#also just i like writing people playing cards as a symbol for relationships

[theminecraftbee]

25 for the wrapped drabble!

25: "Bremen", PigPen Theater Co.

It was part of the plan, everbody would stand On their hind legs, hands holding high the other Like a tower of brothers, and the one on the top Would crow warnings and call in the morning And call out the storm that was coming The one on the bottom would steer 'til the road was clear And people would learn to rejoice and to fear our coming

It is, ironically, a mild, wet temperature over Dogwarts, the sort of weather that mostly feels dreary rather than being properly cold, or snowy, or icy, or any of the sorts of things that the kinds of people who claim to bring forth winter would be expected to have over their fortress.

"Oh, come on, you've gotta be cheating!" says Skizz, throwing his cards down on the table. They're stained a strange purple. "Dippledop, tell them that he's cheating."

"I mean, I don't know, Skizz," Impulse says. "You aren't good enough at cheating to have taught me how to spot it..."

"I mean, you're the one marking cards," Martyn says idly.

"You know I can't help it!" says Skizz. "It's my ender-what's-its. My purple scales. My, my general, uh, what's a good word for it -"

"Ourple," Etho says.

"What?" Impulse says.

"He's ourple," Etho says, and then doesn't elaborate at all.

"You know, if you're going to accuse me of cheating, why not accuse him?" Martyn says. "I mean, look at him. He's wearing a mask while we're playing poker. That's basically against the rules."

"I don't have a face, man," Etho says.

"Did you mean -" Big B starts. Impulse puts a hand on his leg. Big B stops.

"I'm just saying," Martyn says, as he takes the distraction as an excuse to palm one of the cards using and replace it with a king he's been keeping in a pocket. He knows the king won't be suspicious largely because he's been keeping track of the cards Skizz has had, and the king he's about to put in his hand is the same one that Skizz had three hands earlier.

Martyn is going to win, like, so many meaningless favors from people who are all definitely going to die before Martyn can call them in, but hey. He's definitely going to die before he has a chance to worry about it, either.

(At one point, it had been about winning. He's good at cheating.)

"You know what, yeah! That is cheating! Show us your face, huh, Etho?" says Skizz, pointing dramatically. Big B snorts into his cards.

"Uh, I mean, I don't know, man," Etho says, putting his hands up and nervously backing up. "It's like - you know I don't take this off..."

"Actually, yeah," Impulse says. "I sorta wanna see you try to keep a poker face. Take it off, Etho."

"Woah, woah boys. I know we're all friends here, but I don't know if I'm ready for a strip tease," Martyn says, which makes Etho turn bright red, and also makes Big B flustered enough that Martyn can see his hand. Okay, that's not a threat. Not that Big B's a threat to anyone, really, but he's still green for a reason.

Skizz isn't a threat for a completely different reason. His heart's right there on his sleeve. He has a shit hand this round. He gave that given that well away the moment he drew it.

That leaves Etho and Impulse to figure out.

"I - oh, geez, guys," Etho says. "I -"

"Take it off!" Skizz starts chanting. "Take it off! Take it off!"

"I'm - I like you guys, but I'm not taking off my mask!" Etho says. "Impulse, Impulse, we're buddies. You should understand!"

"Yeah, but like..." Impulse says, before shrugging. "I mean, if it really upsets you, I guess... Guys, maybe we should stop."

"Naw, don't try to talk him out of it!" Skizz says.

"Haha, you know, I want to see it too," Big B says. "It's a bonding thing, right?"

"Oh, well you can't argue with the bonding thing, now can you," Martyn says.

"Guys," Impulse starts saying, and then there's the sound of a creaking door, and everyone stops at once as the courtyard changes from dreary and wet to a certain chill. If Martyn didn't know any better, he'd say it's the chill of the grave, but there hadn't ever been any for him, so. Probably not.

Instead, it's just...

"My loyal Dogwarts," says Ren, quietly. "What is all of this commotion about?"

"We're playing cards, My Lord," Martyn says immediately. "See?"

He shows his hand to Ren. Ren chuckles.

"Well, laddie. Show me how you win at cards."

Well, the answer to that's 'by cheating'. But he can't really show Ren that, now can he? He's got to keep some things in his pocket. Besides, it's not like any of the favors in the pot matter.

They're all gonna die before they matter. Some of them already are.

Martyn loses the hand to Impulse. He collects the favors with a sheepish grin. Ren barks out a laugh. "You'll get them next time, laddie."

"I'm sure I will," Martyn says.

"Mom, Ren's playing favorites," Etho whines.

"That's - that's unbecoming a knight of -"

"Yeah, Ren's playing favorites," Big B says.

"I mean, dudes, uh, I mean - my loyal Dogwarts -"

Martyn laughs so hard that he forgets to pay attention, and loses the next hand too.

[sunnystars2023]

Ways BNHA Boys Show their love

Group 2

Synopsis: The ways the boys of BNHA show their love and affection to you.

Characters Included: Izuku Midoriya, Shoto Todoroki, and Tenya Iida.

Group 1/Group 3

🔋👾🌀⭐️🐸⭐️🌀👾🔋👾🌀⭐️🐸⭐️🌀👾🔋

Izuku Midoriya

Midoriya is semi ok with PDA he like people to know that you two are together with out having to say it. He like feeling close to you but he won't kiss you on the lips in public.

Midoriya takes notice of the little things you do and or like. He has his own journal about you. He knows when you've reached your limits and when you need breaks. He knows everything you enjoy from movies to flowers. You guys know each other so well its almost instinctual.

Midoriya is a sweetheart but after his first year at UA he grew some tough skin. Training to be a hero already puts you on edge but Training to be a symbol is harder especially when you're on the line. He doesn't play when it comes to you.

Izuku Midoriya might be a softy at times but when it comes to you, his friends, and Civilians, he's a protecter.

Shoto Todoroki

Todoroki likes to be private so PDA is a no go for him as publicity is a bitch and he’s still Endeavors son. Not that he doesn’t wanna show you off it’s just he doesn’t want a bunch of randos having extra pictures of him much less with you. He makes an exception for hand holding on days where you both need a little extra love. Behind closed doors, thats when he becomes so clingy even just in the dorms and not in your personal rooms.

Todoroki at first isn’t to sure how to be someone’s partner as none of the girls that pursued him never got his attention. The only example he has is Natsuo but he doesn’t ever bring his girlfriend home, but he watched you quietly and would talk to you about what you wanted and what you liked and would listen about topics you grossly know too much about. As time goes on he figures it out, learns what you need and is so sweet but still a little dense.

Todoroki loves to spoil you when he has the chance. When he and Endeavor started to re-kindle their relationship Todoroki accepted a Debit card that is loaded for necessities and such. So if you even whisper of wanting something and he can get it, he’s already got it. He says quote ‘You’re so kind and deserving so why wouldn’t I get it’. Not only is he physically Rich but he also once he gets comfortable with you and the relationship is a Rich lover.

Shoto Todoroki is a learner but a Rich lover so be good to him and he’s good to you.

Tenya Iida

Iida is a strong class leader along side Momo. He is very confident and concentrated on being a good class rep. He like Bakugo HATES PDA as he sees it as A) breaking the rules and B) a breach of your intimate privacy. He will only hold hands if you just absolutely need some affection. He prefers to be touchy behind closed doors.

Iida is strict to his rules even with himself. He tries to keep everything in line. Tries as when it comes to you he will lightly bend the rules for you. If it’s late and you need him, his doors open even past curfew sometimes. Wanna cuddle and end up falling asleep in his bed, he lets you until curfew and brings you to your dorm room. He would bend any rule for you. Bend not break. He is more loyal to you than a dog is to his owner. Iida will not stand for any slander or insults towards you or about you.

Iida is hard working and driven by his peers. He won’t give up and won’t stop working towards his goals so be lucky that you became one of them. He cherishes you and thinks the world of you. He thinks of you as more then just a girlfriend. You’re his partner and Best friend. He helps you with whatever you need. No he won’t give you answers to homework but he will let you borrow his highlighted notes with tips hand written in the margins and go over the assignment without judgment. He also brings you books that he thinks you’d like and writes more notes in the margins for you varying from sweet I love yous to pointed out things that reminded him of you.

Tenya Iida is a smart lover, loyal companion, and a hard-worker. He is as good as gold so take care of him.

🔋👾🌀⭐️🐸⭐️🌀👾🔋👾🌀⭐️🐸⭐️🌀👾🔋

Masterlist <- here

Thank you sm for reading! Check out other parts for more characters! If you want more content follow my wattpad @sunnystars2023!

[krisluxxee]

HOW DOES YOUR PERSON FEEL ABOUT YOU? PICK-A-CARD

Pile (1): FALLBACK

Cards: Tower (reversed, Magician, Two of Cups (reversed) Ten of Swords, King of Wands (reversed) and the Seven of Wands and Three of Pentacles at the bottom of deck.

I was going to start off by saying “your person” however, according to the cards, it’s best to say “the person on your mind”- is feeling vulnerable at this time. I am getting Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Aquarius and or Taurus energy thus far. Anyway, I just felt like giving up while writing this. Someone in this dynamic feels powerless, mentally drained, and ultimately wanting or needing to give up. (I just got so discouraged and tired randomly) For some of you, this may be an ex that made you feel this way and the universe has brought them back into your life.

There may be an opportunity presenting itself to rekindle the relationship or a friendship though, you feel drained. For others of you, this may be someone new that you are interested in but due to past failures in relationships- you have very little energy, effort or hope that something can manifest with a potential love interest. If this is not how you are feeling, then they are. As always, this scenario is due to someone being hurt in the past and therefore, are currently unwilling to move forward or open to someone new. Another case could be that someone is fearful of being open to someone new or in general and if you are interested in someone like this- it may be a warning that your energy will become drained “chasing” someone. Intuitively, I am being told that this may be a quick lesson or REMINDER that all things happen in Divine Time, and nothing is a coincidence. Some of you, the universe is playing “games” with you. The universe knows you may want this person, opportunity or whatever but this time, you cannot control it. You are learning to not control it, therefore, if you are starting to feel drained because something isn’t going your way or pace… fall back and let go! It’s like a tease but understand it’s temporary.

Some of you may have a debilitated 7th house, 8th house, 12th house, 1st house but you don’t have to. Nevertheless, this pile doesn’t have energy. This dynamic does not have energy. The more you or they, try to manipulate this the more it becomes drained and strained. I would suggest embracing a spiritual or higher perspective and know that rejection is protection or simply, it’s just not the right time. It’s like a car engine that won’t turn on in the winter and no matter how many times you try to jump it, nothing. I’ve been in that situation before and it was only when I left it alone, found another means of transportation. Then I would try again later, and my engine would turn on. Granted, I was happy, but I went and bought a new BATTERY to be safe and sure and I suppose my story is symbolic for waiting but moving along at the same time. Funny, I shuffled more, and the Chariot card came out- no lie. Anyway, that is all I have for this pile. There’s no energy now and it may seem like a false start but there are things manifesting in the background.” Blessings in Disguise”. I feel strongly that some of you need reassurance and here it is. You may resonate with another Pile considering this feels like the beginning of a relationship or something. . .

Pile (2): COBWEBS

Cards: Seven of Cups, Queen of Swords (reversed), Hierophant, Queen of Cups, High Priestess, Wheel of Fortune, Death (reversed), Two of Cups (reversed), and Five of Cups (reversed) at the bottom of deck.

With the Wheel of Fortune present, this suggest that Astrology is involved. Something has shifted from your (or your persons) Natal birth chart, Solar Return or Progressive chart. I could also be picking up on a futuristic shift nevertheless, a time of failed relationships, loneliness, and or being distant from people/ relationships is coming to an end. The Queen of Swords is not relationship oriented, not in the 7 of cups sense that most believe “love” should be- like being emotional, sensitive, vulnerable, clingy, and OPEN. The Queen of Swords is too smart, logical, and PICKY for that. Someone may have Aquarius, Scorpio, Virgo placements that has prevented getting close and or intimidate with someone. Anyway, there’s a shift of being judgmental, picky and or avoidant to being emotional, open, and desiring a relationship.

This could be what was causing “no energy” or a delay in Pile 1 but it could be totally unrelated. Regardless, someone here is feeling very emotional and dreamy currently for what seems like the first time.  I don’t necessarily feel like there is someone solid in your life though, you may want one or are actively manifesting one. I started to shuffle to clarify the Queen of Cups and surprise, surprise- the Lovers card came out with the Three of Wands (reversed) and Eight of Cups. You or maybe the other person you don’t know yet (or well) is realizing that being emotionally distant, avoidant, and unbothered is not opening the path or doors they want in love and relationships. The Lovers card is about a choice but more so, about your masculine and feminine energy within, being in balance. When one if off, then the other cannot operate properly and in the physical, this manifest as someone having “something missing” that you cannot deal with. Example, if you lack masculine energy within and are unable to be assertive- you will then attract a man or woman who lacks assertiveness especially when it comes to you.

Or, if you are emotionally closed off and in denial that you want love etc. than you will attract men and or women who are emotionally unavailable and so forth. The Lovers card is a mirror of “as within and so without”. This further confirms my interpretation of the cards about a shift occurring within someone. Honestly, this pile feels like soulmates/ twin flames getting prepared for UNION. This pile feels like two people who may not know each other at all or vaguely, who are manifesting each other unknowingly. This pile is like two people who would tell themselves “I don’t want love, relationships, kids, a family, marriage, sex, intimacy” NOTHING. . . and yet, the cards, the energy and GOD determined that was A LIE. I clarified the Seven of Cups and the Seven of Swords (reversed), the Eight of Pentacles and Two of Wands (reversed) came through. This confirms the lies that some of y’all been telling yourselves. (the Devil just appeared also) all these lies and self-deceit. I would look at your Solar Return chart for next year because I’m telling you- something is going to POP OFF. I wanted to clarify the Hierophant because with this card comes lessons and guidance around self-esteem, commitments, hard work, and one’s values. I can see with the cards that clarified that most of you, or your person coming in- uses work and everything else to distract themselves.

I see that you have all been hurt or disappointed in relationships that may have influences low self-esteem that is covered up with LIES that you don’t want this or that lol, but 1) you were going through a challenging cycle in life 2) there’s a new shift coming soon. The Hierophant is Taurus and Sagittarius to me, so this card also represents time and learning. It’s been a long time that is coming to an end. Some of you have one more year, 8 months (and countdown) until the shift is complete. If you chose this pile, it’s time to clean out the cobwebs in your panties and boxer briefs because soon- someone will be up in there FAITHFULLY … HA! Pile One may resonate with you if you chose this pile.

PILE (3): OVER IT

Cards: Emperor (reversed), Seven Pentacles (reversed), Three Swords, Two of Wands, The Word (reversed). The Ace of Swords (reversed, Knight of Cups (reversed), Ace of Pentacles at the bottom of deck.

I felt drawn to immediately clarify the Two of Wands card and the Five of Cups came out. This suggest that there may be an ex, refer to Pile One, that you are deciding to move on from. If it’s not an ex per se than it’s indicating a behavior, belief, or habit that you are moving away from because it attracted relationships that are not in your best interest and caused pain. ANYWAY, there’s an opportunity being presented to move forward- Pile two may resonate with those who feel it’s time to get on the road again – quite literally. Some of you may feel the urge to move to a different state or country or even a new job. I feel like you may run into your life person when you do. This is obviously talking about getting out of your comfort zone- keep that in mind. I usually have more to say but not this time. It’s either move on or stay where you are.

[mysteryanimator]

I love your animations, but I'm still struggling to view them without thinking about their last canon interaction. Can you tell me what you envision their makeup would be like?

(Lol I’m so sorry to all the ppl who work on Nocturne reading this 💀 and just generally everyone)

Thank you so much that means a lot! But now, you’ve unveiled my trap card and given me an excuse to write my thoughts on Mizrak and Olrox, so this will get pretty long. Also, this may end up being very subjective/personal taste in some parts so I hope everyone doesn’t mind (and hope you don't mind the funky grammar!) This is an open discussion too, I’d like to hear everyone’s thoughts! 

Now with that out of the way here we go!

(This is old unfinished storyboards for a previous iteration of their makeup scene I did back in jan, never finished them due to uni/another project, I'd like to someday tho because guh the themes.)

Now first of all, I’d like to think that a proper makeup/conversation wouldn’t happen for a bit and would be drawn out because they’re both still hurt, angry, sad, and confused at not only each other but themselves. They’re not the type to get into loud verbal arguments for this, definitely some verbal jabs at each other though. Mean petty comments, oh absolutely. I’d like to personally believe they’d still yearn for each other, perhaps even more so after Olrox indirectly confessed and Mizrak practically turned it down. 

Now, there are soooo many different ways that they’d even see each other again, many different ways it could come to that initial point where they’ve made up. Though I’ll go with one of my personal idea (which people keep egging me on to animate WHICH… I dunno I don’t have free time rn so I’m just blurting it out into written format while I can 😭 I want to though, maybe later in the year for fun if season 2 doesn’t beat me to it). 

Have to establish my vision, but I’d think that Richter, Maria, Annette, Alucard and Mizrak are hopping from abandoned town to abandoned town due to the inability to return to Macheoul for the time being. While Olrox has been on his own (doing what, I’m not even sure my personal headcanon for this.) I think Alucard and Mizrak have a conversation about Alucard’s past in a group setting and it strikes a chord with the monk- since after all, Alucard’s dad is THE Dracula, and his mother (bless her, I miss her) is human. You know how that whole backstory goes, and it parallels Olrox a lot. Also Mizrak and Annette will absolutely have a deep conversation too. Just solely from the comment that was made: 

“We’re all descended from gods, we just have to learn how to draw their power.” Nocturne s1 ep 2

Annette clearly having powers from Haitian gods, absolutely challenging how Mizrak was only certain of one God. Yes, Mizrak is extremely stubborn and it will take him a bit, but he’s different from the Abott in the sense that he will not let religion blind his path to good. He ‘uses his head’ as said before, not god, not the church- his head. Mizrak’s idea of the church and his faith is now a mess and it’s up to him on how he interprets it and rewrites it knowing what he knows now (this is important I swear when it comes to the makeup scene).

Now we’re at the actual scene at hand: Olrox and Mizrak making up.

Side note: oh god I’m practically writing this whole thing as if its going to be played out for an episode, but that’s how it works in my brain LOL but you asked so you shall receive. I am so sorry HAHA

There’s been a lot of build up from this point where they have been meeting up here and there by themselves, but you can clearly tell whenever they do they both hurt and yearn- which would lead to their proper makeup scene. I’m just inserting this for fun, but I’d imagine this would take place in an abandoned church in the town they’re camping in for the night. For a lot of symbolic reasons; devotion, sacrifice, forgiveness, gathering. This along with the simple fact, Mizrak’s relationship to the church has changed completely from here. I’d like to think that even when he’s trying to rekindle that connection with God, it leaves that icky overcoat on his skin. 

“Faith is a company in the hardest of times, when the world abandons you.” Nocturne ep 3

The church indeed had saved him from whatever terrible horrific thing happened to him in the past, however whatever saved him can still be horrible and terrible too. It is infallible.  It is cruel in an attempt to gather community and peace. So, yes- faith can be company when the world abandoned him, but his faith is no longer with the church. He’s taking it back and finding some place else to rest it. (Olrox, it’s Olrox, probably ooc but I’m making it Olrox). 

In this church, the conversation between them will initially start as a discussion about religion, faith and that whole sort of deal. It’ll open up about Mizrak exact struggles from his mouth and how he particularly feels about it, then we get more insight onto Olrox’s thoughts, his perception of the church and perhaps even a deep dive into Aztec history again. Maybe even talk about Olrox’s Quetzalcoatl form, though really this is self indulgent. It’s an aspect I’d absolutely love to be explored and I think it being discussed in revere in a Catholic Church,  with Mizrak actually being open to it due to his new perspective? Oh my god, sign me up. Regardless, it would hold similar energy to episode 6: Gulity Men to be Judged. There’s a weight to it. 

Then it gets heavier when the conversation pivots.  

Mizrak’s attachment in the church was due to him caring about people and, hypothetically, to save him from whatever detriment came for him in the past. The last canon interaction, their falling out they had in season 1 was because he cared about others. To a fault. Now, here he is, standing in front of someone he cares about. It’s going to open a conversation between what’s happening between them and finally properly discuss what happened from their last canon interaction in nocturne season 1. 

A lot of finger and hand brushing from Olrox, which at first I’d think gets no reaction as an attempt for restraint before Mizrak warms up to it and even reciprocates by doing the same thing. All of this is very gentle in my opinion. It’s slow, tender, and most importantly vulnerable. It has the physical contact reminiscent of their first fast rough and tug in the courtyard and piggybacks off the vulnerability they both have when they both stand next to the window in episode 6. They probably also just physically get closer to each other at the moment. Just gradually though. The distance gets closer and closer until their foreheads are practically touching without them realizing it. They’re comfortable though, they don’t want to leave. 

They absolutely get to a point where they both admit to saying “I love you” without straight up saying “I love you” because that’s just a very them thing. Or maybe they do straight up state because Olrox does admit he was in love (with his partner) and doesn’t shy from that fact. It’s a nice conversion of the trope and great to hear from a mlm couple to say I love you… but man do I do love when characters get all poetic-y when their profess their devotion to each other by literally talking in prose, so maybe with good writing both can be done and still be quite powerful but still be gentle. 

In my interpretation YEAH I’LL MAKE THEM KISS AFTER THIS, this is my vision after all. Also, yeah they’re gonna fuck. In the church? Perhaps. Is it a tad OOC, maybe. HOWEVER, consider imagery and symbolism. I just think the image of it would be great, even if it was censored to hell and back, it can be so artistically done. Just imagine the implication alone with me for a second. I think the whole concept of doing it in a church is an interesting build upon the quotes from the show;

“God is not here. This church is an empty box.” From the first Castlevania series.

“House of God? This place is just a heap of bricks and stone.” From Nocturne said by Maria. 

The church is a husk, especially having it abandoned- it’s rather what you do with that box that makes all the difference. The people inside are the driving force, so I think it’s both poetic and funny to have Mizrak and Olrox fucking in an abandoned church. Surface level: fuck you god I’m fucking my hot vampire boyfriend in your house. Deeper level: I could write a whole thing on this but I’ll refrain. You can get the gist of breaking free of restraint, and devotion and letting himself be human, rather than a soldier (which he already slowly does). 

Though also this sex scene isn’t necessary, I just like exploring explicit content in artistic ways, especially if I can throw in religious symbols and heighten that hunger/devotion to a person- but the “I love you” in the church is pretty powerful already.  

Then after all of this they take it at their own pace. However, they only live life once and continue together like that- they both know this concept very well because of the very nature of who they are, so they spend it in each other’s company. 

Now you also get the squad’s reactions, well namely because I do not think this would be an easily hidden thing. Like absolutely could get away with it in season 1, but everyone will know something is up for sure in my iteration. The 'hypothetical' Mystery Animator season 2 iteration. As subtle as their longing stares and quiet hand touches may be reserved for just them- those little interactions are loud.

Richter would absolutely be in shambles over Olrox, the killer of his mother, and Mizrak being a thing. Both in a “this is the most horrible thing that’s happened in my life” and also a he’s going to be an absolute shithead to Mizrak and make fun of him, lightheartedly of course. Alucard would absolutely have an interesting perspective because again, his parents. Maria already has disdain for the church plus the “vampires are evil… and evil has to be fought.” However, in the presence of Alucard, I think a lot will change because he’s half-vampire. Annette, I’m unsure of what her reaction would be, because I’m very sure she’d be receptive to Alucard being a vampire and then would appreciate Olrox’s mindset and values. However, gonna keep hammering, Olrox killed Julia Belmont which I feel will be comedically hammered in if Olrox decides to hang around the squad occasionally. 

And with that, we’re done! (I think)

Thank you for reading 🫶 this probably will not happen in cv s2 but it’s fun blurting out my hc. I’m really excited to see what they do, and even perhaps even go in the opposite direction due to episode limitations… maybe a season 3 👀 who knows.

[thewickedbohemian]

Thoughts on a magickal (in more ways than one) Brilliant Minds that got my brain a-whirring with symbolism and what things could all mean

ok where's your dad Wolf

nesting, so the thing they did on Extended Family (also NBC show, sadly cancelled last season) has a name

if we didn't know Wolf was gay I'd wonder if that was a play for him

relationship with the job I guess

so we're really trying for scientific proof of Van's issues

no kid?

guess she was too distracted to hear

god pregnancy pacts are creepy

nice handy-dandy slideshow

so Dana's got trauma

do they really all have to go

a little bit of weird gen Z writing

looks like there was a decidedly nonprofessional spark

ok Dana's panic attack looked full Carrie

dude, you're evaluating the patient not his attending

ok things just got real scary real fast

Van probably get out of there but don't let them baby you

creepy singing is creepy

so friendship is magic (but let's hope they don't have to go that far to bond)

And we have significator-y cards for all of them (Queen Of Swords for Ericka, Knight Of Cups for Jacob, Three Of Swords for Van, The Hanged Man for Dana and Death for Wolf), interested to see if those keep symbolic relevance down the line/what else could be drawn from their meanings beyond those challenges

did the death card have something to do with it

Dana's got a sister (even more lore)

bunch of teenage witches taking pregnancy pact up a notch

and the mystery girl's going into actual labor

Wolf's got a date and Carol's acting like a reverse GBF

identity revealed and could Wolf have been any more awkward

between Wolf, Van and this spell we've got a bit of an empathy-magic motif here

as some people predicted but not as bad Van's getting a little bit of labor-pain-by-proxy

but he still can take charge

Carol's got a potential date too but she needs to tame a wolf

and now panic attacks

everybody's healing

Wolf, follow your arcana, don't blow this

interns havin' a party and Van's entirely too proud of himself

anchor thing giving me Cassandra flashbacks and wondering if it's meant to be taken as a shiptease or not and wondering what Van's sexuality might even be (and hey if he were bi that'd be more Cass connection as he already has synesthesia)

so that's the tragedy of Dana's backstory and the principal should not have freaking done that

though now Dana's sister having a name that's the female version of Wolf's first name has got me thinking about connections between them with the loss and the substance-use-connections and the similar-outsider-y-ness and even with the tarot cards earlier if those end up meaning more Dana and Wolf were the only two who got Major Arcana cards (perhaps foreshadowing a sibling-esque connection forming) and now I'm wondering since it's unlikely it's a death-related thing what Dana's fear of stillness will turn out to be

not saying the fandom should force it if they don't want to but I wonder if "coven" could be the equivalent fandom term to what "ducklings" is for House but I've realized "wolf pack"/"cubs" (for just the interns) works better if the fandom doesn't use that to plunge into omegaverse hell

everybody's popping bottles

now I feel called out with my books and my music and stuff for similar sort of wanting to be alone

it's cute when guy and girl can just be friends and have what'd otherwise be couple-coded interaction

looks like we might be getting a pure-or-at-least-mainly mythology episode next week

[priestess-of-gale]

An oracle reading with Lord Gale:

I sat down today after my prayers to do an oracle reading with Lord Gale. I used my Halloween Oracle deck, since were coming into the season, and it always feel magical, and homely, like Him.

Let me tell you how unprepared I was. I have never felt a spirit or Deity come through so strongly. Like I just kept sitting there in stunned silence. And I had been worried that I wasn't maybe receiving the best connection with Him, and that maybe it wasn't going to work. Oh boy, do I not feel like that now. Turn's out he's quite happy to yap in real life as he is in game. Which was actually quite reassuring and endearing. He would often pull more than one card at a time, when I only needed one, and he just had allot to say.

I thought I would post the entire conversation. Any thoughts or things that pop up or stick out for you guys?

Question: Which card do You feel best represents Your energy? Answer: The Underworld-where all things pause and begin again. I was like okay, we're going hard as the card practically chucked itself at me. He seemed pleased that I was attempting communication in this way. I digress though, Gale literally talks about this, about the highs and lows proceeding the ambition, whether it turns out successfully or otherwise. He is literally the energy which sweeps us along and allows us to begin and try again.

Question: Please pick four cards that represent important aspects of You: Answer: Card One: Trick or Treat-mischief and play. Gale says He is a brilliant host in game, and He is able to bring people together IRL through shared joy and love of Him. He also has a playful spirit, and wants to remind me not to be so hard on myself. Card Two: Barmbrack-Sweetness and synergy. He is literally the God of magic, of the Galerian Weave, and this is a divination cake. He literally ambodies all magic with His new weave, and changed his own fate. He wants us to seek Him for petitions, and for magic, and trust in Him and His power.

Card Three: Graveyard-Unnecessary Fear. He suffered alone in His tower for over a year. He knows what it's like to fear. But He wants us to go to Him, take our fears to Him, sit with Him, and spend time with Him, and build a relationship with Him, and community with others. Even if that community is online. Card Four: Winter-the sacredness of pausing. He wants us to release what no longer serves us, as a God of change and transition. He wants us to take shelter in Him, and allow Him to work through us and begin anew. He wants us to feel safe enough to take our wants and desires and fears to Him, give them to Him, so He can help us. He wants us to feel at peace in Him. Credit where it's due he did only pick for cards for this one.

Question: Please will you pick two cards to represent signs and symbols of Yourself: Answer: Skull of Light-Illumination. Knowledge and wisdom bring enlightenment, and our shadows can shed our light if we allow them to. Light, illumination, stars, enlightenment, balance and growth are all aspects of His domain. Card Two: Spider-community and web weaving. I literally pulled it and was like why spiders? And then I understood and was blown away. Gale is God of the Galerian Weave. He talks about viewing Mystra as everything, and this card talks about spider Gods creating and weaving life. Through His weave He is God of all aspects of life and death. There is nothing He does not touch, and can not help with. He is knowledge, and connection, and wants us to connect with one another. He values kindness towards others.

Question: What kind of connection do You want with me? Answer: Trick-or-Treat, mischief and play. He wants a playful relationship. It doesn't have to be perfect, and I don't have to always get it right. He wants me to find life and joy again. (More about this, a little backstory if you will, once I'm finished writing up the notes on the reading.)

Question: Is there anything I can do for You? Answer: Skull of stars, and graveyard. This is one of the questions He picked extra cards to answer. He wants me to let go of the anxiety, the insecurity, the thoughts and belief that I'm not good enough, not for anyone, really. He wants me to forgive myself for the past, as I'm too hard on myself and expect too much. I don't always have to achieve being good, as long as I don't stop trying to grow and better myself. He wants me to allow myself to begin anew again, as His follower, and grow and better myself. Take back my creativity, the things that are important to me, and just for myself (fandom). And he wants me to dream bigger, maybe go for that teaching apprenticeship.

Question: Is there anything You want me to know right now? Answer: He picked an extra card for this one too. The first one he picked was Nightsong though. He wants me to listen to Him, to follow Him through the darkness. He finds value within me, and within my talents. I am good enough for Him The second card: Apple, risk and reward. Don't be afraid to change and grow. Apples are the fruit of knowledge, of teachers. And Gale is willing to guide and teach me, and catch me when I fall. There is wisdom and knowledge to be learnt in everything. Knowledge is a sacred ambition, and apples are sacred to Him. When He talks about apples?

Question: Is there anything You want people to know that are interested in walking with You and following You? Answer: He chose three cards for this one. Card One: Vampire-emotional intelligence. Focus on Your attention and energy on what matters to you, and what drives you. Discard that which does not serve you. Card Two: Wise seeing, wise action. Wisdom and knowledge are important tools to better your life with, and are sacred to Him. He wants His followers to seek these things. Owls are sacred guardians of knowledge and He sees them as sacred to Him. Card Three: Mummy- Change. All endings, closed doors, and barriers are healthy pauses in life so that we can begin to change and grow. It is necessary and natural, and He is god of ambition, of growth. Flow with it, not against it.

Okay, a little back story. I was in a mental health unit a couple of weeks ago after trying to take my own life. I lost my ability to find joy in anything, and I was just numb. I really started up the blog around then, writing prayers to Him and letters to Him while I was so far away from home. He helped me deal with the homesickness I was feeling, with everything that felt like it had just fallen apart. He was the reason I coped. He was the reason I managed to smile again, to find value in my own life, after having had it taken away. He gave me back everything, really. And I craved His presence constantly. He was very patient with me. And now He wants me to try and live, and not merely exist. Which is quite the task for me, as I've been unwell for so long that I don't remember who I am without the illness. I'm trying for Him though.

I hoped that helps someone? I hope you guys find what you need in it. I'm sorry it's a long post, He really is a yapper. He came through so strong though, I could hardly believe it. Any thoughts or opinions?

[ryuichirou]

So do you have any more kuro ships, or is it just sebaciel and greenviolet?

Anon, I thought I’d just give you a link to the post where we mentioned our Kuro ships, but the post was written exactly a year ago (woah, this is freaky), and didn’t have a half of our ships, because after that point we read more manga and ended up having a lot of new ships.

So I wrote a new list and talked too much about everyone lol And I still think like I failed to mention a lot of ships and people…

A lot of these are “wow that would be hot” types of ships, and unfortunately I don’t have a lot of sketches (or any) for the majority of them, but maybe one day… I hope :”)

Beware of spoilers… and Ciel ships. A lot of Ciel ships.

Sebastian/Ciel – well that’s a given. Can’t talk about these two in this post, because it’ll be way too long, but maybe one day I’ll be enabled to write a long-ass essay about why they work so well as a ship… We used to dislike them lol mainly because we didn’t like Kuroshitsuji back in the day.

Undertaker/Ciel – not real!Ciel for now (haven’t seen a lot of him yet, so we’re a bit conflicted), just our og Ciel. Looking at some of the official arts, sometimes it feels like Kuroshitsuji is Yana’s sick “love” (heeeeavy quotes) triangle between Sebastian, Ciel, and Undertaker lol And this is much more complicated than that, but it’s still a fun idea, especially considering all the visual motifs and symbolism. But even without all that, Undertaker teases the hell out of Ciel, and this is always the best thing possible.

Lau/Ciel – speaking of teasing Ciel lol I love how annoying Lau is to Ciel sometimes, and how he is still one of the closest allies that he has. And Ciel doesn’t even trust him (or anyone), but is somehow okay enough with him to not only do business together but also play card games and such. I also love how to Lau, Ciel is like this ultimate entertainment: there is always something fucked up or fun going on in his house, so of course he’s going to come visit unannounced. Ciel is also pretty cute to him, and I can’t ignore this fact lol Of course he’d want him to wear a cute dress. This ship has a lot of aesthetic value…

Abberline/Ciel – “who?” you might say, and I shrug. Only the best character in the entirety of Kuroshitsuji? No biggie, really. In all honesty, this kind of started as a joke that went too far. For some reason, whenever Ciel sees an earnest man, he just can’t help himself and starts teasing (and straight up flirting with) him, and Abberline is very earnest. I love how he always teases him, how both he and Sebastian keep calling him “Underline” and stuff. It’s nothing too serious, but I feel like Ciel at the same time has some kind of a soft spot for Abberline because of how good-natured he is, and still is very condescending towards him somehow. Abberline is of course super oblivious and confused.

Diedrich/Vincent – this is pure insanity. I almost feel bad for Diedrich for putting this ship there, but it’s so stupidly entertaining, they are so great together, and by that I mean “wow Vincent really did fucked up this man’s entire life and went “I know you’re not going to do anything about it bitch <3””. They would make the best problematic sitcom about a toxic relationship…

Diedrich/Ciel – The Emerald Witch arc, man. It changes people. I can’t say that this is like a well thought-out ship, it’s mostly the whiplash from Ciel in a dress (again, for some reason) smugly commenting on how much Diedrich has changed that killed us. But all this aside, the idea of Diedrich being haunted by Vincent’s ghost he sees in Ciel’s eyes is also very amazing. Nothing healthy or good about that. But amazing.

Lau/Ran Mao – I’m sorry, these two are weirdly delightful. Maybe I just love Ran Mao too much and Katsu loves Lau too much, but the idea of them just always having the best of times together and being unapologetically horny while also actively making everybody around them sliiiightly uncomfortable is the best. Wait, what’s even better is the fact that they just keep lying about being siblings lol Are they doing that because everyone thinks that they are related because they think that all Asian people look the same? I hope they do.

Finnian/Ciel – these two really grew on us, well, we liked Finny even before due to his unhinged nature, and these two have a dynamc that is reeeally our cup of tea?? Very loyal but a bit naïve and absurdly strong (and creepy) boy + his young master?? Their interactions in the Emerald Witch Arc are wonderful. Finnian’s backstory is extremely sexy.

Finnian/Snake – really really love their dynamic and their bond, just two weird boys doing weird boys’ stuff. We haven’t read their part of the latest arc yet, but when we do, I’ll probably draw a couple of sketches of them, I really want to.

Greenhill/Violet – these two need no introduction… 🦁🐺💚💜 lovelies…

Redmond/Bluewer – while Herman and Gregory absolutely overshadowed these two, I want to note that we do love these boys too, and I really need to draw them too at least once. I still think about that one person who asked if we’re going to draw them… I feel so bad… they’re good together… I love smug assholes with glasses-wearing nerds…

Undertaker/Othello – these two are intriguing. What happened between you two? What’s going on now? The fact that Undertaker used to be so different from how we know him today is also very interesting, we would love to learn more about them, PLUS! Height difference + Othello cute.

Sebastian/William – I ALMOST FORGOT ABOUT THEM OH MY FUCKING GOD!! The Circus arc!! The amount of "mattaku"s William was sending Sebastian's way, talking shit about him all pettily, talking about how much he hated being stuck in the same tent as him, just how much more "please fuck me but I am playing hard to get though" can you get? I am sorry, this is our Sebastian/annoying shinigami ship.

Honorary mentions:

There are a lot of characters that we really love but don’t have any ships with (yet???), and examples would be Charles Grey, Cheslock, BLAVAT SKY!!!!!!!!, all the cunty boys from the Weston College arc LIKE MAURICE FOR EXAMPLE, Alois… kind of. Also women, but I’ll mention them later.

We love Alois very much, he is very special to us for a lot of reasons, but we didn’t really end up shipping-shipping him with Claude? I absolutely love Alois’ love for him, both in a shippy and in a character writing level, but Claude himself just doesn’t give back anything, which is exactly the point I guess. Ironically, this time around we got kind of invested in Claude/Ciel, because hoo boy this guy went absolutely bananas lol it was so entertaining to watch.

Ironically, the one character whose interactions with Alois we absolutely loved was Luka. And in a dramatic turn of events, the Shrouds ended up giving us a dynamic that is surprisingly similar to them, I guess Yana enjoyed these two as well. Well, you’ve probably heard us talking about this dynamic: “I would do anything for you even if it means everyone else dies, I just want you to be happy”, with a younger brother that looks so innocent but in actuality is very sinister and determined to do anything for his brother’s happiness. We ship them.

Also… Real Ciel? A can of worms that we aren’t quite ready to tackle yet lol Mostly because there’s little to no info about him yet.

Also also I can’t not mention women. Women of Kuroshitsuji are way too gorgeous, this isn’t fair. When Yana got asked about who she drew them for (considering the audience of the manga), she said that she drew them for herself and I felt it so much. Unfortunately, I can’t name any ship with them, but Nina, Jane, Mey-Rin and Ran Mao are… great. You can easily guess which arc completely annihilated me lol, I would love if it were a yuri manga….

Ending on a much less cursed note, we like Agni and Souma as a unit as well as their relationships and themes (and how they mirror Sebastian and Ciel), but we don’t ship them romantically because they’re not our type of relationship.

[blessed-are-the-deck-runners]

You can call me Lark.

Im convinced everyone stumbles into deck running in their own weird way. I was in Minneapolis, in the witch district. It’s sort of tucked away. I don’t think a lot of people notice it - one of those things where you gotta know what you’re looking for. I only heard about it because I had a coworker who had gotten a tattoo at a shop that recently opened there. It was owned by a witch who offered personalized protective sigils. I knew I had to get one - her designs were so cute! And I figured, at worst, she was a grifter and I’d end up with a cool tattoo and a fun story. In hindsight I’m surprised at how trusting it was, letting someone permanently ink whatever symbol they came up with onto my ankle. But it felt right. And nothing bad has happened yet. It’s been about a year since then.

I’ve continued to go back to the witch district to pick up candles and tea. I could get them other places, but I just enjoy the vibe. I don’t consider myself to be hardcore into magic. I like some of the folksy stuff. I also read tarot. Not professionally, just something I do for myself and friends. I’ve done some good with it I think. Good enough that I’m the go-to in our group. Good enough to help people decide to change the jobs, leave a shitty relationship. Mundane stuff.

A few days ago I was grabbing a few things at shop called The Future and I stopped by the little free library next door. Hate to say it, but most of the time in these things … it’s all junk. It’s fun to take a peak though, and this location can be good for the occasional zine. That’s where I found the book about deck running, using a deck of playing cards to trap demons and other spirits or entities. Anything demonic is normally wayyyy out of my wheelhouse. I usually just reassure myself that if I avoid them, they won’t take interest in me. I don’t even say or write their names normally. But. At that moment, I couldn’t bring myself to place the book back. I felt such a strong compulsion to bring the book home. I couldn’t stop reading it either. I devoured it. I practically finished the book on the bus ride. I immediately grabbed a deck of cards off the game shelf in the basement and got to work on them.

[lil228]

Red White and Royal Blue Notes Day 3 Part 2

WARNING spoilers for Red White and Royal Blue, both the movie and the book up to chapter nine

Also I made up a new game while reading this section the very basic explanation is that if I write down a prediction and it comes true I get a point there are more rules that I have for myself, and I'll proably post them later, because I plan to play this game with future books.

 Fun fact I googled it an Women at her Toilette is real (and safe for work) painting. 

I have a feeling I’m in for yet another spicy scene real soon

Okay, I know it’s like pretentious or whatever, but I think it’s cool that Henry likes classical music    

Oh, would you look at that I was right another spicy scene that’s number 7 for those of you counting along at home. 

Okay so did no one notice these two leave f’n WIMBLEDON? No one is wondering where they went? Dose Henry always just wander off. What to they think Henry and Alex are doing? Playing cards? Is it so inconceivable that these to are queer and in a sort of relationship that no one has even considered it? Come on!

Oh F*ck! Luna’s gone over to Richard’s campaign hasn’t he? 

I Fu*king called it! I knew R Luna was no good. How could he? That little traitorous b*tch!

Henry and Alex are in the same country so you know that that means! A spicy scene (at least I’m guessing there will be

I feel so bad for Alex, he really looked up to Luna, and wanted to be like him, and Luna wanted betrayed him and his family. 

“Someone else’s choices don’t change who you are” (Henry 229). I like that quote

Okay so it’s like the least spicy spicy scene but one of them gets naked so I’m going to count it that’s number 8! And another prediction point for me baby! Did I just make up prediction points yes, yes I did. And as of right now I have five (One for guessing that Amy knew what was going on, three for guessing the spicy scenes and one for predicting that Senator Luna was fishy/betrayed people) 

Okay so here my official rules for prediction points

It can’t have been something that I’ve know was going to happen because I’ve watched the movie (so for example I couldn’t say Alex and Henry are going to destroy an expensive wedding cake bc that happened in the movie)

If I didn’t write it down, only thought it it doesn't count

As long as I say I think it’s going to happen before it’s said in the text either explicitly or very heavily implied it’s fair game, even if there was foreshadowing I still get a point   

I can’t make super vague predictions  like Henry's going to talk about books or Alex is going to be sassy, because no duh.

 h my gosh, the fact that they acknowledge the symbolism of Henry hiding himself in a literal closet, is hilarious to me

[kendallville]

I think it's great that we all can read media and characters in such a different way!

For example I don't think he brushes past the fact that Ravenhead supporter pushed Sophie, for me it looked like he was already thinking about some big moves within ATN etc. The point of the scene being - for me - to show how out of touch with reality, this "call your daughter" mundane reality, Ken is, operating in the very weird world of big corporations etc. It's why this writing and acting in Succession is so good, it can be received so differently by each person.

As someone really interested in Logan-Ken relationship and their issues, I agree that Ken sees Logan as a god of sorts. But if anything, in the show itself, Logan is a symbol of "all that is wrong" in late capitalism and Ken is the one reading it since season one. He's been in the company for a long time, so it would be strange if he was oblivious about systemic issues, since he's seen Logan "seduce presidents" and use his power to bend legislations etc. I think that the tragedy of Ken is that he's split between his love and longing for Logan's approval and his individual opinions. And now he's thrown into running Waystar, something he dreamed about, something he's good at operationally, but it means abandoning his own convictions, which he does with disturbing ease. And "Sophie situation", for me, symbolizes it all, also it might be foreshadowing of the fallout between Ken and Rava and the kids, when Ken does become "more like Logan", and it would fit - he'd become as his father wanted, but lose all human connections as his father did. He'd be left with this big concept of Waystar, but destroy individual relationships (I'm just theorizing, in fact I think writers did sth even more complex/worse, will see).

"coming to therms with the fact that his life (...) rest on exploitation and abuse of marginalized people is just impossible for him" - I really can't agree with that, since he's the one who clearly understands the issues behind the cruise situation, he's the one wanting company to address it ("we should loudly and quickly say that this is not ok"), and he's the one who says in S03E02 "we knew", calling out his siblings. It's shiv and roman who play the "I didn't know" card. For me it's clear that Ken knows, understands, and that's part of his problem. He can't act oblivious. It is very well shown in the latest episode, when he calls out every political fraction (nazis, libtards, crypto-fascists, right-wing nut jobs, venture capital dems and centrist ghouls) - even those words show his understanding of society and it's ideological/systemic issues. He's cynical, and he's well aware that he's running racist news station and benefiting from the "American resentments of class and race" the same way as Logan. When Mencken calls Roman about the polling Ken right away asks if his team wants ATN to send out specific message (and he's also sarcastic there "all your guns will be ladies?"). But he sees ATN for what it is for him, the best earning part of the company, that's why he keeps it (for now, it's interesting what will happen next, they did say they want to fuse with Pierce and make ATN "less" racist, let's remember that Ken and Rome are CEOs for a week at that point).

I think Ken is well aware of what he is, how his father built his empire, and the dissonance between wanting all that (and now, surprisingly for him, having it) and wanting to be a good person (whatever it means to him) is what creates this character. For me.

I just stand by my read of Kendall as someone who understands systemic issues and uses them as he pleases, I just can't see him as so shallow/oblivious in this regard. He's bad at being a dad, being a person, he'd want to act noble etc. but in his core his driven by self-preservation and ambition. He's "morally bankrupt". His first reaction when hearing about Sophie is not "oh my poor girl", but "shit, what do I do, what's my course of action, how can I change reality". Of course it's just my read. Thanks for this exchange, I love debating succession :)

okay here's one post i have to make. Finally racism confirmed real in succession. other people have talked about this before but it is a huge blind spot of the show not to acknowledge the intersection between racism and capitalism, and the excuse that the characters are the 1% and the 1% are vastly white is pretty weak. the fact that the show sidelines its existing characters of color while every now and then broadly gesturing towards race makes this worse, especially as the show more directly focuses on fascism and just Doesn't bring race into it. like i don't even think race is totally absent as a concern of the writers but it's clearly not a priority. i think a lot about how mo's widow is a filipino woman

anyway. ken and rava's conversation in this sense doesn't really qualify as, like, revolutionary in terms of succession's commentary on race esp since it's a discussion between two white parents about their brown daughter without her present. the point of interest to me really is that kendall completely fails to recognize racism as a systemic issue, much less that he works for and is trying to sustain a company that actively works to perpetuate that hegemony. his questions are why was sophie on the street? why wasn't rava there? in the same episode where he calls matsson homophobic for saying the numbers are gay. socially aware king

it's not particularly revelatory to say that a rich white man doesn't grasp the concept of systemic racism LOL but i do think it's more than that for kendall, and i also think this trait is something his siblings don't share. it's like how he doesn't realize he's in a position of power over anna and she was pressured into attending the recny with him, and his adoption of a faux-feminist stance in s3 while continuing to treat women like shit. kendall's whole concept of Everything, including systemic social issues, goes back to logan. there's no system outside of dad. the doj doesn't find the cruises evidence compelling? that's because they're scared of logan. logan's the source of the evil in the world, therefore opposing him is inherently progressive, leaving kendall with even less of a coherent moral framework after his death. and he's completely unable to process the idea that he could be participating in and benefiting from the greater racist or sexist system, because that's fundamentally incompatible with his logan-based idea of his own identity.

i don't think roman or shiv or even connor share this particular nearsightedness. roman 'we do hate speech and roller coasters' roy knows what's going on but he doesn't really care and he doesn't believe it can be changed (or, maybe more accurately, that there's any point in trying). he doesn't buy into fascism on the ideological level, exactly, but the spectacle appeals to him and he does believe it's profitable to align with it, so he's perfectly happy to do so. i think he's the most similar to logan in this regard. and shiv and connor have actual political ideologies, even if they're far from being meaningfully opposed to fascism, which requires a base awareness of the fact that We Live In A Society and That Society Has Systems In It. for kendall it really boils down to logan and logan alone

[meowjf]

The intended symbolism behind my Hangman Tarot card

I wanted to do a write-up of my thought process behind each major part of this picture. Please note I’m writing this on an iPad while I have covid, so there are bound to be mistakes and weird autocorrects I didn’t catch. If any part is incoherent or weird, let me know and I’ll try and fix it.

Here’s a link to the full hangman piece for anyone who hasn’t seen it/wants to look at it for reference.

So, I wanted to start out by discussing this piece a little bit. Yes, this had a ton of thought put into the symbolism and a lot of the picture had direct meanings I was trying to get across. I think I made it a bit ham fisted at times, but I did make me super happy to see how much people appreciated and noticed the thought put into it. Often times, I would include things because I needed to solve a compositional problem, or I wanted to include something I thought was pretty. So I would try to find a way to solve those problems/include those elements while tying it back to the main picture. I also had some things I didn’t mean to include, but were pointed out in various tags/comments, so I included them at the end because I think they’re super interesting! Overall, this picture took me about 7 1/2 hours from start to finish.

The Hanged Man

My major reason for choosing this card was simply for it’s name. However, I did do some research into it, as I wanted to ensure the card would actually fit him. There’s lots of different meanings depending on where you look, but a common thread was letting go and metamorphosis. I personally really liked these meanings, and decided to make this illustration about that- his change and growth as a character. I started drawing this in the middle of his reconciliation with the Young Bucks. I think as a whole this picture is about him letting go of the trauma associated with the Elite: both he guilt over the hurt he caused them, and the anger over the hurt they caused him.

TL;DR: It’s about letting go of guilt/anger and growing as a person

Broken Mirror Halo

This has a direct 1:1 moment it’s meant to reflect, which I think everyone could guess

This is arguably his lowest moment, but also a major turning point. I wanted to explicitly make this mirror light halos from religious art. Part of this was for aesthetic- anyone who knows me knows I love light halos. But, often the worst points in our life can lead to major changes of the self (like a metamorphosis, winkwink) and turning a moment of despair into something “holy” was imagery I was really interested in playing with.

TL;DR: Sometimes the worst moments of our lives are also where change begins. And what is more divine than the human act of transformation?

Tangled in his Own Noose

This is the biggest example of solving an issue with imagery. In the original sketch, his legs were just sort of cut off at the frame, which looked really weird once I started to clean it up. Originally, the noose was hanging loose around his neck (an homage to his old gear), but while cleaning up the sketch I couldn’t find a way to make the hanging noose look good.

This was meant to represent him being tangled and tied down by his mistakes and strained relationships. The two major elements of this are him being tied tightly to the frame covered with images of alcohol, and to the belt. The belt became a way for him to “redeem” himself, but reality is rarely ever that simple and getting the belt wouldn’t solve everything. I also liked the idea of mixing something representing his mistakes with something representing Kenny’s corruption (the belt). While the ropes may be plentiful, they’re sloppily tied and can still be undone.

TL;DR: the ropes are his mistakes

The Frame

The frame is a little obvious- we all know our favorite cowboy has had his share of problems with alcohol. I did consciously choose to have the alcohol spilling out of the cups and bottles, as if they’re being disposed of. Something I couldn’t quite execute to it’s full potential was the fact that one of the whiskey glasses is directly below where his hand is. I wanted it to mimic him pouring out the drink. Lowering the opacity shows this a bit better.

TL;DR: Hangman likes alcohol too much but he’s better about it now.

The Monarch Butterfly

I was in the middle of working on this when he came out to save the bucks in his monarch butterfly pants. I immediately knew I had to include the butterflies in this pic, and I’m so happy I did. They were mostly there to connect to the recent episode, but I did do a little reading into meanings associated with Monarchs. They’re often associated with transformation. Considering this piece is directly about him growing and changing as a character, I was very happy they fit so well with the theme. Most of their placement was based off of aesthetics- I simply chose what I think looked best. The one conscious decision was to put a butterfly on the noose- a symbol of his new growth on top of the symbol of his previous mistakes.

TL;DR: Butterfly pants, but also transformation.

Unintentional Symbolism

Upside down horseshoes look like an Omega symbol- this was entirely a happy coincidence! I drew him in the in-ring gear he wore during Full Gear 2021. Maybe that was something they intentionally thought about when designing his gear? I’m always a sucker for wrestlers including other wrestler’s motifs in their gear, so having this pointed out was a delight! But since it’s not something I actively meant to include, I don’t have a lot to say about it.

Moonsault Pose- I think this one is really interesting. Him actively being in motion rather than being stuck hanging has really interesting implications. Like before, it’s not what I actively meant to include so I don’t have anything in depth to say about it. But it did make me stop and think about the piece in that context, so I thought it would be interesting to include here as well!

Some things I didn’t get to include/don’t have much meaning.

Dark Order- I didn’t really find a good way to include the dark order in this picture. I wish I did, but I couldn’t find a good way to include it without feeling busy. Unfortunately the purple + eye aesthetic didn’t look very good in this picture.

Bullet Club- I really wanted to find a way to include the bullet club into the noose that’s tying him to the frame, but couldn’t really find a way to that without it being distracting. There just wasn’t a good place to put any bullets or skulls. I did find a better way to do it in the Young Bucks + Flowers pics I did a whole ago.

The background pattern- the simple flower pattern was chosen because that’s what I thought looked the best. It was meant to mirror the flowers on his pants, but no additional meaning was put into that.

The Suns in each corner- the yellow circle in each corner of the frame is the sun. There’s no extra meaning to it, they just looked good with the color palette and matches the “riding off into the sunset” imagery he likes to use.

The End

That’s all for now, folks! This was surprisingly fun to write us. As a thank you for everyone who stuck around and read to the end, here’s the janky rough sketch, along with the final sketch that I ended up lining:

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Hellsing Commentary 1 Notes

This commentary is done by Taliesin Jaffe, the voice director and script adapter of Hellsing, and Crispin Freeman, the voice of Alucard. Direct quotes may vary in accuracy, as these are written down from audio without transcripts. I also didn't write down every joke or piece of trivia because I feel like people who watch the commentaries should get to have some nice surprises for stuff that isn't covered here.

-Taliesin jokes that Hellsing Ultimate is very Hammer-film/horror-film and should have a smell-o-vision. "Scratch and sniff a little red dot every time someone dies, oohhh it smells of dead meat."

-Both Taliesin and Crispin pause mid-conversation to approvingly mention how Integra's younger VA "gets shot well" when she screams.

-The reason Taliesin took the job directing the dub in the first place was because he was a big fan of the manga.

-Taliesin is very pleased with Ultimate's title card because "if you're gonna quote the Ripley Scroll, you're gonna do it right." He has also seen Fullmetal Alchemist at some point.

-Taliesin owns occult books, including (possibly) a fifth printing of Dracula, and the first time they dubbed Hellsing, Taliesin read "every vampire book I could get my hands on" to get a feel for the theme and idea of the series, "looking into the origins of the story and what the creators originally were thinking about..."

-Crispin repeatedly states that he could listen to Integra's VA all day long. "I don't have to do a whole lot of acting when she orders me around, I just sort of respond to her voice and do whatever she says." (Ending in a giggling laugh)

-Taliesin acknowledges that the theme, concept, and structure of Ultimate are all very different from the TV series. The original anime was trying to be a very serious horror film in which everything was taken very seriously, whereas with Ultimate they eased up and interjected more humor.

-Crispin also adds that he could listen to JB Blanc (Maxwell/the Cheddar vampire's VA) all day as well.

-Taliesin likes to annoy his British friends (including JB Blanc) by saying incredibly British words in the thickest American accent he can manage, i.e. bloody hell, scones, clotted cream, bugger, etc.

-JB's performance for the Cheddar vampire was "camped up" significantly and turned into a "mustache-twirling villain" for Ultimate.

-Crispin wants Alucard's glowing sunglasses.

-Crispin and Taliesin joke that Alucard's cravat is the source of his power, since everything else goes (glasses, coat, hat) when he's been shot to pieces but the cravat always stays.

-Hirano has met with Taliesin Jaffe on multiple occasions and been "very nice and deeply apologetic" about various issues. He was also incredulous that Talisen translated some of the symbols involved in the series. "'You actually deciphered that thing? Oh good god, what's wrong with you?! You're not supposed to do that. Stop!'"

-Apparently OVA 1 was recorded in a day and the production as a whole was only five days.

-When the cast came back to do Hellsing Ultimate, Crispin had to make sure that he did not just repeat what he did four years prior. His prior experience with the TV series was useful to get into the character's head/mindset, but Ultimate was an entirely different take. The original TV series was very serious and wanted to be taken seriously, but Ultimate had many campy elements to it. Crispin thus had to stay in the moment with Ultimate and not bring back his performance from the original anime, as it wouldn't fit. ("Same texture, new architecture.")

-Taliesin states that he likes the relationship Seras and Alucard have in Ultimate a lot better than their relationship in the TV series and "the sexual tension has been cut down between the two of you. We've matched you properly against Integra now, where it should be."

-Taliesin has apparently read Hellsing fanfiction on Livejournal and knows "far more about the personal lives of all these characters than I ever wanted to know."

-Taliesin played the male vampire during Seras and Alucard's first mission.

-Crispin noted that Alucard is doing "the same cross thing with my arms that Anderson does, but in the opposite direction on the opposite side of the body." Alucard does it up and to the left and Anderson does it down and to the right.

-Japanese anime apparently tend to have poor gunshot sounds and every engineer Taliesin has ever worked with has gone "we're going to a shooting range with a microphone, this is pathetic." He also knows someone out in Texas who bought an old broken-down Chevy truck and was planning to take it out and shoot it to pieces for audio clips with some specialized equipment so he could get the gunshot sound, the passing sound, the impact sound, etc. for use in anime

-Apparently Taliesin took a lot of cues from Doctor Who in scripting Hellsing.

-Seras's accent was simplified in Ultimate because Taliesin learned his lesson not to be too complicated. In the original anime, it was supposed to be "this fake posh" accent from an ultra low-class girl faking it to fit in with the rest of Hellsing, which Crispin teases Taliesin for. In Ultimate they apparently gave her a "South London roll," which is "simple and easy and uncomplicated."

-Crispin loves how Anderson is "really dangerous" in Ultimate and "could actually cause me many problems" in ways that Crispin never got a sense of in the TV series. He was an obstacle to Alucard, but in Ultimate he is "a threat on a level that Alucard wasn't expecting." Taliesin jumps in at this point and comments how in the manga (and Ultimate) they made him into a polar energy for Alucard, and Anderson is a "chaotic force of order coming in to homogenize and to destroy all that does not -that conflicts with this very narrow worldview that he holds. And it's sort of his mission in life, is to sanitize and, and homogenize –and then you have Alucard, who's this very…the very forces of chaos unbound on earth, and his power manifests as wild multiple-eyed dogs and Cthulhu creatures and shadow power and gnashing teeth of hell, and it's very…it's very much about a loss of control. And his whole character's powers comes from this place of a loss of control, which is almost where he goes every time he has to push a little farther, is how much control can he lose?" He says that this creates a very good archvillain/archrival relationship and continues on to say that "They agree on nothing past the fact that they want less people to be eaten by vampires."

-Crispin makes fun about how they must be pulling their ammunition from the fourth dimension, since neither he nor Seras switch clips that often. While joking about the guns, Taliesin mentions how Schrodinger will show up in the future and Crispin innocently asks if he has a cat.

-Crispin later jokes about how he dresses "nice and fresh and English-patient-y" at cons and it surprises a lot of people. He also apparently had an Alucard costume for Anime Expo/Comic Con in San Diego, and nobody believed he was the official voice actor.

-Crispin asks why Taliesin thinks Hellsing is as popular as it is/was, and after some thought Taliesin tentatively answers that "Every generation has its vampire myth. The vampire myth is one of those wonderful myths that constantly reinvents itself -every ten-fifteen years, it makes itself relevant somehow…What it is that attracts people in this decade to vampires is this chaos and control, and the uh…the fun of it, I'm not quite sure, I-I can't quite peg it. Its funny, considering that I sit and do nothing but sit and think of ways to express it better all the time for the show." He notes later in the commentary that "This was the first conversation we had when we first started working on this years ago. Vampires are about sex. Sigmund Freud wrote a wonderful article way back in the day, back in the 19th century, about vampires as metaphors for sexual frustration and how they play out."

-On the topic of chaos and control, Taliesin comments that Alucard and Anderson also mirror each other in a very yin-yang sense, with Alucard tending to be more controlled with himself and Anderson tending to be "a little bit more all over the place" when he fights. Alucard's ideology is also all over the place, whereas Anderson's is straight, and "Anderson's power comes from these very fine silver blades and his bible while Alucard's comes from the depths of Cthulhu and these creatures before language."

-Taliesin apologizes for anyone who was hoping for Anderson to be Italian (or German). He says that "there's an actual process to this," and he looked up if there had ever been an actual Father Alexander Anderson. There have been several, apparently, one of whom was Scottish, and one of whom actually worked on the creation of the Eusebian canon, which were the papers Anderson was using for barriers/wards in the original TV series. (He apparently uses "the whole bible now" in Ultimate.) The pages of the Eusebian canon are also apparently now 200 dollars a pop, and antique dealers get "a little worried" when they think someone is buying a 400-year-old illuminated manuscript because of a cartoon.

-Taliesin notes that Integra not only has a classic Templar sword hilt, but she is actually a Grand High Arc, and that this may (he also notes that this is him "just making excuses for the manga" and not canon) be why she is Sir and not Dame, as the Templars apparently do not have female Grand High Arcs. "They're Freemasons, they don't do that sort of thing. So she's a Sir Hellsing, 'cause she's gotta be. They made her a male knight so she could take over the family properly."

-Integra is "a bit more amused" in Ultimate, and Taliesin once again adds that the biggest change in Ultimate was that all of the characters have more humor and "Everybody says everything with just a slight grin."

-Taliesin apparently has pages and pages of research notes that really helped for the first series but were almost useless for Ultimate because all the characters were coming from such a new place. Anderson is much more sedate, Walter is less of a smart ass (so far), and Alucard is also extremely different. Crispin's revelation on this specifically came while they were recording the scene where Integra asks Alucard why he turned Seras into a vampire, wherein Crispin apparently stopped and said "This is very odd." to Taliesin.

-When they first started recording the original series, Taliesin asked Crispin what he thought Alucard was about, and Crispin stated "He's bored. He's incredibly powerful, he's this aristocrat surrounded by…plebs, there's no one his equal. And all he's spoiling for is a good fight, 'cause then he won't be bored. Um…and in the TV series his way of avoiding boredom is viciousness and attacking and everything else, and here there's this side of saying 'Maybe I won't be bored if I have a plaything.' Which is really interesting, suddenly there's this sort of humorous, playful side to Alucard, and I thought 'This is odd, I don't remember doing anything like this before. Wow, he's really gonna mess with people.'"

-Crispin's grad school teacher was Romanian and since he became very good at doing a Romanian accent, it was considered at one point that Alucard would have a Romanian accent continuously (as opposed to only when he is in his Level Zero form). Crispin then proceeds to say several of Alucard's lines in that accent.

-At the end of the credits Crispin asks "Who's the girl with the fez?" about Girlycard, to which Taliesin quietly replies "We'll get into that soon."

[therealvinelle]

Hey, @theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin sent me to you for some spicy opinions. Have you read the hunger games? Do you have any headcanons? Any thoughts on main characters that is different from the way the author meant to portray? I really enjoyed your thoughts on Twilight and I’ll admit I disliked Twilight but not because of the characters being too flat and boring (I don’t agree with that) but just because of the writing style and the framing of the relationships. It really annoyed me. But your headcanons made me realize that there were some hidden gems in there. So thanks for sharing your thoughts.

I like that my life has gotten to a point where I’m the Muffin’s referral point for spicy opinions. And I’m very glad you enjoy my Twilight metas!

When it comes to my spicy hunger games opinions, I don’t actually know how spicy they are. They’re definitely very spicy considering what Hollywood tried to do, but I think I’m actually pretty much in tune with Susanne Collins. Tumblr certainly agrees with me, which is very rare but quite nice. The Muffin and I don’t actually want to have spicy opinions, it’s just that we’ll say shit like “Luke’s not a real jedi” and expect it to be obvious but nope, turns out the entire Star Wars fandom begs to differ. So, I think I agree with Collins on what she wrote, which is great, but I honestly can’t tell anymore what the authors want me to think so who knows.

So, first of, there is no love triangle in those books. And I’m not simply saying that the love triangle wasn’t the focus of the books, I’m saying that the love triangle did not exist.

Katniss and Gale were close friends and if it hadn’t been for the hunger games then yeah, they would probably have ended up together. However, the hunger games happened, and Katniss was a very changed person after that. Gale was still the same, and more, he did not get it, at all. He didn’t understand the person Katniss had become and wanted the old one back. They continued to hang out because they’d grown up together, but at this point it was only the memory of their old friendship holding them together and not the real thing.

Then we get into the third book, in which Gale grows enamored with weaponry and the quest for revenge against the Capitol, proudly displaying to Katniss his sadistic device that’ll later kill Prim. Katniss is horrified, and as usual Gale doesn’t get it. Their relationship with violence are polar opposites: Katniss has been forced to kill to protect herself, Gale takes pride in designing devices that’ll kill as many civilians as possible.

On to Katniss. The first big mistake Hollywood made with her was casting Jennifer Lawrence. Katniss of the books is an impoverished and starving child. Lawrence has the wrong body type for that, and more, she has the completely wrong presence. It’s like casting Timothee Chalamet for Thor. 

Then we have Katniss herself.

Katniss, as I see her, is not a hero at all, and she’s not supposed to be. A hero is too positive a word, as heroes get to choose their own destiny. St. George chooses to go slay the dragon. Katniss is thrown into an arena and told to kill children. She has nobility, grace, and kindness, she is indubitably brave and selfless. It’s not her character I’m questioning. But to call her a hero is to play into the narrative that there’s anything glorious or inspiring about her story, and there isn’t. She’s a traumatized child who’s propped up by powerful people to be a symbol. At first it’s the Capitol making her and Peeta star-crossed lovers, and then we have the resistance making her their rallying point. Katniss has no control over any of this. The hunger games is not the inspiring story of a girl who rallies the forces of good against the evil empire, but rather the story of a child who is grossly taken advantage of by both sides.

Then there’s the fact that even before the Capitol happened, Katniss had been forced to grow up too early. Her mother failed to be a mother, and so Katniss became the family caretaker, raising Prim like a daughter rather than a sister and keeping the family alive. Her childhood died with her father, and it is an unusually jaded and sad child who enters that arena. This doesn’t make her better suited for what she endures over the course of the trilogy, but less. Katniss has had no one to rely on, comes to rely too much on Peeta, which in turn makes her crumble like a house of cards when she loses him.

Going slightly back to the love triangle debacle, Katniss ends up with Peeta not so much because they’re the star-crossed lovers the Capitol wanted, but because after the arena Katniss is really only able to connect with people who know exactly what it’s like. Peeta, Finnick, Haymitch - these three all become deeply precious to her, there is a bond forged between victors because no one else can ever truly understand. Peeta/Katniss wouldn’t have happened in a timeline where they weren’t reaped, but they were, and now they’re each other’s only real option.

Not to mention that as victors they’ll live lives the rest of their district can’t really relate to. They have nice houses and a pension, which is alienating enough, but they’ll also be forever entangled with the Capitol, either as prostitutes, mentors, or both. Gale likes Katniss, but he could never have a wife like that.

By the end of the trilogy, Katniss is a traumatized mess of a girl, and so is Peeta. They choose to have kids anyway, something I have mixed feelings about. I see what Collins wanted with that. Katniss makes it clear early on in the series that she never wanted children, because those kids might get reaped. And, to my recollection, it was also that she just thought the world was a too cruel place. The fact that she still chooses to have kids can only be seen as a sign of healing, that Katniss now feels safe enough in this world to bring others into it.  Which is nice. Except I think that losing Prim is what made the real difference to Katniss. Prim was her daughter, and having children is the closest she’ll get to getting Prim back. I’m also slightly worried Peeta will one day snap and strangle them. There’s also the fact that I really don’t think Katniss and Peeta are parent material by the time those books are through. It’s bad enough that Katniss had to be her mother’s therapy animal, she shouldn’t repeat the cycle. But maybe I should have more faith in Katniss. And damnit, I want to be happy for her. In other words, I have mixed feelings on those kids. This all being said, I’ve heard people think it’s out of character for Katniss to have kids, and I disagree with that. I think it’s a very Katniss thing to do. The question is whether becoming a mother was a good decision.

(Since your ask pretty much put a coin in the ramble box, I’ll ramble some more: the whole “children are healing” thing in the epilogue happens through Annie Cresta as well. The girl is more traumatized than anybody after her hunger games, and codependent with her lover, Finnick Odair. Finnick dies tragically, luckily it turns out Annie was pregnant so now she gets a baby too. I question her ability to raise a child on her own, but the fact that both Katniss and Annie get to have kids points to those children symbolizing healing and happiness.)

[celticcrossanon]

BRF Reading - 24th July 2021

This is speculation only

Cards drawn 24th of July 2021

Question: What will be the consequences for Harry, from the BRF, of Harry writing his memoirs?

Note: I have focused on one book here are there are contradictory reports about how many books Harry is having ghost written for him - his legal team is playing games with (ahem*lying to*) the press about it.

Interpretation: A lot of PR, and the end - final, complete, and no coming back from this - of his relationship with his family

Card One: Temperance. This card has come up in every single reading I have done about Harry and his ghost written memoirs. Temperance is a major arcana card, so it represents the initial public reaction of the BRF to this news. In public, they will be temperate. It doesn't matter what they feel about this in private, the public face will be moderate and balanced. The BRF are not going to show their real feelings in public. They are not going to engage with the PR speculation around the book, as they are not the authors and they do not want to play Harry's PR games. They are going to take the middle path and be very non-committal in what they say about it.

Card Two: The Emperor. This card is usually the symbol of a powerful leader, so it should represent HMTQ, but I am not getting that energy from it. Nor am I getting BRF as an institution energy from it. The Emperor is the ultimate Father, in a patriarchal sense, so this could be Prince Charles, but that isn't quite the energy I am getting from this either.

This is Prince Charles, but it is Prince William and a bit of HMTQ as well. It is the BRF not as an institution but as a ruling family, the Royal Family, with the emphasis on family. It is them on a personal level - father, brother, grandmother - but also them being very aware of their roles as current and future rulers of the country. So it is their public personas as a family that I am getting here. So for example, this is Prince Charles as the future king who is also the father of Harry, Prince William as a future king who is also the brother of Harry, and HMTQ as the monarch who is also the grandmother of Harry.

It is a mix of their personal relationship with Harry and their roles in the monarchy. It's a hard energy to explain, so I hope that makes sense - not just the institution, not just the father/brother/grandmother, but a mix of both of the roles of each person, the current and future monarchs who are also family members. The Emperor is a major arcana card, so the public aspect of the roles of the family - their position as leaders in the public eye - is emphasised here. The Emperor is also the card of the father, so Prince Charles's role as Harry's father is also a strong energy here.

Card Three: Death. This is the ending of a cycle. Coming after the Emperor card, it says that what is ending is Harry's relationship with the Emperor as described above. Death is an irrevocable end to a relationship or cycle - you can not go back to how things were.

A cycle and/or a relationship has ended between Harry and the current and future monarchs of England, on both a personal and a professional level. Prince Charles has ended this both as his father and as the future king, so for him it is both personal and public. Prince William has ended this as the future king who is also his brother, and HMTQ has ended this as The Queen who is also his grandmother, so for these two is it more about their public role as leaders of England.

Death is the tarot card of the sign Scorpio, which is Prince Charles's sun sign, giving further weight to the end of a cycle/relationship between Prince Charles and Harry as the prominent energy of this card, although HMTQ and Prince William are also involved in their roles as leaders/rulers (current and future).

Like the previous two cards, this is a major arcana card, so I expect to see this ending shown in public somehow.

Card Four: The Three of Wands. This card is usually about an initial success in a venture. Wands can be PR, and the idea of Harry's memoirs has been released to the public about a year before the book is due to be published. I think the idea will meet with some initial success, but as the Three of Wands card warns, there is a lot of hard work ahead before the project comes to an initial conclusion.

The picture on the card shows Jason receiving a crown from his usurper uncle. I look at that picture and immediately I think of Harry's titles. In this situation Harry is the betrayer (like the usurper uncle), so I am wondering if he will be somehow 'persuaded' to return/regift his titles to their rightful owner, the crown/monarchy. That doesn't feel quite right, as I can't see Harry giving up his titles for anything, but there is something about his titles that is coming through with this card. Writing his memoirs may have given strength to the voices that are calling for the removal of all of Harry's titles in the eyes of Harry's family, i.e. they may be prepared to consider this in a stronger way/more aggressive way (but still not very aggressive - moderation as per Temperance will be the overall theme of their actions).

Card Five: The Ten of Wands. This is a card of burden. The picture shows Jason sitting in a shelter made from the timbers of his ship, the Argo, representing his youthful dreams and adventures, and it is burning down around him. The treasure he brought back from his voyage is lying abandoned next to the shelter.

This is the final outcome for Prince Harry. His dreams will burn down and turn to ash around him. Any 'treasure' he has from his earlier days will seem valueless to him. He will feel burdened by this memoir, and not in a good way. Any PR put out around the memoir (Wands can be PR) will also be a burden to him. The consequences of his action in writing his memoir will not be welcome and they will burden him. We may not see it in public, as this is a minor arcana card, but he will feel it in private.

Underlying Energy: The Six of Wands. This is a card of success, of returning as a conquering hero. This is how Harry feels about writing his memoirs. He thinks they will show him as a triumphant hero. The picture on the card shows Jason standing on a pile of gold, with the golden fleece over his head, and his companions applauding in the background. This is what Harry expects from his memoirs - lots of gold and the applause/admiration of people around him. He may get this, or he may be portrayed this way in PR (Wands can be PR), but as the cards above show, it will come at the cost of the death of any remaining relationship with his blood family.

Conclusion: Harry thinks that writing his memoirs will depict him as a hero, and his PR may take that approach. His family do not see him as a hero. Instead, this act will be the death of a cycle/relationship with his family in their public roles as monarch/future kings as well as family members, and also with his father in his role as Harry's father. His family will be temperate in the their public approach to the memoirs, but the death of the relationship will also be seen in public. There may be more consideration of removing Harry's titles. Harry's memoir may give signs of success in the initial stages, and it may be successful and make him money, but in the end it will be the cause of his dreams burning down around him and it will feel like a burden to him.

[chronicallycrow]

Cards.

Fandom: Cookie Run

Character(s): Cinnamon Cookie

Ship(s): Cinnamon/Reader

Word Count: 2,166

TW: Uhh,,, tarot reading? If that sets anyone off?

Notes: Hey, Cinnamon, thanks for being the character that got me out of my "I'm writing 1k words or less" fic phase./j Anyway, this started as an idea I mentioned on my main - Black-market tarot reading Cinnamon. It ended up a lot cuter than I thought it would, and made me write a HELL of a lot more than I have in a LONG time. Oh, and, I use he/they pronouns for Cinnamon! They alternate every paragraph. And, once again, I'm sorry for the weird formatting, mobile tumblr and all. Again, I don't currently have access to a computer.

The City of Wizards was an interesting place. It always had a specific feel to it, and it was always somehow shrouded in darkness yet bright. Saying you loved this place might have been an understatement. There weren't many people who lived in the town anymore - Some people thought no one did - But you knew there were people, and you knew exactly where to go to find them. And that's what you were currently doing.

You strolled through the city, looking for one place in particular. It was near one of the further corners of the town - A small little magic shop that sat inbetween two buildings that were vacant. You could miss it if you didn't know what you were looking for - The sign, with that ever-so-slightly too fancy font, fit into the rest of the town, and the windows being full of little trinkets did as well.

You turned on your heel and turned the door knob, immediately being hit by the scent of incense and cinnamon. You walked into the shop and closed the door, calling out, "Cinna?" A hum came from behind one of the shelves, and out appeared the devil themself, Cinnamon. "Hey!" You stated simply. They smiled at you and returned your greeting before asking, "Do you need anything, or are you just here to look around?" Either was fine by them - And you knew that. There was many a day where you'd sit in the shop or just look through what Cinnamon had in stock.

"Well, I-' He seemed surprised you actually wanted something, but not in a bad way. "I was actually wondering if you could-- Give me a reading? With your tarot cards?" He was a bit taken back, but seemed pleased with your request. "Of course! Right this way." He did that over-dramatic cape swish thing. It always reminded you he loved to entertain people when he did that. You followed him to a small room in the back where he did readings - Few people knew about it, but of course few people came in the near vicinity of his shop.

A table sat in the middle with some boxes and a mat laid on it. Cinnamon sat down on one side and gestured you to sit in the chair on the other side. You'd never actually gotten a reading from them, but apparently they were actually pretty good at it. They opened a box and pulled out a deck of golden-edged cards, the backs were purple. They tapped at the sides, before looking at you. "What do you want to know?" "My love life-" You blurted out before anything else. You covered your mouth, wide eyed. Why had you said that?! Cinnamon seemed to be amused by this and let out a soft laugh before beginning to shuffle the cards.

He did the card-fan thing. "Pick a card, any card!" You let out a soft laugh before grabbing one. He placed it face down on the table before shuffling the cards some more. He pulled and shuffled a handful of times, ending up with a spread of six cards. He flipped over the card you'd pulled. The card read, 'The Fool.' "This card," Cinnamon began, picking it up and turning it towards you, "represents you. It's a card that means new beginnings and new possibilities. It can also mean impulsiveness. The Fool is..." Cinnamon glanced up for a moment, before looking you in the eyes. "The Fool is a free spirit who doesn't know exactly what they want, but is willing to try anything to find the right path." And with that, he placed the card back down onto the table.

They flipped over the next card; it read 'The Magician.' "This card represents the person who... You're going to be with? Who you like? This is the other person." They turned it towards you. "You're a magician." You joked, giving a soft breath of a laugh. Cinnamon's face turned a soft shade of red from your comment, but continued on. (Little did either of you know that little joke was closer to the truth than either of you could think right now.) "It symbolizes being original, and confidence and skills. They might be extremely confident in their actions, and they're probably skilled in something." You placed your chin in your palm, staring at the card, then at Cinnamon.

He went to the next card. It read 'The Lovers.' "This card represents you and that person's bond." He stated. "That's good, isn't it?" He nodded in response before starting, "This card represents, well, love. It can also mean trust and harmany." "But I'm not in a relationship with anyone?" You mused. He shrugged. "You probably already know them and just trust them a lot. You two are probably already really close." You nodded, but something pulled at your conciousness. What if your joke was actually true? If he was the one representing the magician? "Hey," He waved a hand infront of your face, "Are you alright?" "Yeah, sorry- Go on." You sat back, and he turned over the next card.

The card read 'six of cups.' "This is your past with them, it represents nostalgia and, in this case, an old friend." You nodded, humming. "It seems like you two have known each other for a long time and trust eachother a lot." They stated simply. You traced a circle on the table with your hand. It was suddenly very hard to look at Cinnamon.

He turned over the next card. There was one more after this and you'd be done. It read 'two of cups.' Cinnamon let out a soft laugh. You tilted your head, actually meeting his eyes for a second. "This is your future with this person. The two of cups represents happy relationships and love. When you two get into a relationship it'll be a good one. I'm jealous." He said jokingly. You let out a small laugh. Your face was hot.

They finally turned over the last card. It read 'King of Wands.' "This card is advice for you." You tilted your head again, murmuring a soft, but non-demanding, "Well?" "I think in this context it's telling you you should be honest with them and tell them. It represents honesty and charm." You blinked. Cinnamon looked at the spread, then bagan to put the cards up. You looked down at your hands for a minute. Be honest? You hadn't excepted that. You didn't even realize you were-- Of course you were. Cinnamon was your closest friend. They stood up, snapping you out of your own thoughts. You stood as well. "Do you need anything else?" They asked, walking towards the door. "I don't think so- Here, let me-" You dug around your bag for a minute for your wallet. "No, it's fine-" "Are you sure?" They nodded.

You two got out into the main part of the shop, and you realized the time. It was dark outside by now - Actually dark. "Hey, Cinna?" He looked at you. "Can I spend the night - It's- It's gonna be dark out and I have to walk home. I don't think that's safe." Without thought he spoke, "Of course- Let me close up shop and we'll go upstairs and make dinner." You nodded and decided to look around while he did so. You found the two shop cats, one a black cat and one an orange cat. "You have cats?" You called. He walked over to you, kneeling down to pet one of them. "Yeah! I thought you knew?" You shook your head. "This is Pumpkin," He pointed towards the orange one. "She's new, so she doesn't have a name yet," He sighed. "Maybe you can name her later?" You nodded, "I'll see what I can come up with." With that the two of you headed up the stairs to Cinnamon's apartment.

It was a nice little space. You'd been up here before, but you'd never actually spent the night. They went into the kitchen while you looked around, eventually landing near Cinnamon Bunny's cage and giving them some pets. Cinnamon's apartment always smelt nice. They always smelt nice - It was that soft smell of a pastry shop that used a lot of cinnamon. They seemed to have the stuff everywhere, but you weren't going to complain too much - Unless it was another one of their shows where someone got too close and sneezed. Sometimes, in practice, when you'd watch them, they'd sneeze and mess up their tricks. You found it endearing.

"[Y/N]?" Cinnamon called. "Yeah?" "Food's ready." You walked into the kitchen. He'd made a full meal for you two, and honest to Millennial Tree it looked amazing. It tasted even better. You'd had Cinnamon's cooking on occasion, but never an actual meal made by him. As soon as you two had finished the oven beeped. He looked pleased. "I preheated it, if you want to make something for tomorrow morning?" You nodded, and followed him into the kitchen, placing your plate and silverware into the sink. He pulled out a series of things from multiple cupboards and cabinets, then grabbed out aprons and handed you one.

You two ended up making a mess while baking. There was flour everywhere, but you two were both laughing. They ended up getting two brooms, and you swept up the mess you made. Once that was done they looked over the both of you. "We should get cleaned up," they laughed. You nodded, before realizing something. "Cinna, I don't have-" "You can borrow some of my clothes." They hummed. You nodded, and they went off to get some, shouting back at you, "You can go take a shower if you want, I'll bring them to you." You did exactly that.

You felt much cleaner once done with the shower. He had left you a shirt that looked like it would be too big for him (or you) and a pair of sweatpants. You put them on, and were immediately ingulfed by that soft scent of cinnamon. You tried your hardest not to bury your nose in the clothing, instead leaving the bathroom. You were met with Cinnamon sitting on the couch, playing around with a deck of cards. You sat beside him, watching his hands as he played with the deck. "Are those alright?" He asked, flicking one card around. You nodded, letting out an "mh-hm." He got up then, and glanced at you. "I'm gonna go take a shower, too. I'll be back."

You ended up trying to do the tricks you saw Cinnamon do with the previously mentioned deck of cards. You failed at every one of them, but it gave you time to waste. Your mind did end up drifting back to the reading earlier. Cinnamon had to feel the same way, right? If the cards were anything to go by, they had to. You sighed and put the playing cards down, staring up. You then realized that you'd have to be sleeping on the couch - Not that you really minded. You knew they didn't have a guest room or an extra bed. Before you could get too lost in your thoughts Cinnamon appeared again. They were wearing about the same thing as you. The oven dinged. Convenient.

"I'll sleep on the couch and you can have the bed, by the way." He'd stated, as if he'd read your mind earlier, while pulling out the pan of cinnamon rolls. What else did you think he'd make? "No, I can- It's fine." You replied. He shook his head. "You're the guest, you should get the bed." He was pouring a light sugar icing on the rolls. "I-" Be more confident, the cards. "We could just-- Share the bed? Its big enough for that, right?" Cinnamon glanced at you, before letting out a small sigh. It was hard to tell if it was of content or annoyance that you didn't just take the bed alone. "Yeah, it is- That's fine."

Once the rolls had been fully iced and put in the fridge you two headed to Cinnamon's bedroom and got in their bed. You faced away from eachother, at least at first, but you decided to, again, take what the cards said, and turned towards them. Their back was facing towards you. "Cinna?" You murmured, shifting closer to them. They let out a hum, glancing back at you. You suddenly felt extremely hot. No going back now. "I-" You took a breath in. Dammit. Say it. "I think the cards were talking about you??" Why was that a question. They let out a small laugh and turned towards you. "I know." They responded simply before pulling you close to them. "Goodnight." And with that, they closed their eyes and drifted into sleep. You stayed there, dumbfounded for a couple of minutes, before just accepting it and murmuring a, "goodnight" back and getting to sleep. You two could properly talk this out in the morning.

[twisted-in-wonderland-jay]

I love the characters as gods, can I ask this same theme for headcanons for Leona, Vil, Ace and Jamil ???

Oh my god this is so freaking fun to write! Honestly I could make an entire pantheon as well as relationships and stories based on these guys. I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for this request.

“It’s tough to be a God”🎶

His godly animals are lions, and most big cats. He is however usually depict beside a wolf and a hyena symbolizing the gods who he is associated with. All cultures that worship the god Leona do so with sacrificial worship usually of a herbivore that a lion with usually hunt. He is the God of war, cats, and the desert. Be warned when worshiping this god you will give more than he will give back. Though he is quite a mighty God with high pride, he is quite lazy. Some legends depict him sleeping for almost an eternity until the end of the world when all else fails and he is the God they have to rely on. When going off to war it’s good to burn a sacrificial fire for this god and present yourself with warpaint shaped like a claw. This god has never descend upon the mortal realm. When depicted art is generally sitting not on a throne but on a rock surrounded by lions, he is also depicted as a lion, or a man with feline traits. When going into war to win his favor all of your men would simply chant “blood for the blood god” (please tell me you got the reference lol)



Vil is the embodiment of beauty taking on the shape of a person but can also be depicted as a beautiful peacock, with its head held high and its tail fanned out. Vil’s is the god of beauty but also the darker side narcissism, poison, and revenge. His symbolic animals are the Peacock and the crane, both noble animals. In some cultures he is also excepted as the god of pestilence and disease, this stems from a story of his jealousy and causing of the death of quite a few people through a poison that caused a disease to spread like wild fire. The Vil’s beautiful and enchanting one should always be on their guard around him, and never speak unless spoken to. When Vil descends upon the human world which is not often you can point him out for the man is a beautiful blonde with lavender highlights. Unnatural natural to most people but natural to a god to have purple hair. They also chooses to change the gender though rarely to female or to an androgynous state (The second is more common). Vil’s is known to hate the kind that Is Neige because most people worship him rather than Vil.

In artwork is depicted as a man with large horns and a devil‘s tail, not to be confused with Satan or the devil himself. Ace is the patron god of fun, drinking, madness, and festivals, insanity, and theater, as well as debauchery. He has no specific patron animal. Though he does have specific items that represent him such as playing cards, A chalice, and all masks. He is a god with no lovers, which is uncommon, especially for a god of fun. He’s not evil nor is he good, some say he is the cause of sin and that is evil. No specific people worship him, many around the world do however. He’s often seen alongside another god who is widely considered to be his best friend.

Jamil is a God who takes no shape, however when he does and he just stands up on the mortal realm he takes the form of your closest friend but wears a mask. The form he takes on is because of his title “The betrayer” he also goes by another title “The formless one”. Jamil is the patron god of betrayal, treachery, treason, oddly enough travel, and freedom. He is after associated with the afterlife and funerals. He is considered an evil spirit or a bad apple among god. Once a god took pity on him and reached out to become his friend, later on they would become close, but word got out that that god had took pity on him and he did not handle that well, causing him to sealing away the power from the god who took pity on Jamil. Hence the betrayer. The god took pity on him because he was alone. In part for sealing that god‘s power Jamil himself had part of his power sealed the way until the day he gave back the power he would not have his. His patron animals are the snake and Beatles, as well as many other insects. Those who worship him tend to be of the lower class enslaved by those in a higher, bandits thieves and the like. At one point even a prince who wanted the throne.