#all of that could cause a psychic backlash or something

[most-likely-shadowhisker]

YOU. You get it.

Gundam character tourney was good this year! have a great Suletta Easter Sunday 💕

[moodymisty]

*drops this supremely angsty thought off to you like a cat bringing you a dead mouse*

Okay but joke aside trigger warning for brief discussion of a miscarriage. Feel free to ignore this ask.

Primarchs beloved (Sanguinius feels the most fitting given the (to my understanding, I am a novice) psychic backlash of his death/ the black rage, but any of them could work, though I write this with VampBirdAngelBoi in mind.) was pregnant at the start of the heresy. Either stress or physical trauma from the battles causes her to lose the baby, possibly only a short while after the primarchs death / disappearance / something awful happens to pretty much all of em.

Especially if you pair it with (apologies I’m on mobile and can’t close this ask to look up the actual name) the au where the blood angels are super chill and normal about their mother after their dad dies, of course putting her in the freezer so she can keep being their juice box is normal!

🍀

The double mourning from everyone over losing the child of sanguinius as well as sanguinius himself would be just unfuckingmanagable. To loose to loose something so close to sanguinius, and sanguinius himself, they would more than likely latch onto his wife with gusto given she's the closest thing to him they have left.

and also, gotta love the angel wife juice box <3

[b000mbayah]

Irene sfw headcanons?

Dating Irene (SFW only)

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Of course, anon!

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-It took some time for Irene to find complete comfort in your relationship.

-It wasn't really a surprise either, since she was shy when you first initially met.

-Slow and soft is how you could describe the first few months of your new relationship.

-Irene needed to secure the idea of you being fit to date her and vice versa.

-And when that idea was secure enough, only then would she begin to put a little more trust in you.

-Nights of calm dinners turned into sweet cooking dates.

-It's almost alien to recall the days when she'd hide her laugh from you.

-Or when she'd conceal her blush by looking away.

-Or when she'd make sure to have a full face of makeup around you.

-And now that's all completely slipped out of the window.

-Now Irene can't stop laughing.

-She can't stop blushing around you.

-And she feels far more comfortable to have a bare face around you now than ever before.

-Irene got used to the late night cuddles with you, drawing out all of the real-world problems as you lay under some sort of blankets.

-You'd have meaningless conversations until sunrise.

-You'd both adorn the feeling of mutual butterflies tickling your insides and your heart beats hammering on in your ears like a choir.

-The simplicity of the activities you do never faze either one of you

-Walking in the park would turn into a treasured memory.

-Cooking together left scars you wish would never fade.

-And her teaching you to dance never failed to exhaust you in the best way possible.

-However, despite the sweetness of your relationship, Irene still creeped you out sometimes.

-Sometimes you swore on nothing less than your life that she was a psychic.

-The amount of times she's turned to face an inanimate object, only for it to tumble to the ground seconds after (if she wasn't fast enough to catch it, of course)

-Or the amount of times she'd just watch an invisible something move around the room.

-It was scary and unexplainable, but you don't love her any less because of it. If anything, you love her more for her uniqueness.

-You've heard from her members on multiple occasions about how she speaks so fondly of you.

-You've been told of her complaining during long schedules as she's contemplated on calling you- even if you are at work or asleep when she's away on "torturous tours"

-But you aren't public.

-Her company wouldn't accept the fact that one of their top female idols was dating someone, especially since you aren't an idol yourself.

-They didn't want the backlash and claim it was to "save her image"

-But you both know that's not the reason, you know very well how much Irene struggles not to share with the world her happy and healthy relationship.

-Even as other groups from her company reveal their relationships one by one.

-Irene would want to scream it from the rooftops to prove a point, and she almost did once, but her members were there, and the press would be all over how she was a "bad influence"

-Irene doesn't get jealous often, but when she does, she will remove both herself and you from the situation.

-She sees no point in being excessive about it, causing a scene would only hurt you, and she wouldn't want that.

-You should expect tons of cuddles and small kisses on your cheek when you arrive home.

-Being a full-time girlfriend wasn't something Irene thought of often enough.

-But she's certainly thankful that it was you she ended up with.

[redrobin-detective]

I was really tired overworking myself the past two days and my brain, for whatever reason, latched onto picking apart Aizawa. So here’s some thoughts I guess.

- Aizawa comes across as a bitter person who still maintains his kindness and passion beneath his apathetic exterior. I believe he came from a neglectful home, not truly abusive but one where he was left to his own devices most times. He learned a lot through books which explains his preference for logic and his general awkwardness with people. 

- He was a late bloomer with his quirk, it wasn’t officially diagnosed until he was 5/6 though its debatable if it did manifest earlier and no one noticed. Psychic quirks ran in his family but the quirk erasure really took them by surprise. Began having dry eye and itchiness when he was young and never knew why. I like to believe the quirk developed in one eye first which his folks just slapped an eyepatch on and moved on (inspired by this image from Smash)

- (I have so many thoughts on his parents and their lives/quirks but that’s another story. At best they’re detached, busy parents but at worst... using their psychic quirks to create their wealth as manipulative people causing Aizawa’s general distrust of people and help fan his desire to be a hero)

- ((I cannot let go of the headcanon that the reason Shouta keeps his hair so long, an illogical borderline dangerous “tell” for his quirk, is not only for comfort. One of his parents’ psychic quirks also made their hair float, but they kept it cropped short to fool people. Aizawa values honesty so much and the idea of tricking people like that way burns him so he keeps his hair long))

- Did face some backlash from his quirk, people didn’t like having their “special abilities” taken from them. It wasn’t as bad as Shinsou experienced partially bc he initially couldn’t control erasure to the point kids would fear him and partially because he had little to no interaction with his peers. He self isolated and made no attempts to make friends or declare his desire to be a hero.

- Lots of people argue Aizawa came from wealth or poverty and I say por que no los dos? Aizawa was born into a rich family and as a child was given the best schooling, clothing, etc but very little attention. At some point in his mid childhood (I say about 10) the wealth was taken away and baby Zawa kind of had to realign his world view and adapt. Even when he became financially stable as an adult he still maintains the frugal habits he developed.

- Originally had no interest in being a hero, it was just a stupid popularity contest with no weight behind it. Once he moved to the poorer, more dangerous side of town he saw people suffering and wanted to do something about it. Thought about the police but saw how little power they had compared to heroes. When he expressed a desire everyone told him he couldn’t with his quirk so from then spite was his primary motivator. 

- Was always quiet and sneaky and once he devoted himself to being a hero (a real hero not some fake he told himself angrily at 3am as he’s up training once more) he trained relentlessly. He parkoured everywhere, watched as many fights as he could to learn moves and spent so much time making his own style. A lot of it got corrected once he got to Yuuei and he learned *proper* fighting but he still maintains his own unique sensibilities.

- Has a legitimate sleep disorder only exacerbated by his crazy training schedule and later, all his jobs. Hasn’t gotten a proper nights sleep in years and at this point he’s too afraid to find out what would happen if he did.

- Erasure was an incredibly difficult quirk to wrangle, at first he could only maintain the quirk in second long bursts before his head hurt and his eyes were screaming. It took years of practice before he could maintain it for any significant length of time, much less during the stress of a fight. It speaks immensely to Aizawa’s training and persistence to make an initially weak quirk invaluable. 

- Oboro was his first real friend when he first joined the hero course, from there he met Hizashi who was also Oboro’s friend. When he died, Hizashi and Shouta wondered if they could maintain their friendship without the glue holding them together but they’ve endured, stronger than ever. 

- Was so aggressively prickly and determined when he first transferred into the hero course. He was so filled with energy to prove himself that he really put off his fellow classmates. Once he realized that he wasn’t going to be thrown out immediately he settled down a bit but never lost the feeling that most other students thought he shouldn’t be there. 

- Once Aizawa became well known in underground circles, he became very sought after by mainstream agencies. A hero who could erase villain quirks AND engage in active combat?? Everyone wants him on their staff but he insists on staying out of the limelight, working undercover for a pittance and turning his nose up at high paying sidekick gigs. 

- Never wanted to be a teacher, Oboro was the one who really was interested in coming back to teach at Yuuei. Talked about it alot, though he said he’d do it after he retired from Heroics. It wasn’t the only reason but Midnight, Mic and Aizawa were all thinking of him when they signed their teaching contracts. It took some trial and error but Aizawa took to teaching quite easily, found it really suited him. He’ll never admit it but he prefers it to pro heroing, here is where he’s really making a difference. 

- for the students he “accepts” Aizawa is so devoted to them, paying attention to their exploits in the news and sending them messages with advice or congratulations when they do well. For all that he has a reputation of strictness and cruelty, his students know how much he cares. When 1A graduates, he’s gonna be so damn proud and watch them succeed.

[wiseabsol]

Some Truth of the Divine speculation, now that I've finally gotten around to reading Lindsay Ellis' Axiom's End and had a blast with it. Seriously, it's the most fun I've had in a while (I stayed up until 4am reading it), and at certain points I put the book down and went, "Oh. Oh no. Ellis knows EXACTLY what I'm weak for. Please send help."

So here are an assortment of thoughts on what might be in book two:

- We know that Cora and Kaveh will be point of view characters for book two, with possibly a third pov. I'm thinking that if we do get a third pov, it will be from Ampersand's last symphyle.

- I think Ampersand's last symphyle will be the "agent of chaos" mentioned in the blurb. I'm also wondering if this symphyle's arrival will kick off the discussion of what genders the amygdalines identify as.

- I also wonder if Cora will gel with this last symphyle, kicking off an on-page poly relationship between Cora, Ampersand, and the last symphyle. Poly relationships do appear to be the cultural norm for amygdalines.

- Alternatively, maybe the last symphyle is doing poorly from losing all of their group except for Ampersand, and is in full lashing out and causing chaos mode. I definitely don't want a repeat of Obelus--because then you really have to wonder how healthy Ampersand's original group was--but the blurb for Truth of the Divine seems to suggest that this new arrival makes the tense situation on Earth much worse.

- Nils is unfortunately probably going to appear in the book and be a charming, manipulative jerkass to Cora, because of course he's going to try to take advantage of her role as an interpreter for Ampersand. On the plus side, I cannot wait for Ampersand to realize how much Nils is hurting Cora, because then he can fulfill the protective monster boyfriend role. It is always delicious, even if I think Ampersand will go a little far with it (there will probably be some blood. I am a bad person and would be okay with this).

- "While asking the question of what constitutes a 'person,' Ellis also examines what makes a monster." So yeah, the monster or monsters in this will probably be humans behaving badly, rather than amygdalines. The blurb mentions hate groups, after all. One of these monsters will also probably be Nils, because he's already been set up as a villain with great PR (and sometimes a point). Also, don't think I don't see that line as a reference to Beauty and the Beast and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Ellis.

- Cora and Ampersand are most likely going to have sex in this book. According to Ellis, there will be smut, but it's not like what we're imagining. I'm wondering if it's not like what we're imagining because it will involve more people than just them? Maybe Cora hooks up with someone and Ampersand is psychically there and possibly experiencing sexual pleasure for the first time? Maybe Ampersand's and his symphyle have the psychic equivalent of a steamy reunion and Cora gets some feedback from that?

- Okay though, so it's supposed to be a darker book. Let's say that Cora and Ampersand do get it on, and Ampersand is experiencing sexual pleasure for the first time through their psychic bond (since that isn't a Thing for amygdalines). Would he get a bit...intense about that? Seek it out multiple times? He's a traumatized adult in the middle of grieving the loss of yet another symphyle, and he WANTS to be close to Cora, and who knows how that psychic bond is going to grow between them (I feel like there are hints that Cora could learn high language someday, it'll just be something that develops over time). So what if that is going on, and maybe they're not as careful with it as they should be, and they get caught on a recording? Which someone, probably Nils, then leaks? The backlash from it on all sides--because I don't get the sense that the amygdalines would be cool with it any more than the humans would--would cause a lot of drama and pain that would need to be dealt with. Also, that would be the ultimate violation from Nils. Do I want it to happen? Definitely not. Could I easily see it happening, given how under surveillance the amygdalines are and how leaky the information about them is? Unfortunately, yes.

- "Questionable use of non-human anatomy" will probably be Ampersand shapeshifting his fingers into...some other things. Given that he's a nervous system encased in a dragon-shaped mechanical body, he will need to get creative to make things work.

- I live in fear of what secrets Ampersand is keeping and what he lied about in the first book. What are his "machinations" that no one was meant to see?

- Is Cora going to call Ampersand out for not asking her if it was okay to fusion bond with her? I'm unclear on how that happened without her consent. Also, the implication that an amygdaline can form a fusion bond with someone whenever, without them knowing about it or needing to accept the invite into their headspace, makes me worried about amygdaline society (unless that was just how it worked with Cora?). I have a feeling that a part of why Ampersand told her to keep their bond a secret wasn't just because it could put them both in danger, but because it's probably something that would be illegal to do in amygdaline society.

- Ampersand is going to have to learn how to not be such a control freak in this book, as Obelus implied he would be. The whole idea that cultural assimilation/fusion isn't possible, only cultural conquest, will also need to be challenged.

- The Genome's body being taken away will come back in a horrifying way, maybe with some cloning.

- Will Ampersand find the people whose brains he damaged and fix them? If he does, I'll bet it's because he doesn't want Cora to be mad at him, rather than from genuine remorse.

- Felix is totally going to run away with Nils and that is going to backfire 100%.

- I hope Esperas has a Pet the Dog moment with Cora, maybe while literally petting her dogs. I could really see him empathizing with Cora over how much of a jerk Ampersand is being.

- Maybe we'll learn how Nils got the Fremda Memo and what Luciana had to do with it.

[stargazersastronomy]

Social Change & Protest Astrology

“I can't get it out of my mind how you were left to bleed Was it how you dressed? Or how you act? I can't believe how they could act so violently, without regret. Well, we will not forget”

-- ‘We are the Others‘ by Delain

I normally don’t make posts like this, posts that deal with violence or politics. These subjects are similar to religion and sexuality, etc. There are so many different perspectives that you can never know what backlash, if any, will happen because of your words. However, people George Floyd’s murder, the protests, everything has effected the world. I haven’t felt this affected by murders since Brian Deneke’s and Sophie Lancaster’s deaths. Like Deneke and Lancaster, I still hear Floyd’s pleas for  his life, for his mother, for mercy echoing in my mind. My imagination could never do his suffering justice; I keep imagining the pain Floyd suffered as his neck was crushed by Derek Chauvin’s knee.  I’m someone who believes that Hell is impermanent – and that humans’ depictions of Hell originate from our artists and poets than our holy books – but I hope Chauvin burns in whatever Hell he’s sent to. Even if that hell is life imprisonment.

Similar to Deneke and Lancaster, we’ve heard the same statements: that Floyd was killed for his differences. While that is partially correct, killed because he was different, shifts blame from the murderers to the victim. Statements like these imply that if Deneke hadn’t be Punk, Lancaster hadn’t been Goth, and Floyd hadn’t been Black, they would not have been killed. Yes, the fact that they were all minorities in some way is part of our discourse of it; their attackers – and society’s intolerance – of them was the cause of their deaths. Dustin, the jock, mowed Deneke down with his car. The five boys who pummels Lancaster and her boyfriend killed Lancaster. And it was Chauvin that suffocated Floyd to death. These seven would have gone after anyone different and weaker from them, they chose the easiest targets.

In each case the murders were unplanned, random, that the victims happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. But with the violent acts that happened before then – Deneke and his friends beaten by the Jocks, there were beatings against others before Lancaster was killed, and racial deaths have only been increasing here in the States. Signs were there and without intervention of some kind, Floyd’s, Deneke’s, and Lancaster’s deaths were inevitable. No one knew when or to whom these tragedies would happen to, but something like this would.

Anyway, this has been a very long prelude to introduce my point to all this. When these things happen I like to do a horoscope on the event in order to understand it, aka electional/event astrology. Last time I looked up this chart I was reading an event horoscope about the Port Arthur Massacre, so I decided to try my hand at this type of astrology. Now, I’ll probably cast a horoscope for Sohpie Lancaster and Brian Deneke, but for know this chart will focus on George Floyd’s Death, its impact, and the Lafayette Square Protest earlier this week. Before I start this reading, just know I use the Whole Sign house system and not Placidus. Lastly, Floyd was a person and astrology can’t explain away everything, so I’m going to treat him with the dignity he deserves.

Whenever one sees horrific violence and mass uproars in astrology, Mars and Pluto are the prominent players in the horoscope. This isn’t surprising because Pluto is a higher octave of Mars (like Neptune is to Venus, and Uranus to Saturn) and they’re dignified in Aries and Scorpio. Mars is Ares, it is raw masculinity, sexuality, conquest, war, anger, passion. Pluto, aka Hades, Greek God of the Dead, is all that Mars is with one difference. Pluto bides its time waiting for the opportune moment unlike Mars that is impatient and impulsive. In these charts we expect Gemini to be one the dominant signs because it’s Gemini season, Sagittarius because that’s Floyd’s death ascendant (rising sign), and Scorpio because that the protest’s ascendant. However, I did not expect Hades Moon[*1] to be so important here. More on that later.

Gemini Sun (7/Descendant) squared Pisces Mars (4/IC)

Sun is the ego, who we are as an individual. Mars is our drive, its our fighting words. Harsh aspects like oppositions and squares are blessings in disguises because if one can work through the initial turbulence, this person is unstoppable. How this power is often abused. Floyd begs Chauvin for mercy but his words (Gemini/third house) are going unheard. Witnesses are telling Chauvin to stop but they’re ignored and Chauvin’s fellow coworkers are silent.

For now, I’ll give the other cops the benefit of the doubt. Bystanders tend to fall under three camps: one, the bystanders that side with the aggressor, two, the bystanders that sympathize with the victim but are too frightened to confront the bully. Three, perhaps the most insidious, the bystanders that are apathetic to both sides. No matter which camp they fall into they’re cowards and unfortunately the law doesn’t punish inaction.

Pisces is exalted in Venus (Aphrodite) and while it rather not be situated in Mars, Pisces realizes Mars (Ares) is the gender-flipped equivalent of Venus.  Pisces Mars is the seafarer, it is Captain Ishamal, Captain Nemo, the old man from The Old Man and the Sea. And Mars in conflict with the sun is causing a storm.  Instead of noble victory, Mars uses its strength to dominate. Look at the videos, Chauvin’s photo during the scene. His semi-slouched posture indicates nonchalance and with his hands stuffed in his pockets say that he has nothing to hide. How he eyes the spectators is that of confusing and superiority. They’re saying, “Yeah, I’m boring my knee into this innocent man. And? You guys can’t do anything.” He’s also forcing his will on Floyd. Aphrodite is definitely not happy being thrust into war.

Gemini Venus (7th House) squared Pisces Neptune (4th House)

I mentioned how the generational planets are the higher octaves of the primar planets. Venus is the Greek love Eros while Neptune is Agape, or universal love. Neptune is also illusion. American cops are often placed on pedestals and absolved of their actions, but Venus here is breaking the American people’s disillusions of that. Chauvin is abusing his authority murdering an innocent man in public, no one can ignore this power imbalance now.  The crowd that witnessed this atrocity, the millions more worldwide that saw this televised and online can’t erase this from their minds. We’re seeing that the Other (7th House) has no differences from us, that Floyd is not different from us. Pisces Neptune is communicating to us to show love and compassion to our fellow man. Later, in Washington DC Rahul Dubey offered his home to approximately 60 protesters overnight, so they’d remain safe from the police. When interviewed Dubey said what he did wasn’t a choice, it was the right thing to do.

Chauvin showed no kindness, and people are calling him out on this. None of the people in the crowd can do anything, all they can do is beg and shout from the sidelines to help Floyd. This didn’t help Floyd, and this is of little consolation because he died, but people cared enough to record the cops’ crime. They cared enough to demand the cops help Floyd. It feels inadequate at the time, it won’t resurrect him. At least he heard some kindness and concern in the voices of others.  

Cancer Moon (8th House) squared Taurus Uranus (6th House)

A Hades Moon is any moon connection to Pluto and/or the eighth house. Whenever the moon is connected to the generational planets – specifically Saturn and Pluto – there’s a war between feminine, nurturing energy and masculine, destroying energy. Saturn freezes emotions whether it’s trined or opposed the Moon. Pluto when aspected to the moon gives the moon psychic, explosive energy. Moon is dignified in Cancer which gives it added strength, however, it’s in the eighth house of death weakening it. “From tomb of the womb, to womb of the tomb.” (Hero of a Thousand Faces) Women give life and we live with the knowledge that life will be taken away. With Floyd’s last breaths he says that he “can’t breathe” and calls out “mama.” How many heartstrings were tugged at? How many mothers, girlfriends, daughters, embraced their children and significant others when they heard this?

Taurus is Eve from the Garden of Eden. Taurus craves stability and sensuality which is why it is fallen in Uranus. Uranus uproots Taurus’ stability to initiate change but note where Uranus; it’s in the house of work and health (6th house). Floyd’s life was taken by men who swore oaths to serve and protect. Chauvin’s coworkers should have done their duty (Virgo/6th house) and protected Floyd from one of their own. Instead they lazily stand aside and let a man die. They ignore his health when Floyd informed them earlier that he was claustrophobic.

Yet the civilians around them did their duty. They videotaped these cops so they’d be held accountable and couldn’t lie about their actions. Women and men called out to the cops demanding the Chauvin get off of Floyd and for the others to call an ambulance. Granted, Floyd still died. His daughters and wife weren’t there to hold his hand in his final moments. He was denied a good death, a death where he’s an old man surrounded by family who loves him. He’ll never see his daughters, graduate, marry, and bear children of their own. The only solace is that his memory has become immortal, no one will forget him now. I doubt he wanted to be a symbol in death, but now we can ensure that his death isn’t in vain. We can make sure we can bring change to the States. We can make sure that these cops are forced to take responsibility for their crimes. That’s our duty in remembrance to Floyd.

“One day we won't slay our brothers One day we won't hate each other One day we'll help one another But that day is not today”

-- ‘The Pallbearer Walks Alone’, The Dark Element

Lafayette Square Protests

For the most part the placements of the Lafayette Square Protests stay the same as Floyd’s death horoscope. The differences are:

Scorpio Ascendant, meaning Mars & Pluto rule the chart

Scorpio Moon (first house/ascendant)

Cancer Mercury (Eighth House)

Mercury trined Uranus

and Moon trined Saturn

Ultimately, the astrology placements I discussed earlier apply here. But for the protests I just want to focus on the 9th House and 10th House/Midheaven.

Cancer Ninth House & Leo Midheaven

Each country has its own natal chart, for the States, this nation was founded during Cancer season. Many people consider America to be their motherland (Cancer), even people who emigrate here. Personally, I think the States have 2 main lessons to learn: One not to be the savior and think itself the hero of other countries, and two, learn that how it’s governed affects the world (ninth house). In my opening paragraphs I mentioned that Sophie and Brian’s deaths impacted the world as does George’s. That’s exactly what happened. As a nation we have daily protests since Floyd’s death. We’re using emotionally charged language to to force Trump, our legislators, police officials for equal rights for black minorities. Saturn is in Aquarius – and we’re about to enter Pluto in Aquarius in the next few years – we’re finally heeding Saturn’s lesson. That everyone should be treated the same, that we must collaborate to enact change.

Whenever there are empty houses, that house is still important but the lessons and symbols that house represents aren’t important at the moment. Trump used his authority, military, police loyal to him to force them out of the square. Why? For a photo-op. Leo long to be center stage and calling attention to itself; the midheaven makes and ideal home for Leo. But this empty house shows Trump’s failure here. It shows no one will allow him to dominate them anymore. I’m not saying astrology can explain all of Trump’s behaviour, but his incessant need for admiration and attention backfired. Now, I never expected much from him, but if he had the ability to think through his actions and consider anothers’ perspective, I would have tolerated him. (The 2020 elections will not be kind to him.) More importantly Floyd’s death and the proceeding protests have effected the world. And if we as American citizens don’t change, the entire world will be affected. (Pluto and Uranus). The United  States are considered a superpower with Russia and China close behind as world powers. I’m not psychic nor have a crystal ball, but how this nation handles these conflicts will make or break 7 billion + people in this world. I didn’t intend for this astrology post to sound political. I just wanted to explain this through astrology.  

“There will come a day not so far away When the hunter becomes the prey (and you will pay).

Its a hellish inferno This is war eternal.”

-- ‘War Eternal‘, Arch Enemy

[thezodiaczone]

Leo Compatibility

LEO + ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) ♥♥♥♥ Aries and Leo are Fire signs who love drama, passion and extreme adventure. You're a flashy, outspoken duo that plays by your own bold agenda. Restless souls, you need lots of physical and intellectual stimulation—politics, inspiring conversations, startup businesses—you'll juggle them all, making it look so easy. Of course, your emotional meltdowns require a team of therapists and devoted friends to fix, and you should keep those folks on speed dial. Adrenaline is your favorite drug; no surprise Aries Jennifer Garner and Leo Ben Affleck fell in love while co-starring in the action flick Daredevil. Like this Hollywood pair, who refuses to walk the red carpet together on principle, you respect each other's autonomy. Fire signs are by nature independent. You both need to make your own mark on the world, and you don't like anyone stealing your shine. In fact, trouble starts when one of you eclipses the other's big moment or makes the other look foolish in public. Rule number one: don't compete. With your rash tempers, it won't end well. Instead, be each other's biggest fans and champions. As the relationship progresses, put more effort into dressing up, especially if you become parents. Because you're so comfortable together, you could end up bumming around in burp cloths and track suits, dulling the sexy edge that attracted you in the first place.

LEO + TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20) This dynamic coupling is as stable as a batch of homemade explosives. Yet, you can't resist mixing those chemicals just to see what happens. The sexual pyrotechnics alone are certainly tempting. You're both proud, fierce and egotistical—two incurable hotheads—and you're attracted to each other's showy flair. When it's good, it's damn good: you get all the affection, doting and hero-worship you crave. You love to glam up like rock star royalty and paint the town together, drawing attention wherever you go. In fact, your shared vanity may keep you together past the relationship's prime. Sex is animalistic and hands-on (keep ointment at the ready for bites and scratches), and best enjoyed in the monogrammed sheets of the finest hotels. With your combined charisma and willpower, you could overthrow a midsized government, or form your own totalitarian regime. Bad days are brutal, though. The Lion assumes he's in charge of everything, but nobody bosses the Bull around. You both dig in your heels and go for the kill. Drama, shouting, and ego showdowns are your favorite weapons of mass destruction, and woe betide the day you turn those on each other. You're both capable of enacting a scene that brings down the house. Security!

LEO + GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20) ♥♥♥♥ You make great friends, since you both love to gab about everything from the Times to the tabloids, Ferragamo to flea markets. Conversations are fever-pitched and fascinating; you're both well-versed culture hounds. Romantically, the temperature may be tepid, though. Leo is a Fire sign ruled by the blazing Sun—the regal Lion wants to be consumed by passion, heat, devotion, attention. Gemini is an Air sign driven by speedy, information-gathering Mercury. Listening to The Leo Monologues, which span from political diatribes to emotional melodramas, is sheer torture. When Gemini dares to interrupt the King or Queen, suggesting that s/he actually GET TO THE POINT, hell breaks loose. Leo must learn to take Gemini's tough love and unvarnished feedback in stride, not as an ego assault. Unconventional Gem should assent to traditional romantic gestures: red roses, the Tiffany bauble du jour. Learn to adapt. Gemini rules the hands, and will need to put them on affection-hungry Leo more often, since the Lion is greatly reassured by touch. And yes, as an Air sign, Gemini will need to blow a little smoke you-know-where; Leo can be a nightmare without regular doses of praise. Gush and flatter—it won't be the first insincere thing to pass through Gemini's lips. Leo should keep a battery of patient friends on speed dial. Gemini may have multiple personalities, but as a romantic partner, s/he can't be your de facto shrink, psychic hotline, career coach, parent and social director. Spread the demands around.

LEO + CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) Can you say drama? Between Cancer's moods and Leo's ego, you're a camera crew away from being a reality show—the kind that makes you want to change the channel, only you can't leave the crash scene. Harsh but true. Your signs are both needy and bossy, but in different ways. Cancer is insecure and possessive, and this sign's sensitive Water element can quench Fire-sign Leo's excitement. Leo rules the zodiac's fifth house of drama, and suffers from a terminal case of what relationship expert Alison Armstrong calls "center of the universe disease." Cancer is ruled by the fluctuating moon, Leo by the sun. You literally can be as different as night and day. However, your knee-jerk reactions and hair trigger tempers cause the same amount of destruction. So what works about this match? It's packed with passion and romance, something you both adore. Cancer and Leo are heart-driven signs, and emotional highs are your breath of life. For all the crashes, meltdowns and train wrecks this causes, you remain fiercely, enigmatically loyal. Self-awareness is crucial to this relationship's survival. You both need to take responsibility for the drama you're capable of stirring up. In the best cases, you'll meet after you've learned to temper your emotions, or even better, logged a few dedicated years of therapy.

LEO + LEO (JULY 23 - AUGUST 22) Welcome to the jungle. Two hungry Lions can consume each other with passion, or destroy each other with pride. The relationship begins as a gushing praisefest, and you quickly form a mutual admiration society. Sensing a kindred spirit, your receptors start whirring and purring. You'll spend hours in fiery dialogue about everything under the sun, pouring on the flattery. Lust spawns as the conversation reaches a fever pitch, and soon your hearts eclipse all common sense. Remember "Bennifer"—the Leo-Leo coupling of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck that spawned the celebrity name-combining trend? Or the Oval Office cigar-caper-that-wasn't-really-sex between Leos Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? 'Nuff said. Leos love to spoil and indulge your mate—but watch out, or you could create a monster. On the savannah, the lioness is the hunter; the male prowls the territory and sleeps up to 20 hours a day. Leo men can quickly become lazy and indulgent, while Leo women toil tirelessly on their omni-empires (think: Madonna, Martha Stewart). In rare cases, you can become a gruff, curmudgeonly couple—like two disenchanted cats who hiss and scratch, but stay together for nine lives anyway.

LEO + VIRGO (AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22) You're playing with fire here—literally. Passionate Leo is a Fire sign ruled by the Sun, and his solar power can light up a universe. Virgo is a practical, skeptical Earth sign who can throw dirt on Leo's flames before they have a chance to combust into a world-changing wildfire. It's a shame how quiet and subdued the awesome Lion becomes around Virgo. The problem? Leo is addicted to praise, and needs constant encouragement from his mate. Virgo is the zodiac's perfectionist; his critical nature can cause Leo to shrink-wrap himself into diminutive proportions. Think of Leos Madonna and Jennifer Lopez, and their marriages to Virgos Guy Ritchie and Marc Anthony. Yes, they had children with these men, which is important to the family-oriented Lion. However, both megastars toned down their flashy, go-getter images to play wifey. This dynamic must be avoided at all costs. Virgo's earthy nature should be no more than terra firma beneath the Lion's feet. In turn, Leo must shore up confidence, rather than take flaw-finding Virgo's feedback to heart. While Virgo is the helper sign, a codependent vibe can quickly form if he tries to manage Leo's demanding, dramatic life. Your signs are completely different; what's good for the goose is dead-wrong for the gander. Live and let live.

LEO + LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22) ♥♥♥♥ You're a pretty pair, attracted to the other's good looks and charm. The courtship phase has all your favorite trimmings: massive bouquets delivered to your office, iPod mixes of your favorite angsty love songs, sonnets inspired by your affection. Leo and Libra are two of the zodiac's most romantic signs, and you love everything to be pleasant and harmonious on the surface. The challenge comes when it's time to get real. Rather than show your unpleasant humanity, you coat issues in saccharine, avoiding touchy topics to keep the happy vibes flowing. However, the artificial sweetness soon leaves a bitter aftertaste, especially for Leo. The Lion is a Fire sign, with a much more passionate disposition than cooler Air-sign Libra. Leo is pushy, Libra procrastinates, and you can get caught in a dance of anger as a result. When truly upset, the Lion roars. Libra can bellow right back, but he's more likely to withhold attention, the thing that Leo most craves. Leo's demands for affection, praise and validation can drain Libra after a while. Dramatic highs and lows tip Libra's scales off balance, inciting a passive-aggressive backlash. It starts with locked doors and escalates into Internet porn or even affairs if Leo doesn't get the hint. You may be better off as friends if you can't get beyond this impasse.

LEO + SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21) This combustible combination drips with power plays, a white-hot dynamic you find infuriating and sexy in equal measure. In many ways, you're complete opposites. Secretive Scorpio is a private soul who rules the night. Leo is an exhibitionist ruled by the sun, and his piercing rays expose Scorpio's hidden shadows. Scorpio hates to feel this vulnerable—especially in public—yet, behind closed doors it can be thrilling. You're both passionate and imaginative in bed, with very little you won't try. As business partners and collaborators, you can make a dream team, too. You're both super intense, outdoing most people with your drive and focus. Leo plays the glamorous showstopper, and Scorpio acts as producer behind the scenes. (It worked for Leo Jennifer Lopez and Scorpio Diddy, who collaborated on her breakout album.) At least you don't compete for the spotlight, which can be a saving grace. But you'll struggle for the upper hand, since Scorpio likes to be in control and Leo is the bossy ruler of the jungle. Flirtatious, charismatic Leo can also spark Scorpio's jealous streak. Remember: darkness absorbs light. Leo must be careful not to get swept into Scorpio's powerful undertow and vengeful obsessions.

LEO + SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21) ♥♥♥♥ This is a lively match of two compatible Fire signs, filled with fun and adventure. As lifelong learners, you both juggle many projects and interests, often running on fumes. While neither of you is around to keep the home fires burning, conversation and creativity are far more important to you than starched linens and home-cooked meals. You'd rather enjoy takeout from your favorite ethnic restaurant when the fridge gets empty, or sleep under the stars when you run out of clean sheets. Living on the edge is fun, as long as you don't fall off the cliff, especially with finances. During stressful times, you can exhaust each other, as you both can be emotionally demanding and dramatic. Leo needs more personal attention and praise than Sagittarius, but the truthful Archer doesn't give false compliments. He should learn to sing Leo's praises, if only to prevent time-consuming emotional meltdowns. Consider the benefits: a little acknowledgment keeps Leo purring for days, and gives Sagittarius uninterrupted time to read, start businesses, edit his documentary film. When life gets routine, mix it up with a spur-of-the-moment road trip, a long hike or a night at a decadent boutique hotel.

LEO + CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19) You're insatiably attracted, but you often end up hurting each other through a series of misunderstandings and ego battles. Leo is ruled by the confident Sun, Capricorn by self-doubting Saturn. That's just the start of your differences. Leo is a starry-eyed Fire sign who believes that anything can be achieved by sheer willpower and the refusal to take "no" for an answer. Capricorn is a traditional Earth sign, equally ambitious, but rarely willing to color outside the lines. He approaches life like a steady Mountain Goat, taking tentative steps toward his ten-year goals. Your different pacing could drive you both mad. Although loyal Capricorn is usually the stalwart partner in relationships, Leo is far more devoted in this match. Lusty Capricorn is mostly interested in sex. While you'll have plenty of hot romps, Leo can mistake Capricorn's physical attraction for love. Oops! The Lion must perform due diligence, and assume nothing. Unlike Leo, Capricorn's love is hard-won, not something he hands out like candy to Trick-or-Treaters. Then, there's the cheerleading that grates on the Goat. Leo urges Cap to believe in himself, which the Goat laughs off as fluff ripped straight from a cheesy self-help tome. Yet, lo!—Leo follows Covey's seven steps and becomes a highly successful person. Instead of congratulating Leo, war is declared: Capricorn scoffs at Leo's dreams, and Leo sets out to prove Capricorn wrong ("I'll show you!"). Before long, you stay together just to spite each other. What's the point?

LEO + AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18) These opposite signs can be volatile match. Leo is the sign of the self, a born star and showstopper who commands attention wherever he goes. Aquarius rules the zodiac's eleventh house of groups and society—he's both the class president and its rabble-rousing radical. You're competitive spotlight-grabbers who can fight dirty, especially as you jostle to outdo each other. Case in point: Leo Whitney Houston and Aquarius Bobby Brown. Their destructive, drug-addled marriage brought Whitney's singing career to its knees. Yet, Leo is a hopeless romantic filled with haughty pride, standing loyally by a mate, fiddling while Rome burns. You both spark each other's jealousy, Leo by flirting with everyone in sight, Aquarius by treating his bazillion friends as though they're on equal par with Leo (they are). Leo is needy, demanding constant attention, but cool-headed Aquarius feels smothered by too much affection and togetherness. Aquarius will listen patiently to Leo's dramas, but only to a point. Leo must keep a stable of supportive friends on hand, and not turn the relationship into an exhausting soap opera script. Aquarius will need to show a little more emotion (besides anger) and tenderness, stepping aside to allow Leo's star to shine.

LEO + PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20) Your signs are very different, but you can eventually gel into a lasting relationship. Pisces is a flowy, sensitive Water sign who needs a decisive mate. Confident Leo, a Fire sign, is a natural leader, eager to rule the relationship. Because Pisces takes longer to articulate his needs, Leo could mistakenly assume he's got the upper hand, and that Pisces is content to follow. Not so fast. In your own ways, you both wear your hearts on your sleeve, but you need to tune into each other's sensitive spots. You're incredibly romantic, and the tender passion between you is great in the beginning. However, you may hit a dry spell when it's time to get truly intimate. Secretive Pisces feels so vulnerable when his soul is exposed, and may lash out at Leo in an unconscious reaction to the Lion's strength—for example, criticizing Leo's appearance, weight or intelligence. These cruel barbs are actually just a projection of Pisces' own self-doubt, but they plunge a thorn in the Lion's paw no less. Pisces must work through the tedious knots of his insecurities, which lay deep in his psyche. Leo is a powerhouse who can run the show with his eyes closed, but he'll do best to step aside and give the Fish his chance to shine. Shy Pisces is a true creative force, but his brilliant imagination and keen intuition can be eclipsed by showy Leo. Work through this. Luxury is a weakness for your signs, and you love to indulge. You may need to take courses on money management together, or team up to make a fortune so you never have to worry about it.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker

(Spoilers below for those who haven't seen it)

(ART DONE BY @knightsweeties​. COMMISSION HER. She does good work)

The premise is that Emperor Palpatine is alive and Kylo Ren finds him on the apparent Sith cult planet.

The old Sith is basically looks like an undead zombie barely alive by either the Dark side of the force, cloning, or what ever. I like to think Palpatine survived by Dark side force magic because its like the evil opposite of force ghosts, keeping his body which should be dead alive via force.

The first 20 minutes is a massive info dump where JJ Abrams does what he can to retcon The last Jedi and some of the force awakens. To be honest, the first 20 minutes are the worst parts of the movie, but it is still better then the entirety of The Last Jedi.

I like that they explain that Leia trained to be a Jedi. Makes that scene in The last Jedi make a bunch more sense. Her reasoning for not pursuing it further was because she had a vision that her lightsaber would be used in the death of her son, so yea. Makes sense.

Speaking of Leia, Her actress, Carrie Fisher, is gone. So they had to sort of splice old sound clips to bring her into the film and those scenes she is in and has lines... yea its creepy and weird. I get they had to work with what they had, so I won't harp on this too long.

Rey gets some shine in this movie. I think her character was phenomenal and I liked the fact that she was Palpatine’s granddaughter, a nice way to retcon that s*** in the last movie and EXPLAINS WHY SHE IS SO F***ING STRONG! Luke was also just as strong, but his dad was DARTH VADER! Like it never made much sense that she didn't have anyone relevant to the force.

Kylo Ren and Rey’s psychic Light saber force battles are awesome and I love how their force bond was so strong it literally affected the world around them.

I also really like Rey utilizing Force healing powers and ANIMAL FRIENDSHIP! The originally most useless Jedi power actually used amazing.

I am not gonna beat around the bush, Finn did almost nothing in this movie. All he did was say people’s names. He did have one scene with that other ex-storm trooper, but honestly he really didn't do much. He did help out in the final battle with the star destroyers, but aside from that... meh

Poe, He did a bit more, but he was also kind of useless until the near end. At least he flew the ship. Also he and Finn are co-generals. They also tried to give Poe a love interest, but it felt a bit forced in.

Landò Calrizian makes a great cameo.

C3PO had hilarious scenes and I love it. 

The film did have a good amount of Comedy.

The action scenes aside from the few lightsaber fights Rey and Kylo had, and the force clash between Palpatine and Rey were a tiny bit lacking. 

Kylo ren going back to being Ben Solo and going to help Rey was a great thing for character development. 

A LOT of people were angry about the kiss,

AND EVEN MORE about Ben solo dying.

I am honestly meh on the whole thing. I wasn't surprised they kissed and I wasn't surprised he died.

It does kind of suck he died, but parallels to Vader turning good.

I liked that Rey now is a Skywalker, more by bond then by blood and that is a cool take away.

Okay, and the part at the end that caused some backlash with the two lesbians kissing that happens for a split second at the end. It felt shoehorned in, like Disney was trying to get the LGBT points on that. It doesn't add or remove from the movie and I think people are annoyed that this scene is just a clear grab at brownie points then something that could have establish more. I am meh on it, but I was also Meh on the Reylo kiss, so there is that. 

_________________________________--

Overall, I would say it has flaws but it isn't Awful. It is the text book definition of making the best of the bad situation.

It is also the movie that felt the most like the original trilogy. It seemed to be trying to fix what it broke.

Does it save the the sequels? Not really but it almost succeeded.

Was it the best out of the three movies? Yea.

It is like JJ showed us a taste of what the series could of been if The Last Jedi’s director didn't F*** up everything he had been setting up.

It really could have been better, and I am sad because the movie shows it could have done SO MUCH MORE.

I would give it a 6 out of 10.

[sammysdewysensitiveeyes]

@thecorteztwins Based on our conversation about Fabian actually helping, then demanding credit.  Taking place in your alt-Marauders.  Feel free to ignore this completely if it contradicts something you were planning to write.

“I’m saying, it’s an outrage!” Fabian Cortez paced back and forth along the beach, hands waving in air dramatically.  Both the track dug deep into the sand, and the expressions on the faces of his unlucky audience indicated he’d been ranting in this fashion for some time.

“Yes, yes, you’ve been very clear about that,” said Sebastian Shaw dryly.  “Why don’t you go make yourself a fancy medal if it’s so important to you?  Or buy one in some curio shop?”  The slowly-healing burns on the Black King’s face and bandages around his chest and shoulder indicated that his weariness was not entirely caused by Fabian’s performance – but Fabian was contributing quite a bit.

“It’s not about me!” Fabian exclaimed, in what was quite possibly the most blatant and obvious lie in all of recorded history.  “It’s about respect!  I – mean, we taxed our powers to the limits, pushing ourselves to the very brink of death!  It’s a miracle that we all survived – and the Council cannot even afford me – I mean, us the slightest hint of recognition for our service?”

“I got recognition!” Shinobi beamed. “Jumbo Carnation designed this just for me.”  He twirled around, showing off the black fabric.  It could, with some imagination, be called a suit, in the same way that artfully arranged dental floss might possibly be called a string bikini.  The huge gaps in what was basically loosely connected strips of cloth showed off a whole landscape of skin.  Shinobi may as well have been wearing a net.

“I didn’t realize Jumbo Carnation held such hostility towards you, son.  I expect your revenge will be, if not subtle, at least swift and cruel.” Sebastian was praying that certain strips would not shift too far to the right or left.  

“Maddie thinks I look amazing,” Shinobi folded his arms in a ridiculously attractive pout.

“Yes, he does,” Maddie chimed in, staring Sebastian down, hands on her hips.  “I think he should wear it all the time.”

“Do you really want to do this, Madelyne?”

“You’re all missing the point!” Fabian broke in.  The group’s attention had wavered from him for almost a minute, and that was unacceptable.  “I’m not talking about gifts and praise from our fellow mutants, which we of course deserve. I’m talking about official recognition from the Council that supposedly runs this island! Some acknowledgement of our incredible courage and accomplishment!  A medal is the very least they could do!”

“Crikey, will someone please shut him up?  That voice is like hammers on my skull,” Pyro groaned, propped up on a beach chair with one hand holding a wet cloth over his eyes.  Between focusing his flame into a blue-white stream to melt through the creature’s outer carapace, and then extinguishing the massive fires raging across Krakoa in the battles wake, he was nursing an intense migraine.  

“Perhaps you should go lay down in a dark room if you feel so poorly, Mr. Allerdyce,” said Sebastian, with absolutely no compassion or concern.

“Fuck off, Shaw.  I ain’t missin’ the celebration for anything.  Mind yer business.”  Fumbling blind, Pyro picked up the beer nestled in the sand next to him, and took a long pull.  

“You really should rest, though,” Haven put in, her tone the exact opposite of Sebastian’s.  “You did amazing things today.  I know it took a lot out of you.”

“Awww, thanks luv.  Couldna done it without your help.”  Her gentle hands on his shoulders, her cool voice in his ear – it had created a pocket of calm in his chest that spread out to shrink the wildfires down to nothing.

“No, I didn’t really do anything at all,” Haven demurred.

“Yes, exactly!” Fabian chimed in. “She didn’t do anything!  None of them did.  That’s what I’ve been saying!  I’m the one who charged all of your powers beyond your natural limits!”

“Thank you, Fabian,” said Haven, and only an experienced ear would hear the exasperation hiding under her usual gentleness.  “You were extremely…” she paused for a moment, then decided the next word would not technically be a lie.  “…brave. I know you were instrumental in our victory.”  Cortez had, after all, dashed into the fray to charge up the mutants in direct conflict with the creature.  And then just as quickly dashed back out again.

“Yeah, he did a great job not fighting at all,” Pyro grumbled.  Haven laid a hand on his arm.  There was no implied order or chastisement, but Pyro sighed deeply all the same.  

“Thank you for your help, Fabian,” he forced out through gritted teeth.  

“Thank you, my dear lady,” Fabian beamed, completely ignoring Pyro.  He took and kissed Haven’s hand, suddenly a model of charm and chivalry.  “Risking my life, fighting to my last breath, it’s all worth it for the appreciation of someone as beautiful and wise as yourself. If only you were not, sadly, a human, you would be an ideal candidate for the harem that the Council will no doubt assign me to further the mutant race.  Once they come to their senses and realize the true significance of my accomplishments today.”

“Our accomplishments,” Madelyne corrected, rubbing her temples.  After protecting the entire island from the telepathic backlash of the creature’s death throes (which would have killed most people in range and left the survivors irreparably insane), she was dealing with quite the headache herself.  She remembered how Haven had held her hand in the moment, providing an anchor against the tidal wave of psychic energy that had threatened to sweep Madelyne away.

“And enough of this nonsense about a harem,” Sebastian scoffed.  “The Council has not resorted to assigning partners and forced unions.  And even if they did, you would be the last one chosen to pass on your genes.  Some of us have real power.  Some of us have already proven our ability to create powerful offspring, even if their character leaves much to be desired.”

“So you acknowledge that I’m powerful, Father?”  Shinobi asked, more sharp than hopeful.  “I did strike the killing blow.  I believe you were unconscious at the beach at that time.”

“I acknowledge your basic competence,” Sebastian conceded reluctantly.  “You did what the situation required.”  

“By which you mean phasing an entire ocean liner through the monster’s body,” Shinobi pressed.  “I doubt Pryde could have pulled that off.”  Kitty Pryde had, of course, once phased a massive bullet through the entire Earth, but Shinobi considered that irrelevant to the conversation at hand.

“It was very impressive!”  Haven assured him.  “I only wish we could have communicated with the creature and found a peaceful resolution….but you did what needed to be done.”  It had taken the combined efforts of Storm, Iceman, Meggan and every other mutant with weather or water-control abilities, plus telekinetics putting up a force shield to keep the island from being swamped by tsunami as the creature thrashed and died.  Even Aqueduct, a human visiting his former team-mate Sunstreak on Krakoa, had stepped up to help, despite his past as a terrorist and criminal.  The one silver lining of the day’s horrors had been how so many people had come together, selflessly working to protect the island. Even Fabian Cortez.

“And of course, that impressive feat would have been impossible without me, charging you up, pouring my own life energy into you.  I could have died.”

“If only,” Maddie muttered.

“I believe I’ve already thanked you for your contribution,” Shinobi drawled.  (He had not).  “But I’ll send you a card if it’s so important.”

“I think that would be the very least you could,” Fabian sniffed.  “Although I’d expect better from someone with such wealth and connections.”  

“You know, I think Cortez has a point,” Pyro began.  “There is someone that we need to thank for helping us today.  Someone who’s been overlooked – “

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” Fabian interrupted, nodding sagely.  

“Not you, ya plonk.  Haven.”  Pyro pointed in completely the wrong direction.

“I’m over here, St. John,” said Haven softly.  “And there’s no need for-“  Whatever she said next was drowned out by Fabian’s strangled cry of outrage.

“I couldn’t have put out those fires without your support.  I wasn’t in the right frame of mind, but you helped me get there,” Pyro said.

“And you kept me grounded while I was dealing with the psychic wave.  Thank you for that,” Madelyne added.

“You’re the one who organized the evacuation of that ocean liner,” Shinobi offered.  “I mean, I would have still used it, but it might have broken that pesky little ‘kill no man,’ law.  Thanks for the support, Haven.”  He raised his glass in her direction.

“Normally, I would not indulge in this kind of sentimental nonsense,” Sebastian said.  “But you did pull me and Miss Renko from the water after the creature knocked us out.  Drowning would have been rather inconvenient.  I’m a man who acknowledges my debts, and I thank you.”  Claudine had gotten the worst of it, and was still unconscious in the infirmary, but Elixir assured them that she would make a full recovery.

“My goodness.  You’re all so kind, there’s really no need for this,” Haven exclaimed, her hands on her cheeks as a dark blush spread over them.

“Yes, there is.  You spent the entire battle in the line of fire, helping wherever you could.  Even with no powers, you were there by our sides.  That deserves acknowledgement,” Madelyne insisted.  She could understand the feeling.  Standing powerless beside comrades (and against enemies) that could knock down buildings, feeling like a useless fool, but charging in all the same. Doing whatever you could, because that was everyone’s duty, wasn’t it?  To do what you can.  She’d been so innocent back then, and the memory tugged at her with a sweet sadness.

“Thank you,” Haven whispered, as the group all raised glasses (or bottles) to toast her.  “You’re the ones who saved the day, I just….helped where I could.  I was proud to support you, and I’m sure Mr. Cortez feels the same way…”  She stretched out her hand, ready to share the moment with him.

But Fabian had already stalked off angrily down the beach.      

Notes: Sorry for leaving Claudine out, I’m unsure of how to write her and couldn’t fit her into the scene.  I don’t know if Sunstreak is actually a mutant, but I wanted an excuse for an Aqueduct cameo.  I have no idea what they were fighting – some kind of Lovecraftian cosmic horror, minus the racism.  Maybe it was just a giant fire-breathing crab.  

[thegildedraven]

to new witchlings: do you know what you’re getting into?

sure, I know the increased accessibility of resources and spells and online advice has made it easier for anyone to take up witchcraft. but do you really know what you’re getting into? there is honestly so much to consider before you actually let witchcraft into your lives and consider yourself a practising witch.

Disclaimer: This is not to discourage or invalidate anyone who wants to get into witchcraft or call themselves a witch. I’m just here to provide some insight into what being a witch could entail, and this might not apply to everyone because everyone’s path is different after all. Contains some degree of UPG. There is no one way to practise the craft, and bear in mind that not all information you can find is universally accurate, including this one.

1. There are very real consequences.

Witchcraft is not a game or a trend that you can just pick up and throw away. There are some very tangible and real life consequences to performing spells and magic. A spell could go wrong and backfire, or the spell will work but you end up losing something else as a result.

Let’s say you’re performing a curse on someone. If the curse succeeds, the person could get into some serious troubling times or be plunged into critical life conditions because of your curse. You will be responsible for their downfall, and I know everyone has different morals so a curse may not carry the same moral weight for everyone, but you still have to accept that fact.

There will be consequences to your actions. Whether or not they’re positive, negative, or just neutral, you have to be prepared to deal with them.

2. You may see things you may not understand.

Witches and spirit workers and people with other extrasensory abilities do not necessarily have to overlap, but oftentimes they do. Along your witchcraft journey, you may sense things that can be new, perplexing, bizarre, unusual, or even frightening.

As a spirit worker, sometimes I hear loud and jarring crashes around the house that are not physically possible. Sometimes I hear voices and footsteps and see shadows and figures walking around when i’m home alone. Sometimes I get chills so intense that I feel an impending sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. I don’t always find out who or what is causing all these, and sometimes I just have to deal with not knowing.

My point is, be prepared to encounter events or occurrences that you may not have expected to see. That’s also one exciting thing about witchcraft, you get to experience new things every single day, and you have to be ready for that.

3. You will encounter witches who have different beliefs from you.

Firstly, every witch has their own set of beliefs and moral code. There are some witches who don’t believe in spirits, but believe in the healing powers of crystals, and there are some witches who believe in astrology, but don’t believe in spirits.

Other witches don’t have to understand or participate in what you do in your witchcraft. Same goes for you, you don’t have to understand or participate in what other witches do in their witchcraft. HOWEVER, this does not give anyone the right to invalidate someone else’s practice, unless they’re imposing or harming someone else’s. It’s perfectly valid to not have to share the same belief as another witch, but you should always treat someone else’s practice with respect. Don’t attack someone else for not following the same set of morals and beliefs and deities and spellwork that you follow.

4. You will encounter disbelief and doubt from people around you.

Not just in the witchy community and witchblr or any other witchcraft-centric group of people, you’ll run into people who don’t necessarily share the same beliefs as you in your daily life. Your own friends, family, even people whom you meet out on the streets, may have a sort of stigma or a disbelieving attitude towards what you do.

Sometimes that can really make you question things. You may be doubtful about yourself and what you do, and it may create a tension between you and your witchcraft. Some days, your self-esteem might take a blow, or you may feel isolated from everyone else. You may lose some friends, you may strengthen some connections, you may find new friends.You may have to hide your craft and be unable to practise out in the open. 

You have to be prepared to feel down on some days, and to shoulder what people in your personal life think about what you do. 

5. You may endanger yourself.

I just want to say that a lot of negative stigma and preconceived notions on witchcraft and rituals and spirit work and ouija boards and mediums and so on are purported by the media, and could scare away a lot of people from the actual truth of what these entail. However, this does not mean that there aren’t still dangers and things to beware of when you’re getting into witchcraft. 

Witchcraft can be draining on certain days. Sometimes, casting a large spell take a whole chunk out of you and you may feel like shit. Spells can fail sometimes and cause backlash, and you will be the one taking the damage. I personally believe that magic has a price, be it an emotional toll, or tangible consequences, or energetical resources, so one would have to be prepared for that. You may also be the receiver of curses or negative energy or psychic attacks from someone else. To open yourself to witchcraft also means you’re opening yourself to receiving witchcraft.

Spirit work can be dangerous. Even with all your warding and shielding and protections, malicious spirits could slip through sometimes and come to fuck your shit up. Sometimes you may not be able to banish them. You may be plagued by a nasty spirit who intends to harm you, people around you may be harmed too. You may be attacked or your things may go missing or be broken.

With all that being said, witchcraft can be full of incredibly enriching and interesting experience. If you have made it to the end of this post, hopefully you leave with a little bit more insight into what being a witch could mean. Who am I to tell you how to do your witchcraft? If you’re prepared to face all the possible consequences and effects, then who am I to stop you from enriching your life, or finding a purpose, or simply calling yourself a witch. Stay safe, keep an open mind, and be respectful.

- Raven

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[authenticaussie]

1 (sabo murders parents) & 7 (space cowboy prince)?

1. title??? fuck it: that one where sabo murders his parents

this one is honestly one of my favourite aus…I say that abt a lot of aus tho so like. bucket of salt tbh it’s slow and sad and it’s a lot of balancing trust and lying and accidental truth-obstruction and. Woof. Hurts real good. Sabo murdering his parents is actually the catalyst for the whole plot and happens in like, the very first paragraph aha. It’s a….small country town AU sorta thing, where Ace is a deputy and Sabo is the son of the resident crime lords who are trying to Fuck Everything Up, and Marco technically becomes his accomplice as Sabo sets about taking over his parents’ criminal empire? 

Oh and also Sabo needs an alibi for the murder of his parents so Marco claims that they were hanging out together on a date. So there is like…SO MUCH SAD SHIT?? And then also the BACKGROUND PLOT OF “SABO NOW HAS A FAKE BOYFRIEND”.

Here’s part of the plan for my favourite scene:

[readmore]

Sabo and Ace have a piano…’cause like, Sabo’s parents bought him the place?? And stocked it with all of their shit so they could use his place as an alternate party-hosting sorta thing, when they wanted a more “intimate” feel and all that. Ace moved in to help pay rent after Sabo’s parents get Shittier, and there’s not arguments about the piano, persay, but Ace doesn’t like it because it makes Sabo sad, but Sabo won’t get rid of it because “well I put all that practice into the skill, what if we ever want to host a party with live music?”

And one time waaaaay after Mar/Sab start kinda accidentally implying they run a criminal empire/are taking over for Sabo’s parents, Sabo comes home and flops onto the couch and Marco looks around in restless desire for distraction and asks, “Do you play?”

Sabo laughs, short and bitter, and says, “You could say that.” 

“Play something for me?”

(and Sabo….hasn’t even played for Ace, not really, not unless you count the times Ace has walked in on Sabo sitting at the piano, his hands on the keys but no melody playing)

He pulls himself from the couch and walks over and looks at Marco for a minute, then to the piano, and…(it’s the first time Marco has seen his hands shake)

Gently presses a key, ringing and high, and then another,a single diddy, and looks at Marco as if to say is that enough? (and maybe alsowhat do you want from me, only that’snever really been something he can ask people because usually they just take)

Before Marco has an answer sabo shifts to sit down andputs his hands on the keys (and takes a deep breath that makes him sit uppretty and perfect the way he’s been trained, the expression on his face blankand bored, but then-)

(Marco sits next to him on the bench, and it’s short, sothey’re pressed together, side to side, and Sabo faces the piano and Marcofaces out but there’s a whole line where their bodies meet)

Sabo jolts and hits some keys by accident,discordant and startled, and Marco grins and Sabo glares and then playssomething properly

Simple at first, then harder, because he knows how(because he wants to impress)

And then he chances a look over and Marco’s watching him,some indescribable feeling on his face, like he’s breathless, like he’sthinking, and then he seems to come to some decision

They’re already close so it’s easy to…lean in, his lipsclose to the curve of Sabo’s mouth and his fingers falter, a dropped chord heldlong by the pedal as he ducks his head, unwilling to kiss Marco (And Ace, Ace, whatabout Ace? he thinks, guilt welling up like a flood, but Marco’s lips aregrazing his cheeks, like a question, like please, and…like longing and desireand Sabo has never felt wanted. Not like this.)

Marco kisses his cheek, the corner of his lip, and thenSabo tilts his head and kisses him back properly, kisses him breathless, kisseshim and feels like his heart is crawling out his throat, is escaping on everybreath and stealing into Marco’s lungs because his chest feels hollow and ithurts so bad, to kiss him)

The last chord fades away but neither of them notice,Sabo’s hands come off the keys to grip at Marco’s biceps, and he shifts, movesso he can press in closer, so they can lean together, and Marco’s fingertipscreep under his shirt and

(Neither of them notice Ace standing in the loungedoorway, his keys in his limp hand and papers slipping from his grasp)

7. space cowboy prince au

this one is WAY FUNNIER so like PREPARE FOR TONAL WHIPLASH. Lucky and I were talking about the aus I had and I was like “at one point part of what I did to make aus was think of AUs I liked and just smush them together” and she was like “what” and I was like “yeah that’s why I have one au that’s like, space cowboy princes” and she just went “tell me that right now”

a lot of the uhh…world building?? is a combination of doctor who-ish themes and firefly and also I was watching the Disney Pocahontas and thinking about colonisation so the plot gets wild but the basis is Ace is a cowboy (eyy) on a farming/waystop planet, and his dad being Roger is common knowledge but most people are…okay about it, or don’t recognise him. And the people that do are dicks, but also…no-one…cares, I suppose? Or, they care, but at the point of the story he’s twenty and buff and the planet’s sheriff (inherited from his mom) so nobody wants to mess with him. (Also I just realised both of these aus have Ace as a sheriff tho so that’s interesting, but anyway) the interplanetary alliance ((marines)) come by with some trumped up charges and arrest him and his mom kicks a stink and so do his friends but then threatening to blow up the planet and Ace is like woAH no way and agrees to go with them to the Core, but tHEN! on the way to the core, he meets Marco, who is an alien that lives on a planet where they have the draft, basically. And Marco was 1000% planning to defect but then heard the bullshit with Ace and was like WELP I can wait for a little. He steals Ace’s files and deletes the spare copies, and then he and Ace make off in a shuttle for the Whitebeard pirates, who’ve been in contact with Marco for a while and who have arranged a meet up.

But! Before they arrive, the revolutionaries show up to Fuck Shit Up (Rouge called in a Favour) and Marco/Ace get caught in the backlash and shuffled onto the Revolutionary ship as prisoners/ship wreck survivors. TBH they’re not reeeeally prisoners - or, at least, Ace isn’t - but Marco’s still wearing his uniform and (dun dun) the Revolutionary army know that he’s Prince on his planet so they don’t believe he’d run away to join pirates.

Anyway then we meet Sabo, who can hmm…he’s…an empath??? technically?? through touch he can do Psychic Bullshit (as the plot demands snickers) but 95% of the time it’s to figure out People. It’s why he wears gloves and long sleeves though - using his powers to much gives him really awful headaches. 

So anyway there’s a whole plot of him having amnesia and Ace not recognising him and Sabo getting his hands on the file that Marco stole and accidentally picking up a strange amusement from the person who wrote it? And he figures out they weren’t being sincere when they wrote all the shit about ace, and that they wanted him for something else, and then he reads the last bit/gets a last flash of knowledge, and shock hits him like a baseball bat. ‘Cause the file has a mind-blowing piece of knowledge about Ace’s….hm, role on his home planet, and the real reason that the marines wanted him. 

Oh yeah and it ends with Marco having to get married for the Good of His People and Ace is surprisingly the one who gets what tf is going on with the Feelings Mess between the three of them, lol. (Hysterical considering Sabo is literally an empath.)

Ta-da!

[norcumii]

Yet more meta from the prior tumblr, originally posted on 12/11/2017.

Mmkay. There’s this post floating around about Obi-Wan’s characterization (link coming up in a minute). I want it on the record that I am all for people characterizing fictional characters however they want, on whatever criteria they have including “because I was in the mood for it,” ‘cause going ‘there’s only one true interpretation’ is totally a dick move.

Nonetheless this post has been slowly driving me bonkers so I’m trying to do the polite thing and make my own post deconstructing it rather than adding to theirs.

Hell, it starts off with “Please can someone explain to me why there’s this fandom thing where Obi Wan is nothing but angst and sads for 20 straight years on Tatooine?”

You betcha.

First off, OP is basing character assessment on the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator. Look. I enjoy personality tests as much as the next person, but that thing is just as useful to behavior prediction as a Facebook quiz about which Disney Princess you are. Here’s a nice convenient article about why which a minimum of digging on Google netted me. MBTI presents archtypes that are sometimes useful for casual commentary, but that is not a diagnostic tool.

So let’s take a look at Obi-Wan, as we see in the movies (and Clone Wars), just after Revenge of the Sith. We have a man who is anywhere from 33 to 38 years old (depending on your version of canon), who has spent the last three years overworking himself at the heart of a hideous civil war that he was essentially drafted for, and oh yes, his side lost. Not only did his side lose, but it got massacred. Yoda was able to feel the death of the Jedi Order as it was happening, do not tell me that Obi-Wan had no idea what was going on too. Meanwhile, Obi-Wan was also dealing with the betrayal of his closest friend (his brother), who tries to kill him. Meanwhile, said brother does kill his wife (pregnant wife) who is a close friend of Obi-Wan’s, right there in front of him. All this leads to Obi-Wan doing the unthinkable: mutilating and then killing his brother – or worse, not being able to kill Anakin, leaving him in torment for another two decades.

There is so much PTSD fodder here, and that doesn’t even touch the betrayals from the clones, nor the question of ‘did he feel the psychic backlash from the chips kicking in and twisting the clones’ minds?’, nor the mental trauma from The Phantom Menace wherein he was replaced, failed his teacher who died in his arms but only after saying ‘that kid what replaced you, you need to train him now,’ and then 10 years of raising a kid when he was literally just sorta-kinda-not-exactly declared an adult himself. He was not prepared for that.

So once Obi-Wan’s handed over Luke (the last remaining link to his brother, who he is now not allowed any contact with since Luke expresses he’s never really met Old Ben) – that’s the first time he’s had to really stop and breathe in over 13 years. Ten years to raise a responsibility he never asked for, was not prepared to handle, and was a reminder of his greatest failure. Three years of running at least a literal third of a galactic war that was stacked against him (did he realize that by the end? That they were being played, and could never have won?).

Yeah, he’s got 20 years to work at recovering from that, but without a skilled therapist that I don’t think you’re going to find on Tatooine, you’re going to be lucky to be functional. I know that Star Wars as a whole doesn’t concern itself with mental health (seriously, mind healers are becoming one of my most cherished additions that Re-Entry brings to the table). That doesn’t mean ignoring it will get you a good character assessment.

Depression and PTSD isn’t going to make someone “a sad, bitter, lonely man” nor does it mean that one will metaphorically “be playing All By Myself on repeat for 20 straight years while sobbing into a cup of Bantha milk.” Depression expresses itself in any number of ways. It can mute things, so that while you laugh and even enjoy life, that joy doesn’t linger, or pales quickly. It can add a haze to everything, so you feel numb and distant. It can make someone who once expressed themselves exuberantly seem calm instead of manic. It doesn’t have to affect one’s wit, or habits of cracking jokes even if those jokes might feel flat and hollow to the speaker.

Sometimes it just leads to going through the motions of living, how one would have approached things Before – but it’s just empty motions.

PTSD can express itself as flashbacks. It can look like nothing until it is reactions to a different time and trauma instead of what is now and present. It can be a person haunted by their past, it can be explosive, it can be quiet and turned inwards. There are days when it doesn’t hit you, there are days when it’s so heavy on your shoulders that it feels like all you can do is sit, stare at a wall, and hope your brain shuts off. Then there are the days when despite that weight, you still need to go get groceries, or make dinner, or fix a vaportator, or fight off wayward Tuskens or something.

Nothing says that depressed and traumatized Obi-Wan wouldn’t sometimes take delight in lightsaber play, or practical jokes. I just don’t think that it would overtake the depression and PTSD.

On top of all of that is what you get when you take a look at the EU. Obi-Wan’s been traumatized since he was a kid. He was bullied through his tweens. He was rejected by the ONLY teacher he could hope to have until the Order booted him to the AgroCorps, at least a week before the official deadline. Then that shuttle crashed, and he saw his first major battle which led to approximately FOUR HUNDRED dead.

At not quite 13. Over the next year (probably less, but let’s be generous), he had to deal with: kidnapping, enslavement and hard labor, an attempted mind wipe, an actual war accompanied by abandonment by his teacher, and his teacher’s prior student trying to blow up his home. By the time Phantom Menace rolls around, we can include: several more wars, 6 months to a year on the run across war-torn Mandalore trying to keep a teenage Satine alive, taking responsibility for the death of Qui-Gon’s Love Interest – and that’s just what’s off the top of my head.

Y’know what’s interesting? During Attack of the Clones, what I see is a man just barely holding his shit together. That scene in Dex’s Diner breaks me, because all I can think of is my time doing food service while going through my own PTSD and depression – and I recognize that empty smile he has for Dex. I know it’s all interpretation, but I can’t help but think he’s faking that smile. That sure, he means it: he’s happy to see a friend, he wants to reassure him, but that doesn’t change the hollow inside that he knows if he lets go and falls into it, he will never climb out.

The war provided an alternative focus. It gave him clear, concrete goals: beat back enemies here and here, keep as many of these people alive as possible, here are resources and here are the end goals. He could legitimately bond with brothers in arms who could grok black humor, who wouldn’t look askance at someone covering long-standing grief and discomfort with banter and flirting, “who winked and witticized his way out of death and imprisonment a million times, who always found something to laugh about or make fun of even in the most difficult situations” – regardless of how inappropriate or relevant that might be to the circumstances.

Sometimes, that laughter is all that keeps you from breaking from all the pain.

Yes, people heal. Yes, he had 20 years to work through that trauma and injury. He’d also be doing it alone, with a legacy of stoicism and philosophies about releasing his emotions into the Force. The last major friendships he had ended in betrayal or in death, and people he depended on tended to either die or betray him.

That’s not something you blithely overcome to play pranks on the locals while watching over the kid of your best friend what you almost killed as he was trying to kill you, like he killed most everyone else you knew and loved. There is so much trauma and pain he’s had to see over the last 20 plus years, and Tatooine is the first time he ever gets to breathe and react.

If you want to write trickster archtype Obi-Wan, I applaud you. Without any sarcasm or mockery: you do you.

Meanwhile, I’ll be writing traumatized Old Ben.

(Many thanks to @morgynleri​ and @elegantmess-southernbelle​ who provided brilliant points and conversation, though I suspect I phrased it with much less grace and coherency than they did)

[thedcdunce]

Doctor Psycho

“Ladies, gentlemen, others, creatures of indeterminate inner demons and fixations. My name is Dr. Psycho. And you're going to help me with a little experiment. All I ask? That you keep an open mind.” - Doctor Psycho

Real Name: Edgar Cizko

Aliases:

Batman

Johnny Valli

Gender: Male

Height: 3′ 9″

Weight: 85 lbs (39 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Powers:

Telepathy

Ectokinesis

Abilities:

Psychiatry

Hypnosis

Universe: New Earth

Citizenship: American

Marital Status: Single

Occupation:

Psychologist

Psychiatrist

Education: College Graduate

First Appearance: Wonder Woman Vol 2 #54 (May, 1991)

Last Appearance: Wonder Woman #611 (July, 2011)

Powers

Telepathy: Dr. Psycho is a potent telepath which grants him ability to warp the perceived realities of those around him, mentally dominate others to suit his whims, and can create vivid hallucinations. His mind is powerful enough to overcome psychic inhibitors with enough effort.

Mind Control

Illusion Casting: Dr. Psycho can create powerful illusions that are influential enough to damage or kill others.

Ectokinesis: Dr. Psycho can draw ectoplasm into the physical world, which he he can shape into various beings and disguises.

Abilities

Psychiatry: Edgar Cizko is trained in psychiatry and psychotherapy. He has a particular talent for taking an opponent's fears and inhibitions and turning them against them.

Hypnosis: Edgar Cizko is a masterful hypnotist and can use this gift on a nearly superhuman level.

History

Dr. Edgar Cizko, Dr. Psycho is a telepathic criminal and sworn enemy of Wonder Woman. He was once a psychologist who was often mocked and ridiculed by his peers for his studies in psionics and the power of the mind, even giving him the moniker "Dr. Psycho", causing him to swear vengeance on all who mocked him. He later developed vast psychic powers that allowed him to enter and sometimes shape people's dreams, control minds, and project illusions.

Wonder Woman

Dr. Psycho was first seen impersonating a child psychologist named Dr. Charles Stanton at the Adams Junior High School in Boston, Massachusetts by mentally forcing students to improve their grades, while secretly instigating conflict by controlling the minds of Wonder Woman and Hermes to force them to fight and destroy all the people in Boston as his criminal masterpiece. His control was interrupted after being discovered by Helen Andersen who was trying to investigate the secret to the recent success in student grades, before knocking her out and holding her hostage. He used his mental powers to torture Helen by putting nightmares into the mind of her unborn child to drive her insane and kill her along with her baby, but was stopped by Wonder Woman who managed to find Doctor Psycho by reading the memories of Vanessa Kapatelis, a close friend of Wonder Woman who had been affected by Dr. Psycho's mind control. He was knocked out after trying to hypnotize Wonder Woman by pretending to be Dr. Stanton.

He somehow managed to escape after being knocked out and was later seen using his powers to kidnap and imprison Julia Kapatelis under orders from the witch Circe before warning her that a traitor was in her midst.

Dr. Psycho was later again recruited by Circe to create disturbing and consistent nightmares for Vanessa Kapatelis. This would force her to separate herself from her closest allies. The plan was to make Wonder Woman feel isolated and create fear of her fellow Amazons. He was imprisoned at the Greater Boston Institute for the Criminally Insane were he meticulous fractured Vanessa's mind to hone his powers before trying to make his escape. Vanessa later managed to break Dr. Psycho's hold on her mind, causing a psychic backlash that rendered him drooling and catatonic for a time. Dr. Psycho warps Vanessa's fragile mind and turns her into the new Silver Swan in an effort to make her a new member of a team of villains consisting of himself, Circe, and the new male Cheetah. He was knocked out by Troy and incarcerated into the Slabside Penitentiary.

Dr. Psycho is stopped and is taken away and became a patient in a mental facility, confined to a padded room and a straitjacket. When the Legion of Super-Heroes were lost in time Saturn Girl mentally calls for her friends, this awakens Dr. Psycho enough for him to attack several staff members and escape. He then travels and attack the Legion. He engages the Legion and tries to take over Saturn Girl's mind, but unintentionally unlocks the inhibitor of her full abilities and awakens her true power. She then summarily defeats Psycho and psionically forces him to constantly see her face on the next person he sees.

He was later visited by Leslie Anderson in The Slab, and, after an unsettling session where he mentally molested her, was moved and recruited by Veronica Cale in a plot to discredit and ruin Wonder Woman's reputation. He was seen trying to cause a crowd of people to kill each other in a riot before betraying and impersonating Cale as revenge for her trying to have her bodyguard murder him. He was confronted by Wonder Woman at Cale's Headquarters and managed to escape. He then went on a spree of murder where he kept trying to mentally cause others to commit suicide, but he revealed it was only a ruse in an attempt to reveal to Wonder Woman that Cale was the true mastermind behind her recent troubles while maintaining his freedom. He later appeared to join the newly-repowered Cheetah and Zoom to become part of a new villainous organization.

Villains United

Dr. Psycho was later recruited by Lex Luthor's Secret Society of Super-Villains. Dr. Psycho worked with Talia al Ghul, to recruit criminals for the Society with Catman the only one to reject their offer. Dr. Psycho does not take the rejection well and threatens to have Catman kill himself. However the pack of lions under his command convinces him he might be eaten if he has Catman hurt himself and leaves peacefully. He also spends time working with Deathstroke to capture one of the Marvel Family of superheroes. The other members of the Society eventually realize that he is trying to mentally influence them. Unaffected, they brush it off as something to be expected. Psycho is later seen at the end in the assault against the Secret Six, but retreated on orders from Luthor after the fighting had been concluded. Dr. Psycho was then seen traveling to Metropolis to act as a distraction while Shrapnel caused destruction but he decided to have some sadistic fun and mind controlled civilians into attempting suicide to torment Superman. Superman managed to save the civilians and Dr. Psycho was rescued and taken away from Metropolis by Black Adam on orders by the Secret Society of Super-Villains.

Infinite Crisis

Dr. Psycho later travels with Warp to release the Monster Doomsday from his prison at the Earth's core. He used his powers to control Doomsday, and uses him during the assault on Metropolis. Dr. Psycho mentally fought against Martian Manhunter was defeated along with the rest of the villains.

Secret Six

Doctor Psycho still remained a figurehead with his own position of authority inside the Society while becoming a member of the latest Injustice League. As a request from Vandal Savage, Psycho enlisted Cheshire's services and begins to put out hits on members of the Secret Six as revenge for the past interference in Society affairs. He then attempted to have the team killed by planting a post-hypnotic suggestion in Ragdoll's mind but failed. Psycho joined Savage in Japan and agreed to be the one who would serve as the father of Scandal's child and Savage's heir before fighting against the Secret Six. Psycho tried to flee from the fight but ended up getting brutally injured by Mad Hatter.

One Year Later and Manhunter Trials

After his failure and defeat in the Metropolis invasion, Dr. Psycho ended up getting arrested and Director Bones assigns Kate Spencer as Psycho's defense attorney in a case where he was convicted of mind-controlling civilians to kill some insubordinate villains during the invasion. During the proceedings, Psycho slowly began to manipulate Spencer as well as lurk inside her mind. Before the trial's verdict could be heard, Dr. Psycho used his telepathy to hold the people in the courtroom hostage and find out Spencer's identity as Manhunter. It was difficult for Kate to overcome Psycho, but she managed to drop his guard by kissing him then stabbing him in the stomach and in his head were, causing Psycho to forget Kate's alter-ego and lose his powers before being incarcerated again.

Return To Power

Circe later restored Psycho's powers as well as amplified them and joined Cheetah and Giganta. Circe was acting on behalf of the Society and Genocide was sent to the DMA Headquarters to help Doctor Psycho escape by having his mind inhabit the body of Director Steel but was foiled again.

Odyssey

Psycho appeared again in an altered form when Wonder Woman underwent the reality warped world of Odyssey, where Paradise Island was long gone and she had grown up in the modern world. Beaten and on the brink of death at the hands of the Morrigan reanimated minions; Artemis, Giganta and Cheetah, Wonder Woman is saved by Psycho who took her through a journey through her mind, apparently having a deeper knowledge of the changes reality had undergone. Initially he insists on being known only as Edgar, showing himself as a man on normal stature as he tries to reawaken the memories and great powers Wonder Woman had forgotten. Eventually, he reluctantly shows his true form to Diana, but doesn't reveal the exact nature of their antagonistic relationship. But before the end of the vision, Wonder Woman promised she would try and remember him and his kindness towards her.

During the assault on the Morrigans headquarters, Psycho appears again and releases a fearsome warrior, Ajax, the Morrigan have kept alive for centuries with a blade in his chest, allowing the ancient to take revenge on one of of the trio before their mistress reveals herself and destroys the floor, presumably killing Psycho in the explosion.

Fun Facts

Dr. Psycho tells Diana that he travels a place of infinite possibilities and that if you lose your way there you may go mad.

[7r0773r]

Thick and Other Essays by Tressie McMillan Cottom

Fixing my feet is about accepting the complex reality of black life in the twenty-first century. I am living in the most opportune time in black history in the United States and that means, still, that I will die younger, live poorer, risk more exposure to police violence, and be punished by social policy for being a black woman in ways that aren’t true for almost any other group in this nation. That is the best it has ever been to be black in America and it is still that statistically bad at the macro level.

Fixing my feet means knowing that I am no one’s beauty queen and few people’s idea of an intellectual, public or otherwise, and showing up anyway. Fixing my feet means knowing how badly the outcomes are likely to be for persisting and pursuing, but doing it anyway. I fix myself, even when it causes great pain to do so, because I know that I cannot fix the way the world sees me. (Thick, pp. 24-25)

***

Indeed, any system of oppression must allow exceptions to validate itself as meritorious. How else will those who are oppressed by the system internalize their own oppression? (In the Name of Beauty, p. 52)

***

Whiteness, the idea, the identity tethered to no nation of origin, no place, no gods, exists only if it can expand enough to defend its position over every group that challenges the throne. White is being European until it needs to also be Irish because of the Polish who can eventually be white if it means that Koreans cannot. For that situational dominance to reproduce itself, there must be a steady pole. That pole is blackness. And so the paradox of how we could elect Obama and Trump is not in how black Obama is or is not. It is, instead, in how white he is (or, is not). The Obama-Trump dialectic is no progress-backlash but do-si-do; one dance, the same steps, mirroring each other, and each existing only in tandem. (Know Your Whites, p. 112)

***

Why do poor people make stupid, illogical decisions to buy status symbols? For the same reason all but only the most wealthy buy status symbols, I suppose. We want to belong. And not just for the psychic rewards, but belonging to one group at the right time can mean the difference between unemployment and employment, a good job opposed to a bad job, housing or a shelter, and so on. Someone mentioned on Twitter that poor people can be presentable with affordable options from Kmart. But the issue is not about being presentable. (The Price of Fabulousness, p. 165)

***

I had been keeping my counsel on this particular issue ever since David Brooks wrote 865 words about how gourmet sandwiches are ruining America in the New York effing Times. That was 593 words more than the Gettysburg Address and about 365 words more than we allow poor students to write about their neediness on many scholarship applications. These are unfair comparisons, of course. The genre of opinion writing is precisely about this—750 to 1,000 words on something mundane that is secretly profound. If I wanted to be excessively fair, I have foisted upon you an entire volume loosely  in that genre. If there is any difference, it is that I try really hard not to write dumb things. I cannot speak for Mr. Brooks. (Girl 6, p. 200)

[metalandmagi]

January Media Madness

It’s a new year, and yes I’m still keeping track of the stuff I watch and/or read. I really just like being able to keep track of everything that came out during the year, and I like to shout my thoughts into the void. And maybe someone will find something they like.

Movies!

The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals: Okay, not a movie, but it’s the latest musical from Starkid so I had to include it somewhere. And this time it’s a horror alien/zombie take over that causes everyone to act like they’re in a musical, and humanity’s only hope is an average guy who happens to not like musicals. That may not sound bad, BUT THINK OF THE IMPLICATIONS! The plot could sort of meander at times, but it’s hilarious and also pretty dark for Starkid. If nothing else, watch it because Lauren Lopez is a goddess. 9/10

Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Everyone’s favorite silly King Arthur searching for the holy grail story. I hadn’t watched this movie since I was a kid, and there was so much stuff I forgot about! And yeah it’s still pretty great. I do feel like it drags in the middle a little, but I still always enjoy the tomfoolery! 9/10

Three Identical Strangers: A documentary about a set of identical triplets who were separated at birth and the sinister intentions of the adoption agency who separated them. On top of being an interesting story, it is super thought provoking bringing up questions of scientific morality, nature vs nurture, and mental health...which does make it a little depressing. I love the way it sets up the mystery of the story, but it also makes you feel terrible for trying to plot out and guess the story of these actual human beings’ lives. So I’d recommend it to anyone who is interested in crazy stories and scientific corruption! 9/10

Venom: A classic tale of a boy and his symbiote. In which the weirdest investigative reporter in the world is possessed by an alien parasite while trying to stop a corrupt corporation from constantly murdering people. Guys, I originally never planned to see this movie. I never cared about Venom. I was never big into the Spiderman universe, but then this movie came out and everyone was saying how weird it was...and how Eddie and Venom are like a thing...so curiosity got the better of me. And I’m kind of underwhelmed. I think I would have liked it more if I never had any expectations going into it, because it really wasn’t as weird as I thought it would be. The first 30 minutes were a slog, the dialogue was clunky, the plot was very predictable and basic, and I feel like Eddie and Venom didn’t have enough interaction. But it had its moments, I get why some people love it, and I did like what I saw of the symbiote relationship, so all in all it was just..okay. Oh well. 6.5/10

Mama Mia Here We Go Again: The just as ridiculous sequel to Mama Mia, featuring more dumb plots that don’t fit together, more dumb writing, and more over the top performances. Just like the first one, it’s a silly excuse to put some ABBA songs in a movie and make you have fun, and it accomplishes that in spades. Because if you’re watching a Mama Mia movie for the “plot” or anything other than the musical numbers and silliness, you’re making a huge mistake. It is a little clunkier trying to weave two timelines together, but who cares because they’re singing Dancing Queen! As an actual movie, we all know it’s barely passable as a 6/10 but just for getting drunk with your friends and having fun it’s a 9/10

Books!

The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis: The fifth/third book in the Chronicles of Narnia in which a boy and a talking horse run away from the land of Calormen to get to Narnia...and find out about a plot to take over Narnia along the way. I know some people think this is the most interesting book in the series plot wise, and technically there is more plot...but it’s boring as hell. I really think Lewis’s normal interjections would have made it more entertaining, but he doesn’t use his author’s voice at all! Not only is it written in an incredibly circular and drawn out way (some people literally tell stories like they’re writing the bible), but it’s also SUPER RACIST and kind of sexist too. I was so excited because when the book first started I thought we were getting a canonical protagonist of color...and then he turns out to be a kidnapped white boy surrounded by “savages.” Yes we have Aravis...but I really don’t know how to feel about her. Also Bree the horse is really just an asshole, so it’s hard to like any of the characters. I did appreciate having adult Edmund and Susan around though, so it’s not a total waste. The truth is, this is the book that I could barely get through as a kid and would constantly fall asleep reading so I barely remembered anything besides the fact that I didn’t like it. 3/10

Skyward by Brandon Sanderson: In a distant future, humans are trapped on a wasteland planet where their only hope for survival are teenagers flying spaceships while fighting a mysterious alien race. Aka: local girl is constantly dumped on by society and makes friends with a talking spaceship. Okay this book definitely has its problems, but I mostly don’t care because 1. The world building is great. 2. Spensa is a fun main character. 3. All the side characters have distinguishable personalities and interactions *cough* m-bot *cough*. And 4. The plot could be predictable at times but I really liked following the mystery of it all...even if there’s some weird chosen one type of bullshit going on towards the end. It has a major season one Attack on Titan vibe with all the questions about humanity’s history and mankind uniting to fight a mysterious enemy. This is a super fun read that kept me theorizing and was also incredibly motivational. Did I like all of Sanderson’s decisions when it came to which characters died? Hell no. Do I think the government would have a lot more backlash considering its dumbass way of fighting wars? Yes. But I’d still recommend it, and I’m still looking forward to the next book! 8/10

TV Shows!

Aggretsuko: The most adorable musical comedy anime of 2018, where Retsuko, a 25 year old office worker is getting fed up with her job and copes with life by singing aggressive death metal songs...and by the way everyone’s a cute animal. I’m a little late to this party, but this show is so precious and also disturbingly accurate to real life. Retsuko is so relatable, Haida’s crush on her is well executed and not forced, there’s great working women solidarity (Gori and Washimi are the fucking queens of anime side characters) and the metal is so well integrated! Please watch this charming show and the Christmas special if you haven’t already! I NEED ANOTHER SEASON NOW! 10/10

A Series of Unfortunate Events (season 3): The final season of the Baudelaires’ tale of misery and woe. And man did they stick the landing. “But it doesn’t leave things vague enough, they didn’t leave the sugar bowl a mystery.” GOOD! I’ve had to deal with Snicket’s badly written ending to the books since 2006. I love that they explained as much as they did. The ending was bittersweet and more concrete while still delivering the message of how the world is morally gray. Also Quigley was amazing, Sunny was amazing, FERNALD WAS AMAZING! KIT WAS AMAZING! EVERYONE WAS AMAZING! And I almost cried seeing the kids in their outfits from the book covers. I wish Jacqueline was in it, but I think her character would have felt redundant with Kit in the mix. This was an amazing adaption all around, and this season did a great job at putting some of the more...difficult books on screen without it feeling out of place. Even if you haven’t read the books, I encourage anyone who likes mysteries and different forms of storytelling to suffer with the rest of us! 10/10

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K (season 1): Local overpowered psychic anime boy just wants to be ignored and blend in with society, but the universe constantly surrounds him with silly situations that cause him to use his powers. I finally got around to watching this show, and it’s hilarious. Kusuo is a great deadpan main character who is definitely ace as hell, and the English dub is actually pretty good! I don’t really want to watch the show in Japanese now because I feel like the dub does a better job at timing the comedic lines and distinguishing everyone’s thoughts. So now I’m upset that the second season hasn’t been dubbed (thanks Netflix). But yeah it’s a great silly show to binge watch. 10/10

Community: The misadventures of a wacky study group going to the world’s worst community college. You know, the one with all the memes? Okay, I know I’m the last one to watch this and  technically I still have a season and a half left at this point, but I thought I’d include it anyway. This show is such a wild ride that I don’t even know what to think about it anymore. The first two seasons were pretty average with a few absolutely brilliant episodes thrown in. And then...the paintball episodes happened, and the show just became amazing. I do have a lot of questions though....like if the main character is a lawyer (sort of), why does he never sue the dean for sexual harassment? Why does Pierce, the resident old, sexist, racist, problematic baby boomer have an “arc” centered around a logical fallacy. No one wants to hang out with him because he’s terrible, but he’s upset because he feels left out and constantly does terrible things to get back at them? I literally almost dropped the show because I couldn’t take him anymore, and then the writers just magically dial him back in his last seasons...which I’m thankful for. And I don’t even know where to being with Chang. BUT this show is a testament to creative writing and innovative meta ways to tell stories. The rest of the study group is made up of hilarious well balanced characters that all have their distinct broken but quirky personalities. And I love them all...except Pierce. So, even though I haven’t finished it, I’d give it an 8.5/10 so far.

Superstore: A sitcom about the daily struggles of workers in a W*lmart-esque superstore. I finally caught up to it, and it’s still fine. It’s not great, but not terrible either. It is incredibly accurate though, coming from someone who works retail. The best parts of the show are the scene transitions because they show all the things customers are doing in the store. And most of the time I just nod and go “yeah I’ve seen that.” This is one of those shows to have on for the sake of just having something on. It has its moments. 7/10

Honorable Mentions

Because these are the reasons why I didn’t really read much this month...or watch many movies.

YOUNG JUSTICE is officially back with the long awaited season 3. And it’s still pretty great, but man I wish I had rewatched the original series.

Netflix released the Taylor Swift Reputation stadium performance. So now you all know how much of a slut for Taylor Swift I am. I can’t help it if her latest album is basically Captive Prince the musical!

The Masked Singer (US version) is dragging me into a spiral of conspiracy theories. Please watch this ridiculous reality show where celebrities wear elaborate costumes and a super annoying judging panel tries to guess who they are. I’m in hell, because this show is set up terribly, but I also don’t want to leave.

Life is Strange 2: episode 2 was finally released. And I’m actually loving it. These games have a special place in my heart for some reason.

New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe came out and I hate myself for buying these stupid games because they consume all my time, and I don’t even really like them.

[alyjojo]

Advice to Work on Yourself 🍎 in September 2022: Libra

Knight of Swords - 2 Wands rev - 10 Cups

Regarding: 8 Swords

In the preshuffle, I saw someone driving a truck (red/orange and male, if that matters) in the country on a high road that slopes down on both sides, and they had a lot of energy. Singing, shuffling through things, looking for something, generally acting like a goofball, and then they hit something on the road, and the truck runs off the road and down a hill. There were no trees or anything, just tall grass & bugs, and they weren’t hurt, but the truck was either broken or stuck. While this is a note for everyone to take caution & pay attention, especially while driving, with the rest of the cards out here it seems like a message specifically for the younger crowd, social media addicts and influencers especially. Don’t do these things while driving, and also be mindful of the sorts of things you’re putting out there, because a disaster of some kind could result.

With 4 Swords clarifying this Knight, though I didn’t see any injuries, that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. 9 Wands is here too, the injured warrior. In some cases, something irresponsible you’re doing could get you actually hurt. In most cases, it’s the spreading of information or something you say that’s causing a major backlash. The advice here is to play it safe, specifically when it comes to your family and the people you love. Let your words go through the filters of “is this helpful or necessary?” before just acting (easier said than done 💯), because it’s this spontaneous & impulsive sort of just saying things that turn out to be stupid things, that are likely to have a massive clap back. Possibly on an important platform, if you’ve got any sort of following. This could also not even be you, but someone you’re with, work with, or your family. You are representing others in some way, and it’s important to showcase that in a positive light. This could also be someone else with influence doing the clap backs towards you, be careful. All of these things are likely in a retrograde, and your sign is front and center.

The advice is restraining your mouth & impulses, and focusing on your happiness, your happy family & those relationships, playing it safe in regards to them and keeping a positive and stable outcome as your highest priority. If you do, the opposite of all this could occur, and you could gain positive attention on a much higher level.

Animal Oracle: Elk 🦌

“Stand tall and maintain your dignity no matter what, and others will treat you with the respect that you deserve.”

When you’re in a cycle of life where you feel you have to struggle to avoid feelings of defeat & despair due to circumstances pressing in on you from all sides, you need to literally straighten up to your grandest upright posture. Not rigidly, but relaxed, head up, shoulders straight, feet planted firmly. Try slowing down your usual speed, and keep your focus in the present moment. You make more of an impact on your environment when you’re in your physical and psychic fullness, and your moods & sensitivities will shift accordingly. Standing tall, relaxed, and fully present, you’re more likely to command respect from others. This will help you in any situation, but especially any where your dignity or self respect feel compromised. This isn’t pride, but a physical expression of strength and power, and your mood will act accordingly with your body.

Artist Oracle: TITIAN

- Go viral, not bacterial.

- A flattered client is a repeat client.

- Your personality can be as colorful as your canvas.

Advice:

- Try a New Language

- Create a Financial Vision

Charms:

Fleur de Lis ⚜️ on 10 Pentacles shows prestige and honor in your business or family setting. Either this is something that already exists, or something you’re trying to work towards, and that’s possible, but you’ve got to act the part.

Letter ✉️ on Knight of Swords shows this communication being something you’re sharing, whether on social media, email, text messages, etc. The artist card says to go viral, not bacterial, so definitely cross check any information you’re getting before you’re distributing ill-information or gossip nonsense to the masses, or even people at work.