears, and we see him pacifying Isak and not the other way around. Yousef texting Sana from Turkey?? And saying he’ll take her there?? My heart melted.

I literally don’t think Noorhelm is going to last long even though they have reconciled. Something just seems off. Joneva is back??? Didn’t really like the buildup but I guess they could be a good couple as they are more mature than the last time.

Okay. So that sums it up more or less. My favourite was season 4, closely followed by season 3. My favourite characters were Sana and Eskild, they were just so amazing. I related to Sana fiercely all through the show.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk. Feel free to give your own opinions please!!!!

[helloitstsyu]

dangerous woman | stacee jaxx [18+]

My masterlist

Pairing : stacee jaxx x fem¡reader

Warning : smut, masturbation, nsfw language, sex toy, minors dni!

Requested by my dear friend @elenavampire21 hope you like this ❤️

Something bout you, makes me wanna do things i shouldn't

Have you ever wanted something so bad knowing you shouldn't? Have you ever dreamed of something so bad knowing it is bad for you?

Stacee Jaxx.

Yes, the famous singer Stacee Jaxx. The man who is able to have hundreds of girls drooling for him. For a while, you really thought you weren't those girls. Those girls who are stupidly do as whatever he told. Those girls who would've died just for their stupid celebrity crush.

He does have an amazing singing voice, yes, and you can't lie to yourself that you quite like his songs too. But Stacee wasn't really much of a respective gentleman, so the idea of having respect, let alone worshiping him is not in your cart. You loathe asshole, specifically those who do as whatever they're please and not give a damn shit about anything else other than themselves. That pretty much sums up Stacee Jaxx's character.

Ever since you first met him in The Bourbon Club, he has shown you nothing but pain in the ass kind of attitude. He constantly thinks that he could have anything he desires easily because he's just the Stacee Jaxx.

Every conversation you exchanged with him is like a dreadful memory printed on your mind. Stacee Jaxx is the living example of vexation for you. But here you are again, completely possessed by the alluring charm of his as he performs Pour Some Sugar On Me. The way his body moves. Those flexing toned exterior of his, the way his skin glistening underneath the light. Oh, you're so feeling hot yourself.

Stacee knows what he's doing. He's totally meant to do it all to capture your very attention. Ever since he first laid his eyes on you, he knew he wanted you instantly. From your rare beauty to your smart mouth, he knew he's a goner for you. But what intrigued him more is your ability to resist him. No girl ever has done that to him, and to win you over will be his personal accomplishment he'd be proudly gloat on.

"Y/N!" Cherry, your boss calls you out as the music bangs louder at the end of the song.

You awake from your daydreaming thoughts and turn your head towards her. "Yes?"

"What are you doing here, i paid you for something, girl. Get to work and clean up upstairs!" She tells in your ear.

She's right. You shouldn't stay here and watch Stacee all night. It'll only make him believe that you're one of his admiring fans and make him be more overconfidently proud of himself. To which you'll hate more of him.

So you go upstairs, passing every one of the people in this crowded club. Meeting your colleague, she tells you she got the floor covered and asks you to just take care the VIP room. Entering the VIP room, you're surprised that no one is here, but the room is for sure messy as hell with bottles and glasses everywhere. So you decide to clean it up that way you won't have to stay late to work.

Working as a server in one of the biggest club in the city wasn't really on your new year'sresolutions, but this is your way to make a living so you just gotta do what you gotta do. It wasn't a dream job of course. You often get misunderstood, but you can survive each night. And you find each night to have its own interesting thing. Say you always have that dark, playful side of you. Something about the life of the night and the vibe of the club awakes something naughty inside of you.

As you're tidying the sofa area, underneath the pile of pillows, you find something.... A vibrator.

"Jeez.." you shake your head.

Taking the little pink toy, you nearly toss it to the bin. But before your finger let go of the item, you think for a moment. Something in you wanting to know. And for some reason, your mind decided to replay the memory of every encounter you have with Stacee. You're contemplating yourself, trying to fight every urge in yourself to play with the pink toy you found.

Looking around to find no one is around, you lay down on the sofa. Eyeing the stranger toy in your hand, you press the on button, and it starts to vibrate with a little buzzing noise. Biting your lip, you slowly draw the toy to your chest. It feels good as it makes contact with your skin. Slowly, you drag the toy across your breast and down across your body. The moment the vibrator hits your clit from above your jeans, you whimper.

Biting your lip, you chuckle to yourself. It feels so good, and you don't care if it's so wrong to do.

You unbutton your jeans, hands slipping underneath it as you bring the toy to meet your clit. Again, you press the on button. The moment it vibrates on your clit, you fight back a loud moan to spill out. As you close your eyes the picture of Stacee is still playing in your mind.

"F–fuuck—!" You whimper. Eyes fluttering open and close as you feel the building heat inside of you.

Feeling like someone is watching you, you look up, finding his reflection in the mirror. "Stacee," You gasp and jump in a scare. Turning your face around you meet him leaning against the door, hands on his pocket. He doesn't say anything. He just stares at you still, doesn't even move.

"Wouldn't you like to watch me,"

Stacee chuckles darkly, and he walks slowly towards you. "Don't let me interrupt you," he takes a bottle of scotch on the table in front of you and takes a seat on the sofa in front of you. He takes a sip of the scotch with his eyes still locked on you the whole time.

"So you're just going to watch?" You ask.

Stacee's slowly nods.

You have no idea where this confident comes from, but right in this moment, you're feeling dangerously confident. You for sure not going to chicken out the moment you're going to have your pleasure. There's just something about Stacee that makes you wanting to be like a dangerous woman. You lay down again on the sofa. Turning the little toy on again, you slip it again underneath your jeans to your clit. Stacee watches you with darkened, lustful eyes. Your whimper get louder by the seconds you press the toy on your clit. Hands traveling all around your own body, you grip onto the sofa as your body bends upwards. "Ahhh—!" You moan.

Stacee could feel himself hardening and losing room on his crotch. The way your legs jerking, body twitching, it nearly make him wanting to take out his cock and jerk himself too. The filthy moans slip out of your perfect little mouth sounds like the best music to his ear. He wanted to kiss and devour your mouth for so long that he has lost count how many times he had dreams of you.

And soon enough, you're spilling all over. You're moaning hard, body bending off the sofa, your toes curling, and digging the leather of the sofa. Opening your eyes toward him again, his breath is just as messy as yours. You stand up and strut your way towards him. You lean down onto him, face stays inches away from his. You look deeply into his eyes.

Stacee clenches his jaw, yet his deep intense glare never falters. A second past with silence with you just exchanging wordless conversation by eyes alone with the rockstar. "Well," you break the silence, eyes instinctively just drops down you could see the effect you put on him. The evidently tent on his crotch makes your breath stalled.

Eyes peering back up meeting his green orbs, You hand him the used vibrator to his chest. He grabs back your hand, a sly smirk appears on his face.

"That was fun," you devilishly smirk at him.

You could see the flickers in his eyes. That's the switch being pulled off. Just as you're about to stand straight and turn your back to him, Stacee grabs your face and pulls you to his lips. He pulls you onto his lap, your legs straddling his hips. Quickly, he finds a way to slip his tongue to meet yours. He hungrily kisses and devours you, his hands traveling all around you, slipping through your hair, grazing along your back. His touches send burning traces on your skin.

Stacee moves to kiss your neck. Wet sloppy kisses go all over your skin. He's trying to find your sweet spot, which he finds effortlessly. You're whimpering as he nibs the spot, you instinctively just grind on his hard center. "Ohh, Stace—" you whimper.

"You drive me crazy, Y/N," his deep voice growls in your ear.

Looking back to his eyes. You cup his face, "So beautiful," he whispers as he caresses your face gently.

His eyes light up with excitement, quickly he undress you. One by one, all of your clothes are tossed to the floor. You unbutton his pants, his hard cock springs free slapping his abs. Impatiently needing all of him, you push him inside of you.

"OH!" You moan as you feel his shaft spreading your tight walls.

"Fuck—!" He groans to you. His hands gripping you hard. "Fuck, baby!" He groans.

The fullness of him sends dizziness of pleasure to your mind. Slowly you start grinding on him, fucking him in a slow set pace.

"Oh, you feel so fucking good," Stacee holds your face. He rests his forehead on yours. Eyes are lost in the pool of pleasure. "So... tight..." he cooes.

Stacee rocks his hips upwards too, meeting you halfway, he fucks you back. "Stace..." you whimper.

"Darling—" he murmurs. With his hands gripping on each side of your hips, you fuck him harder, grinding even harder on him, you could feel him starts to throbbing inside of you.

His eyebrows furrowing, his breath ragging. You could see the sweat starting to collect on his chest, and his skin starts to turn into flush red. He's close, you know he's close. "What?" You tease him mischievously.

"P-please," he breathlessly beg you.

You giggle, "Oh he knows how to say please now."

The cocky asshole who do whatever as he pleases now is practically begging you. "Y/N!" He shut his eyes close and grip tightly on your hips.

"Don't cum yet, Stace!"

You chuckle, liking the way you have him right now. He's so.... babygirl, unlike the way he usually presents himself to everyone else.

You kiss his neck. Nibbling and sucking his skin, you leave your love mark there so that everyone knows you're the only one who's able to make him like this, be like this.

"F-fuck... Y/N—!" he groans.

Stacee pulls you even tighter, closer to his body as if there's more gap between the two of you. His hand wraps around you possessively. His eyes deeply look at you. You could feel yourself coming close to your edge too. With no warning, your pussy clench around him. You bury your face on the crook of his neck, nails raking his back that you're sure you have left a scar on him.

With your clenching walls, that is the end of Stacee. He couldn't keep himself even longer. You feel his seeds spreading inside of you. His body stills, he's breath ragging as he empties himself into you.

You push yourself from the crook of his neck, eyes meeting him again, Stacee is glowing with post-sex glow. He smiles and gently peck your lips. His fingers softly brushing through your hair. He leans closer to you and peck your forehead.

"That..." he pants, "That could be a record," he mutters.

He's so gentle that it melts your heart. You feel your cheek burning up, so you hide your face to his neck.

Stacee just holds you there gently, caressing your bare back affectionately. Then the snap of realization occurs to you, this is wrong. You shouldn't have done this.

"This is a mistake," you say as you climb off him.

"No..." he quietly says, "Y/N," you ignore him, you just pick your clothes on the floor and quickly leave him before he could even stop you.

[elasticitymudflap]

Te: PetriGrof, it seems to me that Betty by virtue of her passion and dedication to magic, she would absolutely be okay with the status quo PRIOR to finding the Crown. And if Simon was never cursed (ignoring the War for a tic), then Simon and Betty could have stayed forever more as, like a thing in motion that stays in motion. So I wanted to ask you, the Betty expert, do you think that Betty would have ever become unhappy in her life with Simon? Prior to the Crown?

*rubs my audhd little hands together evilly*

I think there would be a lot of instances where she would be frustrated and maybe clash with Simon over their very different approaches to work and life (Betty's impulsiveness vs Simon's caution), but ultimately I think the sum of things that bond them and compliment each other outweigh the issues that would come up. Obviously, I still maintain that therapy - both couples AND personal - would be a must for them. They both scream complicated upbringings and lasting personal/family trauma to me.

In a universe where the mushroom war never happened and the world progressed sort of Earth-like but with no crown interference, I could easily see Betty becoming increasingly stressed out and frustrated about their work not being taken seriously. Simon seems to take his work being ridiculed in stride, but I don't think Betty would be so forgiving. I think if someone threw a book at Simon's head, now that the two of them are together, he'd probably have to restrain her from hopping off the podium and bare-knuckle boxing with the audience.

I think she'd also be confused and frustrated even further that he doesn't get more angry about it. Simon's work fascinates and inspires her because of how radical and "out there" it is, she cited it often before she actually met him (as per the 'Jerry' storyboards), so why doesn't he feel compelled to defend his work as fiercely as she does? Why is he content to let people disrespect him, and by extension their shared beliefs?

And therein lies one of the problems: Simon is used to going at it solo, having his own work and beliefs ridiculed was the norm, it probably never even occurred to him that Betty would feel disrespected by extension. In fact, he would likely be so fixated on the angle of Betty being embarrassed to be with such a pariah in the academic community that he doesn't see what about the situation is actually bothering her. Simon's generally nonconfrontational nature in defending himself and his work would probably be a running argument with Betty (in an "I love and respect you so much, so why are you not loving and respecting yourself?" way).

Don't get me wrong though, he may not be a fighter when it comes to self defense, but I think people who would dare disparage Betty and her work in front of Simon would do so entirely at their peril.

But I digress, I think it's worth looking at that they both seem to have the same kind of self worth issues and self-sacrificing tendencies, although they're articulated differently. Simon is more 'resign yourself to fate and accept the horrors if it means you can help someone' while Betty is more 'throw yourself into danger to actively help someone while denying the personal consequences'.

I bring this up because, on the other side of things, I could see Betty's impulsiveness and recklessness on their expeditions coming to a boiling point. We see this hinted at in 'Jerry' quite a bit, but I think there would be situations where Betty literally puts herself in mortal danger (ala Casper and Nova) in order to recover an artifact against Simon's wishes.

I think back again to the Casper and Nova book, how Nova ran headfirst into danger and Casper as a character had no choice but to progress. To me, at least, the implication became that the only way to stop "the story" (or tragedy) from progressing any further would be to literally abandon the 'adventure' by physically refusing to go forward and putting down the book. I'd say the same principle applies here, to a certain degree: let's say that they ended up in a parallel situation (not crown related obviously), and Simon chose to abandon the expedition they were on by immediately saving Betty instead of going for the artifact they were searching for.

As with the parallels Betty had to Fionna and Cake that Simon saw, I could see Betty getting furious at Simon for stopping her, and by extension letting the entire expedition go to waste in the process. I think that this would be the one and only time Simon would ever find it in himself to blow up at her, worse than the way he did in 'Cheers'.

I think the confrontation would see Betty having to reckon with her inability to accept that she is something worth fighting for, and that she is loved, and wanted, and more important to Simon than literally anything else, let alone their work; and Simon having to confront just how much Betty sacrifices to help him, how damaging it is even though it's shrouded in her perky quirks and smiling insistence, and how he's been unknowingly encouraging her to do so by not being cognizant of this pattern and making moves to stop it.

Or not. Point is, I think something would really have to blow up before they're both able to recognize they have some pretty serious problems and agree to explore some kind of help.

All this being said, the thing that 'Cheers' really demonstrated for me was that, although they may have been unaware of these unhealthy behaviours and the patterns they were making in their relationship, they were completely capable and willing to change. And that really is what I think is the most important, albeit tragic aspect of these two.

[dreamofmetoday]

TOM HOLLAND AND ZENDAYA DYNAMIC READING

overall:

they feel dissatisfied with (and worried about) this connection and don't even really know why they're staying together. the main excuse they seem to come up with to stay together is the fact that they don't want to be one of those couples that break up only to get back together - basically they're both thinking, "it would be embarrassing to break up so officially because what if we do miss each other or realise we were right for each other and get back together anyway, let's just give it our best effort now", but even this mindset is being pushed to it's limit. they view the relationship quite objectively and feel they can see where it's gone wrong which is essentially summed up as: getting together too young and having naturally very different personalities. however, they do both wish for it to work out somehow. they both seem to make an effort to actively "choose" each other (similar to the mindset of love is an action not a feeling). they do very practical things to make the relationship work and compromise (the type of stuff you learn in couples counselling, and following "rules" - e.g. the 5 love languages).

how does tom view zendaya:

he really wants zendaya to be "the one" but also feels he's putting in more effort than her (whether that's objectively true or not). he thinks he does a lot for her, tries to adapt to her and she doesn't really reciprocate the same way (thinks she is off doing her own thing often, involved in her own interests and drama). he's basically thinking, "i wish you wanted me to be your soulmate as much as i wish you were mine" and he finds her to be harsher and more critical to him than he is with her. he thinks she's very attractive, classy, has good manners, has a good family (was raised well by her family) and sees her as the best he could ever get. he also appreciates her earthly, grounded nature, finding that she is rather practical and logical, and has helped him become a lot more stable himself (he thinks he owes a lot to her). he sort of takes on the role of hanging back and letting her shine, he doesn't really have a problem with this except for the fact it means zendaya is in the power position (she is naturally dominant over him - she does what she wants, and can leave him when she wants, and can hurt his feelings quite easily even if it's accidentally). her being in the power position means he feels he doesn't have much control on whether the relationship lasts or not, he fears losing her and his biggest concern currently is how he can make her feel like her independence isn't being threatened (he really wants her to believe she isn't being "tied down" since he knows these are concerns she has) but still wants her to be committed and around him often. he would marry her if he could.

how does zendaya see tom:

she sees him as someone who wants to move way too fast and is pretty immature. she knows that tom means well, she trusts his intentions (mostly) but she can't help but feel like tom wants to "own" her. she feels he is smothering, a bit suffocating and she's annoyed that he doesn't seem to understand that "going above and beyond" isn't going to impress her - e.g. he could buy her a really expensive gift but it's not something she actually wants and all she thinks is, "okay so 1. you just bought me something i didn't want and you probably should have known i didn't want it, 2. if i wanted it this bad i have my own money and 3. now if i'm honest and tell you i hate it i become the asshole so thanks for nothing really" (she wishes he would get more on her level in this sense, to just be more mature and practical). she thinks he is too dependent on her and wishes for him to want to do his own thing more, for not so much to revolve around her (as flattering as it is sometimes). she can appreciate that tom is a lot of fun, and that he is witty and easygoing, she is mostly just frustrated with how he seems to always want to be the centre of (her) attention. she thinks he is too possessive and jealous. her ideal outcome isn't for the relationship to end, but to make some more practical changes as they both grow older (she still has a lot of love for him and thinks they are a good match at the end of the day).

[eresia-catara]

um these are probably boring questions but. do you have a favourite guido poem + which ew book is the best in your opinion. have a safe trip! <33

Thank you :p

Actually I love this ask, you made me think of a lot of beautiful things which I will explain...

Establishing a favourite poem is very difficult considering I'd eat them all if I could, however I can pin-point at least two that are among the best imo: Tu m'hai sì piena di dolor la mente and Perché non fuoro a me li occhi dispenti.

Together I think they sum up quite well the juiciest elements of his poetry: guido is already dead as he speaks, he's completely hallucinating and he's suffering like hell. also biblical echoes.

Now let's focus on the second one in particular, as the first one is simpler to analyse

The first line is already amazing because he starts ex abrupto with what is both a wish and a curse, and a cursing of life. In this expression in fact we have the echo of Job 3:10 in which he curses his birth, except that Guido uses words of actual torture methods of his time (he wishes for his eyes to be blinded or ripped away, which were widespread practices so we also have to imagine that readers could easily imagine the pain he was evoking), giving the poem an apparently solemn but actually deeply tragic and violent and chaotic beginning. It also means he has already compared himself to the patriarch whose faith had been tested by the devil; Guido is the lover who is has been tested in his faith and has come out, as we will see, dead.

The following three lines talk about someone who has settled in his mind and has asked to be heard. The subject of this action is not mentioned, meaning that to Guido it's obvious, he's already used to this figure: the woman. But by depriving her of any substance she ends up being an abstract presence, we are miles away from actually dealing with a woman who may as well not even exist: this is a hallucination, a ghost that has occupied his mind and has demanded control of his attention, of his thoughts. Guido is helpless in front of this event and he blames it on his eyes, his source of knowledge. Guido wishes to be what he effectively already has become: a non-man.

In the second and third stanza, Guido tells us that because he feared more torments his soul shouted to this hallucination for help and she ignored him. And here's another great thing: because Guido was edging towards death, Love had already come to mourn his last moments until a mysterious and unspecified deep voice (that echoes Geremiah's Lamentations) tells the people to compare their pains to those of this now dead man who's crucified heart is being held out by Death. You know. Like a martyr. Like...Saint Lucia (Divine comedy connection??? I still need to think about it) who holds out her eyes. The very part of the body Guido has cursed. And in fact he has died for a love that was one-sided, so the complete opposite of a martyr. But also Love crying over his dead body like Mary with Christ. Guido suffering like no other man like Christ. You know. Guido completely bending the Bible to his games, tracing over the words to obtain a seemingly identical meaning and yet you come out with a reversal of everything. Guido recounting this whole story as an already dead...thing.

He is not able to be alive you honour, life was impossible to his system and in fact he wishes for death. almost but not quite like Christ who is not destined for earthly life.

.

About ew, I definitely love the third volume most! That's peak guido suffering and I'm all here for it. Like, Gambarini was so real for (SPOILERS!) having made him wish to hang himself, although personally I would've used a method that spilled blood simply to stay coherent to his poetry and feed into his gory hallucinations. That man needed a certain dose of ugly suffering as personal expiation for his actions or smth.

[porygonlover2009]

oh!!! okay! ヾ(≧▽≦*)o i think i have everything all set up! i'll make the coding, like, super duper pretty later but...

hi everyone!!! my name is emilia, but i'd really like it if you guys just call me millie! ヾ(•ω•`)o i'm 15 years old, and i'm an attender of blueberry academy! i've been here for quite a few months now, but you can mostly find me hanging out with the computer club! i have a pretty good league club rank too though, hee~

ヾ(⌐■_■)ノ♪ i'm a, like, super good techy person who's been playing around with it for as long as i can remember! ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ my teacher is a really great lady, and she taught me all sorts of things that i've been using to help stress test some security measures, for her and a little for the academy, and along with helping other clubs out with their techy stuff! so if you need any help when anything breaks down? i'm your girl! q(≧▽≦q) hee.

my partner, pory, also helps me with some tech stuff too, but they mostly help me with software i'm trying to develop! ♪(´▽｀) i wanna help good people and pokemon as much as i can, so i wanna keep making things for people--let me know if you ever need anything!

...

um. i think that's good for now!!! (/▽＼) i-i'm not very good at, um. talking. outside of techy stuff. but if you wanna be friends, i'd be really, really happy...!

//ooc info below!! along with the trainer card.

HI EVERYONE, SABLE BACK AT IT AGAIN WITH A BLOG THAT'S. kind of a hot mess. she's one part plot device for ren's plot, and another part a kind of. attempting to play someone who's basically been raised by an evil team! lord help us all but especially me.

anyway, emilia has basically been raised to be a neo flare/noriko loyalist! to sum up her deal basically: after noriko properly established her team, a pair of grunts (who are millie's parents) were basically raising their daughter in preparation for the next world that noriko intends to usher in, noriko looked at the child and said "it's free real estate" and basically took her under her wing and taught her so many computer and hacking skills. and basically paid her tuition to blueberry academy anonymously so she can serve as a mole! ...she's kind of. messed up. she's a very good kid who's what every teacher would call a delight to have in class, but there is a very clear. awkwardness. about her. and a hell of a lot of naivete over the world itself.

so. naturally, she's gonna come with some content warnings that'll come up overtime, but i do all in my power to ensure that they're all tagged: living in a cult-like environment/mindset being the primary one, being raised in isolation, and despite her very loving and caring parents and to a certain extent, the care noriko was willing to provide, her inevitable endgame fate is. going to involve physical violence/abuse from the hands of someone she considers an authority figure. (who is. a terrible, terrible person, we're talking "former rocket who's violent tendencies have only gotten WORSE since joining neo flare" levels of ruthlessness.) this will be treated with the gravity and respect it deserves, and will have a kind of bittersweet ending (but no child death!!!), but that's going to be the worst of it. along with just. general team flare mindset of "destroying the world is great, actually".

anyway standard rules apply!

Player is an adult, character is a minor! Do not send NSFW this girl's way or you will be blocked.

Try not to infomod. She's not going to be forthcoming about her origins because it's supposed to be ~super duper top secret~, but I'd appreciate no godmodding in regards to her.

Along that same line. She is not going to be easily convinced that what's going on and what Noriko has planned is wrong. After the plot happens, though, she'll be infinitely more open to considering that, so please do not be surprised if she's very stubborn or stonewalls your character.

That being said! I will also endeavor to not godmod, given that she is technically going to be a boss for someone to overcome. Her Pokemon are very strong, about the mid-80s range (except for Pory, who's lv. 100), but she is defeatable. Just. Come prepared essentially.

Down to interact with just about anything; if you're uncertain, feel free to ask! Millie's very innocent and also. Very much an idiot savant. She'll believe just about anything.

This blog is going to be pretty high stakes, especially as Ren's (@/eartheats) plot gets under way, just as a fair warning.

If you don't wanna interact with Millie, please feel free to tell me and I shall respect your wishes. o/

[idontwanttospoiltheparty]

hot take: i know it’s fun to speculate all pauls sad songs from the let it be era are somewhat related to john/band breakup, but honestly my take is that something like the long and winding road could lieterally be about jane? like this man wrote countless songs about her, had a long relationship with her, he considered her his best friend, they lived together for some time and were even engaged. like she was his muse for quite sometime, i really doubt it would be a case of “oh well, we’ve broken up the memories are gone!” lol humans don’t work like that. especially people like paul who really holds on to memories. im not saying he wasn’t in love with linda at the time, but his relationship with her was still new and based on how some people have described paul after jane broke it off, he was a wreck, so i can only imagine some of those feelings would pass in songs of heartbreak. like it hadn’t even been a year. i mean paul literally said in his lyrics book about jane “but the memories don’t fade.”

This is interesting. Re: TLAWR specifically, I think my take on that would somewhat depend on when the song was written. It already existed at the start of the Get Back sessions… (though I know you pointed out it doesn't have to be linear, but I still am unsure) I do wonder if the song Let It Be, which was around in September 1968 already, was maybe somewhat related.

BUT, I think there's another point here. I agree "humans don't work like that" but I think that also applies to how they process things happening to them at the same time. The reality is that the band (and John in particular) took a nosedive at the same time as Jane and Paul's relationship ended, so I think these two things were probably not as easily separable to Paul as they may be to us. It all might just combined into A Generally Shitty Period, y'know.

I have very similar feelings on the songs Paul ascribed to his 1965 fight with Jane – I'm Looking Through You, You Won't See Me, We Can Work It Out – the latter two I've seen theorized as being about John (funny how you don't see the most bitter one ascribed to him though), in relation to John and Paul's ongoing conflict over acid at the time. My take here is that it's very possible that both these fights coinciding made the situation worse than the sum of its parts to Paul. Your girlfriend walking out on you is worse if your best friend has been being a dick to you for months, and it might make everything feel more hopeless and desperate, which could ultimately influence the music, at least indirectly.

So I agree with you and I don't fully, because I don't think it has to be an either/or. I also think songs can change their meanings after having been technically fully written – this is a bit how I feel about Two Of Us. And also, I do want to say that sometimes Paul is just writing stuff and it's not that personal lol. Although I don't think The Long And Winding Road is such an example.

[firsttarotreader]

About Pedro being a heartbraker in Madrid. Can you please ask the cards how he feels looking back at this time? Does he regreat breaking so many people's hearts? Does he see it as triumph? Thanks.

Hello! I asked the cards how he might feel about that time, and the first pull was the Queen of Swords, 9 of Cups and 10 of Swords.

Queen of Swords is very independent, her intellect is sharp, she’s very perceptive and some may think she is cold, but it’s just because she is more objective in her choices and knows what she wants. However, it’s hard to win her heart because she doesn’t let her guard down so easily, even though she can still be loyal and loving. 9 of Cups is about lots of joy and satisfaction, feeling comfortable and lucky and like you’re living a dream come true. 10 of Swords represents a painful ending, having to let something end, but it’s not easy. I would say he was feeling quite independent, self-sufficient, with a sharp mind and also very happy and satisfied. It was so good it was actually VERY hard and painful when that time ended.

The second pull was The Hermit, 2 of Cups and Death. You see, it’s like he was The Hermit, someone who thinks too much and was emotionally closed off. But back then, he was giving some LOVE and receiving it too, with the 2 of Cups. The feelings were flowing more easily for him and it might have been easier to pursue people and get laid. And damn, he LOVED it. Death means he might have seen Madrid as an experience that changed him, and when it ended it was like an important chapter of his life that had to conclude in order for him to start something new. When it’s the Death card we’re talking about, it’s a true ending, no sulking, no being depressed over it and unable to let it go, just understanding things end as hard as it may be.

The last card to sum it up was the 8 of Coins. This card points to him possibly feeling like he was really putting in the work during that time, with everything he did. He was dedicated, persistent, focused, and maybe that’s what might have caused some hearts to be broken. He could have been the type to work hard to get someone, he would set it as a goal and dedicate himself to it, even after getting the person. This card means he was potentially good in bed because he took his time, he didn’t rush things, he was absorbed by that person during those nights, but apparently it was only for a night. Especially with that Death card in the second pull. What was over was over. This dedication was probably also present in his work too.

So I would not say from these cards he regrets anything. It was one hell of a good time and he enjoyed it a lot!

[invinciblerodent]

4, 8, 18 & 19 for your Bg3 babes? :D please do ramble away!

weeeeeeelll, if you ask soooo nicely~ :D (For time constraints, I'm gonna go for those specifically for this game, and omit Ray!)

4) What color or colors do you most associate with your OC?

SO this new graphics software I'm using is a little unwieldy to me still, but I tried to make little palettes!

Iona's color symbolism is probably the strongest- in my mind, she's... golden yellows. Bright, bold, warm sunshine yellows, deep forest greens, and the dark reds and burgundies of old, slow blood. Amber eyes, crimson waves, everything about her is just warm. Of course, that isn't an unequivocally positive thing: the fire that warms can just as easily burn.

She's cajoling warmth and biting flames, as charming as she is dangerous. I really like that association for her, that she's kind of... well, "fire made flesh and a demon asleep", as it were.

Petyr is more associated in my mind with "natural" colors- olive- and hunter greens, and warm, rich browns. As a ranger raised among druids, he's very... well, druid-adjacent I guess, is how I can sum him up. I associate him -and this might sound silly- with... the breeze on a forest path. The rustling of leaves in late spring. The deep grooves on the bark of an old, gnarled tree.

He to me is... simultaneously a young man, and one far older than his years. New growth and ancient forests. Fresh, green shoots poking their heads through the carpet of dead leaves. Is this making any sense at all lol.

And Arvid, well, I sometimes have Gale affectionately call him "Blue" in my head for a reason, lol. He's steel greys, and cornflower blues, indigos, and similar cool tones. He's there in the clash of blades, and the soothing touch of a cold palm on a feverish forehead. In the harsh glint of plate armor and the purple of bruises, in the silver of binding chains, but also... the melancholy blues of the sky when it looks like it might rain.

And that... sounds sad, when I put it like that, but the rain is also nurturing. Water is welcoming, comforting, ever-present. I like this sort of duality for all of them, actually- but for Arvid, it's probably the most obvious. He's very much a healer with bloodied hands.

...... they're all sort of making a Dreamworks-face in the shots I found, that wasn't intentional lol.

[since it got so long, i'M putting the rest under a cut!]

8) Greatest strength and greatest flaw about your OC?

I think for all three of them, their strength is also their weakness, in a way? Like...

Iona is very charismatic and adaptable- to the point where she has a difficult time being her real self. It takes her quite a lot of time to stop saying what she thinks others want to hear, actually say what she thinks, and discover who exactly it is that she wants to be. She was stuck playing a role for so long that, taking off the mask, she... doesn't know who she is underneath.

Petyr is very... I guess steady as a person, very staunch- but that's gotten to the point where he has all but convinced himself that he has no emotional needs. That he's not lonely, and he doesn't yearn to be known. He has turned self-reliance into an art, and opening up emotionally, or communicating in general, comes very hard to him. (Which is why I like that Shadowheart's first romance scene is just... an honest conversation. I like that she forces him to open up and let her in.)

And Arvid, I think his strength and flaw are both his courage. As in, it's his faith that drives him to be brave, and to fight, but that courage means that he doesn't back down, even when he... probably should. When it would be the smart thing to do. And by the gods, he's often so afraid. Oh, he's so terrified (I'm honestly beginning to think that he just. straight up has an undiagnosed anxiety disorder), but he powers through it even when it's to his own detriment, because that's the right thing to do. [I may be feeding this off my own anxiety going into overdrive that first playthrough, lol.]

18) What is your OC’s greatest fear?

Oof, yikes. Um. This one is a doozy.

I've thought about this before, but beyond very general concepts, it's kind of... hard to describe.

Iona is... mostly afraid of being tossed aside again. Of experiencing the same pain of losing everything once more, of... opening up and showing herself, only to end up being rejected for it. She's scared of being taken back to that old life of repression that she hated so much, but she's... more scared of not being worth enough to anyone for them to come to her rescue.

In a more literal way though, I think she's most scared of... forgetting, I think. Dementia, amnesia, the likes. As an elf, memory and previous lives are very important to her, so she's... having a bit of trouble as her Drawing of the Veil draws closer, and the wholeness and clarity of her mind, they're definitely some of her biggest concerns for most of the game.

Petyr, I think a lot of his gruffness is also kind of a self-shielding mechanism. He pretends that he doesn't have needs, and pretends that he can't be assed to do anything, so he can't fail, because he doesn't try. He's afraid of -essentially- falling short.

And also the cold. Fuck the cold. The cold is relentless, insidious, it's numb yet it scratches the very flesh off your bones, and by the time you realize that it's going to fucking kill you, the dominoes have already fallen, and it's far too late. You can't win against the cold; the cold spells death. You can merely stave it off for one more day, and your reward for surviving is just one more day, month, season of struggle. (His first few winters alone in the forest were... rough.)

Arvid, he's... most scared of emptiness. The idea that the heavens are empty, that prayers go unheard, and he's just... screaming into the void. That's definitely a nightmare he's had a few times.

On a more superficial level, I think he's scared of just... being alone. He's never really been alone, truly alone, in his life, and I think the fact that for the entire adventure everyone was within tadpole-distance did not help it- I think I've mentioned it before, but after the game, i think that'll evolve into full-blown separation anxiety for him. (Can't feel Gale's tadpole, can't 'ping' him to see if he's okay, what if he's not, what if he's hurt, what if he can't call for help, etc, etc, it'll be a whole mess, and the first time he leaves his new fiancé alone for a few hours, Gale will definitely return home to an anxious wreck of a man having a full-blown meltdown on the living room floor.)

19) Does your OC have any close friends?

Outside of the party, I assume lol

Iona... used to. She got along very well with... pretty much all she ever met, honestly, but she had a very good friend by the name of Karissa Dawnbreath who was her closest confidant, her best friend of many, many long years, but... also her downfall, in a way. Karissa was the one who outed Iona as a sorcerer to the rest of their village/compound when she found out (she can't really be blamed, she was terrified), and she kickstarted the events that lead Iona to Baldur's Gate, and ultimately to the nautiloid.

Along with abandoning all of her old life, Iona abandoned her friendship with Karissa as well. She's kind of going back and forth on whether she resents Karissa, too.

Petyr kid of... doesn't, have friends. Not only does his prickly personality and "lone wolf" kind of nature prevent him from making many friends (my man spent half his life alone in the forest), he's also... rather awkward around people in general, and all of his relationships (friendly or romantic) were very surface-level for the past 20 years. It was either about... cordially conducting some sort of business together, or a quick fuck, and that's... about it.

He felt very uncomfortable opening up to the party as well. (That's kind of why I like it so much that Mr. "I have no needs, do not perceive me" ends up with the two healers, I think that's really sweet lol.)

And Arvid, he has two very good childhood friends who are still in his life by the names of Parker (human) and Redd (halfling). They were boys in his village who were taught self-defense and swordfighting in the monastery around the same time as Arvid (only they didn't live in the monastery), and the three of them sort of fell into fast friendship the way little kids do, and it ended up persisting well into adulthood.

Over the years, both boys eventually got married (both to dwarven women, interestingly) and became fathers, but they only really lost touch with Arvid for a short spell when he moved to Baldur's Gate a year before the game. They were on the top of the (very short) list of people Arvid invited to his own wedding. <3

[josefavomjaaga]

hey, re: one of your latest posts, is there any merit whatsoever to the rumours that napoleon had an affair with his stepdaughter? and if not, why did they arise?

[Muttering under her breath - I never should have opened this can of worms… why can I never keep my mouth shut...]

Well, hi and thank you for the question. 😁

Okay, first of all: No, I do not think there is a single serious historian today who actually believes the rumours about Napoleon being the father of Hortense‘s oldest son. And while I don‘t like Napoleon much myself I also don‘t believe it. Napoleon‘s early letters, particularly from the time of the Consulate, to Hortense are a fun read and show a (step-)father talking to his daughter, and that‘s just that. The child was born ten months after Hortense‘s marriage, so there is no reason to even assume the father was anybody but Hortense‘s husband.

Does it rule out the possibility? No, of course not.

According to Hortense‘s memoirs, the first rumours of this kind came from British newspapers. Which is quite possible, as the Peace of Amiens was shaky from the beginning and some parties were actively working to break it up. There were nasty rumours and disparaging pamphlets galore. Also according to Hortense, Napoleon was secretely quite content about this, as he suspected this nephew might be more easily accepted as Napoleon‘s successor if people supposed Napoleon to be the father. Later, it‘s the pamphlets by Lewis Goldsmith, an Anglo-French publicist working for both sides, who repeated and invented the most disgusting slander (including incestuous relationships).

In truth, there are some passages from Laure Junot‘s memoirs (for what those are worth, of course!), relating to the time of the Consulate, describing how Napoleon entered Laure's bedroom in Malmaison at nights and how he got really furious when she locked her door, to the point she insisted Junot spend the night with her at Malmaison. This would point to Napoleon really taking some liberties with the young ladies of his entourage. That Napoleon in general was not the most virtuous of husbands is a well-known fact, even if we do not have to go as far as Bausset, who years later in a fit would claim to Marie Louise that Napoleon »had had every lady of her court for a shawl« (except for Madame de Montebello, for whom it took three).

Hortense, from 1808 on and with a short interruption in early 1810 stayed, far away from her husband, in Paris at court and at the least lived a life in a dubious position for a married woman. She had one lover she admits to in her memoirs (Flahaut), but all her life she loved to be surrounded by a circle of admirers, so she was rumoured to have many more. The birth of future Napoleon III gave reason to much gossip in Paris and was the reason why Louis broke with Hortense completely. Apparently, everybody and their grandmom was convinced Louis was not the father, despite pretending the opposite. At the very least, Hortense was the only one among the not-altogether-virtuous Imperial ladies who managed to get herself so deeply into trouble that she had to secretely escape to Switzerland in order to give birth to a child. But even that cannot have been all that much of a secret later, considering that the Duc de Morny was openly talked about as being »né Hortense«.

Many memoirs of the time mention or hint at the rumours about Napoleon's alleged affair with Hortense, and the vast majority declare them as false. The only important memoirs that I know of that explicitely confirm them are Fouché‘s. But those are, while not entirely apocryphal, of dubious authenticity, as they were published after his death under the Bourbon Restauration, put together from Fouché‘s papers. The Bourbon Restauration again produced an abundance of pamphlets and of course jumped at the occasion to repeat these allegations over and over again.

To sum up: There were plenty of rumours already during the Empire, and neither Napoleon‘s nor Hortense‘s personal way of life did much to disencourage them. There is, however, also not a single piece of evidence for them to be true. I'm not sure if this really answers your question, and I wish there was a way to disprove them entirely, but this is the best answer I can give. If anybody has additional information, I'd love to hear it!

As to Napoleon, he on Saint Helena dismissed the idea of an affair with his stepdaughter at one point as stupid because »everybody knows Hortense is ugly«.

Well, thank you, I guess.

[gtunesmiff]

How Writing Is Like Playing the Violin

Gabriela Pereira || DIYMFA

I have played the violin since I was four years old, and my son and daughter play piano and violin respectively. They both go to a Suzuki music school—the same school I attended from ages 4-18. In fact, my daughter’s violin teacher was my orchestra conductor and chamber music coach when I was a teen.

All of this means that I have a tendency to view the world through a Suzuki lens, an outlook that centers on incremental practice over progress made by leaps and bounds. This perspective is also especially useful when it comes to writing.

We all know full well that no one can write a book in a day. It takes time and continuous persistence. There’s no glamorous solution.

Rather, we just have to show up at the page on a regular basis and clock in the hours. It’s that simple.

And yet, there are a lot of sources out there that glamorize the “overnight success” approach to writing. This attitude is best summed up by an episode that happened in my traditional MFA program. One time in workshop, a writer whose story was on deck for critique said to the class: “I wanted to apologize in advance for any typos. I just threw this piece together on my phone, while standing in line at a movie theater last weekend.”

I’ll be honest, the possibility of typos was not the thing that concerned me about this writer’s statement. What bothered me most was the attitude, as though this writer was bragging about how little time they had spent on their submission. It was as if their goal wasn’t to write something good, but rather to write something with as little effort as possible.

This kind of attitude is dangerous because it lulls us into believing that writing should be “easy,” and if it’s not, then there must be something wrong with us. Let me make one thing very clear: the problem is not with us.

Now, don’t confuse writing fast with writing easily. Personally, I happen to be a naturally fast writer. Once I get an idea of what I want to say, it tends to pour out of me fairly quickly. Similar to other writers, I know many individuals who are like this with their fiction and can crank out multiple books a year at a furious pace.

Build speed and stamina through practice.

The speed at which we write has nothing to do with the ease with which we write. Just because I tend to write fast doesn’t mean that the process is “easy” for me. People who see me crank out words so quickly might think that all writing should be a snap.

What they don’t see are the years of practice that got me to the point where I write at this pace, the countless hours before I put pen to page, or when the ideas needed to incubate and take shape in my mind.

Speed and ease are two very different things. The speed at which we write and the quality of the words we produce, these things come with practice. Ease, on the other hand, is a fickle beast. Some days it might feel like words just flow out of you, while on other days, each syllable can be a slog.

This is where persistent, incremental practice can be a game changer. We have to train ourselves to produce words—whether we “feel like it” or not. We have to practice showing up to the page, regardless of whether the writing comes easily.

This reminds me of something I learned practicing the violin with my daughter. I’m not going to lie, the past five years of violin have been brutal. Lady Bug is a strong-willed girl and when she decides she’s not going to practice, no amount of cajoling, begging, arguing, or even threatening will get her to do it. If she weren’t so darn talented, we probably would have let her quit ages ago, but when she picks up the instrument, it’s like it was made for her.

The trick, of course, is getting her to pick up the instrument in the first place.

In the beginning, when she would blatantly refuse to practice, the teacher suggested a strategy. “Just have her open the box. Don’t make her pick up the violin or the bow. Just open the box and leave it there on the floor.” The idea was not to attach any expectations to the practice, but to get her used to the idea of opening the box. Eventually, curiosity would win out and she would pick up the violin and try to practice. (I wish I could say this strategy worked every time. It didn’t. But it worked enough that we kept at it.)

Normalize the practice.

We can use a similar strategy with our writing, especially when the writing feels like a challenge. Boot up the computer or pull out the notebook and pen, then just sit and wait. Don’t attach any expectations as to whether it will be a productive writing day or not.

Just show up and see what happens.

When we practice showing up, we lower the barrier to entry. We normalize the process and the practice. For example, at this stage, my kids practice their instruments because it’s just something we do in our family. Everyone plays an instrument.

Everyone practices. It’s our version of normal. As writers, we need to do the same thing: we need to normalize the practice of writing, and make it “just something we do” rather than turning it into a big deal.

Right now, many writers are gearing up for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a challenge where you try to write 50,000 words of a novel in the month of November. What I love about this challenge is that it forces you to show up and write, whether you feel like it or not. With such a tight timeline, there’s no room for dawdling or taking the day off. You have to pour those words onto the page one way or another. For many writers, this challenge is the spark that lights the fire under their backsides and gets them to write that book once and for all.

My one small concern with challenges like this is that there is no room for granting ourselves grace and showing up without expectation. Yes, you have to show up with these challenges, but you also have to produce something and sometimes that’s not in the cards. Just like some days you open the box and don’t pick up the violin, sometimes the writing is just plain hard and no matter what you try, nothing comes out. This is why I myself have never done this challenge in earnest. The few times I tried, I buckled under the pressure to produce and gave up within a few days.

If you are diving into the challenge, I tip my hat to you. While I myself have never gotten past the first few days, I have tremendous admiration for folks who are able to get to the finish line. It is an impressive feat, to be sure.

If you aren’t doing the challenge, I want to propose a low-impact alternative. For the month of November, practice opening the box. Show up at the computer and give yourself ten minutes. If no words come, then consider your time clocked in and go about the rest of your day. Chances are, though, after a few days of showing up, the words will eventually start to flow.

Remember, practice is not about rote repetition.

When I think of practice, I think of a meditation practice or a yoga practice, where 90% of the work is showing up and being present. Let’s make this November the month where we show up for ourselves and for our writing.

[marybeatriceofmodena]

❤️ Christine Daaé

Honestly I would have added more but I had to stop at some point lmao

Rebecca Caine: She has a voice that can actually rival Carlotta's, and her Christine was every inch the romanesque, passionate heroine and you could totally see why the Phantom and Raoul were both in love with her. And she is PISSED in the Final Lair, and it's glorious.

Patti Cohenour: AN ACTUAL ANGEL. Graceful, kind, compassionate, airy, without ever coming off as a deer in the headlights, and with a golden voice to boot and a Think of Me cadenza of her own.

Julie Hanson: Look, I don't like Susan Kay's take on Christine for a variety of reasons. Julie Hanson took one look, removed everything about Kay!Christine that was annoying, gave her a nice little spine of her own while keeping the childlike quality which all culminates in a haunting finale where you can tell she'll be traumatized for life, and it takes the tragedy to another level.

Rachel Barrell: She felt very Victorian to me? Could be the looks since she has a very "Victorian" face, if that makes any sense. And if anything, I know people will disagree with me but I remember my first impression of Christine reading the Leroux novel was pretty much like how she portrayed her in the musical - yeah, Leroux!Christine was scared shitless, both at the situation and what she could end up doing or being forced to do, but she also had a backbone of steel, she had anger about the whole situation and wasn't afraid to show it, and she didn't take any shit from anyone. Rachel embodied that perfectly.

Kristi Holden: A dreamy but nervous Christine, who's still able to overcome her fear of the Phantom to give him the scrap of love he needed so badly in order for the good to overcome the bad, and who was somehow even better in the World Tour than in Las Vegas (and she was already quite good there).

Anna O'Byrne: Her voice can be a little all over the place, but she basically took the tormented side of Christine and upped it to eleven. And she's absolutely gorgeous to boot.

Samantha Hill: Not the strongest vocal-wise, but she basically thought every single gesture up to the last without ever over-acting, all the while being an adorable little ball of charm.

Elizabeth Welch: If I had to sum up her Christine, all the odds are against her, and she decides to be even kinder as a result. I wouldn't say her Christine is in love with the Phantom (granted, I haven't seen her with Jeremy Stolle yet and Hugh Panaro doesn't really lend to a more romantic take on the story), but it makes her kindness for Panaro's little asshole of a Phantom (affectionate) all the more poignant.

Valerie Link: Her Christine is an adorable puppy person who likes everyone and can be genuinely shocked and hurt when people are, say, mean to her (which makes Nicky Wuchinger pushing around people who are rude to her all the more satisfying, because, really, HOW DARE YOU)

Lauri Brons: Imagine if Anne Shirley was in Phantom of the Opera. That's it, that's Lauri Brons's Christine.

Lisa-Anne Wood: Another nervous Christine, who gets frightened pretty easily, is the shy side, but push her around, and she will let you know how much she DOES NOT LIKE IT, which gives for a nice little character arc.

Mary Michael Patterson: Subdued but with lovely facial expressions, she plays a Christine that seems humble, calm and shy at first but who has a backbone of steel if you poke her too much.

Tamara Kotova: Gorgeous voice, lovely facial expressions - she's basically the Russian Rebecca Caine in some regards, because you could totally see why the Phantom and Raoul would be as besotted as they are with her.

Emmi Christensson: She improved SO MUCH from the West End to Stockholm, intelligent and mature but with a nice arc of her own.

Meghan Picerno: I personally liked her better on Broadway than in the World Tour, where I was kind of meh about her, but her take-no-shit Christine worked pretty well with Ben Crawford's crazy ball Phantom (who I'll admit can be a bit of an acquired taste) and John Riddle's serious but loving Raoul. Plus, opera voice!

Sybille Glosted: I made no secret of how great the Copenhagen revival cast was, and she was no exception. Beautiful voice, detailed, thought-out performance that just tells a narrative with gestures, responded to her fellow actors instead of just going through the motions.

Holly-Anne Hull: So many interesting details I've never seen with Christine before, plus, she's adorable.

Kanisha Marie Feliciano: Beautiful, beautiful voice, and such lovely facial expressions that give her a bit of a cinematic quality - I could easily see her transfer well from stage to screen.

Send me ❤️ and a role in a musical and I’ll give you my favorite performers in the role.

[tatjana-fantasy]

Why Rachel King from House of Ashes is actually an amazing character

First off: It's completely okay if you don't like Rachel! Different people are drawn to different characters. Nobody is forced to like a character they simply don't vibe with. This is just my view of a character who I personally think is both overhated and underrated. More under the cut.

I want to preface this by saying that I believe every choice a character can make is, in at least one universe, canon for that character. This often hurts to think about, since there are a lot of choices that feel very ooc, but in my opinion, they wouldn't even be an option if they truly didn't fit at least one tiny part in a character's personality. But now let's talk about Rachel.

Many people see her as the "Queen Bitch" and nothing more. And to be fair, that's definitely what she's going for. She wears this nickname "like a fucking badge of honor," as she can reveal to Clarice. But why? Why would she like to be known as the Queen Bitch?

The reason is simple and revealed in the same conversation: "You think I got where I am with a soft word and a warm smile?" (No. Of course not.) "I had to graft to get here. [...] They have no idea the shithill I've climbed to just get where I am right now."

I can't even begin to explain how incredibely sad this actually is. Rachel had to become the Queen Bitch because she wouldn't have been taken seriously otherwise. As a woman in the military, being soft and warm simply wasn't an option. Characters like Merwin already make sexist jokes about women – imagine how he would've treated Rachel if she wouldn't have established her status, but tried to treat him nicely instead. The only way Rachel could find respect was by becoming the Queen Bitch. She put on a mask (quite similar to Jason, actually) and eventually, the mask became a crucial part of her personality.

But that's not all. The "shithill" she climbed? This is likely the amount of knowledge she had to gather in order to become the leader of her group. She can speak Arabic, which is one of the most difficult languages to learn. She possesses great historical knowledge, being able to easily recognize stuff like Pagan effigies, a Pazuzu statue and Sumerian cuneiform. Eric sums it up nicely: She's quite an expert on history.

But do you know what's the most baffling thing about all of this? Rachel is the only character who possesses these abilities. No one else in her team can speak or understand Arabic. Nick flat-out admits that he fluked history in school. And the very noteworthy thing about this is the fact that the rest of Rachel's group are all men. To me, it seems like Rachel, because she's a woman, had to prove herself more than the men had to, and gather a lot more knowledge in a lot more areas. This also explains why she's so protective over her status, since she worked her ass off in order to earn it.

"But," I hear some of you say, "she cheated on Eric! And she can shoot Salim! And she says bullshit like 'I was stronger than them all'!"

Okay, let's start with the cheating first. You know, on the one hand, I absolutely hate cheating (I mean, if you get together with someone who cheats on their partner, how can you expect them to be loyal to you?), but on the other hand, Rachel's situation is a little different than a lot of other cheating scenarios I've encountered. She didn't see Eric for a full year, their marriage basically only existed on paper. Rachel was ready to move on. And your heart doesn't choose whom to fall in love with. To Rachel, it probably didn't even feel like cheating, considering how long she has been separated from Eric. Out of sight, out of mind. No, it does not excuse her actions, but for me, it does make it more understandable. Plus, it's something she eventually overcomes, choosing either Eric, Nick, or neither, so I can't be too mad at her about that.

I'm always surprised when people bring up Rachel shooting Salim though, since it takes a lot of set-up. If you dislike a character for doing something in a super obscure path that requires multiple specific choices across the entire game, shouldn't you also dislike a character like Jason, who is only two choices away from leaving Salim behind to die? Not to mention, this path also requires Jason to shoot an innocent shepherd who did absolutely nothing to him. Yet, I haven't seen anyone hating him for that. Personally, I can totally understand why Rachel, after she lost her husband to an enemy soldier, would want to avenge him; even in the path where she and Eric didn't get along, Salim robbed them of the chance of changing that. And in the path where they did get along ... she just lost the love of her life. I think a lot of people would be pretty vengeful after that. Not to mention, Salim's situation does look very shady, first killing Eric and then returning without Jason. Who wouldn't suspect that he had something to do with his death?

Some people also complain that Rachel doesn't want to give Salim a gun even if you make the best choices. But I think many people forget that Rachel and Salim almost had no interactions with each other, and certainly didn't have time to establish a trustworthy bond. Jason himself doesn't trust Salim with a gun in their determinant second-ish meeting, after Salim surrenders to him when Eric is already dead. Unlike Rachel, he can change his opinion, but only because he actually got to know Salim - Rachel, however, didn't. Of course she doesn't trust him with a gun. In the midst of war, you probably wouldn't want to give your enemy a weapon, either.

Rachel's line how she was "stronger than them all" is ... quite awful, tbh. No matter if she means her fellow comrades or the vampires, she definitely didn't do as much as the others. But while I do think that the line is pretty bad and while I do wish it wouldn't be the last thing we ever heard from her, here's the thing: I don't want to judge characters by a single line they said. People say questionable stuff all the time, both in real life and in fictional stories. But judging them solely based on one weak moment? Not something I want to do, so that line didn't influence my opinion on her character.

This brings me to Rachel's compassionate, heroic side – a side of hers that is frequently forgotten. In general, she can show her nicer side to people that are on the same level as her - most notably, Clarice and Eric. They are people where Rachel doesn't have to worry that they'll suddenly start to treat her like a lesser being for being more than the "Queen Bitch", so she feels more comfortable opening up to them.

Her compassionate side is shown first during the raid, I believe, where it's very important to her that Jason doesn't kill any innocent civilians. She herself can shoot one of them, but she doesn't do it out of fun, but to protect Jason from an attacking shepherd.

A few chapters later, there's the Rope Scene. Originally, Rachel was supposed to cut herself free in the Theatrical Cut if her relationship with Eric was high enough, but due to an earlier scene being cut, this is not possible anymore; instead, she can cut the rope in the Curator's Cut regardless of relationship. This is the first difficult choice she has to make: Potentially sacrificing her life in order to save Eric. It's an action that takes an incredible amount of courage, so I really appreciate that it is a choice that Rachel can make.

The next time we see Rachel, she's in the bloody pit, escaping from a vampire and meeting Clarice. I already talked about how Rachel can show her compassionate side here, potentially opening up to Clarice. But what I love the most is the fact that Rachel is very firm when it comes to helping her. Of course, she can also choose to leave Clarice behind, but it's very notable that once she was brought back, Rachel constantly insists that she needs help and shouldn't be abandoned. I really appreciate her loyalty here, since she's pretty much the only character who is on Clarice's side, the only one who doesn't want to give up on her. While helping her sadly doesn't work (which Rachel eventually realizes), I love Rachel for being the only one who at least wants to try.

When it comes to awesome scenes, Rachel and the machine gun come to mind, but my actual favorite scene takes place a few chapters later. When Rachel's infection threatens to overwhelm her and she has the option to kill herself with WP. She's only the second character in the anthology who can make the intentional decision to kill herself. In her case, she does it to protect the others – which is such a heroic choice that I'm surprised not more people mention it. Jason can also sort-of get infected, but he never seems to be worried about turning into a vampire; Rachel however does worry, and can choose a rather horrifying death to stop herself from potentially harming the others.

And it doesn't stop there. If she doesn't use WP (or simply doesn't have it), she can still beg Jason to shoot her in order to avoid turning. And if he doesn't shoot her, she can still volunteer to be cocooned, not knowing if the others will actually come back for her. Of course, she can also choose the opposite of these decisions - but I think that's more than understandable. Who would want to die a horrible death or live forever in a cocoon? Hopefully nobody. Which makes it even more awesome that Rachel has the choice to do so.

I wouldn't say that Rachel is my favorite character, btw. She can be a little too abrasive at times and her character revolves a little too much around finding a love interest. But she's still a brave, strong woman – and, in my opinion, one of the most underrated characters in the anthology.