#also I can see a lot of different birth orders for the siblings making sense but ranni>rykard>radahn is probably my favorite

[blasphemousclaw]

hello! I've been reading a lot of your posts about the Carian siblings, and I was wondering if you had any more thoughts on Radahn? If you ask Iji about Jerren, he actually talks about how Ranni is the first heir in the Carian royal line. I was curious if maybe the reason Ranni and Rykard are so close is that they're the two older siblings. There's also the whole thing with Radahn halting Ranni's fate (and thus her plans) by holding back the stars. He was taught Gravity magic by an Alabaster Lord (a race who came from space/a meteor), so maybe he uncovered the dangers of the monsters/outer gods in space that way? Rykard obviously cares for Radahn since he has a portrait, but Ranni never talks about him.

hi!! yes I have a lot of thoughts on Radahn, this turned out kind of long-winded oops

I generally read Radahn as being motivated by a desire to emulate Godfrey’s heroic ideal… so regarding his challenging of the stars, I think that he did discover the threats of space during his training, but that he simply saw the situation as an opportunity to play hero and prove his worth. I think that halting Ranni’s fate was merely a consequence he either did not consider, or considered and chose to move ahead anyway. While this must have damaged his relationship with Ranni, it also doesn’t seem like Radahn intended to ‘side against’ his Carian family. Jerren, Radahn’s right-hand man, explicitly works for the Carian royals, and Rykard was on good enough terms with Radahn to send him abductor virgins to help defend his castle. And while Radahn’s idolization of Godfrey puts him on the Golden Order side of things, he’s clearly no Erdtree zealot — his main decorative motif is LIONS, there isn’t a single Erdtree depicted in sight. This tells me that what he cares about is specifically Godfrey’s heroism, not the Erdtree system itself. Plus, I think any Erdtree zealot would balk at the idea of having an abductor virgin guarding their castle, aka the iconic weapon of the Lands Between’s most famous traitor and blasphemer lmao

I wonder if Radahn’s need to prove himself is a combination of him being the youngest (with an older sister who’s both heir and empyrean, and an older brother in a respected position of power), and Radagon (a father he looked up to as a champion) leaving him. Perhaps he’s compensating for the fact that he feels unworthy? There’s no direct evidence for any of this, but it does make a lot of sense… the quote on his armor description, "I was born a champion's cub. Now I am the Lord of the Battlefield's lion." …there’s a lot you could read into that

[yourstardarling]

Scorpio Through The Houses: Part 1

So as I stated in my previous post, Scorpio in our charts symbolizes where you face death and drastic changes within our lives. The house Scorpio sits in shows where you will feel this energy most prominently. It also symbolizes where you are feared because of your power. As well as, where you need to be guarded and protective about your secrets. This is also a great place to look at in your birth chart if you are looking to make drastic changes in your life.

Also, a slight trigger warning because I know the topic of death is very sensitive. I am not trying to gloss over anything or undermine the effects of death. I do believe though that especially when pertaining to speaking about Scorpio, death is something we can’t avoid.

Scorpio 1st House: Your existence is filled with constant transformations. You are death itself. Scorpio in the first house creates for an individual who is always striving to evolve and change into a whole different being. However, the fixed energy of Scorpio can make this change to be internal and psychological rather than physical. When this change comes about physically though, people will notice as it is entirely different from who you were before. Some people will see you as not the same person they have met before. This should be taken as a compliment though, as it only shows the growth and progress you’ve made to grow out of your old skin. People fear or admire you because of your ability to withstand all hurdles life has thrown at you while still remaining strong. This can make others see you as a threat. Scorpio here is all about resilience and having the ability to fuel yourself again and again to come out on top. These people will face multiple challenges in life and how they maneuver through them is by peeling off old skin. Scorpio here is the embodiment of the Phoenix rising from the ashes to be reborn.

Scorpio 2nd house: Your sense of self worth and what brings you value is constantly changing. You may have faced significant financial challenges in the past that have made you keen on being on top of your financial matters. There may have been some fears of money growing up and a lack of financial security. There may have been a lack of security in general and not having adequate privacy. Eventually, you will need to learn to create a sense of security over your material possessions. By learning to get over your fears of wealth and financial stability you will gain a lot of power. Scorpio here can cause an individual to be very private when it comes to their financial matters. It can also be a significant indicator of inheriting valuable assets as well. In terms of your self worth, you keep the things that are valuable to you hidden from the outside world. This may cause other people to be skeptical of what you have to hide. May get questions about how you are able to afford your lifestyle?

Scorpio 3rd house: The voice of this individual is feared. People see how much power your voice has to be able to make things shake. These people are very cut throat. Your mind is feared because of your intellect and mental capabilities. There may have been a lot of drastic changes when it came to your education that you had to face. Getting access to education was not the easiest thing to do. You really do have a powerful voice though and a sharp mind. This is something that you need to own in order to stand in your own power, but be careful of what you say and how you say it. People will oftentimes try to manipulate your words against you. Your siblings may have feared you and could’ve had dramatic changes with them as well. You may have faced death within your relationship with siblings whether it be physical or metaphorical.

Scorpio 4th house: You’ve met death within your own home. This is really the harshest place to have Scorpio in my opinion. You may have faced a lot of drastic changes in your family dynamics. A family members death or absence could’ve played a huge part in how you were raised. Growing up may have been really intense with constant changes being thrown your way. The relationship with one of your parental figures could’ve been toxic. Your own family may have feared you and the potential you have. This could’ve led to you being shunned and being the black sheep in the family. There might’ve been a lot of secrets kept hidden from you by your family and vice versa. A lot of shadow work may need to be done surrounding your family. As you get older though, you’ll need to learn to make your home a stable place for yourself to be free and fully express your emotional needs. Having security within your own home may become a key priority. Your relationship with your family will transform over time.

Scorpio 5th house: Your talents and creative abilities are something that could’ve been hidden from you. This is where the changes come as Scorpio here can cause you to not have an idea of what interests you. There’s a need to explore multiple different outlets in order to find the things that light you up. You may be fascinated with things involving the occult, psychology, death and things considered taboo. Darker topics in life and the things others avoid can be exciting for you. Death can even be seen as something that fascinates you. Some people with this placement have fears surrounding childbirth and children. Children can be your greatest teacher in how you should make changes in your life. Taking care of a child can turn out to be extremely transformative. I’m not saying go pop out a baby though.

Scorpio 6th house: You meet death in your day to day. This means there are a lot of changes you need to face and adapt to on a daily basis. It can make you a problem solver who constantly tries to find issues that arise. However, you can have a tendency to self-destruct because of having to deal with daily pressures. This is what transforms you though. Everyday shouldn’t be the same for you and you deep down admire that. If things remain constantly the same you get sluggish and resistant towards doing anything. So change up the way you move throughout your day. Your routines are extremely powerful tools for transformation, so prioritize them in a way that resonates to you. Having terrible routines can make your self destructive tendencies more rampant. Drastic changes may occur to your health as well so be very careful of how you take care of your body. You may have some fears surrounding your own health. Remember to nourish yourself. You can also be very secretive about what you do in your day to day life.

[tiredlilguy]

The Flags Origin's HC's

because I think about them a lot. there's probably some things that don't make sense here, or rather "out there" takes, but since the Flags are all squished into 70 pages let me have this... also it's hc's, so all in good fun ^^ (chew on this while i continue working on requests in the mean time), also sorry this is kinda angsty

also if you want to see my other hc's then look here

Pianoman (my beloved):

came from a family who was already Mafia, his parents and the generation before them and so on so forth, were Mafia

wore a family ring that the oldest child wears as a symbol of his families dedication to the Mafia

sort of think of it like a generation by generation kind of deal: the oldest has to take up the "family business"

his family had different specialties in what they did, Pianoman specifically became an artisan in crafting supernotes, but his family all had their own different talents

because of his success of almost becoming a mafia executive, his parents chose to retire peacefully and take care of all of his younger siblings

his parents can retire peacefully out of respect with no harm because their legacy is so well-respected

he's the oldest in his family, since birth had to deal with the pressures of "being the oldest", which made him a perfectionist in his own craft

100% Japanese, mainly because the family just deals with generational upbringing; though if he married someone of a different ethnicity that was in the Port Mafia, then that wouldn't be a problem so long as his spouse is PM

when he died, the second oldest took his place, but not for a while because his family heavily grieved his death (but because of their legacy, still tried to make up for their loss)

Lippman:

was a child actor, spent a lot of time away from his family to do films/work on sets/etc.

his affiliation with the Mafia didn't happen until way later in his acting career

had a back alley deal with a man that involved blackmail in order for his cooperation - was saught out because he was so good with words (the Mafia found out he wrote a few of the screenplays himself)

could not hold a gun up until after his first year of being with the Mafia, was Pianoman's partner until The Flags were formed

half European, has an older sister; when his family found out he was Mafia, they sort of distanced themselves from him

often treats Chuuya like his own brother sometimes because of his situation with his family

when he died, his family didn't bother to attend the funeral; but one day upon visiting Japan, his older sister visited his grave and left a note

the clean up after his death was a mess... the Port Mafia was accused of killing him and Chuuya had to witness crowds of people false-blaming him for his own friends death

Iceman:

Italian, grew up in a Mafia family in Italy (his father was the don), but was considered the weakest link

still though, his family cared for him very deeply, and despite being Mafia, he always tried to do the right thing (didn't kill until he was with the PM)

at a younger age, he was more of an observer; would witness how his family/the people that worked for his family worked technique wise

his family actually didn't want him to be a mafioso, and was glad to know that he didn't have any particular interest in it either (they wanted him to live a normal life as a citizen)

one night, his home was bombed and his family, friends, coworkers all died in the explosion; he was the only survivor

was being hunted down because he was the only survivor, snuck into Yokohama and made a deal with a man to join the Port Mafia

(this is already in my previous hc's but) after the explosion, his ears were permanently damaged and he's slowly growing deaf: was teaching the flags sign language

he was really happy with The Flags, and at that point when they were fully established, he knew that if he was going to die, it'd be around them

Albatross:

Blasian; grew up in an average family, but he himself got interested in mechanics at a young age

his family didn't approve of his interests, saying that it was rather dangerous, but his father always indulged him

dad is a retired air-pilot and used to teach Alb a lot of what he now knows

in high school, had a job as a mechanic, but told his parents he worked in a library (they did not believe him, but they also didn't bother to check either); he also had pretty bad grades

the mechanic he was working for happened to be with the PM and offered Alb a job as his apprentice for a much higher pay

his mentor was getting quite old and wanted to retire, offered the job to Alb because he saw the potential that Alb had and wanted him to succeed

his mentor was sadly assassinated during a job, and so Alb became the Mafia's wheelman

Alb covered all of this up by confessing that he was a mechanic (but didn't tell them he was with the Mafia) and then got promoted to working for the government

when he died, his parents had to sort of bit by bit discover everything that was going on behind their backs (but they couldn't be mad)

Doc:

grew up in an orphanage and is completely unaware of his own family origins, but he's Japanese

was the orphanage nurses assistant and would often observe how injuries worked; eventually started taking care of his peers injuries himself

did quite well in the schooling that the orphanage taught, and they offered for him to take a test to go to med school (he succeeded)

had his normal doctor school in Japan at age 18, then after that was offered a full scholarship in North America to get his doctorate (we already know he graduated top of his class)

is not actually interested in God and if anything, wants to spite him: that stared his need to save people, but somehow ended up killing a few on the way (though not being caught)

when he came back to Japan to go find a job, he got a deal with the Mafia and took it because he thought "well, there's a lot of death in the criminal underground... so, yeah"

when he died, Chuuya didn't think anyone would come to visit, but upon visiting their graves the next day: he found piles of bouquets of flowers from the orphanage and his fellow classmates from the US

[baradorable]

This is stupid, has no basis in canon, doesn't really add anything new or unique, and doesn't make much sense. It's not even a theory. I just have a dumb headcanon I'd love to see happen.

Ever notice how Quentin Quire basically stole Julian's role? Sure you did. Everyone ragged on Quire for it. Suddenly we had two powerful psychic/telekinetic teen mutants with mutant-superiority leanings and an attitude towards the X-Men. But what if this was intentional?

Despite being different, they were cut from the same cloth. But what if this was intentional? What if, in the game of Nature vs Nurture, Nature was winning?

What if Quentin Quire was actually Julian's brother, and a third Keller child?

Like he's either Julian's twin, or a brother that's slightly older than him. Either way, the Kellers gave him up. Possibly because they were not financially stable enough at the time to raise three children and run a small business. Possibly because they knew he was a mutant somehow, and Mr. Keller didn't want to deal with that.

Maybe the Kingmaker knew how powerful he'd grow up to be. Possibly via clairvoyant contact, or through whatever demonic powers he already has. While the Kellers only got rich from the Kingmaker when Julian was already over a decade old, it's possible they were working for him much earlier, and part of their deal with him was to offer up one of their kids. And look, Julian's birth came with a pre-order bonus.

Or maybe the Kingmaker isn't involved at all. At any rate, Quentin would have been given up by his biological parents, and adopted into the Quire family.

Look, Cyclops can have three brothers, Black Womb, two different Nates, Rachel, a clone wife, a clone of his son, and a ton of others things. That's not including how the family tree kinda-sorta brings the Fantastic Four into this. With all that in mind, I think Julian can afford to have ONE secret sibling.

Note that it's pretty common for family members to have very similar powers to one another: Cable and Rachel are psychics like their mother, Banshee and Siryn have similar abilities, the Summers clan have energy-based gifts. You could easily make a case for Shard and Bishop. Sunfire and Sunpyre? Daken and Laura? Not all family members have matching powers, but it's not an uncommon occurrence.

So them having similar powers could be used to justify a connection. Their similar personality traits and arcs could easily be explained as a familial quirk. Quire was adopted and we don't know much, if anything about his biological family. And the Kellers could have various reasons for giving up one of their children. In fact, it would make a lot of sense for them to give up a child in secret, so as to protect their image. So hiding his existence would track very well.

Also, they both get on Cyclops' nerves

But I'm more interested in what it would mean for the "brothers." Instead of having Quire step over Hellion's gimmicks, the two would be two sides of the same coin. Their stories would parallel each other.

I think it'd add a unique spin on Hellion's view of the X-Men, too. He didn't start a riot, get any of his fellow students killed, his riots were arguably smaller and less impactful than the Riot at Xavier's. And yet, while Julian was punished for his bad behavior and treated as a monster, people were giving chances to Quentin and repeatedly giving him opportunities.

Quentin was also seemingly blessed by the universe: Quire got to be the Phoenix, and what did Julian get? His hands blown off. Julian's already shown some resentment for this.

Yeah, Quire lost his biological family. But you know what? So was Julian, after a while. And we know that Julian's home life wasn't that great to begin with, because his parents were shown to be neglectful, he was compared negatively to his more successful brother James, and his dad was trying to make him hide away his mutation to fit in with human norms.

So Quentin fucking Quire being his own flesh and blood would be a huge kick in the dick. On top of the preferential treatment Quire got from the X-Men and the universe, nature itself saw to it that they came from the same source, and Quire still won out.

Meanwhile, Quire would have a mirror to his own behavior. He'd see someone who didn't get the same opportunities to grow like he got. Without the support he was given, without the power he had, he could have easily slipped back into extremism and villainy. He could have been the Krakoan instead of Julian, if things were just a little different.

He'd probably look down on Julian for breaking bad, while Quire (mostly) stayed on the straight and narrow since he was resurrected. But you could easily point out how it took Julian years of abuse to finally turn into a villain, while Quire broke shortly after he was introduced. Either way, they both had that potential to give into their worst instincts. Quire would probably get on his high horse and use this as an example that he (Quire) is the superior sibling, but even he should be able to recognize that their circumstances are very different.

And now that they're both active in books at the same time, we have the perfect opportunity for them to confront each other. Julian, who already resents his brother for getting everything he ever wanted, sees that he was chosen by the X-Men yet again, while simultaneously abandoning the X-Men's ways to carve his own path.

For those who hate Quire, this could be a great way to flesh out his story. I always felt like he got off too easily for some of the stuff he'd done, and it didn't help that a lot of stories made him a comic relief character to make him less threatening. But imagine him being one of the few people to recognize how the X-Men failed Julian, and feeling guilty that he was "redeemed" while Julian wasn't. Maybe his own family issues and a desire for connection could motivate him to help Hellion.

Suddenly, Quentin Quire isn't just a guy who steps on Julian's toes and "steals" his gimmicks. He's a mirror. The two bring the best and worst out of each other. They could be the missing family that each of them craves, and they could be bitter enemies.

And if that doesn't interest you? Imagine the banter. Just two snarky, rude fucks duking it out every time they share a panel.

[fire-branded]

There's something FFXIV Dawntrail did well in my opinion that I wish FFXVI had also highlighted.

These are, as always, just my personal opinions -- so I won't be mad if you disagree! Regardless, Dawntrail spoilers below the cut!

Dawntrail is very open about showing the impact and pressure that cultural and societal expectations can have on younger generations. Zoraal Ja and Bakool Ja Ja are probably the best examples of it.

Zoraal Ja, the first of three children of what is Tural's equivalent of a king, the only blood child of Gulool Ja Ja, and a child that no one thought could exist -- given that two-headed Mamool Ja normally can't reproduce. He is referred to as "The Resilient Son", and is constantly struggling to live up to this notion of him being a "miracle". He believes he must not only surpass his siblings in terms of strength and capability, but must surpass his father as well in order to prove that he is this miracle child that everyone believes him to be. After the Trial where you fight him, and he's talking to his son, he mentions things like having nothing to leave behind for the boy. Gulool Ja Ja may have loved his children, may have told and shown them that he loved them -- but in the case of Zoraal Ja, it was completely overshadowed by the legacy he needed to surpass(in his eyes) in order to be worthy of life, and by the immense pressure he was under to live up to the expectations of everyone who claims him to be a miracle child, possibly even on par with blessed siblings in terms of regard.

What he does is unconsciable and misguided, yes. I will never defend that, although it still is interesting to me that all three children took inspiration from different parts of Gulool Ja Ja's history and reign, with Zoraal Ja focusing on the fact that yes, his father had to fight against the Yok Huy in order to drive them back and get them to release their slaves. In most cases, no, peace is not obtained without some conflict. Zoraal Ja sees that people are taking for granted the peace that his father fought to give them, and he wants to remind them through war just how good they have it. Gulool Ja Ja was able to unite nearly an entire continent; if Zoraal Ja can unite the entire world, even if it's by using fear and force to bring them to heel, then surely he'll be good enough to make true him being a miracle child, right?

Then there's Bakool Ja Ja. He acts like an asshole who doesn't care, but in actuality, he cares -- a lot. He has the weight of not just his entire village and their expectations to shoulder, but he also has the grief and guilt of knowing about the countless two-headed infants who had died before his birth, just so that their people could carry out this building legacy of blessed siblings on the throne, thus affording them status and power to rise up from the darkness(literally) where they have been forced to call home. He agonizes, he cries, he despairs, and he hides it all, because he has no choice. The future of his village hinges upon his success, with his birth having been generations in the making. He can't fail. Not just for him or his people, no -- but also for those who died shortly after birth, to make their sacrifices and the parents who had to bury them's sacrifices worth it.

The expectations he has to live up to, too, are so incredibly high, with him having to live for everyone else as well as for ghosts of the past.

I bring this up because it's something I wish XVI had touched on more, too. Like many things in that game, there are hints and nods to it, yes. But like many things, it isn't really delved too deeply into, at least not beyond Clive's perspective. The expectations that Joshua and Dion likely had to struggle to live up to at young ages, how detrimental it likely was to their emotional well-being and sense of self-worth... And this isn't even mentioning the pot of worms that is royal status, or the rest of the Dominants and their respective stories and situations, especially when factoring in that they, like Cid, may well have accepted the inevitability of their deaths because of their Eikon's powers.

[super-rangers]

Hi Alex! If it’s okay I jump on the ask train, I also was recently rereading UIW and I was reminded of something that I actually had been thinking about quite a bit and am so curious to know if you have strong opinions about—In chapter 12, when Janis is teaching Regina how to cook, she mentions that she has a 7 year-old little brother. Is Janis as an older sibling a dynamic that you’ve thought a lot about? If so, has that played in to your characterization of her at all? By extension (and really just for the fun of it 😄), who else in the gang do you think has siblings, if any? Where in the birth order would they be?

(When thinking about it, I definitely see Aaron and Damian being older siblings. Gretchen strikes me as a middle child. Karen, I’m less sure about— I feel like she can go in either direction. I feel like it makes sense that Regina is an only child, but I could also see her having (a) sibling(s) who are a fair amount older than her and that she’s mostly estranged from on her dad’s side. Cady I know is canonically an only child, but I feel like that does check out lol)

Hello!! Of course it's okay!

Janis really does give off older sibling vibes for me. If I really think about it, she gives off oldest of three. Like she's got the aforementioned 7yr old brother, but she also has a 12yr old one. She doesn't get along with the 12yr brother that much - they're too similar and butt heads a lot. The 7yr old thinks Janis is The Coolest Ever, and they get along great. (I didn't realize I had such deep opinions about this until you asked 😂)

I think I recognize older sibling vibes in how she treated Cady at first. Taking her under her wing while making cheesy jokes, the way she reassured Cady that Regina was a bitch for commenting on her shoes only to immediately give them the shadiest 'well Regina wasn't wrong' look. Like. That's shit I would do as an older sister lmao

I think it comes out in her sense of humor, the way she's a little bit goofy like she plays with kids regularly, and the way she helps Regina out even when she's angry with her.

I honestly think Damian is an only child, but if he did have a sibling he'd be older. (He and Regina bond over the weirdness of siblings as they observe their friends at home lol) Aaron also has 2 younger siblings. A baby brother and sister. He's full on doting big brother to his sister; she's his favorite person in the world. She thinks he's the greatest person in the whole wide world. Aaron gets along with his brother too, but it's a different dynamic.

Gretchen is totally a middle child, you're so right. Karen I think would be either the baby of a family of like 5 kids OR she would have one older sister who's like in her 20s, like what you suggested for Regina.

[saintbehemoth]

Okay, okay, late with this ask, but I wanna unpack the sentiment that Daemon may have been preyed upon by an adult in his family as a child which led to his strange view of ‘sparing’ Rhaenyra from what would have been a consensual relationship with him.

So, who are our potential suspects?

In terms of family they had a lot at the time of Daemon’s childhood, but steadily lost more as time went on.

In no particular order:

Alyssa: the likelihood of Alyssa preying on her child in such a way, given what the book established about her love for her sons, seems very unlikely.

Baelon: if we’re framing daemon’s potential exploitation as a result of Alyssa dying Baelon potentially trying to “cope” 🤢 with her absence. Out of both of their children I picture Daemon physically resembling Alyssa the most (see: big ears). With this in mind, I’m not sure how likely or unlikely this would be. Baelon didn’t seem like the most present father, though both of his sons seem to remember him fondly.

Aemon: this one is a bit strange in the sense that daemon could have also become a coping device for the loss of alyssa. It could also attribute to some of the unnamed tension between rhaenys and daemon. Maybe she saw her father and her cousin acting strangely?Additionally, if it was Aemon that makes daemon’s taming of Caraxes that much more interesting. Claiming a piece of the uncle that tarnished him. That being said, Aemon was consistently described as being a protector within the family, so 🤷‍♀️.

Dishonorable mention: not family, but Otto. Just saying…

Let’s just say this interpretation of daemon (perpetuating a cycle of abuse) is making my abl brain light up

thrilled to talk about it!! always happy to. cycle of abuse goes crazy

edit: read this through and supposed i should add trigger warnings 😬 incest. childhood sexual abuse. grooming. dd:dne

i agree it’s not alyssa, who also died when daemon was about 3. she definitely haunts him for the rest of his life though - apparently being her favourite despite not being able to remember her, looking like her, both wilful + bold…..

yeah, i think baelon was a fine guy, but not a particularly good father. preferred making children to actually having them yk. i do think he was weird wrt family dynamics, in a targaryen way. way too close/familiar/intimate with (also dependant on) his siblings. currently playing with the idea that baelon was the one to get gael pregnant, because he ‘needed’ a new sisterwife…

ooohhh, i hadn’t thought of aemon. i always attributed the rhaenys daemon tension to him claiming her dead dad’s dragon. i always pictured it a bit like a cycle of vengeance, like rhaenys claimed daemon’s dead mother’s dragon p much right after her death, so daemon did the same and stole caraxes as a memory of aemon from right under her nose. and then of course that daemon raised an army for/supported viserys during the inheritance council and not her. brothers before cousins i guess

speaking of viserys….. can you guess who my number one suspect is…. 🤗🤗

yeeees, i think it was viserys. my friend worked out the age difference in the show and i think it’s something like 11 years ??! all guesstimation of course. in f&b the difference is 4 years. i like to place them 7 years apart. anyway the point is viserys is much older and in a position of power over his younger brother, both by placement of birth and then he becomes the heir…

some things that i think come into play here:

1. the targaryen obsession with having a daughter to match a son. see alysanne’s comment that alyssa “is for�� baelon. the second child ‘ought’ to be a daughter, so technically daemon was supposed to be a girl anyway and thus viserys’ wife :/// also i think viserys would, perhaps subconsciously, blame daemon for not being a girl and causing him problems with finding a wife and eventually having to marry his not-sister aemma arryn, so that blame would manifest in… evil ways. ALSO what you said about daemon resembling alyssa - he’s basically a girl anyway, right? 🤔

2. daemon’s sudden not-banishment from court aged 16, to marry rhea royce. coincidentally the year of rhaenyras birth. how he and rhea never consummated. daemon’s subsequent back and forth in viserys’ court - one minute he is favoured, the next cast out. his complication relationship with his brother, clearly resenting him and his weakness but still crawling back like a dog every time, no matter how furious viserys was when he sent him away…… the complicated love/hate towards a once-beloved abuser…

and so, daemons sad attempt at ending the cycle. my brother badtouched me → i will badtouch his daughter. i think there’s smth to be said about daemon having two motives in the brothel scene at first, firstly he does love and desire rhaenyra but secondly he wants to ‘get back’ at his brother, but then of course realises that he doesn’t want to use rhaenyra as a pawn in that sense at all. crazy that years later he claims it was a sparing but at the time we know he asked viserys for rhaenyra’s hand… in his mind to be spared is from a rough reputation-ruining fuck, not from publicly recognised and supported incest…. can’t remember where i was going with this ^-^ something about secret/private vs public

okay last suspect. personally i think a combination of this one + viserys is [static sounds] x_x : corlys. daemon fought in the first stepstone war at about 16, corlys was velaryon commander and much, much older. perhaps the source of that tension between daemon and rhaenys you mentioned….. how to reconcile your husband with the solider who took advantage of your younger cousin on the battlefield. can see the excuse of ‘war’/‘all men do this during fighting times’ being used on daemon. older respected man in a position of power vs young second son desperate to prove himself….. what a combo

SLSMAJHD OTTO. i am a believer in otto ‘groomer’ hightower, but i think daemon wouldn’t stand for it from a non-family member…. like with otto he can complain to the king, but what can he do when the king is the one molesting him…

hope this made sense i wrote it in two sittings so it might be a bit garbled ;_; ty for asking ❤️‍🔥

[who-needs-words]

The more I try and actually write a long piece for Lalwen the more frustrated I get about how little I have to go off.

We know her name (father name is Írimë, mother name Lalwendë), what her name means (Írimë probably = desirable/ lovely. Lalwendë = laughing maiden). We know she goes by ‘Lalwen’ a shortened form of her mother-name. We know her birth order (third child and second daughter). We know one decision she made (going into exile) and who her favorite relative is (Fingolfin). THATS IT.

Like. This is so much more than we have for some other female characters (including her own older sister). But! So! Little!

We can make some conjectures; for example Aredhel was probably named after her. (Írissë meaning ‘Desirable Lady’ v Írimë meaning ‘desirable/ lovely’). She might have gone into exile because she loved Fingolfin a lot. She laughed a lot (her name). She preferred that name- why? Is it because it came from her mother instead of her father? She is the only one of her siblings to go by her mother name over her father name except for Fëanor. She’s also the only one without a reference to either parent in either of her names. What does this say about her relationship to them? She’s also the only to not Sindarinize her name (because it already fit Sindarin) even when she could have gone by the direct translation- Glaðwen or Gladhwen. Speaking of; ð and þ are very similar sounds- ( ‘th’ is used for both but þ is voiceless while ð is voiced)- so what does not using a name that could have a ‘th’ sound say about her relationship to Fëanor?

Those are just questions about her life in Valinor! We straight up do not know what happened to her. She could still be chilling in middle earth when lotr and the hobbit happens! She obviously doesn’t get mentioned in either but then again neither do the blue wizards (just an example of characters who could be important and have important counterparts just vanishing into the depths of middle earth). We just don’t know. What where her hobbies? Did she marry? Have kids? (I personally adore headcanoning Gil-Galad as her son).

We can make a few wide assumptions based solely on the fact that she’s a Finwean- lines like “… [Aredhel] was fearless and hardy of heart, as were all the children of Finwë.” Can be used as evidence that Finwëans are widely a crazy bunch so why would Lalwen be any different? Finwean women from Galadriel to Idril to Aredhel to Arwen are deeply driven people. Broadly speaking Finwean women make their own choices, even if they’re bad ones. They’re fearless, courageous, clever, wise. Similar characteristics can be broadly shared to other Finwëan women- like Lalwen and Findis. (Side note: if anyone has other quotes relating to the Finwean family as a whole please share).

We can continue using these few facts to ask questions - did Fingolfin just name is daughter Írissë because he loved his sister broadly or because they were actively similar? Or are names broadly meaning ‘desirable women’ common for Finweans? (See the use of Írien meaning ‘lovely’ as a previous name for Lalwen).

All of this hypothesizing brings me back to my first point; We. Don’t. Know. We just don’t! Functionally nothing to go on!

This means that what little we do have gets interpreted differently and used as a basis for wildly different characterization (I myself have created wildly different Lalwens while using the same base logic). Questions like why was she named laughing maiden? Did this mean she was charming? Loud? Funny? Each of those comes with different characters interpretations- if we think it’s a reference to her sense of humor maybe she played family peacemaker, or made jokes as a coping mechanism for her disastrous family. Or maybe she was a very loud child, possibly chaotic, couldn’t sit still, always moving. And so on and so forth. If she was charming maybe she was a good politician or diplomat?

There is just so much possibility in her character and it’s all based on these few facts. Who was she? What did she do? Why did she do the things she did? (We don’t know even know why she made her one cannon decision!)

This is all two say; 1) if you have a Lalwen interpretation please share I’m curious 2)once I settle on a Lalwen you bet I’ll be writing something rather long.

[taketwoinink]

OKAY FOR THE ASK GAME

30

I have no idea what ask game this was for and I'm too lazy to hunt it down, so I looked up a random list of questions and here we go!

I picked two questions because I can

Where are you in your family birth order? I'm the youngest! This comes with some benefits and some drawbacks, just like literally any position in the birth order. I got a lot of attention, but I also got overlooked a lot. My parents were less strict and much more experienced, which was very nice, but I also got less responsibility and fewer choices because my older siblings did all that. So it's a toss up. I love my family (sometimes I hate them though) and I don't think I'd rather have been born at a different time.

What is the best thing in life? Being alive! That might not make sense, but life is this vibrant messy complicated excruciating wonderful thing. Sometimes you hate it. Sometimes you love it. And I've found I want to keep living because I get to have a future. I'm going to do more things, learn to love myself more, become a better person, make amazing and unique memories, meet so many fantastic interesting loving people. I don't want to miss out on all that. And I'm able to be happy now because I let myself be unhappy in the past. I know that's going to be true going into the future too. There's just... so much I can still do, so much I can still feel, good and bad, and I want to get that chance. I want to see how much more I can grow. I want to make mistakes and look back and realise one day that I don't hate myself for making them. I want to smile at myself in the mirror and love the person I see there. I want to get top surgery and run around topless and know that life is mine and my body is mine and I am allowed to love it. I am allowed to shape myself into who and what I want to be. and I just feel so grateful to have that opportunity. It's gonna suck. It's gonna suck bad. but it's my life and it gets to suck and that means something

[khaleesiofalicante]

I was wondering about something and I really would like your input, Dani.

You know how writers like to play with a lot of different ships, and some are really liked already like Clizzy and Jimon and Saphael. And fair, people can write what they like and feel more comfortable with.

But the thing is, in a lot of stories with those ships and Malec, Alec is still the one who suffers for being gay, even when his siblings are already out. He is either in the closet still or is the one who solely takes all the figurative punches from Maryse and Robert for his sexuality. It's like... Alec is the only one not allowed to be anything but straight. Do you think it's because of the first kid dilemma? The one to carry all the responsibilities and family legacy?

Furthermore, if his siblings were really not straight, even in canon, do you think he would be more acceptable of himself or it wouldn't matter and he would continue to be the grumpy boy too afraid of anything until one Magnus Bane?

Interesting question.

I think the first one is very much a writing choice. If it's a malec centric fic, then giving Alec more obstacles makes more sense. It could be for any of the reasons you mentioned. I do think things such as family dynamics and birth order play a role. For example, my mom lets me do things she never would've allowed my older sister (first born) to do because by the time I became a teenager, she was more exposed to things and her parenting style with me is different too. I also think Alec (to a certain extent) would have been passive to his parent's expectations/conditions, whereas I can see Izzy (not Jace though) fighting back against her parents if they tried to control her.

If Jace and Izzy were not straight....hm, I think it would've helped but not much. I think it would've made him come to them - because he knew they'd understand. He would've been open to having casual relationships and experimenting and all of that.

But Alec's position in the family and Clave are very different from that of Izzy and Jace, so I think those things still would've prevented him from coming out/accepting himself.

I personally don't believe that Alec would've been in the closet forever if it wasn't for Magnus because it reduces Alec's strength and fearlessness to Magnus and their relationship.

Alec came out because of Magnus. But he didn't come out for him. He did that for himself :)

[simmerstories720]

The Decades Challenge ~1919-1920 (World War I and Women's Suffrage) Part 2

I wanted to pursue this particular storyline since I rolled the dice that killed off Donnie...while it is simple, I think overall its important to show different types of love stories in this sims challenge. Each sibling has had a particular romance trope...

Ida and Emmet = Forbidden Love / Religious Differences

Florence and Albert = Teenage Sweethearts

Donnie and Hazel = Secret Admirer / One Night Stand

Edward and Hazel = Friends to Lovers / Second Chance

I also have been brewing some drama for Albert and Florence...couples cannot remain perfect forever!

It has been several weeks after Breena's family meeting (early 1920), where she told her parents to wed Hazel to Edward. Emmet takes his wife's hands and gently holds them as he tell her that Breena's proposal makes sense. While Edward's marriage to Hazel would be more out of duty than out of love, Emmet thinks they could come to have mutual respect, and even affection with one each other in time. Ida was never in favor of arranged marriages, as she herself married for love against her family's wishes.

Nonetheless, Ida agrees with Emmet. Hazel should consider marrying Edward so she can raise her daughter with their support, while maintaining societal expectations. No one besides their immediate family needs to know who Mabel's birth father is. Ida tells Hazel what their family has been discussing, and gauges her response. Hazel is unsure how to respond, since she barely knows Edward. He was rarely around when she dated Donnie, and he has been scarce since returning from war.

Ida sits Edward down herself and tells him he should consider courting Hazel. Edward is a few years younger than Hazel, but the age difference is insignificant. Edward has quietly observed Hazel, and has grown fond of Mabel well enough, but he is also unsure about this arrangement. Like Hazel said, they are practically strangers.

It is Valentine's Day 1920, and Edward has had several weeks to think about courting Hazel. He has tried to open up to Hazel during this time, and has been surprised that he feels...genuine affection for Hazel and her daughter. He decides that he will take a chance, and see where this may lead them. He gifts her a small sculpture as a toy for Mabel.

Hazel is usually the socially awkward one...but seeing Edward become flustered and stumble over his words as he asks her out for a date makes her blush. While Donnie was forward with Hazel when it become apparent she had a crush on him, Edward is timid. Oddly enough...Hazel does not dislike this side of Edward at all.

Hazel agrees to go on a date with Edward. A fair is ongoing in a nearby town near the water, and she heard they had a Ferris Wheel.

Hazel rarely travelled before she met Donnie, and has practically never left the house after she gave birth to Mabel. Hazel cannot contain her excitement at seeing the Ferris Wheel, the water, and all the electric lights set up at the fair. Her giggles are infectious, and for the first time in a long time, Edward feels light.

Edward decides to splurge and buy them both ice cream. He orders chocolate, while Hazel has strawberry.

Hazel gets two huge scoops on a cone, and immediately starts digging in....

Only to get the worst brain freeze of her life.

They both break out in laughter. They have not had such innocent fun in so long...they have both experienced a lot of life events in their short years, so it feels cathartic to just laugh about silly little things like brain freeze. This date starts a deep friendship that eventually blossoms into a slow and sweet love.

Fast forward 6 months, Edward and Hazel are officially a couple. They have not been *intimate* with each other (Hazel is NOT ready for another baby), but they share kisses and embraces.

Edward asks Hazel to marry him by the end of year.

Hazel jumped into his arms and said yes!

Hazel discusses the wedding with Ida and Emmet. They decide that once they are married, they will give them a lump sum of money to move into a nearby cottage of their own.

Mabel ages up to a toddler in 1920. Ida is smitten with this little girl, and never seems to put her down.

It is near the end of 1920, and the day of the wedding. Breena gives Edward a knowing look while Ida and Hazel talk in the kitchen. Breena feels somewhat responsible for this fortuitous outcome, and gives Edward a triumphant smirk. Edward rolls his eyes, and thinks to himself "I will never understand what goes on in Breena's head."

Breena and Florence sit down before the wedding begins, and excitedly discuss the recent ratification of the 19th Amendment. A new decade has begun, granting women the right to vote. While it is still expected for women to marry and be homemakers, this heralds a new age for women in this country. During this conversation, Breena suddenly notices that Albert is missing. Where is Albert? He was invited to the wedding.

Florence glances away and tells Breena that Albert was pulled into work at the last minute so he could not attend. Breena drops her questions, but she knows that Florence just lied to her. In truth, Florence is not sure where Albert is during the evenings lately. He tells her that he received a promotion at work, but gardeners do not work night hours. Florence does not know what Albert would be doing at night .... or who he might be seeing at night. *gasp*

Introducing, Edward and Hazel Kennedy!

Edward and Mabel dancing the night away!

Florence's eldest child Alice aged up to a child since the last we checked in with the Marino household. Do not worry...we will soon know what (or who?!) is occupying Albert's nights soon.

[flickeringart]

Uranus in the houses

Descriptions could be relevant for houses with the cusp in Aquarius or houses that contain Aquarius

1st house: This house is related to self-image, persona and outwardly projected identity. It represents the point of entrance into the world, the point of birth and emergence from the undifferentiated source as a singular entity. Uranus here points to someone that is not very happy with the denseness of physicality. The person is restless and fidgety, running on high voltage. It’s almost as if there’s more energy to the person than is able to integrate into their being. The person could be impulsive and might give off a vibe of wanting to “level up”, get out of the old and jump on board with the new. Coming into life might’ve been particularly jarring for the individual in one way or another. Perhaps the birth was abrupt and unexpected, fast and overwhelming. Since the 1sthouse represents beginnings, this person might find himself or herself thrown into new contexts and situations rapidly without much time to lean into things slowly. There’s something within that can’t stand how things are and must uproot and move on but it’s questionable if there ever was any rootedness to begin with. The energy of the person runs high, but it’s unpredictable and unreliable. It can prove difficult for this person to follow conventional norms, not necessarily because the motivation is lacking but because there’s an inexplicable urge to switch things up and change gear. Changing gear is a good metaphor for Uranus in general because once you’ve changed you’re on a completely different level of experience. This kind of person is in their own lane, going at their own pace in their own way. While “in the mode” one can accomplish a lot of things by virtue of being in a certain mind frame but once the mind frame changes the behavior and patterns of action are conducive to something else. The person is predictable to an extent, but there’s no way of knowing how long that “mode” will last. One is showing up in life from a certain standpoint but that standpoint might alter and then there’s nothing anyone can do about it – conforming is not something that is easily done for this type of individual. No amount of pushing or coercing from others will get the person out of their state. It’s a little bit like trying to reach an airplane by stretching one’s arms up and shouting. Once the person has “switched” there’s little connection to the previous context. It can be exciting to be around these individuals because they have the ability to switch the way they present themselves to the world by getting into completely different states of being on the flip of a dime. Needless to say it can also be unnerving. They come off as charming, a bit distant, quirky, somewhat irrational but stubbornly determined, completely unique and original. They can come off as detached from reality and fixed in their own perspectives. They are distinctly more open and easy to be oneself with than most.

2nd house: This house is related to value, safety and control on a tangible level. It has to do with one’s talents and one’s ability to generate wealth, to acquire money and possessions. Uranus in this house can make a person experience unpredictability when it comes to their income. It might be difficult for this person to create stability because of the inexplicable urge to break out of limiting structures regardless of the safety they provide. The person might find themselves in circumstances where it’s impossible to find a foothold in the world; there might be constant ambivalence around how things are going to work out financially and materially. This is the type of person that could have a lot going for them one month and then suddenly everything is switched up and there’s no longer any desire to produce or put innate abilities to use. The person probably has great potential for living a life that is on the edge, waiting for sudden bursts of energy or insight to kick in in order to be able to have it all under control again. The annoying thing is, that one can’t predict when the impulse comes or when the light bulb goes off. There’s no way of knowing how things are going to work out over time because Uranus is an extremely erratic and disruptive planet. There’s a risk of not being the least bit practical with this placement, seeing as Uranus operates on a higher plane of thought progression rather than personal security and stability in the material realm. The risk is to be too ahead of oneself, acting on premature convictions and causing unnecessary unease because one can’t stand to keep doing the same thing. “Isn’t money an outdated concept already?” Uranus in the 2nd might be too progressive in their thought patterns and too concerned with the possibility of a better system of doing things in order to align with conventional structure. These types may be the first one’s to subscribe to new ways of earning a living, more exciting and evolved methods of putting one’s skills to use. Doing things the same way for years, working in the same place, saving money or playing it safe might not be in the cards for this person. In the extreme case, this person might get rid of all their personal possessions only because they felt bored and deemed them outdated and boring. There could be perpetual dissatisfaction with the material situation since Uranus is about potential more then manifested reality. Once everything imagined is actualized, it no longer holds any value in the person’s mind. Uranus certainly keeps the person in constant pursuit of the future, but the future never comes, as we all know. Visualizing the perfect meal or getting an idea for the perfect way to decorate the living room might be very satisfying but when seen in the “flesh” it all seems very unappealing. It’s difficult to satisfy Uranus in the 2nd, but it’s a positive thing in the sense that it keeps the person reaching for the ultimate physical translation of the perfect thought version. One could be prone to be unintentionally careless with material objects, causing breakage easily and wearing things out because of the unrealistic expectations on the physical objects somehow survive despite themselves and their frailty.

3rd house: This house relates to communication, interaction with the environment, siblings, neighbors, as well as learning and early education. It’s basically the house of everyone and everything that one relates to mentally on a daily basis. Uranus makes for quite a highly charged mental sphere being placed here. There’s potentially a lot of changes and disruptions of the way one is interacting from day to day – it’s difficult to fit in or mold oneself to the pace and jargon of one’s close circle. The person might have a lot of unusual or unconventional methods of relating and is prone to bewilder and stir people up. It might be difficult to make friends, or rather, keep them, because of the unreliable pattern of relating. However, there’s the promise of being very exciting and surprising. Because Uranus is so characteristic of creative freedom this type of person might be a bit of a loner. One needs to be or do whatever one wants even if it means disrupting the status quo. The mold that conventional education forces on individuals might not work well with this kind of person. There needs to be more freedom and openness for originality and rapid changes of pace. This is the kind of person that is rebellious without trying to be, unable to relate in a consistent manner. One lacks boundaries for how to be in and conceive of the environment, which makes for potentially genius ways of operating and thinking. Albert Einstein had this placement (according to astrotheme.com) and his observation and ability to step out of the boundaries of conditioned thinking led him to great discoveries. Learning is done through lightning speed in bursts of insight with this placement. Lightning strikes from above and an idea has hatched that other people have a hard time understanding. These people might prefer being observers of people and the environment rather than actively engaging. They might relate to things with a cold and seemingly uncaring energy. This is because the mind is very far up in the sky of potentials and ideas, far removed from the fixed and permanent reality of the earth plane. Other people might feel as if they’re being related to as concepts rather than physically manifested beings. The very thing that makes these people revolutionary thinkers (and creative odd balls) will perhaps get them into difficulties when trying to adapt and fit into the environment they find themselves in. Since the 3rd house is about communication, these people might dress contrary or despite of the norm, use body language that is a bit eye-catching, and appear in a way that’s considered to be shocking and provocative. It’s not necessarily that they’re trying to be different; it’s just that they have very open minds and doesn’t see the purpose of performing within limits. If an idea and concept appeals, it’s not any less valid than the preexisting set of unspoken rules of conformity. Blending in is too boring and dull, it doesn’t allow for free thinking and free living.

4th house: This house relates to roots, family, home and the ancestral past. It’s the place at the bottom of the chart, hidden from view, constituting relational foundation, our emotional base, our heritage and sense of deep belonging. When Uranus is here, home is potentially something distant, something that is more conceptual and abstract rather than concrete. The sense of belonging isn’t very stable. Although it can be captured every now and then it is very ambivalent. Usually one’s sense of home is anywhere and everywhere or perhaps so far removed from reality that it doesn’t seem to exist at all. The people of one’s family and family past are experienced as individuals, not as inextricable marks on one’s soul. In a sense, the universe is these people’s home, they might feel unusually connected to the people of the world and deriving their sense of containment from larger movements and units rather than the family of origin. They’re children of the universe first and foremost – perhaps very much inclined to find people they really feel connected to and make them their base rather than focusing too much on the blood relatives. These people might change residence often, feeling too restless to settle anywhere or with anyone for too long. It’s likely that the people of one’s family were never truly present even they were in close proximity physically during the formative years. The family is never “had” in the real world, but ever present in the realm of potential. It can make for a dissatisfaction to never be able to be in the same space or feel any real emotional closeness to one’s family. Unpredictability and disruption might’ve been characteristic of the familial sphere. On a more positive note there could’ve been a space of high openness and room for unconventional and highly original streaks. Independence might be deeply rooted in this type of person who might be trying to find a connection to a deeper identity through going against the grain. Again, being a “rebel” is not necessarily intentionally pursued; it’s just a consequence of needing to be whatever one feels to constitute the path forward. Conforming is not an option, it’s deeply important to ride the wave of one’s own convictions and insights no matter how risky or unsettling it might be. “Breaking the rules” is not done out of aggression per se, it’s done because being a game changer establishes a connection with one’s soul, the archetypal father and hero myth. The 4th house is where legacies are born and carried out. Uranus is the legacy of the sky god, the creator of the universe, the maker of the blueprint, which makes these people extremely invested in progression and tuned in to the winds of change. They might be keen to generate large movements toward a cause, more in love with the expectancy than the actual manifestation of the results.

5th house: This house relates to entertainment, leisure activities, uninhibited self-expression, creativity, play, romance and children. Basically, it’s the domain of anything that is done purely to have fun and enjoy life. When Uranus is active in this sphere, there’s detachment and innovative genius in approach to play. The person might have unusual ways of finding pleasure and enjoyment that is quite different from the norm. It’s also done with an urge to construct something of novelty, something fresh and exciting that hasn’t been experienced before. Playing around with the potential of doing something or exploring possibilities mentally might be a real thrill for these types. Ideas make these people excited, especially if it’s advanced and revolutionary and can be applied universally. These people are creative thinkers and have fun when catching some wind and can elevate above the ground for a while in their minds. When they can get to a place that feels elevated in terms of concept and ideas they are having the time of their lives. There’s an urge of wanting to express something profound and precious in the mental realm – to arrive at a conceptual point of perfection. Having children could be a very appealing idea, but one would do well to remember that the idea is more appealing than the actuality – especially when it comes to Uranus. The person might take an intellectual approach to having kids, insistent on doing things as properly as possible according to modern scientific discoveries – or simply according to one’s own “elevated” objective perspective. One aims to be progressive, not only with one’s children but also in romantic pursuits. These people might have a slightly odd style of courting their love interests, certainly well thought-through but a bit special in the sense that it has an unexpected element to it. There might be a feeling of not being seen in the present “here-and-now” by these people, being treated as a component in their mental narrative of the ultimate romantic situation. In any case, Uranus in the 5th certainly takes the experience of “having fun” to the next level in terms of planning and visualizing something unique and new. One might shock a few people in the process, some may like it and some may recoil from the strangeness of it all. It is possible to completely revolutionize entertainment with this placement, coming up with something that people haven’t experienced before, going a little overboard or testing the waters of what is acceptable. If it’s paired with enough finesse and good -will, one might be warmly received as someone who can be perform something that wouldn’t seem to belong on this plane of existence. That being said, it that which is foreign and unfamiliar is not always welcomed with open arms. It’s scary – and people might want to censor one’s self-expression.

6th house: This house relates to work, employment, the practical daily activities that needs to be performed in order to sustain health and well-being over time. This house is where one manages the technicalities and details of living in order to make the expression of life more pure, clean and organized. Uranus here can’t stand routine, which might cause the individual to be unable to stick to any routine or prior commitment. There’s a deep urge to break free from that which has become tedious and unexciting and one has no way of knowing when that famous restlessness is going to kick in. The person might go a long time doing the same things, keeping the same job or sticking to a set routine but it’s never because one does so consciously, it just happens to be the “mode” one is in for the time being. It could switch at any time and the individual might find it impossible to keep doing things the same way. One has to follow the spark of inspiration because it literally goes off like lightning and won’t be denied. This might not be comfortable for the conscious self that might be adamant about sticking to a set plan and operating out of reason. There’s not much to do than to trust and hope for the best with this placement. What one should do on a given day is not set in stone, even if one attempts to be very structured and conscious of what is being done. There’s a stronger push-and-pull force that dictates the daily activities. Some days there’s a lot of energy to put into projects and chores and work and some days are void of electric charge all together. Some days one is on fire and on others there’s no energy left at all. It’s wise to take advantage of the spurs when they come and work with the erratic pattern of energetic bursts because they might prove very useful. On a more negative note, the high productivity that can be generated by Uranus in this house might lead to burn out because of the high voltage of the planet. Exhaustion might be a high risk and all the related physical symptoms that come with it, since the 6th house rules physical (and mental) health. There might be temporary ills and pains that come and go – sickness might come from “out of the blue” and then disappear without apparent reason. The body might require very specific and unexpected nourishment and one might do well to yield to the impulses and insights received in the name of health. Keeping up unconventional dietary habits could be a thing, experimentation and change in the way one manages necessary activities such as eating, sleeping and exercising would be typical of this placement. Employment might also be irregular and unconventional in some way – working odd shifts and hours, having no set schedule, having undefined and unspecified tasks, not being able to go by anyone else’s guidance etc. Uranus in the 6th would have a hard time working “for” someone because of the strong emphasis on freedom and space, it can only be done if there’s complete integrity in the subordinate position, in which case one is really not subordinate at all. There’s no such thing as obligation, there’s only modes of being, which are set and carried out. These people could be very concerned with health and daily life as an experiment, like observers studying phenomena in order to get a grip of all the intricacies and details in order to change and explore potential. The boldness of experimentation can of course get out of hand and turn destructive, so one ought to be careful.

7th house: This house relates to other people, cooperation, union and commitment. Usually that which is in the 7th in the chart is projected onto other people and sought after through engagement with “that which is other”. It’s through looking to other people that the planet is discovered in one’s own life. When Uranus is here, innovation, change and genius is encountered through cooperation and deals, whether it’s marriage, business or any other social declaration of entanglement. Uranus is discovered through the consideration of other people and their perspectives. This type of person has a very liberal and open attitude to other people and is focused on progress and change as to make things better for the sake of social well-being and harmony. It’s no wonder that successful politicians have this placement such as Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Angela Merkel (as found on astrotheme.com). One is inclined to be open and insightful in relationships, detached, rational and impersonal. Emotional bonds could be difficult to form and stability in relationships could be hard to come by for these people. Somehow, other people might get up and leave for no reason and there’s no way of being sure that anyone will stay, especially not out of dependence. This kind of person is going to have to be in partnerships that allows for a lot of freedom of expression, to the point of there not being any ties that bind at all. Uranus has such force and charge that nothing is going to go according to convention. Everything is going to be a bit odd and erratic in relationships, for better or for worse. Saying “I love you” is never a guarantee for life-long commitment because the next day Uranus might’ve switched gears and the person has fallen out of love – not by choice of course, but because the feeling is gone and the mental frame is completely different suddenly. These people crave excitement and looks for it in others. They would find people who strictly lives inside the “box” of convention to be extremely boring and painfully narrow minded. If cooperation and engagement with others doesn’t bring some kind of fresh and new perspective, if it doesn’t feel exhilarating and revolutionary, one might not be able to stick around for too long. In the case of Uranus being projected on other people and not realized as part of oneself, one might be shook by other’s unpredictable and jerky behavior. One might see potential, genius and originality in others but fail to recognize it in oneself. The great ideas and insights that come from engaging with others might add a lot to the person’s life, but one might also feel sad that these qualities are absent outside of a social context. There’s no need for this of course, because Uranus will always have to be accessed through the house that it’s placed in. On a more negative note, people with this placement might scorn and reject others for being so “up in the clouds”, inconsiderate and individualistic. “Other people are so unpredictable and unreliable” might be the narrative, when in reality one is failing to recognize the same tendencies within oneself.

8th house: This house relates to the deep end of experience, death of all kinds and transformative yet traumatic experiences. It’s related to everything that is hidden, the most private, intimate and vulnerable dimensions of life, which includes shared finances and sex as byproducts of strong emotional attachment. Uranus here makes for potentially shocking discoveries of grim, taboo or soul-shattering realities about oneself or other people. Death of loved ones, random inheritances or unforeseen debt could surface from seemingly out of nowhere in the strangest of ways. However, one might be able to deal with it in an objective and detached manner without getting too drenched and sunk by the whole experience. A lot of things related to the most intimate sphere could change very quickly without a moments notice. The most personal and deep dimensions of life are never stable for this person - but the transformation is not that severe since there’s a simultaneous distance and objectivity in one’s way of relating to death and crises. Uranus here is a bit of a contra-intuitive placement because there’s coolness in the face of the most soul-shattering experiences. It’s as if this person is looking at everything but is never completely enmeshed in the emotions surrounding it all. Objectivity and rationality is sought in order to keep things light and up in the mental realm of clarity. The transformations this person goes through are quick and life altering, at the speed of light everything is turned upside down. There’s openness and fascination for everything occult and one might have quite an alarming universal perspective in personal and deep emotional matters. Death is related to primarily as a concept – and so is intimacy. Tying oneself to another can be done, but the risk of doing so is understood from a higher perspective. It’s easy to get into states of paranoia, fearing that important attachment will be broken because there’s a push for change from below the surface. When Uranus is in the 8th, socially/societally divergent behavior might lurk in the basement of the psyche and carefully kept out of sight from the conscious self and the rest of the world. Certain impulses and urges that don’t fit into a preconceived framework might be suppressed because of early conditioning and fear of losing something or someone. These people have the capacity to get a broad and clear view of the darkest facets of life and humanity with revolutionary insights into the depths of the psyche. There’s excitement in probing deeper and uncovering more and more through personal experience but also from looking into other people’s lives, what they invest in, support and might hide from view in order to stay in control and protect their interests. These people look for the unexpected and can therefore spot things that others don’t because they’re not blinded by the veil of convention.

9th house: This house relates to knowledge that is gained through experience and exploration. It’s the house of higher learning and the intuitive search for truth. It’s the house of exploring themes and patterns through life; in essence it’s the house of studying the archetypal realm. With Uranus here, there are bound to be life-altering discoveries and insights into the themes of life, how energies express themselves through the collective and what they ultimately mean in the context of life as a whole. There might be a strong push to discover the meaning behind things in order to change it and work with it to elevate humanity in the process – especially as it relates to the mental framework of people. One might be inclined to share one’s progressive perspective and insight in order to educate people and have them get more out of life that way. Belief systems and innate knowing can be thrown out the window with this placement and replaced in a heartbeat. Other people might be confused as to what one really thinks because it depends on what gear one is driving on at the moment but it could change at any time. There’s restlessness and a strong urge to look to the future for answers and reject the “old”. Openness to experience the strangest things could be characteristic of this placement – if one is in the right “mode” or mind frame to go along with it. Stubbornness and rigidity when it comes to certain opinions and insights could be typical, although it might change very quickly and won’t stick over time. Something the person is thoroughly convinced of today might seem foolish to them tomorrow. There would be strong push to go out of one’s way to discover things, no matter how impractical and inconvenient the pursuit. There’s electricity and charge to the person’s mental pursuits, to one’s observation and efforts to extract value out of experience. Although there’s force and intensity to the process of learning about life as a whole, there’s also a peculiar detachment to the whole thing as if one isn’t part of what one is learning about. In contrast to someone with say, Moon in the 9th, Uranus in the 9th doesn’t experience the overwhelm that it means to learn and experience existence because one is the “observer” not a living and breathing merged component of the experience. With this placement one might have an unusual outlook of life and a very rare and interesting life philosophy. In fact, one would not really subscribe to any one outlook and might identify solely as the observer because one has switched perspective so many times that one knows that none are ultimately real. This doesn’t make the person discouraged, it only confirms that life is complex and multi-dimensional and that truth is nowhere to be found within the hologram of existence.

10th house: This house relates to public image, career and our personal contribution to society. It’s represents worldly purpose and outward persona. When Uranus is here, the person has a certain protruding electricity and charge – there’s a lot of energy put towards moving forward into the future in revolutionary ways. The person could have a reputation for being unpredictable, eccentric and a bit irrational as a byproduct of only seeing potential and not taking note of the limitations. The person exist “outside of the box” and is somewhat of a stranger in society, presenting far-reaching ideas that might be difficult for the average person to digest. There’s probably great openness to all kinds of people and experiences, but the person is extremely jerky and fidgety, so it’s impossible to really know when there’s going to be resistance and when there’s going to be acceptance. More than any other placement, Uranus in the 10th is an indicator of someone to catch people’s attention because it’s so potent and forceful in an electric way – it’s so unsettling and unconventional that people can’t help but turn their heads. “I’m not like everyone else” is the kind of message these people convey, consciously or unconsciously. These are extremely flighty individuals – they can be miles away, seemingly living in their own fantasy world, except that they know that everyone else is doing the same thing and they’re just not aware of it. These people are likely pinned as the odd person that has a lot of energy and unusual opinions and modes of being. They can switch gears or “roles” frequently, unable to be bound by any standardized career path and pushed to carve their own lives, take risks and live on mental impulse. They probably have no idea what they’re doing most of the time, or at least it seems like it when taking the most contra intuitive paths and moving into unpaved territory in terms of vocation and worldly achievement. Some force of the unconscious is seemingly moving these people, pushing them and compelling them to take mental leaps. The curious thing is, that once the leap is made, there’s absolute certainty because one is not merely hoping to level up, one has switched gears and is now operating on a completely different level of existence that is just as real as the previous one. These people are really the pioneers and revolutionaries of society because they radiate a collective urge for change; they shake things up, perhaps even negatively in some people’s eyes. They are symbolizing the urge to break free from old shackles and to reinvent the ways of society. People might feel uncomfortable and put up a lot of resistance to this kind of energy, because it’s disruptive and destabilizing. These people might have “weirdo” painted all over their forehead, being misunderstood and taken for extreme creative individualists with no anchoring in the norm – or they might become the “hook” for collective unconscious forces as the leader of a collective movement. In the case of the latter, the individual becomes a public image for the winds of change for better or for worse. The career might be paved with unforeseen events sudden blessings and curses, as well as unpredictable turns of the road.

11th house: This house relates to collective movements, common goals, friends and shared interests, societal change and progression. Uranus is very much at home in this house, seeing as it is the planet of large-scale revolution and change. When Uranus is here, there’s a strong awareness of the differences and commonalities of human beings and a capacity to switch between groups of people and finding a common ground with all of them. This is the type of person to jump in between social groups – not belonging to any one group but open enough to partake in all of them. The humanitarian and liberal perspective is protruding and very strong – there’s no one more open and willing to find friendship with people from all walks of life than Uranus in the 11th. It’s likely that one views the self to not belong to any specific group or class of society, but to them all simultaneously. All people are part of the human family and this is profoundly clear to this person – religion, political opinion, ethnicity, sexuality or any other factor comes second to the fact that everyone depends on one another. This person might have great ideas about how humanity should organize itself in order to benefit everyone without the blood thirsty uncivilized game that is “survival of the fittest”. Of course, primitiveness is not innately bad, but the person with Uranus here aims to view things objectively and find new ways to make everyone live in a way that benefits the whole rather than merely themselves. That being said, this person could have some unconventional ideas and highly creative solutions to certain collective issues. One might be associated with various groups of people and have great insight into their way of viewing things, their needs and convictions, their character traits and innate disposition. More than anything, this person is an observer of humanity, a person of mental understanding of the inner workings of social systems and groupings. Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry all have Uranus in this house (according to astrotheme.com), which makes sense considering that they are people who are supposed to have a connection to the people – they are essentially symbolic “agents of the divine”, supposedly anchored in Christian values of brotherhood, love, compassion and respect. They are involved in various social projects and aim to improve that quality of people’s lives through their work and presence. Whether it’s successful or impactful can be up for debate but it’s certainly their intention. People with this placement will likely seek to offer guidance or insight to the masses in some way, whether it’s through expressing certain values or bringing an objective perspective to the situation that equalizes the charge within people. This type of person would be phenomenal at reminding everyone of the commonalities and shared quirks, reminding people of their basic humanity and all the problems and gifts that come with it. By being radically open and honest, other people are allowed to show their weaknesses and strengths as they are without feeling the need to fit into a box.

12th house: This house relates to the collective unconscious, undifferentiated reality and the absence of separate self. It is a house that is related to universal feeling, the truth of everything being one. This house is essentially the enemy of individuality and at the same time is the birthing place for it. The 12th is dual and paradoxical, the place where “reality” and dreams blend. With Uranus here, the person would feel as if collective forces govern his or her life to a large extent. Changes in the collective unconscious affect these people personally more than others, for better or for worse. They live in a perpetual atmosphere of Uranus, which means that mental impulses and insights flood them daily of the most new and jarring kind. The inner world is potentially absurd and strange and completely different from the mundane everyday life. In fact, these people might not find that there’s anything mundane about life because everything is a fascinating phenomena to them. There can be hidden feeling of not being of this world, of feeling things more objectively and from a standpoint of universal reality. These can be very creative individuals, able to channel some genius ideas through letting go of the defenses put up by the ego. This could potentially be done through sleep, drugs or any other method of releasing resistance. Since this house is related to hidden enemies, it might be that certain original ideas are detrimental to the separate self and to other people in one’s surroundings. Because the 12thhouse is the realm of no boundaries, doing the most destructive and weird things might come easier to these people. There’s a disruptive quality to these people that shines through their subtle aura – they’re not trying to act out of the norm but little twitches and pushes make them do things that they ultimately can’t control. In a sense, these people are sponges for collective energies and pushes for change. Adolf Hitler had this placement (according to astrotheme.com), which expressed itself extremely destructively. Uranus in the 12th reaches for the heavens and might end up in hell because ecstasy is only felt through complete disregard for the preservation of the individual even though one might argue that it is in the individual’s best interest. In a sense Uranus in the 12th is a push for societal structure and progression that comes the closest to ecstatic bliss and one might take the most insane actions to get there. On a more positive note, this placement can express itself as a positive force for changing group consciousness, and communicating a vision of a civilized and peaceful society based on humanitarian values, mutual respect and love. Whether the ideas are realistic and applicable might be another question, however, the dream of redemption can inspire people and instill hope in the darkest of times.

[sanisse]

You talk about bonds in your writings a lot? What are these exactly? Like sexual, matrimonial, familial? What do they do and how are they formed? At least in your opinion or even maybe textually?

I’m so curious!

aaaa! I love meta and lore questions, thank you!

I do make use of Bonds a lot because I find them to be such a fascinating concept. Tolkien really didn't say much other than the fact that elves form "indissoluble bonds" when they get married and have sex. He also heavily implies that elvish children have similar bonds with their parents. Tolkien writes "therefore... [a child's soul]... draws nourishment from their parents before the birth of the child: directly from the mother...and mediately from the father" (Laws and Customs).

As far as I'm aware of, that's really the only definitive information we have there. Pretty much everything else floating around is fanon. My own headcannons are as follows:

I take "indissoluble bonds" to mean spiritual bonds, linking souls to one another inextricably.

Every soul has a certain color. This is just my personal preference when I'm writing to distinguish them. For instance, Celebrian is silver-colored. Elrond is starlight-colored before he receives Vilya, but post-Vilya, it is gold. Gil-Galad is kind of an indigo color. So, kind of like auras, I guess? It's hard to explain.

For sexy reasons (and because it makes things a lot less complicated), I headcannon that Elves can withhold bond-forming when they're having sex if they just want to have casual sex.

I apply the theory of Quantum Entanglement from physics to Bonds, because I think it's Neat. -- "groups of particles are generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state of each particle of the group cannot be described independently of the state of the others, including when the particles are separated by a large distance"

So, just from a fun fantasy play application, I like to say that Elves who are bonded to each other have access to and basically simultaneously feel (more or less) each other's thoughts, wishes, desires, emotions, and sometimes even physical experiences. Bonds can cause internal (mental, emotional, etc.) pain if strained or stretched, either under emotional duress, conflict, long periods of physical distance, or long periods of emotional distance. This feeling gets worse and worse the more times that passes.

This applies to both married couples and parents and children. So, say your SO or child is in distress or particularly wants/needs/is looking for you, you can feel that, and it'll prompt you to go to them and see what the matter is.

In terms of other sexy applications: couples act as facing mirrors. Pleasure is volleyed and amplified in bonded sex (vs unbonded sex where it's just normal). Partners feel each other's orgasms as well as their own.

Bonds can be formed intentionally for children which are not biological -- so adoptive bonds! You can also just have this be a platonic sort of Bond between adults, too. The process is a little different (romantic bonds are formed during sex, but platonic bonds I kind of headcannon as...like walking through a door, if that makes sense? Like the adoptive parent will step up to the child's psyche & soul and just sort of knock, and the child can choose to let them in or not to form the bond). Both parties must be willing, though.

Bonds are webbed. So, for instance, Elladan, Elrohir, and Arwen are all bonded as siblings, and bonded to their parents. Via their parents, they are also bonded to their grandparents (and would be to aunts & uncles if they had them). I headcannon that bonds get weaker the farther along the tree you get, but they all do link together.

In the case of adoptive bonds - in order to fully hook up to the rest of the family group chat, you have to be bonded to both living parents. If you're only bonded to one, then you only receive the bond to that person, rather than the whole family. It just feels very Tolkien to me.

Bonds can't be dissolved, but they can be shut down by either party. This is very painful and stressful, but it does happen -- usually when one partner is in a great deal of physical or emotional pain and wants to shield the other party from it.

I feel like there's definitely more here that I have to say in terms of how I use Bonds when I'm writing but that's all of the top of my head, lol!

[hillarysss]

RAHU IN THE HOUSES🦹🏽‍♀️

Heyy guys I’m back :)) I’ve just been focusing on myself lately. And I’ve been wanting to talk about more Vedic astrology since I know some of my followers really like Vedic! There isn’t one that is better or worse but personally do think that Vedic can be more helpful when it comes to life events and predictions. ☺️ 

RAHU PLANET COMBINATIONS

Some words associated with Rahu:  confusion, obsession, travel, diseases. 

Rahu is not a physical planet.

Rahu is a malefic planet, meaning whatever house is in even though there is houses Rahu excels in  (3rd, 6th, 10th, 11th) it still brings malefic effects, that’s what it does. 

Some of my interprations may not resonate because it depends on the whole chart. These are some general intepretations.

How to calculate my Vedic Birth-chart? 

https://vaultoftheheavens.com/ChartCreatorLahiri/Welcome.aspx << (Click North Indian, it is preferred) 

Rahu in 1st house: Such person is incredibly intelligent. But doesn’t always use it for good. They can find themselves in a lot of scandals. Loves material things and go as far as recklessly loosing money for luxury. Identity issues, needs validation. Such person has incredible good motivation to reach a higher status in life and will most likely not fail to do so. However, if Rahu is bad placed in a sign it can bring issues with the physical body and mental health. This placement is prone to be mentally ill. Goes through a bunch of obstacles in early life. If Rahu is in a good sign, wealth is a common theme for this placement.

Rahu in 2nd house: Such person is most likely attached to their family image, may know multiple languages or is interested to do so. You may have intrusive thoughts and can suffer not knowing what is the reason to keep living. Low self-esteem. If in a exalted sign could have a rich partner. Even if they are attached to family image their family probably isn’t as good as they want it to be. They care a lot about their image. Has intellect with their words and knows what to say and this will get them to such higher position in life. Speaks quite fast.

Rahu in 3rd house: This is flavorable placement for Rahu. (: Could have bad relationships with siblings or have a brother.(If Malefic, If in a good sign you have a very good relationship with your siblings.** You express your opinions openly and this can make you someone a lot of people look up to especially on the web. Most likely will go on a bunch of mini vacations. Such person has ego and loves being unique. Intelligent people. Since Rahu is associated with Illusion such people can make up fake scenarios and stories just for their own ego and validation. Type to make original stories way more dramatic to please other people. Manipulative but doesn’t get caught easily. Natural charm. 

Rahu in 4th:  From my observations, people with Rahu in 4th could have a famous family member or/and a family member that is quite wealthy. The more feminine figure (Usually the mother) plays a big role for people with Rahu in 4th. You can usually find this placement in big internet trolls as person lacks empathy to other people perspective. Impulsive. Person may move a lot. Probably doesn’t live where they were born. May have very unusual secretive hobbies. Family may not know them a lot since person can be quite secretive. Mother could’ve suffered from something and could’ve been delusional. Mother may always put pressure. Generous but with big ego. Most likely donates their money to special things. 

Rahu in 5th: Most likely wants to be famous and will go to absurd lengths to get it. Can and might as well step on others in order to get their goal. However, this placement makes someone clever and very creative! May not have any children or could damage their children. Was probably the mean popular girl. Confident but sometimes over the top. Can benefit from investments. Likes to learn new things and has a bunch of stored knowledge. Loves books. Interested in singing or any creative field.

Rahu in 6th: Persuasive individuals. Opstimistic about challenges. Most likely has very good health.  May be involved in traumatic events like kidnapping or theft. Criminal record is found in Rahu in 6th individuals. Very good with fighting. Will benefit greatly with their own bussiness. People look up to them but yet initmidated. Such individual most likely has a controversial status yet powerful. Very strategic. You can’t beat them in arguements.

Rahu in 7th: Unhappy marriage is very possible here. Has a bunch of sexual partners and most likely has a lot of relationships. Is obsessed with the idea of another being in their life. Has to be careful about what they say cause anything they say can be used very badly especially with partnerships. Info might be exposed things they only gave to their partners. Such as nudes being exposed or anything very personal. Most likely will have a bunch of achievements in life. Confusion within their own personality. Highly dominating. Will be known. Very skillful and knows how to use it to their advantange. Can be very spiritual. Can push their opinions on to others.

Rahu in 8th: A lot of physical issues is promiment. Issues with law. Will have a bunch of changes throughout their life wether they’re good or bad they will happen often. Your family may suffer with money. Could end up homeless at some point. Has very good charm with people. Deaths can be a common theme here. Good researches and can find out anything & can detect bullshit. May have thought about being a detective during their life. Interest in astrology. Wouldn’t be suprised if a lot of you guys have this lol. Extremely good intuition. Great mind for researching the occult. 

Rahu in 9th: Constantly doubts everything and everyone, may have trust issues. Stubborn minded people. Very big love on foreign lands. Good common sense and can excell in politics. May fake their background to fit in. May have a bad relationship with the father figure. Constantly wastes money. But they can also have income from many different sources. Wants the truth and only that. Interest in traveling abroad. Could be seen as mean. Will seek higher knowledge and the truth. 

Rahu in 10th: Will experience a bunch of life changing events in life. This usually brings more positive than negative here. (It depends on aspects) . Rahu in 10th is found in extremely sucessfull individuals. May change workplace quite often. Something common with this placement is rag to riches. Such person could’ve been born in a poor environment and then they rise up to fame and recognition. They succeed professionally. Could have interest in Social Work. Can use their tactics for the wrong way to get what they want. However, love life may suffer. 

Rahu in 11th: Type of person to have had interactions with people of power. Prone to miscarriages. Will succeed in Marketing. Has a bunch of dreams they wanna chase after. Friendships will help a bunch to this native this lifetime. (: Receives much love from others but may not give it back..  Always sees the good in everyone and this can set them back. Should be careful when taking advice from others. Can be extremely naive. Will use their imagination this lifetime to achieve higher power and is possible they will succeed doing so.

Rahu in 12th: Will achieve good success relating to Spiritual growth. May write books or blogs about their spiritual knowledge. Could be psychic or/and astrologer. Most likely won’t have a traditional career. Can cause trouble relating to professional life. May have long-distance partners. Could be prone to being catfished. A lot of healers have this placement. May have trouble sleeping. Very religious or can be very attached to their own beliefs. Will go to extra lengths to escape from reality. Compassionate human being.

Let me know if you guys want more Vedic content. Give some feedback  🥰

[andtheyweresiblings]

Is it just my shipping goggles or did they intentionally make Bruno seem younger and Mirabel seem older than their given ages? Her mom looks older than Bruno even though they are both 50 and Mirabel and even Camillo don't come across as 15 especially is the song when he almost seems to seduce her and holds her bridal-style? It really messes with the mind lol

You know, it's funny. In my original analysis I wanted to go deeper into the fact that Bruno seems younger than his canon age and Mirabel seems more mature for her age, but I did not have a lot of concrete reasoning as to why this is, so I left it shorter, and ended up removing another point relating to this—specifically that they treat each other like equals and not like how other aunts/uncles are seen interacting with nephews/nieces in the film. But since you are bringing it up, I might as well share my jumbled thoughts on the topic.

Her mom looks older than Bruno even though they are both 50

I'm glad you mention this because when we look at Julieta vs Bruno, aside from who has more graying hair, Julieta actually looks to be in much better shape that Bruno. That's not to say it's an indication of youthfulness, but she does seem less worn out, at least psychically (her face and eyes specifically), than Bruno. But I agree that she comes across as more motherly (parent-like?) and mature than Bruno does. That could be explained by a couple of things, though, including stereotypes relating to birth order (Bruno was "the baby") and the fact that Bruno never had children.

I don't remember if I talked about why I think Bruno seems younger, but ultimately I think a lot of it has to do with how he holds himself and how he talks compared to his siblings. He slouches, holds his arms close to him, and ducks his head a lot. All of these posture choices are to make himself smaller, possibly less intimidating, and given the town's view on him, it's likely that this is intentional on his part. Then, of course, he talks pretty informally or, maybe more accurately, uses different phrasing and vocabulary compared to his siblings. Neither trait point to him actually being younger, but it does highlight the differences between him and his siblings, and the roles they play in the film. Julieta and Pepa are essentially family elders (for a lack of a better term), or at least on their way to that position. Whereas, because Bruno was essentially estranged long before he decided to live in Casita's walls, I think he got stuck in that role of younger adult with lower status in the family hierarchy.

Side note: I don't know if other Latines can relate, but I know in my family, you are not really considered or treated as a "full" adult until you are married with kids, regardless of your work/living/etc. status. Honestly, I could see that also influencing how Bruno is viewed by the family, which would also impact his own maturity and views of himself, though I doubt that would be anything the writers were trying to depict.

I also think Mirabel interacts with and talks to him differently than she is seen with the other adults in her family. From a writing perspective, this is probably due to the fact that they wanted Mirabel and Bruno to be working together as equals. From an in-universe perspective, it's also explainable when you consider that Mirabel didn't grow up with him, and because of this, she might not necessarily see him on the same level as the other adults in her family.

Mirabel and even Camillo don't come across as 15

This point raises another issue. I find in a lot of children's media, especially those by Disney, characters are often behaving in ways that I would consider more mature than expected for their age. And when considering the ages of other Disney characters, I honestly really don't care too much about canon ages because they don't always make a ton of sense to me.

Slight tangent: A lot of times, the canon age of a character is not a crucial part of the story. As in, the age doesn't make or break the plot, so to speak. I think the canon Encanto ages are a great example of that. I'd argue that most of the characters' ages (especially Mirabel's) could be changed in either direction, and that difference would do very little to how we view what happens in the film.

Of course, we could always use the "trauma affects how people develop and behave" explanation, but while it's very relevant for this film, I don't think it's necessary to apply, considering that this age/maturity incongruity is something that happens a lot in other media. I think this mismatch is more a logistics thing. The writers want to tell a story, and they want a character to be a certain way, but it's still directed towards children, so they feel the character needs to be within a certain age-range, so they make the character younger than what one might expect. I have no evidence of this, by the way, this is just me making guesses as to why this seems to happen so much.

That being said, I think it's within reason that Mirabel and Camilo are 15. It's one of the instances in which their behaviors can fit into a range of ages. 15 is just probably towards the bottom of that range.

To answer your question, I think there was some intention in how they depicted the age/maturity of Bruno and Mirabel, but I do think it comes from a place of Mirabel being the main protagonist and Bruno being one of her supports more than anything else. As I've said before, I do think that their couple coding was a result of a series of "unfortunate" coincidences, and this just happens to be one of those.

[guardianspirits13]

I wanna talk about Natsuo Todoroki for a second here.

tw// mentions of abuse, self harm, and suicide

Natsuo visibly has the most emotional trauma out of anyone else in his family (Touya not included), and I really wanna talk about why that is.

For starters, we haven't seen him really smile since he was introduced in chapter 187. He's introduced as having a friendly, easygoing persona and it's easy to imagine this is how most people outside of his family know him. However, every time we see him appear since then, another layer of his trauma is revealed and expanded upon, and it cuts DEEP.

I think the main reason that Natsuo still seems so vulnerable compared to the rest of his family is different than what you'd assume. Fuyumi and Shouto both spend a lot of time around Endeavor, and have been in close proximity to his (relatively recent) decision to atone. They have seen his growth firsthand and come to terms with it. Rei has obviously taken a very different path to healing- not entirely voluntarily- but she has been working with doctors and therapists for years to change and recover and reconnect with herself and her children. Natsuo is off at college, and takes every opportunity he can to avoid Endeavor. He (understandably) wants nothing to do with him, and shows stagnant resistance to his attempts to atone.

The reason why Natsuo can't move on from the past is because his trauma didn't come from Endeavor. It came from Touya.

Now initially we were led to believe that it was simply Touya's untimely death that still bothers Natsuo, and it makes sense seeing how Endeavor drove him to the edge. Losing his best friend and brother as a young kid without parents to support him or any therapist to speak of can absolutely been the source of persistent emotional damage, but the more and more we learn about Touya's situation, the more evident it becomes that Natsuo's trauma is much much deeper than even grief.

Touya, as we know, was driven by an ambition instilled in him by his father and experienced extreme rejection sensitivity when those ambitions were no longer realistic. Touya's relationship with his parents could be described as insecure attachment, a psychological term primarily regarding how kids react and respond to their parents and other close relationships. As he was raised, Touya learned to equate his potential to be a hero with his personal worth and similarly confounded attention with love. The difference being, of course, that love is unconditional, but even attention was being continually directed away from him as a punishment for continuing to train and burn himself so he could once again become worthy in his fathers' eyes.

This is where Natsuo comes in. At first it was assumed that all of the Todoroki children were born out of Endeavor's strong-willed desire to have a child that could surpass All Might, but we learned that this isn't exactly the case. I'd argue that it was narratively poetic on Horikoshi's part once this was expanded upon. Fuyumi was born to support and encourage her brother, and that is the exact role she plays 23 years later, keeping her family together.

Natsuo's case is even more intersting.

It was bad enough if Natsuo was only born for the potential of his quirk, but it's even more sinister that the sole intent behind his birth was to discourage Touya from his ambitions. I'd say it was to replace him, but it was more to promote the idea that Touya was expendable than to raise aonther kid with the same ideals but the potential to actually achieve it, although that was definitely a secondary motivation.

The parallelism in this is how much Natsuo's life revolves around Touya. He was born because of Touya, he looked up to and took care of Touya as a kid, and the absence of Touya in the present continues to drive him and his decisions in life (but more on that later).

I continue to pray that we will eventually get more solid backstory on Natsuo and Touya's relationship as kids and where it cut off, wether on a bad note or not, but there are a few things we know for certain. One, Touya was mentally ill. Yes, he was rejected by his parents but he seems to have been particularly vulnerable to this compared to any of his siblings since he was the first of them and thus relied only on his parents for validation in his early years. He shows early signs of a variety of different mental disorders, particularly BPD, which I have previously written a whole analysis for on its own. Touya is shown self-harming both by the very nature of his quirk and even by very directly ripping his hair out. He was incredibly self-destructive.

This is why it is so much more concerning to me that Natsuo, who was AT LEAST four years younger than him, was his primary source of comfort. Natsuo was too young to have known anything more than 'my big brother is sad that daddy won't train him anymore' and he obviously wasn't equipped in any way to handle Touya's severe mental illness. Touya most definitely needed professional treaatment as his forms of coping were abnormal even for the neglect and rejection that he experienced. Natsuo comforted Touya through breakdown after breakdown, and more than that Touya relied on him and came to him voluntarily for support. Natsuo was the best option he had, and he took full advantage of that. The main source of Natsuo's trauma was Touya's reliance on him.

Not to say at all that this was in any way Touya's fault- he was mentally ill and desperately in need of some form of comfort to keep him sane; it was almost a survival method at this point since neither of his parents really acknowleged him at all anymore. Touya's instability hurt Natsuo more than parental neglect ever did, but it was the neglect that enabled it and striped Touya of the supportive atmosphere he would have needed at this point not only to prevent but to heal from the mental damage he had already suffered.

Natsuo dealt with this for years and you can see how much it hurt him to see Touya in so much pain, not only from Endeavor's rejection but from his own self harm as well. For Natuso to know that his brotherly love would never be the same as having loving parents; would neve be enough- but at least it was something so he continued to love and care about his brother for little in return- is indicative of the kind of character he is.

(Edit: After the events of chapter 302 we know that Natsuo's relationship with Touya wasn't perfect. I will elaborate more on this in a different post, but I just wanted to clarify that although we were shown a very high-tension scene between them, it is implied that this was a regular occurrence that Natsuo was usually more receptive too but tired out of, in addition to Touya's spiraling mental health. It fit with the natrative to show the tension Touya was feeling with his family from all directions, but Natsu and Touya clearly had a stronger relationship up to and before this point, evidenced by their sharing a room and playing together regularly.)

He is incredibly selfless, and it's interesting to note how many of his positive qualities as an adult stem from negative experiences as a kid. He never really felt love from his parents, so he relied on Touya (and likely also Fuyumi) for that as well. If he grew up learning he had to give love in order to recieve it back, it absolutely influenced who he became in the future, a solid example of this being the responsibility he feels to reach out and have a relationship with Shouto and further regrets that he wasn't able to help his abuse in the past either. Another aspect of his character that intruigues me is how gentle he is. Personality-wise he seems about as opposite as he could be from the awkward, stoic, emotionally-stunted person that is Endeavor.

There are a couple of reasons for this, beyond what I've already discussed.

One, he had little to no contact with elements of toxic masculinity growing up, especially not from Endeavor.

Two, most of the influence he did have growing up was from Fuyumi, who is established to have endlessly cared for him since he was a literal baby.

Three, he grew up in a household where almost everyone around him was in much more literal, immediate pain than he was so he developed a very strong sense of empathy that might also have been tied to early survivor's guilt.

Now I have one important distinction to make, and that's the temptation to label him as a 'softboy' or something of the like after seeing him caring for his family and more pointedly, watching him break down in tears during chapter 252. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with men being soft or vulnerable (on the contrary it's actually so so important and relevant that Hori is writing characters like this in a mainstream shounen manga but that's an essay for another time), it is unfair to label him as such based on a moment when his trauma is being exposed.

Because his truama stems from such a young age, there is a blurry line between just being born with more emotional intelligence and the situation he was in fostering those traits. You know, the classic nature/nurture thing. My point being, it's important to tread carefully when discussing the nature of his personality to avoid invalidating his trauma; I have no doubt that he is very strong for having survived these things, and the moments we see of him onscreen are definitely among his most vulnerable.

Another thing that people less familiar with Natsuo's character might assume is that he is hot-headed and argumentative. I thought that at first too- after all, he doesn't seem to shy away from yelling at Endeavor when given the opportunity. However, this doesn't seem to be the case at all.

The first real scene we see him in with Endeavor, the man walks into the room and Natsuo decides he can't handle it and goes to leave. However, Endeavor happens to be blocking the doorway. Endeavor physically stops him and provokes him to his face, asking him to say whatever is on him mind. While Natsuo is notably not confrontational, Endeavor is. I think it's fair to say that he felt at least uneasy at this gesture. Natsuo is very honest with his feelings, and it's obvious that he's pissed at the audacity of Endeavor to be so oblivious to his own son. This is presumably one of the first real interactions they've ever really had, and at this point Natsuo has been dealing with trauma (caused by Endeavor!) on his own for years, and Endeavor seems completely oblivious to his pain and dismmisive to the rest of the family's as well.

Again during the internship arc Natsuo tries to get along with Endeavor and this time he actually gives it a fleeting chance. Tensions are high, however, and the conversation very quickly becomes uncomfortable, at which point he leaves. It is continually implied that Natsuo is uncomfortable being around Endeavor because his very presence brings up painful thoughts and memories of a time when sharing the same space as him was a warning to run and hide. This is later directly confirmed by Natsuo as he says that every time he looks at Endeavor's face he remembers Touya and the pain he was in.

I feel like an important side note is that we have never seen Natsuo outside the context of his family, which is understandable, as the role he plays in the story directly relates to them. However, if you take a look at Shouto, even though his experiences have shaped him to become who he is, he definitely acts differently when Endeavor's not in the vicinity.

Back to Touya's death, it would be very rare that someone would mourn a death for an entire decade without finding closure unless there are other factors preventing it, and uncomfortably this seems to be the same thing for both Natsuo and Endeavor: guilt.

This is getting incredibly long already, but it's important to note that Natsuo probably felt an incredible responsibility to take care of Touya and protect him because of his empathetic nature. His love was never going to be the same as having loving parents. His encouragement was never going to be the same as having support from Endeavor. Even further than then neglect and abandonement, it was not being able to save Touya that really made Natsuo feel worthless.

He seems to try and remedy this inability to save Touya and diminish his guilt by doing everything he can to be better. He reaches out to Shouto to be a better brother, he consistently pushes his limits to entertain Fuyumi's notion of a happy family, and he's working hard towards a degree rhat will allow him to help people like Touya (and Rei) because he failed to do so in the past.

His bio mildly implies that he didn't have much of a direction he was heading in after high school, but Fuyumi's encouragement led him to seek out his current college career. This goes back to Natsuo's 'purpose' in a sense revolving arount Touya, from his birth to his relationship with him to his death, after which he lost his direction. They were always rather inseperable, so naturally their seperation hit Natsuo hard. He lost his direction in life so when Fuyumi encouraged him to rediscover it, he thought of helping people, because that's ultimately what he was born to do.

Thank you so, so much for reading this if you made it to the end! I clearly have a lot of thoughts on this. Let me know what you think about it as well, and hopefully we'll get more info on this soon in the manga :)