#and a sort of new appreciation for artists who make their work for the sake of it

[soberyinragingyang]

I want to pretend I don't really care about AI-generated images that much, but I can't

I'm considering keeping my current art unposted for at least a while. I know I run a Simpsons fan blog that's mostly shipping for God's sake, and that it's easy to believe my art isn't 'good' or 'universal' to be scraped by these datasets, but considering I've seen people in this very fandom who've had their work scraped- and that's only the part I know about after searching for it briefly (and there is so much information on this that isn't public)- I can't think of what else to do.

This is dramatic, I know, but knowing the online art world is practically culminating to this moment, that all this time we were amazed that all of this work is out there for free without anyone asking for much in the way of legal rights or compensation, and that we didn't have the foresight (how could we have) that someone would have the very same idea and use it to try and push artists out of the picture for their buck, is giving me at least 5 existential crisises.

I hope I'm proven wrong and I'm merely a doomsayer among many, but despite the fact that I've tried many other outlooks on this issue the past few weeks I can't help but feel that this is what's real.

I have things I'm making I know only a handful of people will care about beside myself- that's all I've ever really wanted out of it! If I don't kid myself I've always wanted to make only the things that were the most interesting and engaging to me at this very moment. I want to share these things, but I can't run from the belief that there is something to be done (and is getting done right now!) about the future of this weird little passion of mine and so many others' (not even taking into account the many other hobbies/professions this will eventually affect) is making me, well, consider my approach.

[brainbuffering]

The Invisible Man and His Soon-To-Be Wife Manga Review (A: Iwatobineko T: Elena Kirilovna L: Vanessa Satone E: Kristina Korpus)

[ID: English Book cover of The Invisible Man And His Soon-To-Be Wife by Iwatobineko Vol 1. An invisible man in a pin stripe suit and polka dot tie sits on a plush green leather sofa. He reads a book in one hand, and holds the hand of the young woman next to him with the other. The girl has a red/brown bob cut, and wears a long black skirt with a matching black sweater-vest over the top of an untucked cream blouse. Her eyes are closed, and her spare hand grasps her skirt in her lap. Text in calligraphy underneath reads “we were meant to be together.” END ID]

I put this book as my most anticipated for 2023 and so when it finally came out I felt honour bound to write an immediate review! As I said before, I am always on the look out for new series with disabled characters in the lead and as a fan of goofy and cheesy romance this one did look promising! 

The story is a series of short comics following Yakou Shizuka – a young visually impaired/legally blind woman who works as an assistant at a detective agency – and her boss Tounome Akira – a dapper detective whose body is invisible. The series takes place in an 'anything goes' fantasy world that combines Furries, Elves and Aliens in a seamless melting pot. So if you're looking for a serious detective story, this is not the series for you. The "cases" exist mostly for humour's sake, without any sort of reward or character development put in place through them. 

Artistically the series stands out due to its use of sky blue backgrounds. Whilst it definitely makes for a visually pleasing alternative after reading lots of just black and white manga, it does equally feel like a little bit of a cheat's way out of drawing backgrounds. A stone I throw knowing full well that I live in a glass house. I do think that Iwatobineko did an excellent job of drawing all of Tounome's suits though, so if you're a fan of dapper men in dapper suits, it's definitely worth taking a look at. 

I love the concept of a person who cannot be seen falling in love with someone who cannot see. Whilst the series plays into the "I lack one sense so all my other senses are increased ten fold" trope I don't mind it in a fantasy setting, especially as it still presents Yakou's disability as something very real. It's interesting to note that the series only presents her disability as a problem for her in relation to how other people behave. She would not have had a problem walking to work if someone hadn't thoughtlessly left their bike in the middle of the road. If nobody had sat in her preferred spot then she'd never have sat down in someone's lap! It presents these things in a light hearted way, appropriate to the tone of the series, but still does – in my opinion – an honest job of pointing out that it is not always disabilities that are debilitating, but rather having to live in a world where able-bodied people do not take your needs into account.

I also appreciated how Tounome's invisibility was presented as often disabling. Whilst Yakou suffers from bumping into unexpected objects, Tounome is the one being bumped into by strangers. He also struggles to take care of himself sometimes due to not being able to see his own body, something that he and Yakou bond over. With only one volume out so far, we're only just scratching the surface of what sort of stories can be told but I think so far it's off to a strong start.

I am not visually impaired (although my MG does cause intermittent double vision so I suppose jury's out on that one) so I cannot judge in terms of whether the series offers good representation or not, however I was happy to see that Iwatobineko did their research. In the back material they talk about how they consulted numerous visually impaired people at the Kansai Student Library (http://kansaisl.web.fc2.com) before writing the series. This research shows through in the little things, such as Yakou's use of assistive technology in both her day-to-day life and her workplace. 

I appreciated that in the opening page when describing the world that these characters exist in we see not only a crowd of different fantasy races, but multiple disabled characters too! Including what I am going to insist is a cameo of Yuki and Itsuomi from "A Sign of Affection". 

I would add that the series does feature a "Dark Elf" and "White Elf" couple, where the male "Dark Elf" is the only recurring character with dark skin. Many before me have spoken of the inherent problematic nature of "Dark Elves" as a concept. The choice to use "White Elf" as the social counterpoint rather than "Light Elf" is perhaps a little troubling, especially since the series leans into the couple being seen as deviant in the eyes of elf society. The couple themselves are the manga trope of "Husband is a goofball who can't read the room, and the wife is a sophisticated beauty who will drag him away violently by the collar" so I don't feel as though they're falling into any particular racial stereotypes, but this is absolutely a "Your Mileage May Vary" situation that I don't feel qualified to speak on with any authority. I'd be very interested to hear the opinions of BIPOC folks on this one though! 

Other than the decision to go with "White Elf" over "Light Elf" (although I am still not certain which would be best and would be happy to take consultation on that one!) I felt as though the translation read very smoothly, and everyone had Very clear characterisation. The lettering was solid, and I enjoyed how different typefaces were used throughout to convert tone of voice. I felt as though it helped to aid with the characterisation and humour of the series. 

On the whole, I don't think that this manga is going to be any sort of game changer. It's a fun little series of sweet romance stories about an engaging couple but doesn't really go anywhere beyond that. Whilst I do want to see how their relationship develops, I am not routing for them in the same way I route for – say – Kyo and Tohru from Fruits Basket. If you're looking for a romance featuring disabled characters that has a little more depth to it than "I Hear the Sunspot" would probably be more your speed. 

However, true equality is that there are just as many light hearted romcoms about disabled folks as there are about able-bodied ones! Whilst I wouldn't say that you should rush out and buy the series immediately, if you're looking for some non heteronormative stories that explore romance between disabled people it is something I would recommend reading. 

I would give it a solid 3 stars in total! 

[moo-nstone]

uranus through the houses 

uranus in the 1st house: eccentricity and uniqueness practically run in your blood. impeccable style, you express yourself through your clothing and self-presentation and if your parents have mocked your style in the past, it deeply affected you. you don't care for rules, you're a natural rebel. thinking very ahead of your time; you remind me of the simpsons because you're the type to predict something and then it happens and everyone goes like WHAT?! attraction to astrology + psychology. you get bored extremely fast - of jobs, of people, of situations - and you need constant change. the best friends in the world, you're so caring. you rely on your instincts and impulses, which can have you being very inconsistent. very humanitarian and independent, but you should work on your lack of dedication due to the way you lose your interest in things so fast. 

uranus in the 2nd house: constant disruption in your sense of worth and self-confidence, sense of security and material possession that floats from one extreme to the other. there’s a tendency for carelessness about your material possessions and surroundings, unlike many other planets in the 2nd house; you express your freedom through not wanting to feel tied down to any material object. you’re likely to choose an eccentric job and to make money in the most creative of ways, and also by showing your special talents in unconventional ways that make you gain notoriety. you tend to experience many unusual things while at work, so your work life is always interesting. you’re constantly outgrowing your past methods, ways of thinking, all that’s no longer useful nor serves you. you truly live the way you want. there’s a tendency for you to feel disconnected with other’s physicality - for example, during sex, where you might be interested in voyerism because it allows you to participate in sex while still being detached. this is not to say that you’re not caring and generous towards other people, because you absolutely are - but there might have been traumatic experiences in the past that prompted that. also, even if you tend to get fired a lot, there’s a lot of change for success because you’re so hard working. 

uranus in the 3rd house: you have a very intelligent mind that works in unique, different ways that might seem strange to others, and they have a hard time comprehending or appreciating the way you think or conversate. that doesn’t take away from your top-tier sense of humour, though. a free-thinker who learns to learn new things, you’re a natural rebel with your words. very witty. you need constant stimulation due to your hatred of feeling bored. you want to constantly evolve your mind with learning new subjects and satiating your curiosity. you express yourself through writing, poetry and storytelling - this placement is great if you’re an aspiring writer. incredibly creative. you also always have a story to tell because the craziest shit keeps happening to you out of nowhere. very curious of what others have to say, even if you could talk about your interests for hours on end. you have a tendency to interrupt others, though. so excitable, whenever you talk about your interests there’s a dreamy glint in your eyes and it’s absolutely contageous. 

uranus in the 4th house: very chaotic childhood + family dynamic! your parents might’ve done ridiculous shit as a way of punishing you like taking all your eletronics or imposing absurd rules. you show you care in very unconventional ways, so you might not be seen as a dependable person. very emotional, you care for those closest to you with all your heart. there’s a tendency to be inconsistent. one of the parents might’ve been absent or you might’ve moved houses a lot when you were younger, and travelled a lot too. you might be considered different from the rest of the family; in the worst case scenario, you’re the black sheep who they place all blame on for the family problems. very quick at making decisions. you constantly feel like you have no control over your life due to the unexpected things that keep happening. if your family conditions your sense of self + tries to restrict the freedom you crave, that’ll only result in you estranging yourself from them. constant need to run away. you feel weird when having to show someone you care through direct, traditional ways due to a lack of emotional support from the family. 

uranus in the 5th house: so so so creative and artistic! you love expressing your uniqueness through creating art + showing your tastes, interests, etc. huge need to live your most authentic life and staying true to yourself, because if you don’t, your self-worth suffers greatly. even those closest to you find you unpredictable. you love change, and when you’re not being forced to submit to a routine, that’s when your creativity can flow in the best way possible. there’s a tendency to constantly enter and leave relationships. you feel attracted to the most unusual types of people, those who are unapologetically themselves, because that’s who you crave to be. there’s a need for a lot of freedom when it comes to romance. very charming and enthusiastic, so many people develop crushes on you - good for you because you love being the center of attention. extreme risktaker, you’re drawn to activities that put your life in danger so you can scratch your need for adrenaline. spontaneous and playful. you love to get involved in controversial relationships, and in extreme, shocking situations just to get a rise out of others. 

uranus in the 6th house: you absolutely hate routine, it limits you and your creativity; you need to do all sorts of unusual and stimulating things in your daily life. very rebellious when in positions of submission. you need an environment where you can express yourself, so the typical nine to five job might not be for you. working in teams, if you’re not accepted for your uniqueness, can be a challenge too. you prefer to do things on your own. issues dealing with routine, job and even wealth, since you don’t want to feel confined. very unconventional methods of caring for others, of working, etc, that might confuse the hell out of others. both seen as someone with crazy ideas and a genius. others might have a hard time dealing with your unconventionality. perfectionists at heart, focuses a whole lot on the smallest details. it’s very easy to tell when you’re going through something or feeling chaotic because it shows in how you deal with your surroundings. however, when you’re feeling better, it’ll show in how you act more carefree, enthusiastic in your daily life. 

uranus in the 7th house: you’re very attracted to eccentric people and you need constant change in your relationships so you won’t feel “stuck”. you don’t let yourself be limited by traditionalist views when it comes to relationships, so the idea of a long-distance relationship or open relationship intrigues you; because the truth is that you’re terrified of having your freedom taken away, so you don’t want to feel tied down. you’re very intuitive, artistic, a lowkey genius, so eccentric people feel as attracted to you as you do them. you hate taking orders. overly needy people make you want to run away on sight. good luck to whoever manages to make you settle, it’ll be one hell of a hard thing to do. you’re not just looking for someone to love, you also need that person to be your best friend through and through. others might view you as very irritating at first, until they actually get to know you and find out just how kind and loving you truly are. a tendency to feel rejected and to seek validation in others to lift your self-confidence.

uranus in the 8th house: there’s a tendency to fluctuate between the two extremes: one second you’re feeling like a god amongst mere mortals, the next you’re hitting rock bottom with a shovel and ready to start digging. you’ll go through many unpredictable and intense transformations throughout your life, constantly looking to scratch the itch of boredom eating away at you by changing and evolving yourself. you should be careful with changing just out of boredom and for the sake of it, because it can do more harm than good - you might destroy some good things that you were building/nurturing. you’re absolutely fascinating and witty. a deep interest in life after death. a craving to experiment a lot in the bedroom, sex is a way to rebel. one word: voyerism LMFAO, seriously, others might get scared with your sexual tastes. although, you can be very detached during sex sometimes due to your fear of establishing an emotional connection. your wealth fluctuates very inconsistently. tendency to have dark thoughts. more than just on a physical sense, you want to experience a love that is transcendental.

uranus in the 9th house: your unconventional beliefs make you incredibly open-minded! you’re attracted to people who also have non-traditional views on the world and who aren’t afraid to think differently from the rest. you fluctuate between being an extremely eager, almost obsessive learner and wanting to have literal zero thoughts going on (it’s so amusing). your ideas are revolutionary and you need to feel free. this house deals with travelling, so when the planet of unconventionality is placed here, you can expect to experience all kinds of unexpected and weird things happening in your travels - if the planet is afflicted, you’ll be absolutely terrified of travelling, if not, it’ll be one of your biggest interests. you’re an avid book reader and philosophy interests you greatly. this placement indicates trouble with higher studies, because although you’re a sucker for learning, you hate doing it in a structured environment + the narrow-minded views of those who’re teaching/learning around you might make you feel trapped.

uranus in the 10th house: when the planet of eccentricity and rebellion is in the tenth house, it indicates very tense situations with authority figures - you need to do things your own way and you're capable of going through great lengths to not lose your independence in any way. freedom is the most important thing in the world to you. constant internal change. you don't care about reaching the top of the mountain, because the most important thing to you is to work somewhere where you can express your creativity. there's a potential for you to have many talents, even if it takes you time to discover them all. opportunity to become famous for your unconventionality. hates tradition. may have been raised in a strange/different way as a child. you might've been humiliated in your childhood and there's also a possibility to have traumatic memories concerning your parents esp the father. also very chaotic!!! 

uranus in the 11th house: many "friends" but a tendency to keep most at a distance out of fear of vulnerability, but still, you get very strongly attached to the closest to you. very fun to be around, crackhead energy - you make a joke out of everything. a craving for freedom and independence, you immediately throw those who try to clip your wings out of your life. attracted to people who radiate eccentricity and uniqueness; those who are afraid to be different simply bore you. might have felt rejected as a child by an authority figure. friends might get be prone to car accidents or very peculiar incidents. a love for the deeper subjects like metaphysics. very chaotic and can be very detached at times, but your honesty is the reason why you're so well-liked. you feel society's issues deep in your heart and there's an aching inside of you to communicate the problems your generation is facing and to be a pioneer in extreme change. 

uranus in the 12th house: the change that this planet gives an individual comes from within when placed in the 12th house. the intense experiences you go through force you to constantly change your ways and perspectives. you crave being of help to others and you don't even search for the recognition that comes with it, you genuinely just want to make others' lives better. big dreams and ambition. spiritual knowledge, psychic abilities - a tendency for this insight to be revealed during dreams - your dreams are very important to you and you might experience vivid dreaming or nightmares. you might have sudden breakthroughs or ideas, it's like things hit you full-force at any given moment, giving you a great surge of inspiration. there's a tendency to struggle with very simple tasks. can struggle with being shy and lacking confidence, suppressing your need to express the real, genuine you. need solitude to transform and grow as a person. 

[disworl]

Homestuck Music You Might Not Have Heard

[NOTE: Tumblr's formatting is really finicky so doing dual updates to this thing is not worth my time. If you want the most recent list, find it on Ao3.]

Yes, “MeGaLoVania” and “Time On My Side” are damn good songs, but a music catalogue this large is certain to have several diamonds in the rough. Here’s a selection of likewise lovely Homestuck music that you might not have heard.

V 1.0, updated 2022.10.10

I wrote this as an appreciation for all the wonderful music this comic has, and to give spotlight to the works that aren’t as well-known as “Black” and the like. Homestuck is a truly unique piece of media, and the soundtrack is one of the reasons why.

Great thanks to the HSMusic Wiki, which is what I used to check a track’s artist and contributor credits, whether it had been used in a flash, and what, if any other tracks it referenced. In my write-ups, I try to be as accurate as possible, but I’ve no music education aside from half-remembered childhood violin lessons. Apologies if I make a mistake.

I’m slowly working through the catalogue, so when I listen to more albums I’ll update this.

Full Playlist

Some Vague Guidelines

Official music only on Disc I Side A, with good semi-official unreleased tracks from the Homestuck Sound Test and some fan music on Disc I Side B. Disc II is the same, except in a bulleted list of every track covered, who it’s by, and what album it’s from, for the sake of readability.

The official music section is split into three categories: Deep Cuts From Popular Albums (popular being somewhat arbitrarily defined as Vol. 5, Strife!, Alterniabound, and both coloUrs and mayhem), Lesser-Known Takes on Something Else (for tracks that are well, primarily an interpretation of a pre-existing track, usually something more popular like “Doctor”), and Cool and New Music is for original compositions (though they may have minor references to other music).

Tracks are organized by chronological album release date pre-merger and the Vol. 1-4 re-release, and then by track order within the same album.

Nothing readily available from a Flash (so phonograph tracks and something like “Pony Chorale” are fine) is allowed.

Neither is anything with 1 million views or more (based on the most popular video at time of writing) on Youtube for Deep Cuts, and then for Lesser-Known Takes that threshold is halved, and again for Cool and New Music.

Themes from Alterniabound and the two ColoUrs and Mayhem albums ("Vriska’s Theme", "Green Ghost", "Rust Servant", et cetera) will not be included regardless of popularity because their obvious theming gives them an obvious profile for any fan of what character they’re for.

I will not be covering any albums released after Homestuck Vol. 10.

I want to keep featuring Toby Fox to a minimum – he’s a wonderful musician, but he is also by far the most well known member of the music and tends to overshadow everyone else by a wide margin.

Disc I - Side A

Side A Playlist.

Deep Cuts From Popular Albums

Deep Cuts Playlist.

“Light” by Erik “Jit” Scheele off of Homestuck Vol. 5 is a sort of comfortably adventurous composition that uses 413 as a chord progression. The piano melody that that leads off the track combined with the wind instrumentation gives the feeling of just a wonderful day, helped by the fan art for it in the Vol. 5 track art anthology fan project.

Also off of Vol. 5 , “Softly” by Robert J! Lake is a sweet toned electronic tune driven by a fuzzy, bouncing melody – though the beat gives it just a bit of an edge.

“Atomic Bonsai”, from hard-going solo album Strife! By Joren “Tensei” de Bruin, is the only kid strife track to not get used in some sort of official Homestuck-related thing (“Time on My Side” is a flash track, “Heir of Conditioning” was rearranged into flash track “Heir of Grief” in addition to being a phonograph tune in [S] Kanaya: Return to the Core, and “Dance of Thorns” was used in the Kickstarter video), and that’s a shame. It brings as much energy as the other three, and the combination of bass guitar and East Asian musical influence gives an equally unique sound with hook after hook.

Compared to the effervescence of Nepeta’s preceding music, “Catapult Capuchin” by Toby “Radiation” Fox off of AlterniaBound is nothing but the fierce hunter’s prowess on display in Video Game music fashion, as it was constructed from Mega Man X samples. It’s a high powerful ride throughout, but my favourite part is the bit at 00:33.

“Clockstopper” by viaSatellite and infiniteKnife off of coloUrs and mayhem: Universe B arguably counts for the first category, too, but I’m putting here because it’s specifically a symphonic rock mix of Beatdown, Atomyk Ebonpyre, and Upward Movement. The tension-building intro launching into the full force action of the flying strings always gets my blood pumping. My favourite take on Beatdown so far.

Lesser-Known Takes on Something Else

Lesser-Known Takes Playlist.

Humorous and infectious, “Pony Chorale” by Michael Guy Bowman with Tavia Morra off of Homestuck Vol. 4 is – well, it’s certainly a song! A mournful Western whistle on “Chorale for Jaspers” set to the beat of cartoonish hoof noises, punctuated by cymbals, all wrapped up with one simple word: neigh. And if you want some visuals for your viewing pleasure, there are two (probably not so) secret Flash pages for this song.

“Squidissension” by Mark Hadley, off of Homestuck Vol. 6 does an admirable and unique spin on the difficult job of combining the hyper-pop sugar-overdosed “Squiddles!” theme and the slightly ominous guardianstrife theme for Jade, “Dissension”. Serving as the main running melody, when shifted into minor key and given “Dissension” as a complement, “Squiddles!” becomes frantic instead of desperate, while “Dissension” is given that extra jump in momentum to keep pace, making for a track that’s something different, more adventurous, and more dire than either of its progenitors.

While it’s close to blowing the 500k Youtube requirement, “Anbroids 2.0” by Malcom Brown off of Homestuck Vol. 9 is still in the clear, so I’m putting it here as an early favourite of mine. With a very synthetic Strider sound, the track’s got a nice bouncy melody that serves as a fuller-realized version of the original “Anbroids” in the flash. Perfect for a rap-off.

“I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew (Post-Punk Version)”, by Michael Guy Bowman with Erik “Jit” Scheele and Marcy Nabors, from Homestuck Vol. 9, is a seedier, sharper, and stabbier take on the Victorian original and the acapella cover featured in the comic proper. The vocals just kill.

“II – Sarabande” by Clark “Plazmataz” Powell for her solo album Symphony Impossible to Play , is, unsurprisingly, a symphonic cover of “Sarabande” by Erik “Jit” Scheele. What might be surprising, however, is how much restraint is employed in it – the difference from the original is subtle, bearing a slowly rising string backing before the cello solo of the main melody kicks in around the minute mark.

Where “Homestuck Anthem” has a weird, portentous and artificial atmosphere, “Homestuck” a more present and traditional rendition, “Elevatorstuck” a dedicated – and listenable! – parody of muzak, and “Homosuck Anthem” a… copious amount of animal sound effects, “IV – Anthem”, also off of Symphony Impossible to Play brings a triumphant fanfare to the thematic melody for the comic. It is powerful and keeps the tension in the original throughout, driven by the backing – my favourite part is when the brass first cuts and you’re just left to bask only in the beat and the strings. “I – Overture” might have been the track to finish the comic, but I can’t think of a better track to end the album.

While the popularity of “Penumbra Phantasm” is debatable given that it’s never been released in full, “FantasyP”, by Erik “Jit” Scheele off of his solo album One Year Older, is a wonderfully hopeful and free take on “Penumbra Phantasm”, instead of referencing it as part of a larger composition. If you don’t know what “Penumbra Phantasm” is, prepare for roughly four minutes of “hey, that sounds familiar” while listening to just a really nice song – though, notably, it omits that one haunting piano riff from the original that serves as a code for a great many of the flashes. (One Year Older is available for free on Scheele’s bandcamp.)

“Another Chance”, a bonus track from One Year Older but done by Eston “silence” Schweickart”, is a synth remix of “Walk-Stab-Walk (R&E)” that gives the already good track some serious extra juice.

Starting off as a far-off sounding piano rendition of “Ruins” before crackling into a mechanized-backing of “Flare”, then bringing in clear, present electric guitar at 2:00 and finally adding in “Explore”, “Solar Voyage” by Marcy Nabors (with several others, check Disc II for full credits) off of Homestuck Vol. 10 definitely feels like a journey. The twists and progression on these recognizable musical staples are a sound to behold.

“Conclude” by Seth “Beatfox” Peelle, also off the same album, is the closer to the final volume of Homestuck music, and it lives up to the challenge. Beginning with a flying rendition of Sburban Jungle that turns the frenetic rush of the original into a hopeful retrospective, before switching to a bittersweet refrain of “Showtime”, the song then dives into original territory with a fanfare at 4:13, backed by “Skies of Skaia”, before closing with a soaring rendition of “Homestuck”, free and full of light in comparison to the pounding might of “IV – Anthem”. It’s a wonderful encapsulation of the complicated feelings flowing into one another that come with the end of a comic that means so much. My favourite bit is the far-off echoed “Showtime” at 1:19 – looking at the early morning of that April 13th, 2009. It did turn out to be a very long day, after all.

Cool And New Music

Cool and New Music Playlist.

“Squiddle Samba” by Michael Guy Bowman off of the album Squiddles! (no longer for sale, do with that information what you will), a thematic concept theme giving a whole extensive soundtrack to a fictitious children’s television show, is an energetic and bubbly jam that does not take the concept so far that an excess of irony is needed to enjoy it (though, the sugarily crystalline Squiddle voices appear for a scant fifteen seconds near the end, if that’s what you’re for).

Also off the same album, “Ocean Stars” by Mark Hadley is a calming, sweet and savoury treat to top off the excess of sugar cubes (and occasion tentacles) put on your musical plate. The layered build-up of the various elements is simple, befitting a children’s show, but done oh-so-well in a way that gives it meat.

“The Lemonsnout Turnabout” by Toby Fox for his solo album Alternia is a narrative piece wherein a young Trollian girl has an intrumental motif established (Neo-baroque harpsichord), and sets to take in a certain neon yellow draconian senator (represented by an oboe) for adjustments. In contrast to “Terezi’s Theme” and its more faster action, there’s a certain cerebral, well-plotted atmosphere to “The Lemonsnout Turnabout”. You can see the wind-up of the machinery fueling Terezi’s long noose in nailing Lemonsnout, echoed by the fearful groan of that oboe and the sharp jabs of the harpsichord in turn.

Also from Alternia, “dESPERADO ROCKET CHAIRS,” establishes Tavros with a Latin theme the way “The Lemonsnout Turnabout” establishes Terezi with the harpischord. It begins a short intro, before the horns really come in blaring – a far shot from the dying string reference of “Rex Duodecim Angelus”. Tavros is a dork, but he’s got fire behind him, and “dSPERADO ROCKET CHAIRS,” does a good job of showing that.

“Shade” by Clark “Plazmataz” Powell off of her solo album Medium, themed around the kid’s lands. A mixture of synthetic and often industrial noise combined with more organic instrumentation helps express the strangeness of these game worlds. In “Shade”, the shimmering melody that drives the track forward expresses the quiet and curious nature of the bioluminescence of LOWAS, before transitioning into a piano tune made for Typheus.

“Heat”, off the same album, takes a more hard-pressed approach, utilizing scissoring violin backdropped against industrial swirl to conjure up the swelter of churning lava in LOHAC. When the violin breaks free of that rhythm to climb, it only adds to the drama, and the song ends by sonically pulling away from the ebb and flow to leave the planet behind.

Starting off with thunder, “Exodus” by Tyler Dever for his solo album Sburb and performed by Erik “jit” Scheele, Exodus balances the apocalyptic severity of the meteors sent during the beginning hours of SBURB with skittering notes of the various players attempting to enter the medium. It closes out with a stark, last-second rendition of “Sburban Jungle” before quietly fading. (Sburb is available for free on Dever’s bandcamp.)

“Carapacian Dominion” by Seth “Beatfox” Peelle, opening the exile-themed album The Wanderers (also unavailable for purchase), sets the stage for the rest of the music by combining more unexplored, ethnic sound with a more Homestuck-typical industrial beat that’s perfect for the long trek along the desert of earth, years in the future (but not many).

In contrast to the forward-hiking rhythm of “Carapacian Dominion”, “Aimless Morning Gold” by Michael Guy Bowman off the same album is a track for staying in one place. Glittering synth (?) notes linger and warp in the heat, contrasted by the lazy ramble of the bass, all punctuated by a slight turn to Westerns with rattling machine gun shots.

And taking a strong turn from both of them, “Years in the Future” by Robert J! Lake, still off of the same album, is track following in Lake’s style of slightly eclectic, slightly choppy, but nevertheless catching and catchy electronic noise tunes. It takes a bit for the track to get going, but the combination of blips and bleeps that all call up the idea of electronic communication in the Can Town of the future makes for a wonderful swirl in the end.

“Derse Dreamers” might be one of the most famous songs in Homestuck, but that isn’t to say Prospit is lacking in terms of good music. “Center of Brilliance” by Solatrus for his solo album Prospit & Derse, themed around, well, you guess, begins with a shimmering chiming intro before bass and piano step in to bring a more full view of the center of the golden moon. The regal fanfare and drum setup ties things to Prospit’s formal atmosphere as a contrast to John and Jade’s instruments of choice. Something I like for all of the Prospit songs in the album is the bass guitar – it stands out as a driving instrument rather than just backing, and it’s true here, too. (Prospit & Derse is available for free on Solatrus’ bandcamp.)

“Song of Skaia” by Mark Hadley with Tarien Ainuvë, off of the same-titled album, is probably most recognizable as the bursting upswell chorus three minutes into “Creata”. Compared to that triumphant recital, however, “Song of Skaia” takes a more singular approach. It’s more minimalistic, and generally has the feeling of looking down from a thousand miles out in space.

“Cancerous Core” by Erik “Jit” Scheele gives a very short moment in the comic – the descent into Skaia – a full musical backing. The subtle brush of the air in combination with the restless roll of the piano in Locrian mode, accompanied by the ancient call of the wind instrumentation. It’s a track that definitely calls a strange and perhaps unsettling journey into some unseen world.

Alien and enchanting, “Voidlight” by Thomas Ferkol off of Homestuck Vol. 10 bears a flowing atmosphere that still contains a sense of drama. From commentary, it’s based on Calliope hiding in the Furthest Ring, which makes sense for the quiet not yet calm nature. The strings in the intro help convey the quiet, secluded landscape, and all around it’s a wonderfully ethereal piece.

“Feel (Alive)” by Luke Benjamins and Robert J! Lake from the same album, on the other hand, is a straight up chiptune rocker. It’s got raucous energy that absolutely earns its title.

Disc I - Side B

Side B Playlist (incomplete, not every track is on Youtube).

Homestuck Sound Test Gems

Sound Test Playlist (incomplete, not every Sound Test track is on Youtube).

“Cuttlefish Rag” by Alexander “Albatross Soup” Rosetti is a jaunty little ragtime tune originally written for Squiddles! , though you could also easily interpret it as a track for Feferi.

All memery aside, “Karkalicious (Guitarkind)” is a rockin’ guitar addition to a short excerpt of the Broadwaystuck classic. Yes, it’s hilarious. It also has some genuinely sick riffs. I daresay “Karkalicious” has never sounded so good.

“Mother (Davekind)” by Erik “Jit” Scheele is a take on “Mother” from One Year Older (can you tell I really like this album?) but in the style of Dave instead of John, trading out the slow, matured piano and strings for synths and turntables with a more energetic beat.

“Sea of Derse” got more instrumentation for the jazzy and relaxed “Breeze” in Homestuck Vol. 10, but in some ways I like the slightly more melancholic, stripped-down piano original.

“today i butchered a homestuck song (three in the A M)” by James “soselfimportant” Roach is a slightly weird, catching arrangement on “Three in the Morning”. In some way, it’s a precursor to what Roach did with “Karkat’s Theme”, “Terezi’s Theme”, and “Davesprite” for the Pesterquest soundtrack.

“Aggrieve (Piano) v2” by Toby Fox is… well, it’s a piano arrangement of “Aggrieve”, the second of three, and the best of them. I might be biased in terms of instrumentation, but what makes this track so good personally (and in fact, my favourite version of “Aggrieve”) is that it brings a level of energy that tends to be sublimated for a more measured and cerebral Lalondian pace – even in “Aggrievocation”. There’s a lot of great moments in this track, but my favourite bit’s around 1:42.

Fan Music Gems

Fan Music Playlist (incomplete, not every fan music track is on Youtube).

Found in the ~2011 Fan Music compilation of the Homestuck Archives, “Sunrise” by Yan “Nucleose” Rodriguez is a cheery guitar cover of the previously mentioned “Light”. It brings a sharper edge to the main melody, definitely befitting those first cracks of light over the horizon. I might like this more than the original. (Ironically, a later track by Scheele for One Year Older used the same title, and also referenced “Light”.)

“Sunshaker” by D. Crystal off of Land of Fans and Music is a very faithful jazz arrangement of “Sunsetter”. It’s mellower than both “Sunsetter” and “Sunslammer”, but still upbeat, all pinned together by that rolling piano.

Done by “Tarranon” for the concept album Sburb OST, “Amongst Smiling Faces [Prospitian Dignitaries]” is a theme for the agents of the Prospit. As its title might suggest, it takes a much more relaxed tone than Prospit & Derse’s regality, going downright pastoral with a sound not out of place for a first town in a JRPG.

“Waste of Space” by therosielord off of Songs for Monsters , is a lamentful fansong for Jade H arley on the occasion of her death in the Game Over timeline. The lyric s have some really clever moments underscoring Jade’s rise in agency, only to see that same agency fall by the wayside through death and grimbarkification. The ambling, almost slee py guitar backing only underscores the tragedy. (“Waste of Space” is the first of a quartet of songs for the Beta kids – the girls’ featured on Songs for Monsters , and the boys’ featured on Songs for Gods .)

The third in the Beta Kids quartet by therosielord and off of Songs for Gods, “Out of Time” is a fansong for, of course, Dave Strider. It’s a rambling, wordplay-laden tune that’s set to the relentless pace of Sburb on a single day in April, before scratching and resetting to a layered repetition of information and elements. The verse at 2:12 is my favourite of all of the Beta kid songs.

The twelve fansongs for the trolls might be PhemieC’s most famous contribution to Homestuck fandom, but the songs off of their other album, Songs for a Doomed Timeline aren’t slacking, either. “The Path” is one of their less well-known works – a fansong for Alpha Dave and Rose. Prognostic and methodical, it’s sung with the unclouded and heavy knowledge of the events to come, and the lyricism is sharp at every corner.

Yeah, I’m waiving the no character themes rule for Fan Music, because Fan Music is already niche enough. “♐Broken Strings♐” by psithurist off of Ancestral , an album dedicated to the ancestors, is an off-beat math rock styled string track for E%ecutor Darkleer. The odd rhythm and combination of strings and percussion is perfect for the loyal agent of the empire turnt exile.

“Of Rust and Royalty” by Grace Medley and off of the same album is a thudding nu disco take on the fight between the Handmaid and the Condesce, splicing up various elements of Rust Servant/Rust Apocalypse, Fuchsia Ruler, and Eternity Served Cold in a way that sells the power of the two (three?) individuals involved.

“The End of Something Really Excellent” by Rhyselinn off of Lands of Fans and Music 4 is, itself, a r eally e xcellent medley of “ The Beginning of Something Really Excellent” and a lot of narrative Homestuck hits. The tone is mostly relieved and a little nostalgic, like finally being able to catch a real breath after two very long days and three years of a suspense-building in-between – a nice contrast to the more triumphant and energetic musical recaps in Homestuck. The commentary has both and outline of how the song follows the plot of Homestuck and timestamps for each song referenced.

“Calming Quartz” by PoisonedElite is the opener for Xenoplanetarium, an album in a similar vein as Medium, only for the trolls’ planets instead. Whereas Medium touches on the at least tangential familiarity that comes with the kids’ planets by utilizing industrial sounds with organic instruments, Xenoplanetarium at its best gives an odd and isolated soundtrack to its subjects, and “Calming Quartz” is exemplary in that. The bounding piano reflects the glacial nature of the quartz in LOQAM, backdropped by music box melody fitting with the cardinal movement. That melody’s isolation and eventual fade into mechanized hum at the end might be my favourite part of the song.

Continuing in the steed of “Calming Quartz”, “Sandy Skyline” by Aris Martinian from the same album brings the ever-stretching dunes of LOSAZ with some notes in the breeze and strong low stringwork, set to a clicking rhythm. The echo processing effect is noticeable but not too excessive, all making for a track perfect for that orange expanse.

Disc II - Side A

Side A Playlist.

Deep Cuts From Popular Albums

Deep Cuts Playlist.

“Light” – Erik “Jit” Scheele (Homestuck Vol. 5)

“Softly” – Robert J! Lake (Homestuck Vol. 5)

“Atomic Bonsai” – Joren “Tensei” de Bruin (Strife!)

“Catapult Capuchin” – Toby “Radiation” Fox (Alterniabound)

“Clockstopper” – viaSatellite, infiniteKnife (coloUrs and mayhem: Universe B)

Lesser-Known Takes on Something Else

Lesser-Known Takes Playlist.

“Pony Chorale” – Michael Guy Bowman with Tavia Morra (Homestuck Vol. 4)

“Squidissension” – Mark Hadley (Homestuck Vol. 6)

“Anbroids 2.0” – Malcom Brown (Homestuck Vol. 9)

“I’m a Member of the Midnight Crew (Post-Punk Version)” – Michael Guy Bowman with Erik “Jit” Scheele” and Marcy Nabors (Homestuck Vol. 9)

“II – Sarabande” – Clark “Plazmataz” Powell (Symphony Impossible to Play)

“IV – Anthem” – Clark “Plazmataz” Powell (Symphony Impossible to Play)

“FantasyP” – Erik “Jit” Scheele” (One Year Older)

“Another Chance” – Eston “silence” Schweickart (One Year Older)

“Solar Voyage” – Marcy Nabors with Michael Guy Bowman, Clark “Plazmataz” Powell, Erik “Jit” Scheele”, Joren “Tensei” de Bruin”, Paul Henderson, and Jamie Page Stanley (Homestuck Vol. 10)

“Conclude” Seth “Beatfox” Peele (Homestuck Vol. 10)

Cool and New Music

Cool and New Music Playlist.

“Squiddle Samba” – Michael Guy Bowman (Squiddles!)

“Ocean Stars” – Mark Hadley (Squiddles!)

“The Lemonsnout Turnabout” – Toby Fox (Alternia)

“Desperado Rocket Chairs” – Toby Fox (Alternia)

“Shade” – Clark “Plazmataz” Powell (Medium)

“Heat” – Clark “Plazmataz” Powell (Medium)

“Exodus” – Tyler Dever and Erik “Jit” Scheele” (Sburb)

“Carapacian Dominion” – Seth “Beatfox” Peele (The Wanderers)

“Aimless Morning Gold” – Michael Guy Bowman (The Wanderers)

“Years In The Future” – Robert J! Lake (The Wanderers)

“Center of Brilliance” – Solatrus (Prospit & Derse)

“Song of Skaia” – Mark Hadley with Tarien Ainuvë (Song of Skaia)

“Cancerous Core” – Erik “Jit” Scheele (One Year Older)

“Voidlight” – Thomas Ferkol (Homestuck Vol. 10)

“Feel (Alive)” – Luke Benjamins and Robert J! Lake (Homestuck Vol. 10)

Disc II - Side B

Side B Playlist (incomplete, not every track is on Youtube).

Homestuck Sound Test Gems

Sound Test Playlist (incomplete, not every Sound Test track is on Youtube).

Cuttlefish Rag – Alexander “Albatross Soup” Rosetti

“Karkalicious (Guitarkind)” – Joren “Tensei” de Bruin

“Mother (Davekind)” – Erik “Jit” Scheele

“Sea of Derse” – Erik “Jit” Scheele

“today I butchered a song (3 in the A M)” – James “soselfimportant” Roach

“Aggrieve (Piano) v2” – Toby “Radiation” Fox

Fan Music Gems

Fan Music Playlist (incomplete, not every fan music track is on Youtube).

“Sunrise” – Yan “Nucleose” Rodriguez

“Sunshaker” – D.Crystal (Land of Fans and Music)

“Amongst Smiling Faces [Prospitian Dignitaries]” – Tarranon (Sburb OST)

“Waste of Space” – the rosielord (Songs for Monsters)

“Out of Time” – therosielord (Songs for Gods)

“The Path” – PhemieC (Songs for a Doomed Timeline)

“♐Broken Strings♐” – psithurist (Ancestral)

“Of Rust and Royalty” – Grace Medley (Ancestral)

“The End of Something Really Excellent” – Rhyselinn (Land of Fans and Music 4)

“Calming Quartz” – PoisonedElite (Xenoplanetarium)

“Sandy Skyline” – Aris Martinian (Xenoplanetarium)

[kuma829]

Wedding Speech＊Strumming Bride Light Translation Chapter One

Cast: Kaoru, Adonis

Author(s): Yuumasu and Akira

Season: Summer

Proofread by: Gelyan

(Is it possible I could save Hakaze-senpai this time?)

Chapter One:

Adonis: (Huh, why does Hakaze-senpai have such a troubled look?)

(I wonder if he ate something he doesn’t like?)

(I can’t think of anything else, but I’m sure there's something bothering him, yet I just can’t put my finger on it)

(Let me go up and ask him)

Kaoru: …

Adonis: Hakaze-senpai

Kaoru: …Eh?

Adonis-kun? Are you having lunch now?

Adonis: Aah, do you mind if I sit with you?

Kaoru: Come, come. I’m going to have to go soon anyway, I’ve got work to settle.

…Woah, that’s a whole ton of food, isn’t it? I didn’t even know that was offered on the menu here.

Adonis: It’s the daily lunch special. I try to make the most out of the employee cafeteria on days they serve meat. I’m also pretty familiar with the staff working here at the cafeteria.

Today I was even able to increase the serving size by three because there was enough stock. Of course, I paid the sufficient amount to do so

Kaoru: I see how it is. It’s good to be friendly with the staff that works here, isn’t it? Just the other day, a makeup artist who often works with me gave me skin care advice on a lotion that suits my skin.

I’ve been using my old one for a while, and I never had any inconveniences with it so I didn’t really believe them, but…

When I tried it on, my texture completely changed, I was  shocked~

Adonis: I heard that collagen is also pretty good for beautiful skin, so why not dig into these chicken wings?

Kaoru: Thank you. I’m full, but I appreciate it, so just take my words of gratitude in return, okay?

Plus, since it’s Adonis-kun, I’m sure that mountain of chicken wings will be all finished up anyway.

Adonis: Of course, people cannot live without eating.

To eat something means to take the life of something. By not throwing food away as waste , you can feed on every last bit to consume its life force and progress in life for the sake of the one that was taken away.

Kaoru: Isn’t that exactly what “thanks for the meal"means?

Adonis: (Hmm… Talking like this it just feels like the same as always…)

Kaoru: …

Adonis: (Hm, as expected something is wrong)

…Why do you look so troubled?

Kaoru: Eh? A-ah… Er, well. It’s about my sister

…

Adonis: (He’s quiet… Doesn’t seem like he wants to share)

(I want to help if something is wrong, but I have no idea if it’s okay to pry)

(I don’t know what to do… What should I do…?)

Kaoru: —Heeey, Adonis-kun. I’ve got something to ask, if that’s alright?

Adonis: (You’re asking me for something? You’re relying on me, the worthless…?!)

Aah, if it is at the request of Hakaze-senpai, I would do anything in my power to help

Kaoru: Ahaha~ Anything? Isn’t that a bit too much?

Hey so, anyway… What’re your sisters up to these days?

Adonis: My, my sisters? Why would—

Is it possible, have you finally met my sisters…!?

Kaoru: Eh?

Adonis: No, it can’t be. I must be mistaken, you seem relatively unharmed.

Kaoru: Eh~? Adonis-kun’s sisters seem like they’re Amazonians…?

Well, rest easy. I have thought about them before, but I’ve never actually come face to face with them.

So, I remember you talked about your middle sister who works as a beautician around last spring, didn’t you? How’s she holding up?

Adonis: Aah, just last week I had my haircut when I received a new report and went to Saison Avenue with my sister. My other sister’s birthday is coming up, you see.

Kaoru: Oh, I get it. You two are so close that you go out and buy gifts for your family together, yeah?

Adonis: Eh, not really. I’m just a baggage holder, with older sisters it's easier to leave the gift giving to them.

I know that my sisters favour sweet, beautiful, and cute things, but… I still don’t know what to give them

When I give them things that they say they like, they always end up saying, “I’m over it,” it’s disappointing

Kaoru: The woman’s heart is just like the Autumn sky~

Adonis: The… Autumn sky?

Kaoru: It’s sort of like a saying. A woman’s heart changes just as fast as the Autumn sky does

Anyway, even if they say one thing they may mean something else. I think your older sisters are happy with Adonis-kun’s gifts, because Adonis-kun is trying his best to choose a suitable gift for them~

Adonis: Is that so?

Kaoru: Yep. You’re trying to wrap your head around it, yeah? I think it’s just a way of hiding their embarrassment. I mean, I’ve never met them, but I can’t help but make guesses.

Welp, I’m off. It’s time to go back to work, sorry about that. But thanks for killing some time with me

See ya, Adonis-kun

Adonis: Ah, see you…

(I should have been the one to step up and cheer him up, but instead he ended up giving me words of reassurance…)

(In the end, I wasn’t able to figure out what happened with Hakaze-senpai’s sister)

…

(Hey, wasn’t he worried about his sister last year as well? I was too busy with the “StarFes” to do anything about it at that time though)

(Is it possible I could save Hakaze-senpai this time?)

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[sepublic]

What I really appreciate about The Owl House is that it happily shatters the illusion of being episodic. So many cartoons clearly have a continuity that they’re paying attention to, but to invoke the continuity that happens outside an individual episode is a corporate taboo; Because it shatters corporate attempts to sell the show as an easy, episodic story where you can join at any moment and not worry about being lost, so as to not alienate new viewers, all for the sake or profit.

That’s why you have shows which clearly are alluding to past events, arcs, and characterization, but don’t say it outright; Because it shatters the episodic illusion, that surface-level viewing for the casual watcher who just jumped in. It’s not meant to be confusing to these newcomers, but at some point, it can end up feeling like it alienates long-time fans instead, who feel as if the show is dangling and teasing its own past continuity without addressing it.

Which again is why I love The Owl House, for clearly taking the character’s past arcs and outright saying things, exploring emotional bonds. Because to be honest, any piece of media that aims to be as widely appealing as possible probably isn’t very good; Especially if it’s further down the road. Sometimes you just have the one audience you are pertaining to, and you focus on doing that job and doing it well. So TOH has the characters reference past events, openly discuss how they used to be, even if it’s not strictly necessary do a scene, because it just adds a further level of enrichment to the moment. It’s that extra effort and level of detail that shows people care.

It shows that past episodes matter, and in turn, rewards long-time viewers who have faithfully been engaging with the show, taking its precious stories into account and incorporating them into their analysis, instead of just shrugging them off as something that could or couldn’t have happened, sometimes the exact order doesn’t even matter right? And for once it feels like a show is doing the work for me in exploring characters, their feelings on past events, and their relationships with one another and how they feel about and react to things; Usually it’s up to fanfic writers to flesh these sorts of things out, but here, the official writers want to do that themselves.

We don’t have to overhaul ourselves adding the actual emotional weight to everything, just filling in blind spots left by writers only because they’re occupied with giving other things their focus. It’s honestly incredibly refreshing and I really appreciate it. The writers love and want to get into the nitty-gritty of a story that they are writing almost for themselves and those who are very into it already; The way fanfic writers do, having a set purpose in exploring the implications and depth of their favorite media. Which again makes it feel like the writers are fans of this show themselves, which makes the writing feel all the more earnest if the creators are actually enjoying this with the audience; It feels much more engaging that way.

Subtlety and allusion is nice and all, but a lot of it is admittedly influenced by executive meddling and thus not an honest, artistic decision; And sometimes the simplest, most straightforward option in outright saying it, is the best one. Sure, there’s something to be said about newcomers being ‘punished’, but realistically no newcomer is actually going to want to start in the middle of something. And constantly undermining your point to reiterate for the sake of hypotheticals who haven’t even engaged with your text can ultimately be a futile attempt not worth your time; Better to just act with some basic assumption that the viewers understand. In other words, have faith in the viewers that they know; Don’t treat them as dumb people who you have to talk down to.

Which again adds to TOH being rewarding because it feels like it treats its audience seriously instead of talking down to it, and has the trust in viewers to engage with the material and make connections, and thus be validated when those connections are called out in-universe and confirmed as deliberate; They don’t worry about sticking to the basics so as to not confuse us, they have faith in the viewers to take things to the next level and discuss them that way, and thus mention past things because they know we paid attention and remember. Like a professor who knows their students studied the material and talks to them on that basic recognition. It just feels smart and encouraging and not like it’s underestimating us as ‘dumb kids’, which in a way makes us relate to Luz and how she’s actually a lot smarter than people or society give her credit for, and wants to be given the chance to prove that; And finally, has.

Which, just makes it all the more frustrating that this was one of the two big reasons the show was cancelled; TOH isn’t just revolutionary for its queer rep, but for this type of tight, serialized storytelling. It’s not the first but it’s certainly a good and necessary example amidst other shows, and one of the last of its kind as Disney changes its ‘brand’; So it’ll be sad to see it go in favor of purely episodic stories. It dared to be more than what Disney thought was safe and mainstream, alas; And that’s part of what makes it so good. Disney doesn’t care about quality and marketability, and just their narrow idea of what that is, not considering that quality is a marketability in itself.

At most they want to market the idea that the wide public thinks it’s quality (via critic reviews), regardless of whether or not it actually is. There’s just no personal writer’s integrity nor the creator proving a point to themselves anymore, just their reputation. They’re not the type of genuine artist who has people loving what they’ve made, but they’re mostly distracted with the obvious flaws in their work that only they can see and intend to fix for peace of mind, even if the general audience doesn’t mind. As Bob Iger said, Disney is about profit now, not money; And yet they sometimes paradoxically fail at the latter in their attempts to prioritize it, which makes their cancellations all the more frustrating because it’s for nothing.

[luvstrology]

venus 1h

-quite a common placement or indicator for models or celebrities

-this placement is often aesthetically pleasing and commonly shows up for those in the public eye

-people with venus in the 1st house are often very caring and loving people but are often at risk of being/becoming vain as they can be very concerned/interested in what other people think about them

-because venus is the planet that rules beauty, pleasure and love, people with this placement are usually attractive and therefore people may be naturally drawn to them [especially their appearance, as this is what the 1st house represents]

-they may be or come across to others as vain as they will usually have some sort of need to be admired/appreciated by others; in contrast, if someone expresses dislike towards them, the person with this placement can become very bitter about it and hold a grudge because of it, they will likely not engage with someone who shows dislike to them in any way

-people with this placement may feel a need to be in a relationship and therefore may stay in certain romantic situations seemingly ‘just for the sake of it’ even if it is not a good relationship 

-are usually very charming people who know what they want and how to get what they want; they can be very convincing and persuasive and often have no trouble turning on the charm to get what they want

-it is commonly very important to those with venus in the 1st house to express themselves and show off their sociability, romantic nature and creative abilities/talents; these people tend to be very social, attractive, charismatic, impressive etc

-people with this placement may have a flair for anything creative and if so, it is likely very important to them to be able to express this and show this to everyone around them; they may have talents specifically for things such as writing, music, fashion etc

-venus in the 1st house often manifests as a person who is attractive no matter their age and are usually the type of people to age well because the planet of beauty is within their house of appearance 

-love and relationships are both usually very important to people with this placement; they may feel a bit down or lost when single; but also, because of this, they are likely the type who are not afraid to take the lead when it comes to dating or interacting with potential romantic partners

-it may be the case that people with this placement can become very concerned about what people think of them; if ever feeling insecure, this can be a struggle for them but can be overcome with self love and confidence

-as well as generally being very charming and attractive, people with venus in the 1st house seem to have an almost magnetic personality/aura that just draws people to them; they are generally well liked by most people because they are nice, caring and loving

-because venus rules pleasure, those with this planet in their 1st house will often love being spoiled and love to be loved by others; they will likely really appreciate being cared for and admired

-people with this placement are often very naturally gifted when it comes to the arts, and many people with this placement become very talented artists, musicians or designers

-often, those with venus in the 1st house will come across as very ‘soft’, kind and caring to others; they may be particularly vulnerable and open when it comes to love and relationships which will usually allow others to have the opportunity to establish an intimate connection with them

-they are very commonly driven by love; because of this, they may be very open to receiving love in many ways and attract love into their life easily and effortlessly

-if venus is positively aspected, this placement can manifest as a person who receives love often/abundantly, becomes very successful and good at making money and have the ability to develop strong, secure relationships and connections with others

-although love is often very important to people with this placement, they tend not to be the type to lose themselves in the pursuit of it; generally, they have a lot of love for themselves [unless negatively aspected] and pursue love as an addition to their life that they desire rather than to fill a void within themselves

-they are often very good at interacting with others, socialising and making new friends/connections with others as they are usually very expressive and charismatic; at times, they may find themselves mirroring others in order to get along with them even better, but generally this allows them to work with and get along with anyone

-because they are often so charismatic and charming to others, there is potential for them to become good at manipulating and using others; although generally they will have good intentions and interact for love and kindness rather than for their own gain, but they still usually find that things work out for their advantage and they are not scared to use their charms to get what they want

-sometimes, they may find that constantly seeking love, caring what other people think and trying to find approval from others can be exhausting and can leave them feeling lost, empty and insecure

-it is often important that people with venus in the 1st house do not allow themselves to get carried away with pursuing pleasure which may cause them to live a rather fake life; they may do well to remember that not everything is about aesthetics, that feelings of love and genuine connections with others will always be better than chasing luxury or materialistic goals

-because of this, there is a risk that people with this placement have potential to become/act very narcissistic; particularly if they ever feel lost, insecure, lonely, unloved, empty etc, there is a chance that they forget what is really important in life and instead pursue or engage in superficial endeavours 

-while they are so often attractive and beautiful from the outside which does commonly draw people to them because of their looks, they are also very likely kind, caring, loving, captivating people with charming personalities and they may do well to remember that they are more than their appearance if they do ever struggle with self awareness

-they often have a very open heart which likely knows no bounds; they tend to be very caring, kind, loving, considerate etc and are therefore very open to expressing/showing love, receiving love, caring for others etc

-people with this placement are likely well liked by everyone they meet; their warm aura, charming personality and friendliness is often what a lot of people look for when making connections with others; their personality is often sought after and valued within social circles so they may have the ability to develop a lot of connections and nurture many friendships/relationships with others

-they often wear their hearts on their sleeve and are very open to love and very expressive of love

-because of venus’ influence on this placement, people with it may have a natural ability to be well received and well liked by many people; which is why it is common for people in the public eye to have this placement and be thought of positively by many

-similarly to the traits of libra that venus rules, this planet in the 1st house will often manifest as a person who seeks harmony in life; they will likely have no problem compromising and are often extremely tolerant and accommodating of others, usually because they dislike conflict and would rather ensure that peace and happiness is maintaned/encouraged

-with this placement sometimes comes a sense of illusion and/or deception surrounding the people with it in their chart; at times, people with this placement may feel like they do not have a strong enough identity and instead are constantly wearing a mask/staging their life/putting on an act for others; this can often come to light whenever they feel alone, lost, empty, exhausted, undervalued etc [especially because they so often seek approval from others]

-being well liked and often well received from most/many people [including the public if applicable] can sometimes feel like a double edged sword to people with venus in the 1st house because the fact that they often do receive so much love from so many people only makes them need validation/approval from others more and more, which can become exhausting

[lvnatiq]

Random Relationship Headcanons | Felix Escellun x gn!reader

a/n: Hey ! On todays menu I am serving you modern au relationship headcanons. I know for a fact that I can’t write headcanons AT ALL yet here we are, out of spite I will keep trying until I can manage to write good shit. I’m going through a chaotic time in my life so please be patient with me 😭

I’m currently working on tattoo artist! reader x Felix headcanons and college!enemies to lovers one-shot. Knowing that Felix’s fav trope is enemies to lovers, I will post it hopefully before his new chapter drops. I used most of the hcs that were sent to me but if you couldn’t see yours, then it will probably be used on the other works.

No beta we die like men.

warnings: curse words, nsfw under the cut, random sage moments, felix being a ‘the neighborhood’ song basically.

You persuade him to start an Instagram account, and because of his family's popularity, he quickly gains followers. His account is practically empty because he would rather spend his time stalking your account on Instagram. You noticed the emptiness and wanted to take him out and take some photos for his account, which turned out amazingly. He is a little camera shy, so be patient with him.

You like to watch him apply his eyeliner but he finds it so stressing to do under your gaze.  He used to be able to do it easily, but it has now become one of his most difficult tasks. You wanted to ask for his assistance in applying eyeliner to you in the hopes of making it simpler for him; he agreed but quickly regretted it when he realized how near your faces would be. You with your eyes closed, waiting for him to drag the line as he was only thinking about how bad he wanted to kiss you. 

Felix has a Polaroid of you and stella in his wallet I said what I said.

When it comes to himself, he can be a pessimist, but when it comes to you, he is the most loving and positive boyfriend you could ever ask for. You have a dream ? He is ready to help you achieve it. Do you want to change in your life ? Go for it, He’s more excited than you are.

He can be quite insecure at times when it comes to your relationship because he feels like you deserve the world but the world is too big for his tiny hands. Will his cuddles be enough ? God he hopes so.

He almost cried when you told him you loved him for the first time. He's also baffled as to how you might feel the same way about him.

Drunk Felix is really clingy and honest. Whatever he can’t say sober drunk felix can and definitely will.

“May the stars let my death be between your glorious thighs amen-“ “Felix-”

Felix is weird but it add to his charm. It’s not unusual for you to wake up in the middle of the night and find the pillow besides yours empty. In the dead of night, you will find Felix munching on some weird ass food combinations.

He also has a habit of doing things that are extremely adorable without even noticing it. Like walking around the house in his oversized shirts, his hand clutching at the cuffs whilst the other one sheepishly rubs his eye.

“Can I lay on your lap ? I promise I won’t fall asleep. I just need to rest for a little.” His voice is so soft and hushed. “Of course, come here.” He throws himself onto you as he comes hopping on his tip toes.

He falls asleep on his desk too often, so you have to carry him back to his room, where he snuggles against you while you lead him there. Once he's in his room, he insists that you stay with him, so you wait until he falls asleep as you play with his hair, and he wakes up thinking it was all a dream.

I firmly believe that Felix’s love language is acts of service. Like making you coffee and bringing you random snacks as you work or wrapping you up in fluffy blankets whenever he catches you slacking on the couch.

He's been romanticizing anything and everything since he met you. When he sees beautiful flowers, he wants to bring them to you, but he also believes that their beauty stems from the fact that they are alive, so he argues and stresses a lot when deciding what to do in simple situations like these.

His edginess belongs to his impulsiveness and his style only at any other situation he's a complete softboy.

And I'm certain he knows a variety of card tricks. He enjoys showing off, and he enjoys it even more when you become fascinated and beg him to share the trick.

If you're a morning person, you'll probably spend your mornings alone in solitude, finishing work before the day begins, but if you're a night owl, you and Felix will go out for night walks and Felix would go out for night walks, sharing headphones to play some music, enjoy each others presence and develop a habit of watching the sunrise together.

Felix makes you playlists at the most random times and with the most random names. Until one day he sent you a playlist at around 4 a.m called “you”, filled with his favorite music. He usually sees music as a safe space for himself and now that you are his safe place too it’s only appropriate for him to do so. This only further proves how he spends his time thinking about you.

I feel like Felix would have what most would call "attachment issues" but it’s mainly because of his protective tendencies. This is not to say that he’s this "overly jealous toxic" character; rather, he has never had anyone to truly call his own in his entire life so he would do anything to protect it.

Felix is also big on astrology, so if you want the perfect birth chart, he'll give it to you. Also he owns a lovely deck of tarot cards, and if you ask him for a love reading, he can't manage to keep his words and feelings to himself so he modifies your reading according to him and his desires. Let the boy abuse his powers for the sake of love.

His style could be described as dark academia, his wardrobe mainly consists of dark colors, lots and lots of blazers and a lot of oversized shirts. He also loves jewelry so he owns a lot of rings and chains. Just so you know, if you're wearing any of his rings, his heart is doing cartwheels.

Is it obvious that he loves it when you place your hand in his and play with his rings with your fingertips.

Spoil him. Buy him that baby blue hoodie with cat ears.

“Ah, you look adorable.” “Isn’t it a bit too b-big ?” “You could say that. Do you mind ?” “No, I like it that way.” “I would know.” You smirk followed by felix’s gasp. “If you so desperately wanted a cat boy you know you have me right ?” Nudging your shoulder, Sage leapt into the conversation. “What is he talking about ?”  Felix grumbled, only to notice two fuzzy triangular fabrics on top of his head as he brushed his fingertips over it.

He’s obsessed with your hands, kissing your knuckles, drawing circles in your palm. At a certain point it became an involuntary gesture he does it quite often without realizing.

He’s also canonically extremely blushy but he would never admit it. You’re convinced he uses some sort of make up because it is not possible for the pink dusting his cheeks to look this good.

He insists that you’re cold even in the warmest weathers because he wants to see you in his coat.

Sage forces Felix to take his thirst trap Tiktoks.

He really appreciates it when you add to his herbal tea collection without him noticing and he considers it a sign of affection because he takes his tea very seriously.

He loses it when you call him baby he gets flustered and frustrated but it’s all because it rolls off of your tongue so nicely that he can’t get enough of it.

Felix owns a broad collection of scented lip balms some of them are tinted. You didn’t hear this from me.

He never once took anything the Sage says seriously until he saw how well you two got along. He never thought that he would be standing there taking relationship and flirting advice from the frat boy.

Felix is a complete asshole when he wants to. He’s very verbal about it too. Consistent sarcastic remarks and eye rolls. I mean it runs in his blood, look at Escell.

You love it when he suddenly whips out the confident Felix, it’s not a daily occurrence you know.

When Felix is concentrated, he’s lost and there’s almost no way you or anything else can distract him. So it’s time to grab some colorful hair clips and ties to fuck around with his hair.

Felix is not the best at verbally expressing his gratitude towards you. He doesn’t know what he would do if you weren’t there for him at the lowest points of his life where normally he would close himself and bare the weight of his family problems and personal life issues that he can’t seem to get out of. Now he has you, someone who’s willing to listen to him and offer him a warm embrace when he needs the most. 

While you to play games together, when he wins he wears that iconic shit eating grin of his with pride looking at you through the corner of his eye. “Shit, what do you want me to say to that felix ? Perhaps I should call you master now that you won ‘one’ fucking round.” He is praying that the screen light is covering the fact that he is a blushy mess after hearing you say that.

NSFW

I cannot stress this enough but he is extremely vocal in bed. Whining, trying to restrict himself from making too much noise but failing miserably.

Muffled pants, choked sobs and lots of pleasure infused tears.

He loves getting praised during sex but what he loves more is to get praised after it’s all over. Like you telling him how great he was, how well he behaved, how good he made you feel. He experiences sub drops a lot so please assure him that he did well :(

He’s into power-play but not in a submissive or dominant kind of relationship, it’s more of a psychological thing where the fact that he can see how good he makes you feel gives him a rush of confidence and adrenaline.

I believe that this motherfucker is a masochist, pain makes him more excited than getting an update on his favorite author who went on a year long hiatus and that is saying a lot.

Bite him. Scratch him. It is so stimulating for him he can reach his high just from those actions.

Fuck do anything to his ears bite, lick, pull, blow on it. He is extremely sensitive so anything you do will basically drive him out of his mind. It will most definitely lead to him trembling beneath your fingertips.

You must think that you are the only one who is such a tease but you’re wrong. Felix teases you quite often mostly to direct your attention towards him or to keep your attention on him. He’s quite greedy when it comes to you and your hands on his body. Unbuttoning unnecessary amount of buttons on his shirt to show a little skin that he knows you’ll notice. Playing with his necklace placing the chain between his lips dragging it towards the inside of his bottom lip teasing the metallic charm with the tip of his tongue. He definitely ain’t oblivious he knows exactly what he’s doing and he makes sure that you know exactly what he’s doing.

When he’s in the mood he will tug the hem of your top meanwhile his eyes are glued to the floor or graze the temples of his glasses between his lips, his teeth lightly nibbling the pointy edge. He loves to play dumb too. When you question him, he acts like he doesn’t intend anything and that you need to get your head out of the gutter.

At the end of the session Felix looks divine. Drool leaking down from his bottom lip to his jaw line towards his neck, his bangs sticking on his sweat coated forehead, his chest rising up and down quickly. His eyes rolled at the back of his head, his hands still clutching tightly to the sheets. Faint whimpers and deep breaths filling the air.

Leading up to the after care, his shy self returns. He buries his face to your chest hiding his blushy cheeks beneath the palms of his hands.

He likes to experiment a lot and you are his favorite subject.

It shouldn’t be surprising to find random kink definitions or role-play ideas on the search history of your laptop. After all Felix just asked for it to write an email, that’s all there is to it. That’s until you offer to try them out.

He doesn’t act upon his jealousy, what he does instead is that leaving marks on you especially around your neck and your chest where he knows it will show. Don’t cover them up if you don’t wanna deal with him.

“People just don’t appreciate art anymore.” “Felix these are, hickeys.” “Oh so now you are judging my art medium ?” “Since when proving Sage that I got railed by you is a form of art ?”

I didn’t see anyone point this out but whenever he is in the sub space he tends to be more on the bratty side. He starts of shy but his confidence builds up as the tension rises. Meaning that you should be ready to get your patience tested.

When you two are in separate places your suggestive words and tone leads up to phone sex, which Felix secretly fantasized about a lot. What made everything even more dirty was the fact that you didn’t know that he was laying on your bed surrounded by your scent and humping your pillow. Once you come back home you are greeted with a fresh pair of sheets on your bed. Apparently Felix decided to do you a favor and clean your room as well as the the whole house. He’s crossing fingers that you don’t notice because he knows that he’ll never hear the end of it.

Felix knows a lot about sex but his knowledge is based upon fiction rather than experience. So, naturally, he is more interested about learning specifically how your body responds to certain actions, what you enjoy and what you’re interested in so teach him. He’s a good student and oh well he’s a quick learner.

Pull his hair pull his hair put his hair pull his hair pull his hair pull his hair pull his hair pull his hair.

When he settles between your legs as he ties his hair, he places the hairband between his lips and looks up at you with half lidded eyes. It’s his definition of torture.

Even though he doesn’t give off that vibe, he is very freaky if you would’ve known what his AO3 tags consisted of you would agree.

Tag list is open

[elektra-world]

OT6 Part 1/2

Summary: OT6 are reunited for a special project for each other and their fans. This part is mostly a lot of introspection and observations as Sora came to piece with her new life path.

Timeframe: Within the year that they were inactive after switching companies while the next part is closer to the girls redebut as Elektra in April, 2022. 

Mentions Jae from ravens @ravebys​ 😘💕​

Things were never going to be the same now for the former leader. Her hiatus came suddenly to fans and her members alike, leaving a sort of emptiness that still lingered within each girl.

Had it been a bit bold and selfish to get pregnant? Sora had finally admitted to herself that yes, it had been. The timing was awful, too, considering how their former company had been experiencing nonstop turbulence and having effects on everyone involved. She should have been readily available to support her members.

All they had were each other, after all.

But with the past few months of being a homebody and making sure to take care of herself for the sake of her and the twins, she had spent a considerable amount of time alone while Jae had been out on various schedules with his group or spending late nights in his recording studio. She never blamed him, though. He needed his space to work productively and she respected that. He also had a tour to prepare for. Despite what some Antis of hers liked to say, she never had the intention of stifling his creativity or taking him away from his members or fans. She loved him more than anything in the world and would always be his number one fan.

Admittedly, she was also a bit fearful of the public finding out about the pregnancy. Typically, it was the older idols who had been in the industry longer than her who had pregnancy scandals. And typically they were not connected to other idols but rather regular people they were seeing.

Still, she had become increasingly lonesome spending so much time at their apartment with just the kitties. Her members had been busy working out legalities with Starpunch while adjusting to their new company and redebut. Her family was in Japan living their busy lives.

So for months, all Sora seemed to have was herself. She appreciated the brief moments Jae would spend with her in the morning before leaving and just before going to bed. Or the cute pictures and texts he'd send during dance practice or creativity meetings. He did his best to make sure she was doing okay and knew he loved her despite being so busy. He'd leave her little gifts and notes reminding her how much she meant to him and how ecstatic he was to become a father. Those things meant a lot to her.

But to ultimately pass the time, she found herself writing music. A lot. Often times, it was very sad pieces. Then they grew to bittersweet and nostalgic ones. And eventually, they were far more courageous and angsty tunes. She drew a lot of her inspiration from the years of abuse Starpunch had put her and the other girls, artists, and trainees through. It brought out a different side to her that was almost the opposite of the shy, hesitant dancer that first came to the company only expecting to be an assistant choreographer. 

She had become so much more than that, though, and would be forever thankful for everything her members and fans had given her to help her grow as a person.

As she shut her notebook and sighed, she grabbed her phone and brought up the old DIVIN3 group chat sending one simple message:

Let’s get together. I have a song for us.

[To be continued...]

She hit send, smiling to herself before getting up to make a cup of tea.

A:N - Semi edited so don’t choke me if there are mistakes. 

[fyeah-bangtan7]

Jimin on Perfectionism, Missing Army, His Love of Dancing, and BTS' Future

"We've been telling people to really love themselves," says Jimin. "This year, I began to tell myself these things"

BTS’ Jimin describes himself as “introverted,” which may come as a surprise to anyone who’s seen his extraordinarily expressive dancing, or the moment he leans back and nails a high note in, say, “Magic Shop.” In the second of Rolling Stone’s breakout interviews with each of the seven members of BTS, Jimin contemplated his perfectionist streak, described his experience of the pandemic year, explained his love of dancing, and more. He gave his lengthy, thoughtful answers from a studio room in his label’s Seoul offices, wearing a zipped-up black winter coat with a white faux-fur hood, a large black bucket hat, and a white mask to protect a translator.(In celebration of BTS’ appearance on the cover of Rolling Stone, we’re publishing individual digital covers with each member of the band; check back throughout the next week for more.)

Some fans think that you may be working on a mixtape. Is that true? To be perfectly honest, there’s really nothing that’s ready or prepared. I am trying new things and really challenging myself with new things. But there is nothing that’s concrete or ready to put out.

What have you learned about yourself from the past year, in your time off the road? I realized that we’ve been telling people to really love themselves and telling them to be stronger. This year, I began to tell myself these things as well, and convincing myself that this is also something I need to keep in mind. I also realized there were times when I was being too on the edge with people around me. And I thought that I should go back to the way I was, to realign my gears, so to speak, so that I can become again the person that I used to be when it comes to how I treat people around me and how I treat myself. Now, I see people reacting positively to even small positive changes.

For seven years or so, you had ARMY cheering for you. In the past year, because of the pandemic, you’ve faced silence. How have you adjusted to that? I still have a series of negative thoughts about the situation. You know, “Why are we in this situation?” You know, “What are we doing?” And I didn’t want to acknowledge or admit or face the fact that we can’t see our friends and can’t do the things that we had been doing, as you said, for the past seven years.

What made you want to dance when you were young, and how did you realize that you had a gift for it? First of all, I never thought that I’m good at dancing. But I began to like dancing when I was young. It was my friends who suggested that we go learn how to dance as an after-school activity. As I did more of it, I began to like it more and I started taking more lessons. And I became more and more immersed in it. And I realized, as I continued to learn how to dance, that I didn’t have the stress when I was dancing. It was my own space where I could go to a different world, where I didn’t have to think about other things. It was something that I could really immerse myself into. And it made me feel really free. And it made me really happy. And then even after I debuted and I still have those feelings and those emotions, dancing is the best answer.

I understand that you don’t like to make mistakes. But that could make you very hard on yourself, couldn’t it? When I debuted, I had the shortest period of training. And I feel that I wasn’t fully ready and confident when we debuted.  I still have my shortcomings. I’m always moved by the fans who dedicate themselves — their time, their emotions, everything about themselves — to appreciating what I do and loving what I do. It makes me feel that for their sake and for their devotion that I shouldn’t make mistakes. So if you ask how do I learn to be easier on myself or more generous to myself, I think that will be something that will continue to be very difficult for me because of how I feel. When people point out things that I need more work in, it used to make me really angry at myself. Now I feel thankful if people point out things I need more work in. It makes me want to try harder.

Who were some of your early musical heroes? There were a lot of artists that influenced me. Foreign artists — Michael Jackson, Usher — and also a lot of Korean artists. But a lot of my musical inspiration came from watching the other members do their work.

You were sort of the project coordinator for Be. What did you take away from that experience? What I took away is first, how sincere the members were about making the album and making the music. So much time and so much effort goes into the creation of the music. What I also took away from it is I should also dedicate this kind of time and effort to making and creating music, and I should also try to make great music. I was really inspired by what the members contributed to the process and how we all worked on the album.

You’ve all said many times that there were differences between the members that you’ve overcome over the years. Can you elaborate at all on those differences? [Laughs] So many that I couldn’t possibly list. We all had different personalities, personalities that clash. And I, for example, may consider myself to be a little bit slower, more contemplative or more introverted. And then there are other members who want do things much faster. They’re much more active and outgoing. And then there are other guys who are even more introverted and even slower than I am. So, of course, these personalities continued to clash. I think we’ve all come to develop an understanding that it is OK to have these differences, that some people are going to be slow, and some people are going to be fast. Sometimes we have to wait. Sometimes we have to ask more questions. I think all of us sort of developed an understanding of each other.

I love the song “Serendipity” from 2017. You really pushed yourself as a singer on that one. Could you share your memories of recording it? I think this was the first time I really tried to highlight all the nuances of my voice and focus on each detail of my vocal expression. So it was very difficult to try to make sure that translated into the recording. And I just remember the recording process being very difficult because of how hard I tried to make sure that I focused on all of these details, making sure that they are expressed in the song.

Would you like to still be in BTS when you’re 40 years old? I don’t think I’ve ever really thought of being not a part of this group. I can’t imagine what I would do on my own, what I would do without the team. Even before we debuted my goal was to continue to work with these people, to continue to sing with these people. I think when I become older, and I grow my own beard, I would like to think that at the end, when I’m too old to dance, I would just like to sit onstage with the other members and sing and engage with the fans. And communicate with the fans. I think that would be great, too. So I’d like to keep this going as long as I possibly can.

© source

[icypantherwrites]

To all of my fellow writers / artists here:

Please tell me I am not alone in dealing with the sheer amount of hateful, cruel, rude commenters and frankly at this point trolls on my works, as while I do not wish this experience on anyone I really hope for my sake this is not just happening to me.

For the past couple months I've been hit with an influx of cruel comments, of people posting hateful messages in regards to my author's notes requesting comments, of people telling me I write "disturbing, toxic" things, of people who, without prompting, launch a tirade about how much attention they feel my works receive and compare it to their own and get irrationally angry.

For the most part I delete these comments as responding to them, especially when 99% of them are anonymous accounts, goes nowhere and just invites these people to harass me more. But lately when I delete them (which to my knowledge doesn't trigger any sort of alert via email) I am within the hour lambasted by a flurry of comments from the person whose comment I deleted, which tells me they were sitting and refreshing on the page waiting for me to do just that or rise to their bait. Things insulting me, my works, telling me I can't "handle" criticism (of which a; I did not ask for and please don't offer critique on anyone's work unless they do and b; their comments were not constructive criticism in the slightest), and on and on.

Today was sort of the final straw as someone, without prompting, called my work disturbing and said they'd never read this particular story (Unspoken, in case anyone was wondering) and were only commenting now because I had said in the author's note I was looking to focus on updating just one or two fics at a time (I have currently 5 ongoing chaptered fics and it's getting to be too much and I don't like having a month between updates for some of them) and would be choosing the most engaged fics to update at this time and requested if fans of that story would like to see it regularly updated to please engage as otherwise it would be marked for hiatus.

This person attacked me for why it was on hiatus and why I was not able to post it (since it's a commission it has to be finished after all) and went off on me about my requests for engagement of the story and aired issues they had with me taking commissions and requests which is "illegal" (cough, one off commissions are not ;)) and clearly not knowing I donate a large chunk of what I make back to charities and Gofundmes because helping others helps me and I need a lot of emotional help these days xD

I deleted it and moved on, but within minutes this person came back attacking me again with a lot of the above notes including the fact I had to take commissions because I couldn't handle writing my own works, which bothers me personally as those commissions *are* my works as 99% of the time I create the entire plot from a very broad prompt and even if someone did have a bullet point list it is still *my* writing. I marked it as spam and have now set that particular story to comment moderation, but I am still bracing myself for a bevy of attack and troll comments I'll have to read through.

And I just... don't understand.

I post all of my works on AO3 for free; it's at almost 2 million words of posted content. I update regularly and post a few new one shot stories a month. I try my best to respond to comments when I have the energy and when I don't I keep updating so people can continue reading and hopefully that continued posting of content shows them how much I value their support.

But I'm hit with at least a troll a week, sometimes more, of just this pure hate and what I can only assume is jealousy in my comments section, something that I use to help and buoy myself and encourage myself to keep posting. I didn't ask for all of this hate. I am just trying to post my works and if people want to, they can find more on my Patreon but I don't advertise it whatsoever on my AO3. I'm posting my works there solely so I can share them with the fandom and ask for engagement as fandom is a two-way street and a little appreciation and support for art goes a long, long way.

And I don't want to set my AO3 where every fic needs comment moderation. I don't want to have to go a step even further and only allow logged in users to be able to read my stories. But I am slowly reaching that point and feel so drained and tired all the time and always bracing myself for the next comment to be something cruel and unwarranted and I just...

Don't know how long I can keep doing this for. Not like this. I want to share my works, but I can't keep sharing them and terrified each time I get a comment that it's going to be a cruel one. And so if anyone out there has been dealing with this regularly too, please tell me I'm not alone. Tell me if you have a solution, any advice, anything that could help. I'm tired. I'm drained. And I am at the end of my rope :(

[waterisntreal]

Why Reggie being bisexual matters so much to me

Ok so I’m just going to rant right now because I really want to talk about this. Also, this is sort of branching off of a reblog of one of @redhoodparker‘s posts.

First off, I believe that it is important to establish that I am bisexual. However, for  many years I tried to convince myself that I wasn’t, but not for the reason you might think. When I was 12 I came out as a lesbian. I didn’t want to admit to myself that I liked guys because I was scared that liking guys made me less queer and that I couldn’t actually like girls if I liked guys too. So I just convinced myself that I didn’t. This worked until about sophomore year of high school. I had just gone through some very traumatic stuff including a suicide attempt and that year I only shared lunch with one of my friends. Every day my friend and I would closer and start talking about more personal topics. One day she was talking to me about our other mutual friend that idenifies as bisexual and how that friend had told her that she liked girls and was attracted to them but she wasn’t sure if she would actually date one and I told my friend that I felt a similar way about guys, even though I would now say I would definitely date a guy. This was the closest I had gotten to even considering liking guys in 3 years and it caused me to think more about my sexuality and all the times I made up excuses for myself when I had a crush on a guy. I slowly began to accept that I liked guys, but there was still a part of me that felt ashamed about it and felt like coming out as bisexual after coming out as lesbian was invalidating queer people and showing that gay people can be “turned straight”. It wasn’t until I was 16 that I was able to move past these feelings enough to come out to my friends, however I still haven’t come out to my family, for frame of reference I am currently 17. Depsite coming out to my friends I still feel guiltly and ashamed for liking guys. Every time I find a guy cute I feel guilty, every time my favorite character is a guy I feel guilty, every time I find a new artist that is a guy I feel guilty. 

As a society we are taught to live in black and whites because it is much easier to simplify people when there are only two options. It’s every thing is put into a simple binary system. Do you like cats or dogs? Do you like hamburgers or hotdogs? Are you a loser or a popular kid? Are you smart or stupid? Yes or no? Are you gay or straight? Are you a boy or a girl? Do you like boys or girls? The keyword in all of those questions is or. We are taught that every option is mutually exclusive, that you can never choose both. Due to this I constantly question my sexual orientation because there is still a part of me that doesn’t fully understand that I can choose both. So I feel ashamed when I like guys because I feel like I’m betraying the part of me that likes girls and especially other queer people. Some queer do see that way too, as a betrayal. When you hear about bisexual dating people of the opposite sex and it is always seen as them being in a “straight” relationship or as them finally picking a side. 

Even within fandom culture saying that a character is bi is usually done as excuse for people to ignore the character’s feelings for the opposite sex and just continue to ship them. I hear the phrase “they could always be bi” a lot and it is almost always said to explain away the character’s behavior towards to opposite sex. The behavior and feelings towards the opposite sex is almost always seen as less than, as being too straight, or unwanted. People will often say that a character is bisexual not because they actually believe them to be or because they want to explore that possibility but because they want the character to queer and they need an excuse as too why the character likes to opposite sex. Now that being said I do not believe that is what is happening with Reggie. 

Reggie is bisexual. I believe that despite it never being explicitly stated it is canon. As it is the most obvious conclusion one can make from watching the show. He dresses and acts in a way that fits in with common stereotypes about bisexual and he has expressed interest in both girls and guys. Many people believe that Reggie is bisexual not just because of a ship or because they want another queer character, though there are people who do, but because he acts like he is bisexual. Reggie’s sexuality exists outside the sphere of shipping, though it a contributing factor. There are people who believe that Reggie is bisexual not because the ship him Luke or Alex but because he just is. It is nice to see a character being viewed as queer for more than just the sake of a ship.

Now that being said I would very much appreciate it if the show not only explicitly said that he was bisexual but also actually explored both sides of his sexuality. I want Reggie to like guys, I want Reggie to talk about guys, I want Reggie to date guys, but I also want him to do all those things with girls. I don’t want the show to just say he’s bisexual and then have him date a guy for the rest of the show because isn’t what bisexuality is. That type of thing is what made me feel ashamed for liking guys because I felt like I should just go date some girl. I love Ruke (Reggie/Luke) as much as the person if not more but I would honestly be really happy if Reggie ended up with no one next season, at least not anyone permanent, or even a girlfriend but they still explore his feelings towards guys. Reggie’s bisexuality is especially important because this is technically a kid’s show. Children are very impressionable and it is important to teach them things when they are young. Therefore, seeing a bisexual character that openly likes both genders, not just boys and not just girls, will hopefully make it so any bi kids watching won’t end up like me and think that they have to choose one or the other. 

I know that Reggie being bisexual is very accepted within this fandom but I also want people to know that this more than just having another queer character in the show. Reggie being bisexual is important to me because he is bisexual, not queer, not gay, bisexual. I hope that seeing a bisexual person openly love both genders will help me finally believe that liking guys isn’t something I should feel guilty about that it is ok and natural and normal that there is nothing wrong with me.

[ghostietoasty]

Why Sherlock Holmes FGO is Sus: Theories and More

Before I begin, I’d like to give thanks to my wonderful friend for all the points, art, and info searching that have been made to produce this piece, I can’t appreciate you enough for the effort you put in. 🥺🙏💕

Alright now on to it!

INTRODUCTION: Humble Beginnings (Identification of the Abnormal)

If you’ve played the app Fate/Grand Order for a while you’d know about the Heroic Spirit we first encounter in a hole within Camelot’s dessert whilst going to the Atlas Institute. Smart, handsome looking, and sharp enough to discern our True Name, this man of mystery has been seen as an oddball by many long time players of the game. There are many aspects about him that raise doubt about his credibility, is he truly what he wants us to think he is? That servant is Sherlock Holmes (Ruler) and there are many theories about him having some secrets, about him either being a Foreigner class, Beast class, or something else entirely. We are attempting to catalogue all this information in one place for maximum clarity.

SECTION 1: Other Character’s Reaction (First Impression is the Best Impression) *WARNING LOSTBELT 1 AND 2 SPOILERS AHEAD*

From the first encounter in Camelot right until the end of Lostbelt 2, there are many instances of characters reacting to his presence in….interesting ways.

Bedivere, when first coming in contact with Holmes in Camelot says that "I suppose I've never really been good with people like him. He reminds me of Merlin."

It could refer to the mysterious manner in which both Holmes and Merlin conduct themselves, but better to keep in mind that Merlin is a Grand Caster, and that he manifests as a servant due to specific circumstances (he is not dead).

In Camelot, Mash assumes that Holmes must be Caster class and that the original novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle must have been biographies penned by Dr. Watson under a pen name. Holmes corrects her, saying that: "My true identity, my essence, is slightly different from what you may think. And sad, but that is not the purpose of our gathering here today."

This dilemma is also present in the Sherlock Holmes Trial Quest (which mostly tackles the debate of whether he's a fictional character or someone who actually existed). Holmes has a line where he says:

"Ah, yes. I mentioned I was a Caster. Forgive me, I lied."

This is however immediately followed up by:

"A jest. My apologies. I couldn't help myself." 

This sort of backpedalling raises a doubt as to whether he was really Caster class before, so the nature of his former class is still a mystery. He later mentions that his Ruler class is the World telling him that not all illusions and dreams need to be laid bare.

When meeting with Salieri in Lostbelt 1, Holmes introduces himself as such:"I'm Sherlock Holmes, Chaldea's administrative advisor. I became a servant through unusual means, just like you."

Salieri was only summonable as a servant  because of his reputation caused by the fact that he killed Mozart. He is under the effect of Innocent Monster. It can also be said that Salieri is a lostbelt servant and is significantly more sane than he would have been in a normal summoning, that was the unusual summoning that Holmes was refering to. Does this mean Holmes is not from Proper Human History? 

Sigurd (who's under the control of Surtur), while attacking us in Lostbelt 2 says this: "So, a human and two Heroic Spirits. No, wait. Neither of you are pure Heroic Spirits, are you? You've both got something else mixed in. Hehe, hybrids then. Interesting" 

This is in reference to Holmes and Mash, who are alongside the master at this moment. Mash is a demiservant (human+servant) hence the "Hybrid" comment makes sense, but Holmes? What is the "something else" mixed in with Holmes?

Later in LB2, Holmes requests the assistance of Scáthach-Skadi in beating Surtur. Skadi says that normally she would never pay mind to what a mere Heroic Spirit had to say but: "...but in your particular case…I sense wisdom in those beautiful eyes. You remind me of Baldr, god of light." Quite a bit later, she also has this to say:"Perhaps those piercing eyes of yours in fact surpass Odin's? Mystic Eyes, perchance? ….No, that's not it. They merely reflect your wisdom born of human history's cumulative accomplishments."

She says that's not it, but the fact that it was the first thing she thought of shouldn't be ignored. 

Baldr is the god of light. Holmes' attacks consist of beams of light, and his cane lights up when he's using it in battle.

In Norse legends, Odin is said to have sacrificed one eye to the spring of Mimir in order to get ancient wisdom, the ability to perceive everything in the world. 

SECTION 1.5: More Reactions (From JP Only)

Since it is JP only and there is no official translation for NA yet, this information cannot be 100% confirmed in any way. (Most of this is from Reddit translation done by fans). But as these are also important, it's best to put this information separate section.

Moriarty's interlude involves him finding a micro-singularity in London. At some point the transmission between Chaldea and the master gets cut and Moriarty reveals he created this scenario, made the singularity and everything to get one on one time with the master. He tells us not to trust Holmes. When the time comes, we as master should choose Moriarty over Holmes. 

It has to be kept in mind that Moriarty is not a good guy, he is a character created entirely to oppose Holmes so it is natural that he doesn't trust him. For all we know, it is just emotional manipulation. 

Moriarty's very nature is tied to being the antithesis of Holmes. Holmes might theoretically go against us for the sake of humanity while also trying to keep us safe (the master is in a way, a Watson replacement to him after all) while Moriarty would gladly let humanity burn for the sake of us but also for the sake of being completely opposite to Holmes and keeping his identity as such.

However he does raise valid points, how was Holmes able to rayshift? This part was never explained, and he also mentions that his hypothesis has a fatal contradiction in the fact that Holmes risked his life to save ours. What can be inferred from this is that Holmes is a good man and is on our side, but there is something very weird about him that should not be ignored.

In Lostselt 5 it is mentioned at one point that Zeus called Holmes dangerous, he mustn't look at Zeus or the other gods and that his eyes are enemies of the world.

It has to be mentioned that this is some heavy emphasis on Holmes' eyes (Skadi mentioned Holmes' eyes twice, and she was a god as well). Is it because of the nature of Holmes that he is the one that reveals all truth? Is that in some way detrimental to gods, magic and the world in general?

Recently, from Holmes' skill upgrade interlude there was a section about Holmes saying that he is always an ally of justice and that while he may be on our side, he is still capable of evil but it doesn't change the fact that he is our ally. Even then it seems he has some secrets that can't be understood by himself.

By now with the presence of Dr. Jekyll and Helena and their recounts on what happened, it is confirmed that Holmes was actually "alive"(?)

Some of the adventures penned by Dr. Watson were actually censored versions of the original happenings, which were magical in nature.

Holmes was traumatised(?) by Helena's death back when they were both alive. He swears he would never let that happen again. (remember what happened in lostbelt 2…)

It seems that Holmes himself is not fully sure of what is secret about him. Since he utterly dislikes talking about something without being 100% sure about it (this tendency of his has gotten us in trouble before) plus his general secretive nature, it can be said that this is why he wouldn't talk about that.

SECTION 2: Weird Things That Holmes Does (And Other Questions)

Heroic Spirits are anything but normal, but there are few servants who break the norm even further, and Holmes is one of them.

Holmes is able to Rayshift (presumably) from London, to Camelot, and then to Shinjuku. There are very few servants who are able to manifest themselves. 

Musashi also appears here and there, but it's not a deliberate choice on her part. She is not able to predetermine her next destination. 

Arthur travels from a parallel world to this world, but this is due to "chasing after a certain powerful antagonist, evil omen" - so he tells.

Beast class has the skill of Independent Manifestation which would allow the servant to manifest anywhere they'd want. Merlin, Tamamo Vitch and Shiki possess it. However, it has to be noted that Holmes' rayshifts have a significant toll on his saint graph, as he is unable to fight or defend himself by the time we meet him in Camelot. While normal Independent Manifestation shouldn't lead to the depletion of the user's saint graph. Holmes' class is unknown at the time of his rayshifting. 

At the time of summoning, Heroic Spirits usually reveal their class and True Name (there also are exceptions to the rule). At the time of his summoning, Holmes doesn't reveal his Class: "Are introductions necessary? I am a detective. If you were expecting a hero, my apologies...But if you wanted a detective or an investigator, you drew the right card."

In the case of EOR Servants whose names haven't been found, they reveal their class.

Who summoned Holmes? The only thing we know regarding his presence was that it was first clearly there when he tampered with information in London.

Holmes' illustrator is Yamanaka Kotetsu, who was also the illustrator of the beasts Tiamat and Goetia

The artists who design and illustrate the characters tend to do it in groups of servants who are related to each other in some way (Pako with Arjuna and Karna Chacha and Nobunaga; Miwa Shiro with Brynhildr and Sigurd). It is strange that Kotetsu designed only Holmes, Tiamat and Goetia.

(NEW ADDITION) It should also be noted that as an illustrator Kotetsu has had previous works in a Lovecraftian Guidebook and is also the artist to the Alien God Preistess, somewhat showing how their work leans more to the outerworldly.

SECTION 3: The Design

It is a very commonly noticed fact that Holmes' coat in his third ascension has a very similar shape to that of the Foreigner card artwork.

The pattern work on the coattails of the foreigner art and the inside (blue) part of Holmes' coattails have a very similar, if not exactly same pattern running down the entire length of it. The sphere summoned in Holmes' Noble Phantasm also has the same pattern on its sides and front.

There is a "fog" around Holmes in his third ascension, which is reminescent of the smoke in the card art. (Also can be the London smog).

The glowing section of the abdomen of the being reminds one of the metallic corset that Holmes wears. 

There are 4 notches of smoke on either side of the being (total 8), under their cape. If we stretch our interpretation, then it could mean Holmes' arms and the metal arms that he has is also equal to 8.

In that tangent, the shape of the coat is also similar to that of Saver class Buddha, the fantasy trees from Lostbelt 3 and 4, and the Shadows made by the 6th imaginary element.

The Endless Knot / Shrivatsa symbol on his shoulders is one of the many references of his connection to Tibet (faking his death after the Final Problem). It is an important symbol in both Jainism and Buddhism.

Some of its interpretations include:

The eternal continuum of mind.

The union of wisdom and method.

Since the knot has no beginning or end it also symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha

the endless cycle of suffering or birth, death and rebirth within Tibetan Buddhism.

The cane that Holmes wields has a pattern on its handle in the shape of a Prayer Wheel. 

However, we are not able to find the meaning behind the script on the cane. Both of us attempted to translate it but failed. If anyone can translate the meaning it would be greatly appreciated.

The holographic books in the base of the unidentified sphere have a pattern on their front that greatly resembles a lotus. 

In Holmes' third ascension, there are a number of magical circuits on his coat.

The circuits are almost only on his left side, with very few circuits on his right side. It's not like it was woven into it, were that the case the circuits would have been all over his coat in a more even distribution. It's almost like an impact radius.

The circuits are very similar to the ones visible on the title screen of the lostbelts, as well as the patterns seen on the fantasy trees.

CONCLUSION SECTION: Something's Up (It's Big Brain Time)

It's clear that something is very strange about Holmes, from his interactions to his design, it's clear that there is too much effort into throwing these hints that it's not just a red herring.

Is he a Foreigner? Beast? Counter Guardian? Some other unknown extra class? It cannot be said at the moment. Holmes' role as a revealer itself is dangerous to mystery and magic, so it can be anything.

 It is also not necessarily true that just because Holmes has all these abnormalities, that he will betray us, or is on the side of evil. When has there been a clear cut side of good or evil anyway? It can be argued that we are the villains in some way, as we bring about the end of these timelines to safeguard our own proper human history. 

Holmes has always been on the side of humanity and will continue to be, the question is what the reveal will be, why and how. That, only time and future chapters can answer, all we can do is speculate.

[itsclydebitches]

YYH Recaps: Koenma Appears

Welcome to episode two, everyone! Before we get to the recap proper, I want to continue down Nostalgia Lane for a moment. Remember how last time I mentioned a Hiei bookmark I used daily back in middle school? Well, I tore through an old "treasure box" I created as a kid (a collection containing everything from a shark tooth to a small book on witchcraft. You know, the important things every child needs) hoping to find it... but I didn't. It's a hard life we lead.

However, I did find some other YYH relics that I thought you all might enjoy seeing. Behold — and, if you'd like, laugh at — my collection:

First up is a picture of young Toguro and Genkai that I wanted to use as my bookmark, but found that it was too wide. For the record, I didn't (and still don't) care about Toguro much, he was just the byproduct of finding a cool Genkai picture. Not shown is the back of the image with the names of my classmates because I made them all sign this along with our yearbook.

God bless my friends for putting up with me.

Second is a collection of very pretty trading cards that I ordered from god only knows where. I have vague memories of not finding any at my local comics shop and convincing my mom to let me order on The Olde Internet. Did I want the trading cards to trade them? Absolutely not. They exist to sparkle and make my heart happy.

Finally, I've saved what is perhaps the best for last. Now, you have to understand that grade to middle school age Clyde did not have the education that she would receive later on, which includes a knowledge of the ephemeral nature of fanworks and the importance of accurate record keeping. What this means is that I have absolutely no context for this. No author, no explanation... just the image itself.

Was this a standalone fanart? A part of a fic? Some specific request or just the will of the artist? I cannot answer these questions. I tried a reverse image search (which is, admittedly, the extent of my tech skills) and you know what the single hit I got was? "Fiction." Thanks, google. So yeah, I can only assume that my child self considered Kurama giving a de-aged Hiei a bubble bath adorable enough to save, but the artist wasn't important enough to jot down for future viewing. Sorry about that, mystery artist. And, as should go without saying, if anyone does know where this came from please let me know! Though I suspect that this is a case of a YYH-specific site closing down and the fanworks getting lost along with it. That happened a great deal before the age of AO3 when volunteers decided to put their time and talent towards saving fanworks of all sorts... 

But enough of all that. Let's get to recapping!

As we established last episode, Yusuke and Botan are on their way to the spirit world to kickstart Yusuke's ordeal. Watching this after over a decade of consuming other media, I really appreciate that Yusuke acts like a human person and asks lots of questions about this. When Botan is cryptic for the sake of the audience — we're going to see "the person" who can explain everything — Yusuke is justifiably like, and what person would that be?? I mean, this is also a way to establish basic facts for the viewer and it simultaneously feeds into Yusuke being someone who is difficult for the sake of being difficult — "If someone wants to say something, they should come to me!" — but it's just nice to see a character who doesn't accept cryptic BS because the story needs them to. If Botan gives an unclear, but ~dramatic~ explanation, Yusuke is going to call her out on that.

So she explains that they're going to see King Yama and Yusuke is all whoa whoa whoa, there's royalty involved? Suddenly, he's not so adamant that they come to him. 

Botan tries to reinforce this rare spark of humility and demands that Yusuke be on his best behavior from here on out.

Pff. Yeah right.

But “he can send you to oblivion forever if he wants to!” is a suitable enough threat to cow Yusuke for now. Which is interesting considering that a few hours ago he was happy to accept hell as his rightful ending. Granted, we could argue that there's a big difference between hell and oblivion — a character may not be afraid of punishment in the same way they are a lack of existence — but I'd say this ties more into Yusuke's development at the wake. Now that he's accepted that people care for him and that he should strive to return to them, the threat of having it snatched away actually means something. Even if that line is otherwise positioned as a comedic moment.

Botan flies them through a portal where we see the River Styx below and Yusuke comments on how big everything is. At first I was like, "What are you talking about? You were just flying over some major city in fictional Japan, wasn't that big too?" but this line makes more sense when they reach the palace and you realize that yeah, it's big. As in, the camera blurs while tilting down its length to show how insanely tall it is. Yusuke and Botan are tiny gnats at the gate's entrance.

"Oh man, what a pad!" Yusuke says and sure, that's one way to look at it lol.

Botan announces that she has a "new arrival" and the gates open for them, but so far there's no one else around. One part of me wants to question the time and budget put into this scene because shouldn't there be, like, thousands of people? Even just waiting outside? The idea that this is the hub of the underworld and that Botan is responsible for ferrying all the souls, yet she is guiding just this one (1) dude for a solid day is, from a world building perspective, kind of nuts. But beyond the need to develop Botan as a character (she can't be a part of the story if her job is treated realistically, with all the endless work that entails), I think this choice functions rather well from an atmospheric perspective too. Meaning, this moment is supposed to be rather tense for Yusuke. He just died, just found out the afterlife exists, just discovered a desire to get his life back, and is now about to meet a King who can toss him into oblivion if he's rude — which Yusuke always is. So this is a Very Dangerous Moment and their relative isolation feeds into that. As does the setting. Yusuke flinches back from the hallway, saying that it looks like a giant throat, so he is now literally walking into the belly of the beast. 

Suddenly, the size of the palace isn't an indicator of awesome wealth, just general intimidation. Also, check out the spikey purple mountains in the background and the harsh reds of the scene, especially compared to the soft yellow of the river. All of it is designed to create an, "Oh shit" reaction in both Yusuke and the audience.

Yusuke's image of King Yama matches these surroundings:

Oh wait! Wrong character ;)

He's massive, red, shadowed, and poses a formidable threat. And how does Yusuke deal with threats? By fighting them! Even those he can't hope to beat. Remember, this isn't a situation where Yusuke has any power here, but he still desperately holds onto the possibility that he might. What if he gets off a punch on King Yama's nose? Then goes for his eyes? Yeah, that'll work! 

Overlooking the fact that it absolutely would not — Yusuke's fantasy conveniently skips how he escapes Yama's clutches — what exactly is Yusuke hoping to accomplish here? Somehow take over the entire underworld? Escape as a ghost and live out his afterlife in hiding? We don't know and that's because Yusuke doesn't know. He doesn't think ahead, he just obeys this instinct to fight. An instinct that, crucially, overrides everything else. Botan has already told him that all Yusuke needs to do is be polite and everything will be fine, but it's not even that Yusuke believes that he can't achieve that; that he knows himself too well and, fearing a slip, starts planning for a potentially inevitable confrontation. There are simply no plans outside of battle plans. Yusuke just hears about someone vaguely intimidating and his brain jumps straight to, "How do I beat him in a fight?" no matter the odds, or that other options are readily available to him. Again, much of YYH's characterization occurs though its comedy, so outside of the general humor of witnessing this fantasy, it actually does a stellar job of reinforcing precisely who Yusuke is. In life the only thing he had going for him was his ability to fight. It was his one joy, his one skill, arguably the one good thing he did if we frame those reflexes as "saving" the kid... so is it any wonder that fighting dominates his every thought? It's all he knows.

And, as we'll see down the line, that single-minded obsession is very useful to the spirit world.

For now though, Yusuke finishes his absurd plans to take down King Yama and Botan asks what in the world he's muttering about back there. Which is an unintentionally hilarious line because by the end Yusuke is not muttering, but full on shouting. Botan. How did you not hear him?

Not important. They reach the next door and we get our first inkling that all is not as Yusuke (and we) expect when Botan leans into an intercom to say that they've arrived. Tech in a fantasy spirit world? This feels not only out of place, but rather... mundane? That's the point. When the doors open Yusuke expects his super scary monster, but gets... a whole lot of monsters that aren't scary at all!

The underworld is run by various demons (or ogres), though their looks are contrasted with the harried office worker personalities they've got going on. Someone is running by with a comically tall stack of papers. Someone else is shouting into a cell phone. The first two demons we see cross paths, looking like they're about to punch one another, just as Yusuke expects... except they're just dramatically getting out of the other's way, worried not about the hierarchy of this realm, but the fact that someone is behind schedule. The nerve!

"This place is a madhouse!" we hear somehow shout and yeah, that's the joke. The afterlife is just as chaotic, overworked, and — ultimately — boring as any human office. For all the strangeness of seeing hundreds of demons, this is familiar.

Which, alongside Botan's bubbly nature contrasting assumptions about the Grim Reaper, is one of the first instances of YYH undercutting the viewer's expectations in terms of looks. No one entirely looks the part they play in this tale and if you're trying to teach people to look past surface characteristics... there are worse ways to do it. Horrifying creatures with horns and sharp teeth? Nah, they're just chill dudes trying to do their job. Cutesy girl who looks like she belongs in a mall reading magazines? Nah, she's the Grim Reaper. Terrifying delinquent with a spine-chilling reputation? Nah, he makes faces at kids and saves them from cars.

Of course, the "nah" isn't accurate either. These are monsters with horns, Botan is a cutesy girl, and Yusuke is a delinquent with that reputation. The message isn't so much that people look like Thing A, but get to know them and you'll discover they're actually Thing B, it's the idea that you can be A and B (and C, D, E...) simultaneously. People — or rather, seemingly simple archetypes — can, in fact, embody multiple characteristics at once.

We'll get our third example in just a second.

Yusuke makes a comment about this being the "dead people stock exchange" — accurate — and Botan leads him to a more ornate door past all the desks. It's clear they've arrived at King Yama's office, since she's bowing and formally presenting him to... someone. Yusuke looks around for the giant beast he's imagined, only for a tiny voice to hail him from the ground.

Looks are deceiving!

“This is Yusuke Urameshi and he’s honored to meet you." Botan knows what's up. She knows Yusuke isn't going to express anything of the sort without some prompting. Too bad he's busy cracking up at this apparent child running the show. Side note: Yusuke has a fantastic laugh.

He even goes so far as to accuse Botan of lying to him.

“Why would I lie about such a thing?!”

“Why would the spirit world be run by a toddler?”

It's true! That’s a legitimate question! I love that Yusuke asks questions. The "toddler" goes on to explain that he's actually the "mighty Koenma," son of King Yama, though he's lived fifty times as long as Yusuke, "so watch your mouth." Assuming Koenma knows and/or remembers how old Yusuke is — fourteen — and is good at math, that puts him at seven hundred years old. He looks good for his age!

"And in addition to knowing the secrets of the universe," he says, "I am quite potty trained."

You've gotta love Koenma.

Yusuke's attitude changes drastically once they get down to business. Koenma produces an egg, saying that Yusuke's ordeal is to hatch it and face what comes out. The hatching part isn't difficult, all he needs to do is keep it on his person. The challenge is in the fact that this egg will feed off his spirit energy and that energy in turn will change what kind of creature develops. If his spirit is wicked and cruel, so will be the beast and it will devour Yusuke upon hatching.

However, if his spirit is good and kind, the beast will become a sort of guardian, guiding him back to his living body.

Note though that throughout this conversation the egg is always a "beast." It's a "monster." It's not necessarily intentional, but there's a strong bend towards the negative here in the description that really emphasizes the whole "ordeal" aspect. Koenma briefly reassures Yusuke that he can remain a ghost if he prefers, but he's already made up his mind. Despite another threat of being lost to a void — this time through spiritual digestion — Yusuke takes the egg almost without hesitation.

He regrets it later though.

"I can't believe I did that."

Can we blame him? I'd be nervous about some egg feeding off the energy of my soul too and I'm a former, almost straight A student (damn you, math) with no life-altering regrets and a general desire to put as much good into this world as I'm able. I’m boring. But what if those occasional, mean little thoughts you have add up? What if the prejudices you're still unlearning stack against you? Does the egg care about what you do, or only how you feel about the act? This sort of test would eat me alive!

Maybe literally. 

Good thing Yusuke doesn't have time for an existential crisis!

Just as he's beginning to regret this decision, Botan points out that it won't matter if he passes if he doesn't have a body to return to. Now, why wouldn't he have a body? Maybe because his mom is set to cremate him tomorrow.

Whoopsie.

Yusuke is, understandably, distraught. We get another excellent exchange:

“Botan, is there any way for ghosts to communicate with living people?”

“Yes.”

“SO ARE YOU GONNA TELL ME?”

I swear, Yusuke is the only smart protagonist. I mean, he's dumb as a sack of bricks at times, but that's neither here nor there. Bless this fictional boy for reacting like an actual person. 

Botan explains that people are more attuned to the spirit world when they're asleep, so Yusuke can deliver a message to someone in their dreams. Seems easy enough. They first head to Atsuko, but find that she's raging drunk and nowhere near sleep. 

"You fool!" she yells. "No one gave you permission to die!" Atsuko continues to yell about how plenty of people survive car accidents, so why couldn't you? "Were you mad at me, Yusuke? Didn't I raise you right?"

Botan comments on how sad the display is. Yusuke's response?

“The only thing that’s sad is now she’s got one more excuse to act that way."

Y'all, that's some mature shit for a goofy shonen anime. Yeah, Yusuke recognizes that, while she's obviously heartbroken, his death has just given her another reason to do what she's been doing for years: drinking herself into a stupor. Toss in Atsuko putting the blame on Yusuke — "No one gave you permission to die!" — plus the belief that she did do a good job — "Didn't I raise you right?" — and it paints a rather bleak picture. This is by no means an uncommon theme. Negligent parents, whether they're framed that way or not, are pretty common in shonen series, but it's still rather jarring to re-watch this as an adult and go, "Oh. The situation’s like that." It's honestly a lot when you remove it from YYH's otherwise humorous, casual context.

Yusuke heads to Keiko's next and finds her sound asleep, commenting on how her room looks more "girly" than when they were kids. Check out that smile!

He's about to try and deliver his message, but Keiko is in the midst of a nightmare. “She’s crying… what’s wrong?”

Oh my god. Remember how I just said Yusuke is also the densest protagonist around? Example A right here. You just died, you fool! You just saw Keiko collapse at your funeral. What do you think is wrong??

We get a peek at Keiko's dream where she is — shockingly! — thinking of Yusuke. He's far out of reach, walking away and unresponsive to her calls. Keiko soon trips and Yusuke disappears completely.

Luckily, she has the real thing at her bedside. Yusuke tries talking to her and at first it's unclear if this supernatural stuff is really working. That is, until Keiko murmurs about how heavy he is.

Reassured, Yusuke delivers his message that Keiko needs to help Atsuko pull herself together and, most importantly, call off burning his body. We get this very soft and pretty background to establish their yet unspoken feelings for one another, though Yusuke gets close with, “I’m coming back. I don’t want to see you cry anymore" as he brushes her tears away. Aww.

Keiko wakes, thinking at first it was just a dream, but no, "I'm sure I felt it."

The next morning she heads to Atsuko's to explain the dream, only to first hear that Atsuko had a dream too, this one about Yusuke "living in some other world full of ogres and he kept knocking them down until he became their leader." It sounds absurd, of course, but it brings Atsuko some comfort to think of her boy in a place like that and Keiko backs down. Right, she'd only had a comforting dream too.

Now, there are two important parts to this exchange. The first is that this is an excellent example of how you let the characters drive the story, rather than forcing the characters adhere to the plot you've come up with. Meaning, in the latter situation, our cast would have needed to have their personalities twisted and the viewer's suspicion of disbelief tested to give Yusuke what he needs: a sleeping family member willing to believe his message. But it absolutely makes sense for Atsuko to be drunk rather than sound asleep, so Yusuke can't rely on her. Likewise, it absolutely makes sense for Keiko to be asleep, but not believe the dream once she's woken up. After all, how many times have we been persuaded by something in the dead of night only for things to look more logical and less likely in the morning? The characters act both like themselves and like people who do normal, people-ish things, which means that Yusuke runs into more conflicts. That's good! It not only raises the tension and stakes — now he has less than a day to convince someone — but makes his inevitable success feel that much sweeter. A less well written show (cough-RWBY-cough) would have had the characters change their personalities, behave in unlikely ways, or just come up with a sudden, contradictory solution because Yusuke needs to keep his body. Instead, Yusuke actually has to work for that within the bounds of the rules established and the likeliness of each plan succeeding. The first one fails? Move onto plan #2.

Second, this dream of Atsuko's has some cool implications within YYH's world. Meaning, we're about to learn in just a moment that some people are naturally more aware of the supernatural than others, even when they're not asleep. We'll also see down the line that spiritual awareness tends to run in families... so perhaps Atsuko possesses more than the average mother? I'm not saying it's necessarily intentional on the author(s) part, but we can choose to read this dream as evidence of spiritual awareness — true insight into the world Yusuke was just in and the fantasies he'd had about conquering it — rather than just a coincidental joke for the viewer. After all, Yusuke gets his own spiritual awareness from somewhere...

(Okay, so there's totally another, canonical reason for that, but we can have both!)

So, as Yusuke puts it, “This dream business isn’t gonna cut it.”

“There’s always the final method," Botan says.

“You always this vague?”

I am literally living for these interactions.

Botan explains that the more extreme form of communication is possessing a living person, but there are two rules attached: it has to be someone you know and the vessel has to be someone who is quite spiritually aware, as discussed above. Atsuko isn't a contender because the story hasn't acknowledged that she might be sensitive, that's just my own headcanon now. Yusuke outright says, “In that case I’m screwed. There’s no one like that!"

Cut to good old Kuwabara.

At first it looks as if he's just oh so conveniently sensing a spirit right when the audience has learned he has this power, but in reality it's Yusuke and Botan flying behind him that sets it off. Again: this show is pretty good about keeping things internally consistent, rather than making choices because That's Just How Stories Work, I Guess. Kuwabara's friends note that he's acting strangely and I love this detail that apparently one of the guys is new to their group because the other two need to explain that this is the "tickle feeling." Ever since Kuwabara was a boy he's been able to sense the dead around him. Some nice, some... not so nice.

He looks directly at Yusuke — even though he's not able to see him — and declares that what's following them is “A puny low-level ghost, like a haunted racoon or something.”

I'd support Yusuke's anger more if he hadn't just exclaimed his surprise that Kuwabara serves a purpose 😂

Yusuke is pissed enough though to proclaim that he won't do it, nuh-uh, no way is he possessing this guy's body. Botan's response is one of my FAVORITES in the WHOLE SERIES:

"Here's my impression of Yusuke: look at me, I’m burning!”

Literally 75% of this series is just about a found family sassing one another and I love it.

Obviously this helps Yusuke remember his priorities and he grudgingly agrees to the plan. Botan prepares Kuwabara's body somehow — idk, spiritual magic or whatever — and warns Yusuke that he only has an hour to find someone and warn them because a human body can't handle possession any longer than that. Sure. I buy it.

So Yusuke takes control and please ignore the incredible ethical issues here. The show will never acknowledge them again. 

He blurts out, “Hey, check it out! I’m inside Kuwabara, feeling smooth!"

Istg I don't remember the series being this unintentionally gay. I don't even ship Yusuke/Kuwabara and I'm digging the possibilities here lol.

Back on track, his friends drag him with, “Looks like he’s back to normal” because again, 75%. What's not normal though is Kuwabara (Yusuke) suddenly charging down the street to leave them behind. He heads straight to the restaurant where Keiko's parents work, demanding to see her. They're rightly concerned about this stranger barging in and screaming for their daughter.

Upon asking who he is/why they should tell him, Yusuke makes his biggest mistake: “Because it’s me, you guys, I’m Yusuke!”

Obviously the time limit and raw emotion of knowing who he is has outweighed the knowledge that, you know, no one would believe that. Yusuke has spent the last two days bopping around as a ghost and familiarizing himself with some of the afterlife's insanity. The knowledge of what's normal for everyone else — AKA, not dead boys appearing in strangers' bodies — is not at the forefront of Yusuke's mind.

So, Keiko's parents react accordingly! The father in particular is disgusted by this claim, going so far as to threaten Yusuke with his knife and outright insult Kuwabara's looks: “Yusuke was never ugly like you… we were close family friends with that boy!" His wife chimes in that this kind of joke is particularly heinous on the day of his funeral. Between Atsuko drunkenly blaming Yusuke for his death and Mr. Takenaka grieving for what he might have been, this is one of the few times we see someone just sad for Yusuke's passing, exactly as he was and without regrets or criticism. "We were close family friends with that boy" paints a nice contrast to the delinquent persona Yusuke was cultivating.

As he's thrown out of the restaurant he says, “We should have special passwords for times like this!” Fun fact, my family does! Well, not this exact situation lol. I was given a password as a child to memorize in case my parents ever needed to send someone else to pick me up or interact with me in any way. If the stranger didn't know the password, I was to kick up a fuss. I rest easy with the knowledge that this password would not doubt assist me if I was ever in Yusuke's position!

With Keiko's parents a bust, Yusuke starts sprinting to everywhere she frequents with the hope of running into her. Or at least he tries. 

Yusuke is suddenly waylaid by a group of nameless teens with a bone to pick with Kuwabara. And you know what? I like it. I wonder how much of my praise stems from coming off of RWBY Volume 8, but it's just so nice to watch a story where the plot — simple as it is — hangs together. We've established that Kuwabara is a street fighter. Last episode we watched him start a fight with Yusuke. Yusuke is on a time limit. Now Kuwabara's tendencies have created a new hurdle for Yusuke!

Needless to say, Yusuke kicks butt, even in Kuwabara’s body. 

As one guy is passing out he says, “Man that hurt! I didn’t think anyone could throw punches that hardcore except Yusuke Urameshi."

Yusuke: “Darn, giving Kuwabara a good name." LOL

You think this challenge is finished though? Nah. Over the course of about half an hour Yusuke encounters a comical number of people trying to get even with Kuwabara. 

As always, I like the nods towards this writing decision to help justify it, with Yusuke wondering how Kuwabara has pissed this many people off. If you want to pull off something that has a low chance of happening, it can help to give the characters a "Seriously?" moment. If both they and the audience are on the same page over how ridiculous this situation is, the audience is more likely to accept it once the character does.

By the time Yusuke escapes his hour is nearly up. However, thanks to some coincidental plotting, he spots Keiko's friends just across the street! 

YYH does a decent job of making its characters feel like they have their own lives outside of what's immediately happening on screen and we get a good example of that here. We pick up the girls' conversation partway through, both of them worried about Keiko's state of mind and, given that we'll see in a second that Keiko was in the store with them, it implies that something happened to reignite this worry. They're off enjoying their day, doing their own thing, there was an event we're not privy to, and now we catch the response to that. It just helps make the characters feel more well-rounded even though they are, at their core, one-dimensional background characters who don’t even have names yet.

Case in point: the one girl is still concerned with their image. "People are starting to say things!"

Yeah, your friend's childhood friend just died. Hopefully they're saying, "Poor thing."

Anyway, Yusuke runs up to ask where Keiko is only for both girls to run away screaming. Turns out his face is messed up from the numerous fights and Keiko's friends are easily scared. 

Luckily, Keiko comes out just a second later and Yusuke is faced with the challenge of how to convince her in, oh, about five minutes. Remember, we've already established through Keiko's parents that just saying, "I'm Yusuke" doesn't work. That's why he hesitates. It's not just drama for the sake of drama, he's stuck.

“I’ve known her my whole life, there must be something between us that only I would do!”

Yeeeeaah. About that 😬

Suddenly inspired (I suppose that's one way to put it...) Yusuke runs up behind Keiko and grabs her breasts. “Keiko, nice uniform! They’re so squishy!”

It goes without saying that, like flipping her skirt up, this isn't okay. More specifically, the problem lies in the story framing this as a joke for the audience, something to laugh at despite Keiko's discomfort, rather than the concept of two childhood friends actually be that comfortable with one another. But, as already established, this is one of the more ehhhh aspects of Yusuke's characterization that, luckily, will mostly disappear as the story goes on.

Note though that the show clearly wants us to think highly of this. Not just as a "joke," but as a smart solution to his problem and more evidence of their inevitable relationship — the background becomes the same soft, bubbly background we saw during their dream conversation. And, admittedly, it does work. Keiko instinctively slaps Yusuke hard enough to knock him to the ground and he starts laughing, saying that he doesn't care what anyone on the street says, she hits the hardest.

What I do like about this is that the assault isn't the only thing Keiko bases her faith on. Not only has she already had the dream, we get to see Yusuke from her perspective, showing all the mannerisms she picks up on by superimposing Yusuke's real body over Kuwabara's. Indeed, she says as much: “I knew it was you from the first time you spoke…and it’s not just your stupid gags, or how you laugh. There are ways you move and speak that in a hundred years I wouldn’t forget."

Catch me crying in this club!

Knowing she believes him and that he's almost out of time, Yusuke reiterates his message: please don't burn my body and also keep Mom on track. Only, you know, it's phrased far better than that lol. As he speaks, both Yusuke's and Kuwabara's voices overlap until the latter grows fainter and only Yusuke's voice remains. His body too. It's a nice touch, avoiding the awkwardness of Keiko having this moment with a stranger, even if that is what's happening on some level.

“I know I’ve been a bum to you at times, but please wait for me."

His hour up, now we can get the awkwardness! Kuwabara comes out of his weird trance thing to find Keiko crying against his chest. Wow, he thinks, this girl must be really into me! 

God, to have the confidence of Kuwabara.

Of course, Keiko quickly realizes it's not Yusuke anymore and slaps him too for cuddling her closer. My favorite thing is that when she does this a crowd INSTANTLY appears. I mean they TELEPORT in. We needed an audience for Kuwabara's shame and YYH delivered, all logic be damned.

“Um, sorry about that!” Keiko yells as she runs away, because she's a good person who recognizes that weird spirit things just went on and Kuwabara isn't actually to blame.

“No, that’s okay. I probably deserved it," Kuwabara responds because he's also a good person and I didn't appreciate him nearly as much as I should have as a kid.

Keiko runs all the way to Atsuko's place where she finds her dressed for Yusuke's funeral. She blurts that Yusuke might still be coming back and Atsuko goes, "He already has." Turns out she opened his coffin to "smack him one more time for leaving me" — yikes — and found that his heart had started beating again, just as Koenma said it would. 

Being in a shonen anime, they apparently decide to just trust Keiko's message rather than, idk, taking him to a hospital or something.

The camera tilts up to show that Yusuke has been watching all this, including that both women break down again and comfort one another. Aww. How heartwarming.

What's less fuzzy though is this mysterious egg. Yusuke takes another look and finds that it has developed a heartbeat too, presumably in time with his body's. He theorizes that he did decent things today, right? But Botan (teasingly) points out that he did beat up a lot of other kids. Rather than getting angry, Yusuke remains uncharacteristically pensive, emphasizing the magnitude of what this means for him. He's got to get it right.

No pressure or anything! We'll have to see how Yusuke balances his karmic scales in the next episode. Until then, I'll try not to put all my TV time into Star Trek: Voyager :D 

See you then!  💜

[readingsbylibramc]

synastry chart reading for @fvckhxbits

hello! welcome to your reading. I'm going to give you a quick overview of what I'm going to analyze about your synastry chart: in-depth analysis of house overlays with major aspects, potential of the relationship, soulmates indicators, possible marriage indicators, possible issues and struggles of the relationship, intimacy and physical attraction, what they feel when they see / think about you, in-depth analysis of fate, love and marriage asteroids. of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask! my dms are always open. now let's get into the reading!

PARTNER A: she / her | libra sun, virgo moon, gemini rising.

PARTNER B: he / him | gemini sun, scorpio moon, scorpio rising.

PARTNER A

- personal planets -

🌞 partner a's libra sun in his 11th house

this could be the type of relationship that started off as a friendship, or at least that feels like a friendship. you and your partner don't focus on doing cheesy, romantic couple stuff, but you also enjoy having fun together like two friends. you may attend parties and events together, you may go out with your friends and get along with each other's friends pretty well. you may socialize more as a couple, perhaps even more than you two usually do. this placement can also indicate that you two met thanks to your friends for example, or maybe online, or even at some sort of social gathering like a party, a concert, etc. basically, a place crowded with people. the 11th house is also about long-term goals, and hence your partner may see you as a dream, as something he wants to last. you two may have a long-term, stable relationship, you both want this relationship to work and to last as much as possible. in addition, this placement may also motivate both of you to achieve the best in life, you may drive each other to be successful and achieve your goals, or perhaps one of them may even be of help to the other to get a reputation, a job, etc.

partner a's libra sun trine partner b's gemini sun: you and your partner just get along with ease. you have the same ideals, the same approach to the world, you see eye to eye on pretty much everything, and even if sometimes you disagree with the other, you still understand their point of view, there's this mutual understanding of each other that makes the relationship flow very smoothly. you're probably not afriad of being judged by the other, as you are so similiar that the atmosphere gets naturally light when you're together. there's no stress, just appreciation and pleasure. you two have same ideas, a similiar mentality and maturity, but you can still bring something new to the other without making it too overwhelming, and that's why this relationship feels so beneficial and light-hearted. for example, your libra sun can bring romance and cooperation to your partner's life. especially since he's a scorpio dominant individual, he may tend to rely on himself most of the time. you're here to help him, to let him understand that you're not alone. your partner, on the other hand, could help you come off as less conceited; that is, you may often want to be right, especially during arguments. your partner brings you the mental stimulation to discuss not for the sake of being right, but to gain knowledge.

🌙 partner a's virgo moon in his 9th house

you see your partner as someone mature, wise, brilliant... basically a role model. they have a lot of influence on you, they’re a sort of inspiration. you may share the same ideas and views of the world, maybe politcally or even about music genre for example. overall, this placement indicates that you perceive your partner as someone powerful and distant from you, someone elevated and far away from you that you can't seem to reach. perhaps, it could also be that you two are physicaly separated, he may live abroad or still somewhere far from where you live, making it hard for you to meet each other. you admire him deeply, and thr flip side to this is that your partner may become too dependant of your compliments, of your opinion of him, and hence a break-up would be fatal for his self-esteem. the 9th house represents sagittarius, which is all about exploring and knowledge, you know? therefore, you may want to get to know this person in-depth, you’re curious about their habits, their talents, their secrets... you want an authentic, reliable vision of him. you never get tired of talking or even just thinking about this person, learning about his persona amuses you. last but not least, this person makes you crave a stable relationship with him; you may see as someone perfectly wise and mature for a long-lasting relationship, you see him as the ‘end of the race’, someone perfect to commit to.

partner a's virgo moon square partner b's gemini mars: this placement may cause some troubles, as you may often be blind to your partner’s attitude. especially since the moon is placed in his 9th house, you may idealize your partner way too much when he’s not actually who he seems to be. at first you may be okay with his behaviour, as a gemini mars and dominant he tends to be way more impulsive than your logical virgo moon. yet, as time goes by, you may start feeling constantly contradicted, arguments could be more frequent as you may misunderstand each other. more specifically, you start realizing that your partner’s nature is too different from yours, and while there are many other aspects that could mitigate this effect, you may still feel as if it’s impossible for you to have a long-lasting, healthy relationship in these occasions. especially your partner, he may often hurt your feelings with his words. on the other hand, this placement also has a positive side! you are strongly attracted to each other, you both feel attached to the other with glue, and that’s exactly why this relationship could become unhealthy, because you may struggle to let go of the other if necessary.your bond is so strong that you can’t manage to separate, even when there are so many hardships and conflicts. 

🗣 partner a's scorpio mercury in his 12th house

this placement makes you extremely empathetic in regards of your partner. you probably can tell what’s going on in his mind pretty well, you may complete his phrases, you may basically read his mind. you know when he’s happy, when he’s sad, when he’s angry, when he’s lying... he’s an open book to you, he can’t hide. perhaps, you may even make dreams about him and viceversa. you could often find yourself daydreaming about this person as well. on the other hand, there are a few problems caused by this placement as well, we’re still talking about the 12th house after all. first of all, your partner is a scorpio dominant: he’s lonely, secretive, private... he doesn’t like showing his real nature to others, he feels uncomfortable revealing all of his secrets, his mind. having someone that understands him so deeply, while it can impress him in some way, you may catch his attention, but at the same time he may as well be annoyed by it. he may start feeling overwhelmed from this lack of privacy, he may want to run away as this relationship could start being unhealthy, especially for him. or perhaps, he may actually be looking for a relationship of this kind, an intense, transformative relationship, therefore he may actually appreciate it, but it depends on what he wants from a partner. his cancer venus makes me think that he would feel at ease with such a strong connection, but again, he’s a scorpio dominant, so he may still be secretive and uncomfortable, maybe it depends on his mood. last but not least, this placement can also make the two of you quite paranoid; your partner may often feel as if you’re hiding something from him, and that could interfer in your bond of course. 

partner a's scorpio mercury conjunct partner b's scorpio moon: I find this placement so lovely! you two get along pretty well, you feel comfortable sharing your feelings with the other. you may be a very sweet couple, you may call each other sweet names like 'honey', 'baby' and so on. also, you have no problems communicating with the other, especially considering that this conjunction also happens in your 5th house, the house of romance. you have very long, confidential talks, it's pleasant for you two to vent all of your worries. there is a mutual understanding that makes it very easy for you two to stay committed in a relationship, as it's an healthy environment for your mental health. you could be each other's therapist, you always try to understand what the other's thinking. the only problem that could arise with this placement is that you may tend to analyze too much your partner's emotions. for example, let's suppose your partner has had a bad day and he wants to talk about it to you. he just wants to vent and be heard, but you may mistake this for wanting to be helped. you could give him some advices, when he actually didn't ask for anything. basically, remember that you don't always have to solve his problems, just listen to him.

❤️ partner a's sagittarius venus in his 1st house

this placement indicates that you most likely find your partner extremely attractive! he probably fits your beauty standards, you find him very charismatic and charming, it's hard for you not to stare at him. basically, he's your type. also, aside from being into his looks, you may also be fascinated from the way he presents himself in general: you may like his fashion sense, his manners, the way he approaches people, the way he speaks... bascially, everything about the outer him, it was likely love at first sight, or at least you instantly felt strong attraction to this individual when you first met him. also, this placement also indicates that you may inspire your partner in an artistic way, and viceversa. for example, let's suppose you like writing; you may feel inspired by your partner to write books about him, or perhaps poetry or song lyrics. you see your partner as someone aesthetically pleasant, basically as a piece of art. your partner also has this placement, his cancer venus is in your first house, therefore this feeling is mutual. overall, you both feel flattered and loved by the other, you may often compliment each other and that will be a complete self-esteem boost for both of you. feeling loved by your partner and viceversa inspires you to love yourself, and as a result you feel more beautiful.

partner a's sagittarius venus opposite partner b's gemini mars: I wouldn't say this is an extremely negative placement. oppositions are still easier to deal with than squares in my opinion, but still there could be some major problems regarding conflicts. you and your partner may not see eye to eye regarding love and sex, you may struggle to meet each other's wants. for example, you may desire more romanticism from your partner, and your partner may want more physical attraction from you. you may tend to act submissive around your partner, he could make you feel like a teenage, while your partner adopts a more bossy, stereotypically 'manly' behaviour. while this may be attractive and 'safe' for both of you, it could actually become a boring relationship that doesn't bring anything new to both of you. you are very different, you most likely have differents needs and wants that you expect from a relationship, making it difficult to work of course. but again, you're not doomed: your venus is sextile your partner's saturn. that means that, with time and growth, your partner will eventually start to understand you and your point of view. basically, at first it may be hard to feel healthy while being in a relationship of this kind, but as time goes by, you'll both learn some major life lessons that will improve your love life. even if this relationship doesn't last, you'll still get out of it with loads of maturity and experiences.

partner a's sagittarius venus sextile partner b's libra saturn: as I’ve mentioned above, this placement is particularly positive in this chart. the saturn person, your partner, with time will make you more mature and responsible. he will teach you how to stand up for yourself, without depending on someone else. he will allow you to be more of an adult as well, he could literally act like a father figure with you at a certain point. the saturn person, on the other hand, will learn from you, the venus person, how to be more laid-back. he may be someone very busy and constantly stressed that can’t dedicate much time to himself. you will soften him, you’ll show him that it’s safe to let feelings take over sometimes, that it’s fine to show love and affection to others. he won’t be seen as weak, but simply as human. it’s an important life lesson that he needs to learn since he has a lot of grumpy scorpio energy which restricts him from truly enjoying life and relationships, as he tends to be more introspective. the only problem that comes with this relationship is that you may eventually start feeling limited in this relationship; your sagittarius venus wants to be free, you want your relationships to be all about fun without any worries, and with a partner that acts like your dad you may start feeling oppressed in the long run. especially since your partner may even have quite of a cold, detached approach with you, that will hardly make it seem like a romantic, fairytale-like relationship if that’s what you’re looking for. same goes for your partner: while he may see you as someone bright and cheerful that lights up his day, he may start seeing you as too immature for him.

☄️ partner a's virgo mars in his 10th house

this placement isn’t exactly romantic, I would say it’s more suitable for a working relationship, but there are still some notes that could resonate. in first place, you may inspire your partner to be successful, you may be his strenght to pursue a certain career or even just to lead in general. your support boosts his self-esteem, allowing him to succeed and achieve his goals. in addition, you may actually work in the same field, or perhaps you aspire to follow his steps and work in the same environment as him. you may also literally help each other with your job, for example if he works in an office you may help him getting some documents done, if he’s a teacher you may help him with his students, etc. one thing for sure, you would support him in anything he does, you would become his numer #1 fan. the house person, aka your partner, also sees potential in you, and he may help you being more successful in your finances and career as well. he probably appreciates your skills and talents, as well as your strategies. the problem with this overlay is that, at first, this relationship could be quite boring or even cold at first. there’s a lot of seriousness and respect from both of you, which could make this relationship too heavy, especially for your free-spirited sagittarius venus. this placement could also be interpreted in a more family-related way: you may inspire him to become a father, he may be very present for his children, and he would do anything to provide wealth and security for his family. 

partner a's virgo mars square partner b's gemini mars: this placement is quite tricky, especially when it comes to the sexual side of the relationship. more specifically, you tend to have quite different needs from the other which interfer in the way you enjoy your moments together. for instance, during sexual encounters, you probably don’t have the best of your time as you have different views of sex. you see it as something very intimate, your virgo mars makes you very picky, and you probably enjoy being prepared, you don’t like improvising. your partner is literally the opposite: he prefers exploring and constantly trying out new things without warning. he’s a mutable dominant individual, he doesn’t like settling down to one thing, and that could make you feel overwhelmed. you like being in control, and in this relationship you would definitely struggle to be in charge. basically, you may both be disappointed from the other’s sexual performance, and especially for your partner, sex is important. if it isn’t enjoyable, he could easily detach and drift away. he also seems very stubborn, he probably won’t try to sacrifice his desires to satisfy your needs, therefore if you’re not willing to adapt to his wants, I would say that this relationship wouldn’t be healthy if it lasted much. in addition, aside from issues regarding your intimate life, you may even fight on a daily basis, especially since you also have 12th house synastry that brings misunderstandings. I have this aspect myself with tons of people I know, and I can say that I constantly feel annoyed by them. I just don’t vibe with them, we constantly argue and disagree on so many things. even if you have other soft aspect that may make this more bearable, it’s still something that shouldn’t be underestimated, especially if you’re aspiring to have a long-term relationship with this person.

PARTNER B

🌞 partner b's gemini sun in her 12th house

this one is kind of a tricky placement. while this placement indicates that your partner feels strongly attracted to you, he may also feel rejected and / or confused about this relationship with you (or even viceversa, you may be the one to feel rejected). when he first saw you, he probably couldn't get his eyes off of you, you were constantly in his mind, you attracted him like a magnet. it's a very intense relationship, but that he probably can handle since he himself has some 12th house placements and heavy scorpio dominance in his chart. it's actually quite beneficial to have such a placement for him and for the sake of the relationship, or he may possibly get bored of it, especially since he's a gemini sun. you may see your partner as someone very charming and alluring, even mysterious, and that's probably why you fell for him in the first place. in addition, your relationship may also be enigmatic; you may hide your relationship, or perhaps one of you tries to hide the other from their friends, family, etc. or at least there's this fear of being open about this connection. you're probably the more private type of couple, you may like to socialize but only in safe environments with people you trust. aside from that, I don't see any other hardship coming from this aspects, since your sun and your partner's form a beautiful trine. hence, you get the best of the 12th house: this may be a very dreamy and romantic relationship, or perhaps you actually dream of each other. you could also help each other in some way, you're always there for the other and you're also very loyal. now, I don’t know if this relationship is canon or not, as astrology can’t determine that, but this placement can also indicate platonic / one-sided love. you may tend to idealize your partner a lot, and you may never have the opportunity to confess your feelings to this person. but again, this will only apply if this person doesn’t know about you, and of course it doesn’t mean that the relationship is impossible.

partner b's gemini sun conjunct partner a's gemini ascendant: finally, a pleasant aspect! your partner probably thought that you were very attractive when he first saw you. you may meet his ideals of beauty, he sees you as his type of girlfriend. he likes the way you move, the way you speak and present yourself, or even just the way you look physically, he may like your face and body. he may even be more straight-forward and approach you first, he may often spoil you with compliments and you don’t step back from them. you appreciate the way he looks, or even stare at you. actually, you may even crave his attention. your partner, aside from admiring you deeply, may even take you as a role model, he may desire to be like you, especially in your way of approaching the world. perhaps, since he’s a scorpio rising, he may wish to come off as more easy-going and open, just like you do thanks to your gemini ascendant. same thing goes for you: you also appreciate the way your partner lives his life, his achievements, his goals, his ideals, and so on. luckily, there aren’t other negative placements that interfer with this mostly-posiitve aspect. in fact, this aspect could possibly bring a feeling of competition between you two, as instead of admiring and appreciating the other, you may start hating yourselves because you think the other is better.

🌙 partner b’s scorpio moon in her 5th house

this placement is extremely lovely! probably one of the best to have in a romantic relationship. your partner may feel fascinated by your hobbies, your skills and talents; you may be particularly creative and / or intelligent, and this is really attractive to him. he sees you as someone very lovely, someone ideal to start a relationship. you two feel comfortable together, you can both have fun like two children playing around; you may often tease each other for example, but you never misunderstand or get hurt by the other, there’s this mutual love and empathy for the other that makes it extremely rare for you two to be in conflict. sex is also pretty romantic and, above all, respectful. your partner may always try to be gentle with you, as he doesn’t want to hurt you in any way, thanks to this placement he may be way more considerate than his scorpio moon when he’s with you. what I’m going to say now is a bit more specific, but since the 5th house is also about creativity and arts, you may literally become a muse for your parter. for example, if he’s a singer, he may write songs about you; if he’s a writer, he could write poetry or romance thinking about you, and so on. you inspire him to relax and have fun, without thinking about job and worries, just pleasure. it’s indeed a very peaceful and amusing relationship. in addition, the 5th house rules leo, the ego, the self-esteem. being with this person, especially when he spoils you with compliments and appreciation, is extremely helpful for you to feel more loved and secure of yourself, especially in your appearance. therefore, this relationship has the potential to be healthy for both of you, as long as you don’t become too obsessed about each other’s opinion of the other.

🗣 partner b's cancer mercury in her 1st house

with this placement, you probably also fell for your partner for the way he talks, he exposes his thoughts, his choice of words. you may even be literally into his voice, you like the way it sounds, you thought it was attractive when you first heard it. you may even see your partner as someone smart and intellectual who has a way with words, someone that  can achieve whatever he wants thanks to his witty intellect. you may also enjoy his sense of humor, you probably don’t force your laugh when you’re around him because you find him genuinely entertaining. as for your partner, he may also be into the way you think and talk, he could be fascinated by your ideas and creativity. in addition, mercury is all about curiosity, and hence he may be curious to get to know you. when you first met him, he felt this sudden urge to get to know you, he could’ve been the first one to randomly approach you, and he started making random questions just to hav ìe a conversation with you. even more simple things like “What is your favourite food?” looks fine to him, as long as he learns something new about you, he cares about this kind of stuff. this placement can surely make good friendships, as you two are able to have an amusing conversation, even though it may be more casual rather than deep. you probablty wouldn’t talk about the meaning of life with him, to make it simple, but rather about your hobbies, your passions.

☄️ partner b's gemini mars in her 12th house

this is another tricky house overlay. you probably feel extremely attracted to this person, but you can’t figure out the reason. it’s like you’re under a spell, you don’t know when it started and when it’s going to end, if it’s ever going to end. in fact, this placement will make it particularly hard for you to let go and forget about this person, you may constantly hold on any little clue that may indicate that this relationship can work and be long-lasting, even if it starts stressing out both of you. the thing is, since you can’t exactly understand why you feel so attracted to this person, you find it hard to find a reason to end it. of course you can’t rush something like this, you prefer understanding your feelings in-depth rather than base yourself on your suppositions, but in this way you’ll just get stuck into this cycle. aside from that, mars is also about physical attraction, therefore with this placement, your partner may not feel physically attracted with you, and if he does, there could be some issues regarding sex and intimacy in general. he may feel as if you don’t appreciate him and viceversa, and this could obviously lead to many conflicts, not only between the two of you, but in general  in yourselves. you may start feeling like a failure, as if you’re not worthy of love at all, when it’s  absolutely not the way you should interpret this. it simply means that  you two can’t see eye to eye, and therefore you can’t match each other’s energy.

ASTEROIDS & CO

❤️ partner b's libra juno conjunct partner a's libra sun

this is the only relevant aspect I could find regarding love asteroids and points of destiny. at least, it’s very positive! in fact, juno is the asteroid of marriage. with his juno being conjunct your sun, your partner sees you as his ideal partner, his ideal spouse, someone he wants to commit to and that he wants to spend the rest of his life with. he’s probably into a feminine, romantic and elegant partner that would do anything for him, and you totally fit that description, you embody his ideal personality. therefore, this placement makes it extremely easy to  get along at first and feel attracted to each other. you may as well feel as if you want to marry this person,as if you he was meant to be your husband. it could pretty much feel like a soulmate connection, especially with that magical 12th house synastry that you two share.

CONCLUSION

pretty much, I wouldn’t say this relationship is extremely romantic. if you asked me, I would say that it looks more like a friendship, or perhaps like a platonic relationship based on these placements. the thing is, you have this 12th house synastry that makes you fantasize and dream about this connection and about your partner in general. the problem is that you may often ignore red flags, as you’re very confused about this relationship in first place. if you’re not together yet, you may even doubt that your partner feels attracted to you. to be completly honest, I barely see this as a love relationship, or at least not in this lifetime. you don’t have many karmic indicators of you two being meant to meet and marry, but your 12th house synastry does indicate some sort of soulmate connection. since I was quite unsure, I decided to pull out a tarot card to sort out my doubts. I got the chariot, which is all about experiences, it’s a journey. therefore, my take on this is that you two may have some karmic bond, but your souls may need to wait for a few lifetimes before finally meeting in human form. I have this strong feeling that you probably haven’t met this person yet, but if you actually did and you’re in this relationship, then I’d suggest you to trust your intuition. possibly, spiritual outlets could also help you understanding if this relationship is worthy for you and for your mental health, like astrology, tarots, meditation, etc. after all, astrology indicates the potential, but the fate of the relationship is still in your hands, you’re free.

and this is the end! thank you again for booking a reading :) let me know if you have any questions xx

- libramc

[dinoni]

Hey so, over the years, people have come suggest I start reblogging my own posts.

And I get where they are coming from. But I have my reasons for not doing that. 

 Let me preface by saying, as an Small Artist on the Internet™, every single day of my life I have to shovel a big steamy pile of grief over social media. I do not have an audience. I cannot churn out content at the speed others do. I'm never interested in the popular thing, so I don't make much fanart that matters to people. My own original content must be super boring, I assume. I do not have popular friends, connections or a lot of followers. After over 12 years of being on the internet. Fighting the algorithm for the sake of engagement from a bunch of strangers, that will gladly ignore me if I don't dance for them like a monkey, is driving me insane. It's so frustrating and depressing.   While most people with thousands of followers can easily fill their commission slots within an hour, I'm in a lucky streak if i get one alone. I cannot count on an audience in a pinch like others can.

Also, I’ll mention people on social media are more eager to share and spread the shittiest takes on Earth with their sick dunks, than to help and appreciate lesser known people trying to pour their creativity into the world. (remember that twitter clown who was saying drinking water is bad? it was everywhere, imagine if people put that sort of energy into uplifiting small creatives on the internet instead) And it doesn't just upset me because I am ignored. But the fellow artists I love who I try to uplift and spread the works of, barely see a difference from my efforts.

Social media and it's requirements to "stay relevant" are exhausting, painful, it makes me feel hopeless and disregarded. I can feel my brain caving in from it, twitter specially, but IG isn’t much better. I hate having to play this algorithm game. Which I always lose. It can reach a point where it makes me physically sick. Sure as fuck doesn’t help with my depression.

Now here is my point: This blog? Is not a portfolio. I don't share it ANYWHERE. I never even told my friends about it. I haven't linked it anywhere. This blog is the space I have designated as Free from Social Media BS. I'm not going out of my way for the public AT ALL. No trying to get more views or engagement, not moping over getting 2 reblogs, no concern over posting at the Prime Engagement Time, no fanart for things I don't care about. Not a single attempt to apease an algorithm. Not lifting a finger for it.

I will not engage in any of that in this blog. While, yes, I am still an idiot worm that gets Happy Validation Feelings from reblogs, tags, comments, asks, messages, and so on; and it does sting a little when I'm ignored; I can live with it. Cause thats the purpose of this outlet. To not bow down anymore to the will of a cold algorithm and indifferent strangers on the internet.

I reblog old stuff once in a blue moon when I feel like its things maybe new followers that werent here when I posted it could have missed. But yes, that is done measuredly and sparingly.

IDK go to my profile and turn on notifications if you don’t want to miss a post. That’d be nice ngl. But I’m not playing the algorithm game here.