#and i'm the sort of person who needs very clear goals to work towards

[tracybirds]

the sun is coming back and my personal life is still stressful but not for much longer, I can see the horizon!!!!! and with the equinox bingo board, since one of the challenges is work on a WIP that seems like a good next step bc at least the story is already sorted :)

I have five long term WIPs and thus... a poll!

AO3 Links / Summaries:

Where Parallel Lines Meet: A fight between John and Alan is followed by an interstellar storm with unexpected consequences. - aka the deaged fic

Taken By The Light: The Jedi take an interest in young John and Lucy and Jeff must make an awful decision - aka the Star Wars fic

Paper Dreams: John receives a prestigious invite and he’s not sure how to respond. - aka the Mars fic

Being Known: AU for "The Man From TB5" - What if the Hood had recognised John? - aka the kidnapped fic

Earthbound: Following an accident, Alan notices that John could use a break. - aka the road trip fic

[cursedvida]

It's really crazy to me to see the hate Mae gets, like I was reading some reviews and I can understand not liking a character but as soon as they start with the name calling their opinion is invalid to me because they have no reason to be calling her a bitch, among other things, like it just reeks of mysogyny, (it's like they just want an excuse to call women names) and seeing it coming from other girls makes it worse like..

"Oh the girl was such a bitch why did she do that 🙄" ..is it really that hard to think for a moment about the circumstances in which mae was raised?? Do they need it spell it out for them?? Like, c'mon guys do you really think that the people trapped in a bunker for generations have anything nice to teach/say about the apes?? Wes Ball please give us Mae's backstory in the sequel!! Your audience needs it bc they are out there calling Mae the real villain and saying Proximus was right 💀 (when he was literally everything Caesar hated in an ape)

Look, I'm usually a polite person when expressing my opinions, but I'm fed up with the hate towards Mae, basically because the arguments people give seem incredibly basic to me, typical of people with little to no understanding. Sometimes I doubt if these people have watched the same movie as me or maybe they have some sort of cognitive dissonance, but seriously, I find them ridiculous. Either that, or they are basically the typical comments from misogynistic guys or women with internalized misogyny who can't stand morally gray and questionable female characters.

And well, having said that, I'm going to present my doctoral thesis on this topic:

One of the things I've seen the most is people saying that Mae is evil, the true villain, or an ungrateful traitor to Noa. This argument seems quite incomprehensible to me because, even though we don't have much data about her, I believe there's something very important that explains why she acts as she does: the Proximus apes killed the people in her group, including her mother. I mean: her damn mother. If we add to that the UNDERSTANDING (I mean, you have to be very short-minded not to assume something so obvious) that she has been raised in an environment where they've probably told her all her life that the apes are the reason for all the evils of humanity and the main reason why humans live in shitty conditions, I think anyone with half a brain has enough information to understand why she does what she does.

Yes, Noa is a good guy, but he's not helping her. Noa and Mae have a common goal and decide to ally themselves momentarily to achieve that goal, which is to reach Proximus. As much as they've formed a bond throughout the story, it's not yet strong enough for Mae to set aside what she has worked for so hard. Mae not only bears the weight of humanity on her shoulders but also emotionally carries the idea that she, as the sole survivor of her group, must complete the mission at all costs. Are those who criticize her telling me that if they truly thought that with certain actions they could not only save their species but also honor their loved ones who have been killed infront their eyes, they wouldn't do them? And that they wouldn't do them for someone they've just met, no matter how much they like them? That's just not realistic, it makes no sense. We would all do the same as Mae in her situation. I mean, I have no doubts.

Another thing I love is when they say she's the "true villain" as if it weren't clear enough that she feels bad every time since she forms a bond with Raka and Noa when she does something that she knows may harm them. She feels pain for Raka's death and clearly, you can also see the conflict and remorse when she detonates the bomb. It's not something she enjoys doing, but she HAS to do it. In the final scene, even though she's carrying a gun, you can also clearly see her in conflict with herself. Clearly, she doesn't want to kill him. Clearly, she has nothing against Noa, and this is evident when she finally accepts the necklace and they even shake hands. You can't tell me that's the attitude of a villain, narratively it's not presented as such, and seeing it that way is to have understood nothing.

Mae is a complex character whose life is based on survival, she's no different from the characters we're used to loving and idolizing in other post-apocalyptic series, the difference here for me is that she's human and humans have to be bad by default and also that she's a woman. Because female characters always have to be the support, the romantic interest, or the unconditional friends of heroic male characters, and Mae is none of that. Mae is a character with her own story and ambitions that go beyond Noa's plot. Mae has her own plot, and it seems that's something that bothers people a lot.

I'm sorry, but the hate towards Mae seems very similar to the one people had for Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones, which basically stemmed from people being misogynistic and hating complex and imperfect female characters, combined with how much they hate seeing protagonist characters with such human and real characteristics that they can't bear the idea of seeing themselves reflected in them.

But hey, for Sansa Stark, I would have killed, and now for Mae too. Mae haters basically DNI

[babyangelsky]

Color Moments in Two Worlds Episode 9

We out here experiencing the highest of highs and the lowest of lows this week. Almost everything was in dire straits this week including the colors. Sometimes the Thai BL gods really do give you everything you want and sometimes they give you everything you don't want but unfortunately saw coming.

My boy Kram may be on the brink of death from sex consumption (@slayerkitty I do love you for that one) but that doesn't mean the colors are gonna stop coloring. The green strap of his oxygen mask matches Tai's green shirt because his yellow + Tai's blue makes the green of love.

As a matter of fact, Tai spends the majority of this episode in some shade of green in his desperation to maintain his connection to Kram, who was given a very grim prognosis. This one is a more yellow green because Kram is the only thing on his mind.

My beloved clown son Jao may still be working through his feelings, but the little bit of yellow in his plaid matches the warm yellow wall in Kram's room, so we know he is here for Kram by making Tai eat and take care of himself.

Kram's mom goes to visit him and through the tears that someone put in my eyes, I noticed the tiny bit of green in the pattern of her blouse matches Kram's mask.

Tai is a good husband and he refuses to sit idly by while Kram wastes away, so he enlists Phupha to help him find literally any sort of information on Kram's illness so they can maybe cure him. They match because they're on the same side and working toward the same goal.

They learn that there's a special fruit that grows under very specific conditions in the jungle that can stop the spread of Lumana, so Tai sets off to find it with Jao in tow.

As they're getting ready to leave, Wayu makes sure Jao has everything he needs for this expedition, including an emergency firework. We returned to form last week so Wayu's blue shirt does match the blue in Jao's plaid...

...but the green in the plaid also matches Tai's green shirt.

And if I didn't recognize this particular plaid shirt with mounting excitement I would be so annoyed about that but PATIENCE!

As Tai and Jao make camp for the night, Tai looks at a photo of him and Kram on his phone. We get a little flashback to the day it was taken and the show offers us some comfort by giving us Kram dressed in his warm yellow and Tai's cool blue.

Tai can't sleep and neither can Jao, so Jao finally asks what I'm sure he's been wondering for weeks: why Kram? And as if I needed any more confirmation that Kram is Tai's warmth and his light, my boy says:

DAMN RIGHT HE IS! HE'S YOUR SUNRISE! I LOVE CLOWNING CORRECTLY!

In addition to being unbearably sweet and validating, hearing this serves as the final nail in the coffin of Jao's feelings for Tai.

Don't look so sad, mi cielo, glorious things await you.

Tai and Jao find the fruit and as they're making their way back, my clown son falls into a tiger trap and hurts his leg. He sets off the emergency firework he claimed he didn't need and Wayu comes to save him for the second time in as many episodes.

And when he does, this happens.

We're almost there.

Tai gives Kram the fruit and Kram finally wakes up, although I will be forever haunted by the cold empty grayish white of that hospital room and Tai matching it. It's such a contrast to the vibrant colorful scenes in the jungle.

This show never lets us forget things so even though Kram has woken up, his paleness is a stark reminder that he isn't cured.

And the fact that even Phupha matches this horrible goddamn room means we are not in the clear. I hate it here.

GOOD THING WE'RE IMMEDIATELY THROWN BACK INTO BEAUTIFUL RICH WARMTH WITH THESE TWO.

Jao asks Wayu if he gave him CPR when he fell into the river because Jao felt like someone had kissed him. Wayu admits that he did and shares that he's been in his feelings about it because Jao was the first person to ever make him cry.

We then learn that not only did Wayu and Jao know each other as tiny children, they've had feelings for each other since then, too. They were separated when Wayu's family had to move and parted on bad terms, and Wayu has been carrying a torch for Jao ever since.

AND THEY FINALLY FUCKING KISS ABOUT IT! @respectthepetty THEY FINALLY GOT THERE! WE DID IT!

What follows is another absolutely phenomenal, beautiful intimate love scene, no portion of which I can show you because Tumblr will immediately throw me in horny jail. BUT IT WAS SO WORTH THE WAIT!

Unfortunately we have to go back to the horrible hospital room, but it's made slightly less horrible by the fact that Kram's mom reveals that she knows who he is. She does match the room as she does so, but rather than matching the walls she matches the warmth illuminating the curtain.

We get devastating scenes of Kram's dad in World 1, wearing his son's warm yellow and setting out a plate for him, waiting.

Kram has decided to go back to his world and even though he agrees to Tai's proposal that they go back together, we know that's not going to happen. Kram, in that infernal cold white, has already made up his mind to go alone, which is why he doesn't match Tai's green or the green shining through the curtain behind him.

Earlier, mystical auntie Lhu called to tell Kram what time the water would be turning blue and he lied to Tai and said it would be at midnight when it was actually 11 o'clock. 11 was supposed to be the time Tai was going to come pick him up but by that point, it would already be too late.

Tai catches on and catches up to Kram but it doesn't matter. The preview already told us what happens.

[melbatron5000]

Fangirling for personal improvement

My Good Omens hyperfixation has made me a better writer.

I did not expect that when I got hooked on the Ineffable Mystery and started digging for Clues.

I've been writing fiction for decades. I have five books out, seven if you count the side adventure novellas I wrote to entice people to my email list. I'm currently editing the sixth (eighth?).

I have a few deeply devoted fans. I have a handful of good reviews on my books.

I also have a full-time day job, because selling books ain't making me rich.

My goal has never been to be rich, it's been to make a living doing something I love. And I'm still not there yet. It's largely my own fault, there are things I could be doing, but I'm too scared of rejection to do them. I've been working on that fear of rejection, but it's been a bit of a roller coaster of feeling better and then feeling worse and scared again.

As part of my attempt to feel better, I decided to re-edit my very first book and re-release it. I'm indie, so I can do that.

Everyone always asks for the first book, and I've learned a lot as a writer since I put it out, so it's not necessarily my best foot forward. Several people have told me to let that go and write another book, but when I'm selling, shoppers are never interested in the newest book (unless they already read the first one), they want the first book. And if the first book doesn't catch them, they won't care about the newest book. So I want the first book to make the best impression it can.

My day job and self-esteem issues have made the editing process slow going. It's been over a year. (I'm also editing the sixth book on top of that, so I may be biting off more than I want to chew. But anyway.)

I took hyperfixating on Good Omens as a little bit of a mental break from grinding on my own stories. After I did that for a while, I figured it was time to get back to grinding.

Holy shit was it easier!

I had a sentence that I had re-written like, five times, trying to capture exactly what I wanted to say. When I came back to my hand-written edits, I saw immediately how to word the sentence to say what I wanted with the most punch. I also saw that in my efforts to correct some author tics, I had re-written some of my sentences to be more "correct" but lose their impact. I could see at a glance which ones needed a little tidying to take care of tics, which ones needed total re-writing, and which ones were good as they were, tics or not.

As I began working on edits again, I also started to feel more confident. I have a better way with words than I had given myself credit for. My characters are interesting. My stories have a deeper meaning. I have a clear-cut idea of what kind of author I want to be.

I had a moment of feeling like I want to make Neil Gaiman proud of me, and of course that's a wildly unrealistic thing to want, and I was feeling sort of defeated at how no matter if I ever have success or not I will always be too small a fish for him to ever notice me, and so will never make him proud. But watching him be so encouraging and lovely on Tumblr has been deeply vicariously uplifting to me. In the distant, good-will-towards-all-baby-writers way he has, Neil may never hear of me personally, but he is, in fact, proud of me nonetheless. This has meant more to me than I know how put into words.

This is all literally because of Good Omens.

I've always loved both Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. They are master-class writers, for sure. I've read everything by both of them, multiple times.

Reading and re-reading are not the same as hyperfixating, it turns out. It's not the same as reading meta-analyses of a master work and going, "Oh, I never saw that before, but it absolutely tracks!" It's not the same as seeing the same words or phrases repeated over and over by people who love them, and seeing why those phrases in particular have caught people's imaginations, the layers of meaning available in them. Reading and re-reading are not the same as dipping a toe into writing my own metas, using my own skills to break down an amazing story I love and examine its working parts and see how it ticks.

I'm not developing new skills that I didn't have before, I'm using the same skills I've gained over the years of trying to write good books. But I am using them in new ways, and maybe more importantly, I'm using them on a book that I love by two authors I really care about, rather than a book I don't like assigned by an instructor or chosen by someone writing a book on how to analyze writing. Being able to ask myself, "Why do I love this bit so much?" as opposed to "What's so brilliant about this book I've never read and never will?"

My confidence is so much higher than it has been in years, and it's holding steady. Every time I look at my own writing, I'm jazzed and pleased, rather than intimidated and concerned. I'm excited to start working on more stories. I'm excited to really give it a go to get them selling enough to make a living at it.

All because of Good Omens.

[strawberryblondebutch]

Is Ken Klee getting a bad rap with some of the Ian Kennedy telephone game Minnesota drama? I wasn't a Minnesota fan but I remember being sort of happy that team won because they weren't burying their fourth line players with like three minutes of ice time, it felt like everyone had a settled role. At least from the outside it looked like a real team instead of, for example, Poulin, Ambrose and Friends. Even when they were in their horrible losing streak and when they were in playoff elimination games, he didn't shy away from that.

I thought it was good for the league moving forward that they won and that Boston, another team that was pretty solid in this regard, came in second. In a league where there clearly aren't enough spots, hopefully there will be fewer "fake spots" like an Ottawa third defense pair or a New York fourth line where the coach just tries not to play you.

So to hear him get criticized so much for something he did better than every other coach in the league feels a little bit off, like he sounds like a piece of work but not for that one very specific reason.

I think one thing a lot of people who haven't been in a locker room miss out on is that the head coach actually fills two roles: coach and game manager. Coaching is what happens at practices, in team meetings, in the locker room before and after the game. Game managing is what happens, well, in the game. You can be good at one and not the other.

My personal distaste aside, those who have played with him largely* (*some exceptions apply) praise John Tortorella as a good coach. He doesn't give stars special treatment, and he wants to pull the best out of every player. However, and I'm sure the Flyers fans in the house will agree, he's a pretty atrocious game manager. He constantly plays shorthanded at the expense of the team. Towards the end of the 2022-23 season, he was running out 5 D a game because he couldn't trust DeAngelo. Which, fair, but that hurts you in the moment.

Conversely, Klee has showed himself as a competent game manager when it matters. A lot of that was out of necessity - when your stars aren't producing, you can either play them more to hope it breaks the slump, or you can give more minutes to role players and let them pick up the slack. Heise was playing hurt most of the season, and when she wasn't playing hurt, she was playing scared. Take it from me: if you get hurt by battling against the boards, you really need to train your brain to get that physicality back. Kendall's last regular season goal was March 16, and Zums was a liability on defense during that losing stretch.

In case it wasn't already clear, I really dislike Ian Kennedy. I don't like the way that he positions himself as the savior of women's hockey, to the expense of the other reporters (men and women!) who have been covering it for quite a long time. I can tell you right away he doesn't watch college hockey based on how he talks about Daryl Watts like she came out of nowhere. He made a comment about the collective bargaining agreement (possibly since deleted?) that made my skin crawl. His conversations with Nicole Haase and Alex Azzi trying to recruit them to work unpaid cemented him as a grade-A asshole. That being said, his reporting on the Minnesota locker room has been corroborated by other sources who I'm more inclined to trust.

Klee is a better game manager than someone like Troy Ryan, who I've bitched about for years - no one loves putting players out of position more than Troy Ryan so he can reverse-manufacture a "perfection line". But game managing is only a small part of what it means to be a coach, and it seems like he's failed in every other aspect.

As for New York, well. Draper was clearly out of his depth and didn't seem to know how to utilize anyone on the team. With Ottawa, it's hard to reconcile the Carla McLeod that got the best out of her national team with the one who made baffling ice time decisions on a more skilled PWHL roster. I'm hoping those are just growing pains.

[cosmos-dot-semicolon]

🌟 (I found a cool star for u)

(⭐fanfic writers’ commentary)

Yay! Free space! Let's see…

Since you're the most writerly of the three people that sent in asks, and the person who shares the most interests with me, I'm going to freestyle some of my thoughts on fanfiction in general.

I make fanworks to respond to what stuck with me through a series. It's a form of analysis in itself for me, where you try and replicate a style by trying to make it work in your own context instead of pointing out why it works in an essay. This is something I've taken from my time studying visual art, where you're encouraged to do studies of works as well as just annotating them.

You don't have to follow them completely. You can focus on just the lines, or the palette, or the composition, but the main goal is to learn how to recreate something you like about the piece by your own hands.

I take that attitude with me into writing. It's why my favourite bits of fanfiction and fanart tend to be 'what-if' situations just left of canon. Characterisation is usually my main focus, with tone and message as my secondary aims. But even when it comes to other things like the setting or lore, I only extrapolate if I think it benefits the things above.

(or for representation. lol)

I like the challenge of those limitations. It forces you to be more creative as a writer, knowing that you have to start from some sort of formula, but you also need to make a different, compelling story and get your own interests to align with that. The small spins you can put on that are way more compelling than any massive upheavals that you tend to find in more standard AUs and such. Kinda like plot twists, actually.

wait I just realised that's what I said about why liked Ninjago season 1 and 4 so much. don't want to think about that. moving on

As a result, I approach fanfiction for different franchises differently. I love learning how different writers approach storytelling! I don't care for how there's clear 'templates' that dominate in fandom circles, because it throws away a lot of the subgenre's appeal to me in the first place. Specific AUs based off aesthetics, certain dragged out romance tropes, etc. (also the way some people do shipping but that's a whole 'nother can of worms)

I don't have much against them, I just find that they're usually less interesting than something with a specific premise and goal in mind.

Honestly I think the way I like to write fanfiction is more like. How sometimes you get spin-off books and comics of TV shows and games. Except targeted towards my favourite media and personal tastes and actually good.

I was going to complain a bit about fanon as well, but I think you already know how that is. People get very specific takes stuck in their head, usually of neutral quality at best, and it's frustrating to see if you have opposing views, or just prefer the actual. source material.

Also I don't write fanfiction for everything. I think the old adage of 'works that are above a baseline level of compelling and below a certain level of completeness are how fandoms form' is a part of that. I find it easiest to write/draw for works that have gaps in them, regardless of quality. See Dicey versus something like Inscryption (if I ever feel like editing and betaing that script, anyway…)

But I think another factor for it is also the focus of the original work. I love Disco Elysium and I'd argue it's both good and not really complete. But it's also a game deeply entwined with politics and the creator's personal experiences: I feel deeply unequipped to handle that as a storyteller who mostly focuses on characters and plot. If I did have anything to say on it, I'd probably be doing in as an essay instead.

Fandom 'meta' (stupid name) - analytical essays - are a good thing, and I think we should be encouraging it more alongside fictional fanworks.

I'm only occasionally a fanfiction reader. I used to be really into it as a kid, when I was into a bunch of series that weren't finished yet, and when I really wanted to experience games I couldn't buy. But even then I was pretty picky and ended up blocking tons of tags and had to keep compiling lists of stuff that was actually worth reading.

I don't do that much nowadays - I've learned that it's valuable to try a lot of different things in media, and I'm now way more aware of how it fuels my maladaptive daydreaming. My mindset on it now tends to be 'if you want to read that specific thing you want to see, you're going to have to be the one to write it.'

I haven't written much original stuff recently. Fanworks have always been easier for me to do for enjoyment, and I'm in the midst of a pretty exhausting degree. I do have a bunch of original ideas on the brain, though. Maybe I will touch on those at some point.

[ladyhindsight]

what do you think about Clare saying she created Thule partly as a response to reviews calling Clary useless and stuff? Personally it made roll my eyes lol, no doubt there is *some* misogyny involved but like Clary is just written insufferably 💀 Like in CoLS (the book which opened my eyes to how bad TMI is but I digress) all I remember her doing was pining over jace, getting high and pining over Jace. And then in the climax she conveniently gets handed the sword (which her friends worked to get🙄) which she drives into jace and becomes the hero 🥳🙄 like that’s all i remember about her character across six books just plain bad writing but sure it’s all just misogyny to Ms Clare lol

Did Clare create Thule to hype up Clary? To tell (and never show) the “haters” how integral Clary truly was in the grand scheme of things because Clare herself did a shit job at showing and justifying any of that essentialness in TMI? What even. You can never completely rule out misogyny, for sure, but it was also Clare’s go-to excuse when faced with criticism on her writing.

The main problem (there are apparently many main problems according to me lol) is that Clary has no goals. Even from the very beginning the writing does bad job establishing even scene goals! Why does Clary seem so aimless when she wakes up in the Institute for the first time and barely thinks of Jocelyn until loads of pages later and after that even barely? Because Clare doesn’t set her any goals. Jace is who pulls the story forward, but that is also because Jace is the actual protagonist and Clary is there to observe stuff.

Clary becomes essential when Jace is either dead or possessed. And not because of her own drive and set goals or her instigating the plot brought her to that point. Clary is mostly—because there are times when she does take action on her own—is just dragged along the story and ultimately finds herself where she needs to be.

In City of Glass, Clary barely does anything towards waking Jocelyn up. Other characters do that work for her and she finds herself in the right place because of that. Otherwise it’s just Jace this and Jace that and Sebastian who. She stands up and takes action when it comes to the Alliance Rune, and it was the first time in the series that I felt some sort of impact from her words. Then she jumps into action by portaling into the Lake Lyn, once more completely unprepared and almost kills herself if not for Valentine.

City of Fallen Angels is so criminal for dragging Clary along. Clary barely interacts with the poor excuse of a rag-tag plot and still finds herself in the final showdown. Not because of her actions or anything she did had any actual impact. And she doesn’t get to do anything! Simon and Jace defeat Lilith!

City of Lost Souls is different just for the fact that Clary infiltrates Sebastian and Jace’s boyband and eventually discovers their plan and the place of the final showdown. But even during all that, she had no clear goals: she just wandered along, her “detective work” acting as a smokescreen for the fact that Clary still had no proper scene goals. Honestly Simon should’ve been the one to strike Jace down with Glorious. He had earned it.

Edit! Now thinking about it, oh oops, except there was this one tiny thing: the sword did not "activate" in his hands because he's not Nephilim, but blazed up in Clary's, so... :D I'm sure it could be worked around, Simon having ingested Jace's extremely angelic blood, and that having more consequence than just being able to walk in daylight. What a nice circling back that would've been also.

[natasha-in-space]

Mystictober Day 1 - favourite character/first date

Unknown/cmc Natasha Stakh (Mint Eye ver.)

Author's note: Woo! I more or less recovered from my flu, so albeit super late, I'm excited to get to work on my wips again ^^

Natasha stared at a huge mountain of ice cream with a variety of toppings, syrups, and decorations that reminded her of a Christmas tree or a careless drawing of a small child with its bright design. To say that all her preconceptions about the taste preferences of her boss crumbled to dust is to say nothing at all.

She could only gawk in genuine bewilderment at the gigantic dessert and the young man enthusiastically gobbling it up with no care in the world, paying absolutely no mind to her intense gaze. Rather, his interest was entirely focused on the specific person at the other end of the cafe, chatting away fervently with their friends over fresh cups of coffee.

Well, this is turning out to be a very fascinating scouting mission, there's no doubt about that.

After weeks of careful study and selection, Unknown finally approved on their future target, whose goal would be to stay in their Savior's former apartment and collect useful information on the RFA without their knowledge. However, before proceeding with the execution of their plan, they had to make sure that the decision being made was indeed perfect and that nothing could threaten the safety of their eternal paradise.

And so, here they are, roughly speaking, practically stalking this unfortunate soul at every twist and turn, monitoring any aspects of their daily life that may be useful to them in the future.

Going inside the cafe and having a bite to eat was her idea from the very beginning, given they had not eaten anything since early morning, and the alluring smell of freshly baked pastries and hot coffee coming from the doors of the establishment made her stomach growl so loudly that Unknown began to angrily grumble at her from his seat behind the wheel of an inconspicuous car. Fortunately, the Savior has given them a certain budget for all sorts of possible needs that may arise during their trip, and... why not take advantage of the rare opportunity to eat something other than the usual menu of Magenta, right? Plus, this way, they will be able to observe the target at a much closer distance, all while not drawing too much attention to themselves.

That is, except for her boss's eccentric attire, of course. Not to mention his fussy attitude due to his hunger which he stubbornly refused to acknowledge.

And although he realized that she was only trying to beg him for food in this roundabout way, after pondering over her offer for a couple of minutes, he reluctantly agreed, grabbing her by the arm and dragging her towards the cafe before she could say a word.

"For someone who's been buzzing my ears off about how she's supposedly starving, you're suspiciously unenthusiastic."

She twitched, suddenly realizing that she had been staring at him without any shame all this time, her mouth almost gaping.

Unknown arched an eyebrow in silent question, stuffing yet another portion of mint chocolate chip ice cream into his mouth, which... to be honest, looked quite comical when compared to the general menacing aura that he tried to exude with his whole appearance.

"Uh-"

She choked out, awkwardly clearing her throat and looking around, suddenly very aware of how public this place really is.

"...Ice cream doesn't quite fit the bill for a full meal, if I'm not mistaken, boss."

She murmured as she lazily scooped up an area of vanilla ice cream topped with strawberry syrup, before lifting it to her lips to taste the sweetness radiating on her tongue.

He huffed, crossing his legs and grabbing a particularly large raspberry from the top of the dessert.

"Tough luck, assistant, I'm not your chef - I'm your boss. So it seems like you have no choice but to listen to me... What a shame."

Cheeky bastard!

Natasha narrowed her eyes in clear annoyance, observing the sly smirk forming on his lips as he carelessly tossed a berry into his mouth with a cocky gleam sparkling in his piercing eyes. And just like that, he returned to his engrossing task of spying on their unfortunate victim as if nothing has ever happened. She sighed, clenching both hands into fists and gathering all of her self-control together so as to withhold her immense desire to bark back right in his face. They cannot attract unneeded attention to themselves, and he used this fact to his advantage, openly mocking her and not even trying to hide it.

She should have expected that he wasn't planning to just treat her to a delicious dinner out of the goodness of his heart.

And yet, the greedy rumbling of her stomach made her groan in shame and, having accepted her defeat, reach out for another portion of fresh ice cream. At least, it indeed tastes very impressive - much, much better than those samples that were stored back in Magenta. And mint ice cream was never really her favorite to begin with. In addition, Unknown very rarely shared his favorite dessert with her, preferring to leave her candy bars and occasional candies from his personal 'storage'.

Well, two can play this game. If he plans on getting a reaction out of her - he got another thing coming.

So, she shifted all of her focus to the cold dessert in front of her and continued quietly enjoying the pleasant sweetness on her lips, not putting up a fight. Contrary to his expectations, she was not making a fuss in the slightest. And, if initially, he stubbornly refused to be distracted from his task, after some time of relative silence between them, his puzzled gaze stealthily darted in her direction, immediately turning back, as if nothing had happened in the first place. If it weren't for her careful observation of his every move right now, she wouldn't even notice this momentary movement from him.

To his failure, however, she saw through his indifferent facade, and now it was her turn to take matters into her own hands.

So, pretending that she was simply reaching out for yet another portion of sweet ice cream, she moved her leg under the table just enough to gently push his knee with her own, immediately moving back and putting on an act of this collision being just an unfortunate accident and nothing more. Unknown shuddered, this time giving her a rather irritated look without trying to hide it. This was a clear warning to her. However, she only shrugged nonchalantly, chewing on a tart blueberry with a pleased expression forming on her face.

"It's not my fault you refuse to just move our 'dinner' to the middle of the table, boss. Or do you want to feed me?"

Natasha rested her chin on her palm as her face broke into a cunning grin, comparable only to that of the Cheshire cat himself. Oh yes, she was shamelessly teasing him, taking advantage of their public setting, just as he had done to her mere moments earlier.

Of course, she would pay for it later - she understood that very well. No matter how much she played on his nerves, at the end of the day, it was he who held the most power over her, and she was completely helpless against this one simple fact. But like hell she will let him treat her like this without putting up a fight in the process!

A low growl came from his throat, like some kind of threat of the danger she was putting herself into by such careless behavior. Too bad for him, she pretended not to hear that distinct sound and continued pushing through, without a single sign of doubt in her elegant posture. She looked like a sly cat, planning on pushing a valuable object off the table right in front of her owner without any second thoughts.

"You're walking a very. thin. line. idiot."

He had to lower his voice to a low hiss, and she couldn't help but rejoice at the realization that she had successfully turned the tables on him. Normally, he would have already cornered her by now, towering over her and doing everything to show her who was really playing the strings here. However, right now, if he, let's say, tried grabbing her by the wrist, he would attract excessive attention to himself in an instant, which he understood perfectly.

Oh, she got him good. Looks like Unknown does not enjoy the taste of his own medicine. How charming.

She giggled, playfully arching an eyebrow and sliding her foot under the table yet again, this time hooking it under his own. He twitched, clasping his fingers on the surface of the table until his knuckles turned white, all while burning holes into her with an angry scowl on his face. If stares could kill, she'd probably be dead right where she was sitting in one second flat.

"Come now, don't act so grumpy on our first date. I might feel hurt, you know?"

She was only playing around, and yet, a pale blush creeped out on her cheeks as she purred out her sweet taunts, pursing her lips in a small fake pout.

He grimaced, crossing his arms across his chest and huffing in clear amusement.

" 'Date?' Is that what you think this is, princess?"

By this point, both of them had long since forgotten about their 'mission', too engrossed in this imaginary game of wits between themselves.

Natasha tucked a long lock of hair behind her ear in false bashfulness, fluttering her lashes up at him. Her voice dropped to a sweet murmur.

"Well, you can't blame me, right? Here we are, sitting across from each other in a cozy little cafe, sharing a huge ice cream. I'm pretty sure this one is meant for couples to share, considering its design."

This time, he was the one choking on his words and glancing around in bewilderment. She had to fight back a fit of laughter that was bubbling up in her chest. Of course, he had no idea about such nuances of the 'outside world - it's kind of adorable how he sincerely intended to enjoy this huge ice cream meant for two from the very beginning all by himself.

Before she could continue her sugary torture, however, they were both interrupted by a movement to the side, where MC was hugging their friends goodbye and packing up their things.

"..."

Well, this was fun while it lasted.

Their eyes followed their target as they both remained in somewhat awkward silence now, with half-finished ice cream slowly melting away in the middle. Before he could open his mouth to argue though, she waved him off, giving him a genuinely apologetic smile.

"C'mon, I can ask them to pack it up for us to-go. It's the least I can do for riling you up like that. And sorry. For teasing you, I mean. I promise I'm not going to wine if you decide to punish me this time. I totally deserve it."

She chuckled as she rose from her seat after him. However, before she could turn on her heels to walk towards the counter again, he stepped forward, grabbing her hands and tugging her closer to him.

Completely taken by surprise, she gasped, stumbling helplessly against his chest and looking up at him with a pair of dumbfounded mint eyes. She didn't expect him to do something like that in public! Nevertheless, to her utter distress, he leaned to the shell of her ear, sending small currents of warm air over the sensitive skin of her neck, which made her involuntarily tremble under his spell.

"Oh, you don't get to play coy with me now, pet. You made your intentions crystal clear to me, don't you agree on that? I'll show you what a true date with me looks like, just like you wanted... It's too late for you to back away now, so don't even think about escaping. You reap what you sow, greedy princess. It's about time for you to learn this simple lesson."

His husky undertone sent shivers down her spine, making her legs turn into jelly underneath her.

Oh... This is bad.

He snickered softly, clearly very amused with her flustered reaction, which did not help her vulnerable position at all.

But, this game was not over just yet.

Before he could step away and claim victory for himself, she leaned into him, fighting against the embarrassment bubbling up in her stomach, lacing their fingers together and rising on her tiptoes to get even closer.

"Well, give me all you got then, boss. But, since I'm a greedy princess now, I might as well try to have my cake and eat it too... So don't expect me to back down easily."

"..."

It seems this 'date' has gotten more and more bizarre with each minute passing by.

[windvexer]

I saw your jar spell post and I am one of the newbie practitioners who almost solely uses them. What are the other kinds of spells you can do, other than candles, sigils, and jars? I am a wee babe and would love to expand my horizons!

Still don't have a laptop so unfortunately there are no links. However:

- use of poppets/dollies, so whatever is done to the poppets is done to the person therein embodied. Often associated with malefica but can also be used for healing or any benefica. Here, you don't need to make a healing candle for the dollie, but just interact with it as you please; they can also be stuffed with relevant herbs.

- hypersigils, or, writing a story very near reality with small changes as a part of manifesting that new reality (Weaving Fate by Aiden Watcher has a very in depth explanation that I like)

- use of automatic symbols, which radiate a constant effect even if they are not charged. Examples include crosses and pentagrams, but also the flashing tablets of Golden Dawn, which generate or reduce planetary energies in their vicinity just by virtue of existing in that space.

- knot magic, as with the famous witch's ladder. I have a link in my masterpost called something like "knot and crystal magic" for another example. I find knot magic to be very powerful. Gemma Gary in Cornish Book of Ways describes using cords to capture the power of the moon for later use. Using ropes to capture wind or storms is another example. Knots are also fabulous for binding.

- necromancy! Or, learning from, paying, and petitioning the dead in order to achieve acts of magic

- all petition magic, where a request is submitted with payment promised upon completion (or a half now, half later sort of deal). Can be as simple as leaving an offering out and saying whatever spirit takes it has to fulfill a task for you.

- hedge crossing or astral travel, which in and of itself is magical, but while there magic can be readily performes

- working with spirit allies, such as familiars, who can be assigned to various goals

- creation of servitors and thoughtforms, of which Damon Brand (IIRC) has a fine primer.

- employment of cards, such as playing, tarot, or gaming cards. For example, a relevant pokemon card may be chosen and its egrigore commissioned to behave as a familiar or complete a task. Or, simply used to channel energy. Consider using the Ace of Swords tarot card to conjure intense force towards a situation in order to break it up, etc

- use of special charging boxes or charging boards, created to empower and enchant whatever you place on/within them. I've heard of use of a small coffin-shaped box, within which things are placed to enter them into the care of the dead.

- pure energy work, as commonly seen with shielding or energetic glamours

- creation of amulets and talismans, or other enchanted objects (being a single object as opposed to container spells)

- employment of mirrors, especially in warding (my masterpost has a link called Illusory Protection which somewhat elaborates).

Being a pragmatist, I like to do what works. I'm not opposed to candles, sigils, or jars in any way.

But these categories are slippery. If you use a candle as part of a spirit petition, does it become a candle spell?

What about if you enchant and empower the candle first?

It's a fun thought exercise, but imo clear-cut categories are for brainstorming, and once we're done imagining them the lines in the sand ought to be erased.

[strayen-fx]

Red.

》 HHJ x reader

》 angst, vampirish theme

》 warnings: mentions of blood, hints of physical assault

》 2.1k words

》 a/n: short and simple, after months of writing break. Hope you guys enjoy regardless :)

“Stay away from them, my dear. Save your blood from the horrors of their fangs. Be wary of solitude, and be wary of the crowd.”

It was a day not unlike any other. My morning kicked off lazily, with me waking up almost an hour later than a college freshman was supposed to. Nothing unusual there. I did my usual morning prep, took a cup of grandma’s tea in one gulp, and went my way. I was already late for the train—I had to run after a departing bus with an exceptional speed that would put Olympiads to shame. I got in the room just in time as the bell rang for first period. I came in huffing like an old man, but it’s alright. Way better than walking through the early jam-packed hallways.

The first aberration in my daily humdrum existence happened on my way to fourth period. A student from another department stopped me on my tracks. I knew him; he was a member of the student council. Was I in some sort of trouble?

He introduced himself as Han Jisung, then proceeded to ask if I have seen his friend.

“He’s tall,” Jisung explained. “But like, not super tall. Not the towering-over-people kind. He has a mole under his eye. He’s got black—no wait, I think he dyed his hair again the other day. Anyway, have you seen someone like him? He’s noticeably handsome. I guess. I’m more handsome, though, but you know what I mean.”

The whole school would know who he is talking about. The one and only Hwang Hyunjin: champion swimmer, council member, and just a general talk of the town. The Prince. Even if I did see him around, though, I wouldn’t know. I never pay attention to the people I walk by.

I shook my head and muttered a soft sorry. I did feel bad for Jisung. He looked so worried and dejected, and I can’t blame him—not after after the incident with Seungmin. I can’t really take it against him to worry about his friends. I sauntered off to my next class, my mind still stuck on the fact that a normal person in my school has actually talked to me, and I was able to keep my composure.

Fifth period: P.E. I don’t even know why we still have this subject in college. I opted to take a stroll instead. You see, a huge, dense forest is situated right behind the main school grounds. You could say that the school itself lies within the bosom of greeneries. Unkempt bushes and rows of towering trees stretched over several miles deep, starting from the edge of the campus to god-knows-where. It is my goal to scout the whole area before graduation.

Weighed down by my personal monstrous beast, I trudged through. I walked for at least fifteen minutes before I finally reached the spot—my spot. Sheet of decaying leaves cushioned a huge gray boulder, standing at least ten feet tall, shaped like an odd piece of egg smashed against the forest floor. Against it stood a larger stone, this one dotted with moss and weathered with cracks. They were propped against each other for support, as if stopping one another from tumbling to the ground.

There was a smaller rock at the foot of the smaller stone, and I use it as leverage to climb up and sit on top of the largest boulder. It was my favorite place. Most times I could just pretend that I was alone in my own tiny bubble, at the center of that clearing that nobody else ventures but me. I don’t feel the breath of people suffocating me with every step that I take. I don’t feel my heart thumping with the sight of anyone else. I don’t need to hold back. Here, I don’t feel weird.

But today felt somehow different.

It was awfully silent. The wind felt sharper and colder. Electricity was humming in the air, leaving my skin prickling with discomfort. There was a tension in my veins that I couldn’t quite explain—it felt like an omen of an incoming disaster.

Time ticked slow. A couple hours could have passed—or maybe it has only been five minutes—when a nearby rustling perked up my senses.

Trying to keep my movements as quiet as possible, I hopped down and took up a defensive position, which wasn’t easy to do for a student with no actual weapon aside from an almost-empty bag and a worn-out calligraphy pen. My instincts told me to take cover—but my feet seemed glued to the ground. Sweat trickled from my forehead. My hands started to feel clammy.

And then, just as I was about to scamper away, a figure crashed into view from behind the nearest oak tree. I almost threw my bag towards the person’s direction, until I had a clear view of the intruder’s face.

It was Hwang Hyunjin, wide-eyed and disoriented, with his cheeks and uniform smudged with traces of blood.

“Help me.”

His voice came out as a tiny croak, as if his throat was filled with acid. He stumbled towards me, reaching out his hand for support. I wasn’t able to move an inch—and who could blame me? The situation was way too hard to process.

Hwang Hyunjin, the university prince, was hunched huffing before me, his clothes caked with mud and dried blood, his hair a nest of mess on his head. He had a cut on his cheek, I noticed. His breathing was heavy and labored, as if the mere act of standing on his own two feet required all the effort he could muster.

“Help me,” he repeated.

“What happened to you?” I managed to blurt out. My initial thought was that some random outsiders kicked his butt for stealing their girlfriends. But no—someone like Hyunjin would have been able to handle that. Plus, something in his eyes showed an elaborate fear—something only a beast would be capable of instilling. I should know.

My heart began thumping faster, a colossal drum barreling in my chest.

Just as my schoolmate was about to open his mouth and explain, a loud rustling broke the stillness of the air. Before I could process what was happening, Hyunjin grabbed my hand and bolted away, dragging me with him.

“Don’t look back!” he warned.

I did.

At least a dozen feet behind us was another male, probably as old as Hyunjin. He was sporting our school uniform, walking casually under the shades of trees as if time wasn’t of any matter. What puzzled me, though, was the fact that we can’t seem to distance ourselves from him despite the heavy efforts Hyunjin had been exerting to drag us both away from this newcomer.

I took another glance behind me, and to my surprise, the young man wasn’t there anymore. Nowhere behind us, as if he dissipated without a single trace.

Hyunjin took a sudden stop, causing me to bump my head against his back. I was about to call him out for stopping, but then I saw the looming figure a few meters in front of us.

“You…?” I began, my mind a juggle of unanswered questions. How on earth did that happen? How is he—

Hyunjin's friend, Kim Seungmin, stood before us in his dirty school uniform. He looked pale, his eyes bloodshot, but he was standing there in full grace, very much alive, giving us a toothy grin. “You’re hurting my feelings, Hyun. Why are you running away from me?”

Hyunjin’s grip on my hand went tighter. “Seungmin...”

“Friends are supposed to help each other, am I right?” Seungmin continued, faux dismay dripping in his voice. He bared his fangs, its tips dripping with fresh blood. “So help me, Hyunjin.”

I felt my body run cold. I wanted to scream, run, anything—anything to get away from this. From him. From the two of them. From everything. But Hyunjin's hand remained strong around my wrist, and my legs were close to turning jelly. I could start to feel the fullness in my mouth, the pointy ends of my incisors. Something that only happens when I'm in an extreme hunger or danger.

“Stay away from them,” grandma said. “We are the same kind, but we are different. Weaker. They see us as preys, as special commodities. They can smell your blood despite my concoctions, my dear, remember this!”

Seungmin tilted his head to one side, finally regarding my presence. “And you, over there. I’ve never tried drinking such special blood.” He grinned. “Satiate my thirst.”

The last thing I knew, a strong hand was pressing tightly around my neck, turning my vision green.

°°°°°°°°°°°°°

“Have you heard of the news?”

“What news?”

“Kim Seungmin was safe! They found him in the forest yesterday.”

“Thank goodness! Was he hurt?”

“He had a few gashes, but he’s fine. Hyunjin found him and brought him to the hospital right away.”

Students filled the corridor, everyone bustling and hustling about the news: after his sudden disappearance, Seungmin was finally found by his best friend, Hyunjin. The latter saw him in the forest, hungry and disoriented. They went straight to the hospital to treat his minor wounds, and that was that—nobody bothered to ask how he managed to lose himself in the wilderness, or how we managed to survive seven days on his own. Nobody asked him stupid and unnecessary questions. Seungmin was safe, and that was all that mattered.

I brushed my way past the milling crowd, flinching at every accidental touch. I kept my eyes on the ground, forcing my mind into silence. I was expecting everyone to be in their respective classrooms at this time of the day, but apparently, the news of Seungmin’s return has become enough reason for everyone to wander about and neglect their individual duties. It was a grand miscalculation on my part—I hadn’t braced myself for this huge number of people.

Not here. Not now. Not ever.

I just have to get back home, and then it’ll be over. My insides would stop churning once I’ve drunk grandma’s tea—that has worked for 18 years now. I can stop this. I can stop me.

I made a run towards the comfort room. To my luck, nobody was inside. I washed my face over and over, as if doing so would cleanse me from the impurity stamped on every drop of my blood. The face on the mirror horrified me—I had to stop myself from punching the glass over and over.

The moment I stepped out, I felt his presence.

He was there, leaning against the wall, lurking behind the shadows. There was a faint gleam of terror in his eyes, but at the same time, I can feel it: the hunger. Lust for meat. Thirst for blood.

“Don’t be like him, Hyunjin,” I pleaded. “Don’t be like us.”

He shook his head in resignation. “It’s too late.”

He took a step closer. Another. He kept on walking until he stood right in front of me, too close I can feel him breathe.

Too close I can see the faint traces of blood on his lips.

“I’m still hungry,” he sobbed. “I’m still hungry…”

Fear was apparent in his eyes—fear of what would happen to him, fear of what he had become. “You will be fine,” I offered, taking his hand in mine. “Trust me on this. It will be fine.”

And then I felt it, stronger this time—the hunger he was talking about. The thirst. My stomach growled in protest at the sight of Hyunjin’s pale flesh. I can smell his blood—I can feel its steady rhythm as it flowed through his pulsing veins.

I need to get home. Maybe my grandma could do something about Hyunjin, too. Maybe she could produce a stronger tea, and both of us wouldn’t have to worry about our instincts anymore.

We stood next to each other for a full minute before he broke the silence.

“We need each other to survive,” Hyunjin whispered. “If we drink the blood of our own kind, we can last for a month without feeding on others.” He freed his hand from my hold and gripped my shoulders tightly. “I need you. And you need me, too.”Hyunjin leaned down until we were staring at each other at eye level. He closed the distance between us. I closed my eyes, and for the first time, I allowed my monster to take ove.

[punkpandapatrixk]

April Astro Report for 🐞🐍⛲🐝ALL SIGNS

With the elements/signs of the zodiac, you can freely use your Sun, Moon, Rising/Ascendant, or even your Stellium (❗️)

[Back to Masterlist]

-I apologise for being so behind on this one, but I've extended the energy to be resonant until the end of the Taurus season~ Hope you find something useful here.-

This April feels very sky blue, and the fact it's leading to Taurus season feels like goal-setting is a major theme. A very free goal-setting, to be precise. It's because April starts with a New Moon in Aries! Deciding that this is your Life and that any goal-setting must abide by the highest level of authenticity. No more compromising our wellbeing, no more comforting other's ego, and no more conforming to existing conventions/standards.

You are the pharmacist of the medicine for your own wellbeing.

Goal-Setting for 🐞Fire Signs

🐏Aries - 2 of Cups & Wishes

Keep in mind that balance is key this season. We are talking balance in whatever ways it resonates and applies to your individual situation. Is it balance between your mental and physical health? Balance in your interpersonal (you and others) relationships? Balance in intrapersonal (you and yourself) relationships? Balance between work and play?

For some people, we could also be talking about balance between your pace and other people's demand of your speed. This one could prove rather challenging, professionally. Whenever in doubt, go back to the intro of this reading. See, you are strong and capable, but you also have your limits and not everything is within your control.

If you can accept this and learn to communicate your limitations/challenges in a diplomatic way, you will grow and eventually become more empowered in a healthy way. Try to focus on this balance this season until you are right on track towards your very own, very personal wish fulfilment. The world is your oyster, so don't let others decide your pace!

🦁Leo - IX The Hermit Rx & Ambition

Get it all out of the closet, baby~! You've got ambitions and you aren't shy about it! So you should be proud in your unconventional ideas and daredevil approach to realising/manifesting your desires. You never know who you get to inspire by this fire. However, I'm sensing some of you haven't yet done enough research on your goals. This season, dedicate yourself to studies and make real plans so when you do talk about your dreams and goals, you sound convincing😉

I think your problem, sometimes, is that you're afraid of being alone with your thoughts. I think at times (or just right now), your own thoughts tend to confuse you a lot because you haven't managed to sort them out. You hate the messiness of it all and so you tend to want to walk away from facing the mindless chatter in your head. I think right now you're in need of real solitude that would allow you to manage the mess in your head (or even in your heart). If you've got the money, take a mini-break, alone.

Real genius ideas tend to pop up when we're relaxed, believe it or not. Maybe that explains shower ideas or toilet ideas LMAO At any rate, don't be afraid. You need a clear map if you want to arrive at your goals efficiently and safely. You already know that. You don't even need any advice. You just need to be brave to face yourself, maybe even your demons, or whatever else you've got in your closet.

🎠Sagittarius - XXI The World & Integrity

Wow... you're literally transforming. Like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. You've been in that cocoon period for a while now... a long fucking while. And now you're breaking free to create something new. This something new is also quite literally a new world for yourself. Suddenly, man, you're God! And you know it and you aren't afraid to make manifest whatever the fuck you want. You've got the omnipotent power within you.

Whatever you dream, think, envision, naturally pours down into the physical realm and become your permanent reality. Dudes and duderinos, are you using subliminals to bypass the Law of Creation? You're mega-amazing at this point and I think you're going to change the extended world for real. This is only the beginning. This Taurus season, it's your playing with the lesser aspects of your manifestation board (if you have one). Soon enough, you'll be changing the world for even other people.

I'm sensing a variety of focus for different people: family, personal freedom, finances, academic study, personal glow-up, romance, etc, etc. This season, everything is about you, you, and you. The Universe is blessing you big time and please have a good time. Try to maintain a healthy dose of self-love and confidence tho. You can do and be whatever you want, just try not to be a dick about it LMAO

Mind Magick Transmutation🔻❤️👻

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Goal-Setting for 🐍Earth Signs

🐂Taurus - 4 of Cups Rx & Energy

Wow, this energy is wonderful. This is your season, after all. You're coming out of a lethargic period and feel at your best in many different scenarios. Like, for once, you've finally decided on what YOU truly want. You're not allowing other people to decide your path, not even your method! You're the boss now and you're making sure you're protecting your sovereignty.

I'm seeing you've been in the planning process for quite a while, which gave you the courage you now have. You've become confident and this is the most important thing—because now you're genuinely confident in your own ideas instead of relying on other people's approval. -Such a funny dichotomy because I know you Taureans are typically stubborn LMAO-

All in all, this is just a great season for you. This is a season where the gate towards actual emotional gratification opens for you. Well, because you've finally stopped being stubborn and decided to change something significant in the way you work/live/study/etc. You've truly made that decision to open the door yourself, so, major congrats~! Here's just the beginning of a more empowered you!

🧘🏻‍♀️Virgo - Knight of Swords & Luck

One affirmation comes to mind as I'm reading your energy: I have the energy to do everything I want—everything that matters to my happiness. That sounds really powerful, and above all, self-affirming. This season is all about you prioritising only things/endeavours that make you feel good as you engage in them. I think you already know what I mean.

This is the season you can really decide that you're not gonna waste your time and energy on hopeless causes. They could be people, situations, relationship dynamics, etc. If it's hopeless, it must die, and you're not afraid of losing worthless things anymore. You've got the Knight of Swords ready to assist you in cutting aetheric or emotional cords of attachment with things that cause you sadness... and in some cases, bad luck.

Plan your future ahead in as much detail as you find fitting to your most perfect self-concept. You are the star, you are the mega-capable genius, and above all, you are going to be happy and fulfilled no matter how much work you do. You are hard-working and you do that because you care. You deserve all the happiness this world has to offer.

🐐Capricorn - Knight of Pentacles Rx & Protection

Okay, this is gonna sound so funny, but... uhm... relax, hon? Like your Spirit Guides are trying to convince you that even when you're taking a break, you're so protected that everything is still gonna turn out okay. Why live under so much stress when you can choose to live in easy mode by the protection of your Higher Self? You just need to come into agreement with that first.

Remember that your reality, essentially, is an agreement between you and the Cosmos. As much as you believe that life must be hard work lest everything falls apart, so shall you get that. So this season, weirdly enough, is time for you to rethink/rearrange the concept of your reality within your subconscious mind. You need to start rearranging your priorities and then actively changing your behaviours/habits for the new agreement to take effect.

If you're someone who has way too much clutter in your mind, try inhaling scents like lavender, vanilla, patchouli, green tea, peppermint, and the like. These essential oils help with calming your nervous system, allowing you to think more clearly. If you must work hard with rearranging the content of your brain, do so when your nervous system is relaxed. Of course, you can try other methods beside using EOs. Good luck~ You're protected!

Mind Magick Transmutation🔻💚👻

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Goal-Setting for ⛲Air Signs

👯Gemini - 10 of Cups Rx & Love

Uh... I think this season you could use some Love, hon. More like, you may need to spend moments of deep thinking, pondering what aspect of your life is lacking love. More like, in what ways are you not loving enough of yourself? Because I'm seeing this lack of appreciation from yourself is being translated in your external reality as a lack of appreciation from the people you are close with.

Perhaps it's family for some of you, for the rest, it's people you deeply care about that you think of them as family. But I'm seeing you're not feeling reciprocated enough. You're giving a lot, but others shrug it off. I think it's because you're not exactly pure or empowered in the way you cling to these people. Something needs to change, my friend.

This season is all about your making a different choice when it comes to your relationships, because you want to be happy now. You want to be spiritually fulfilled rather than just intellectually, mentally, emotionally. If this resonates with you on a work/career level, the same message still applies. Take your time. You've got this~

⚖️Libra - 6 of Cups Rx & Fertility

Are you feeling nostalgic? Some peeps are feeling nostalgic for lovely reasons, but some of you are also haunted by something bad that happened in the past. At any rate, there's a scent of regret lingering in the air. You're feeling like you could've done better, or that you should've done better. Hey, it's alright—don't beat yourself up too much. You did the best you could with what you knew, anyway.

You've come a long way and here's new soil upon which you can freely sow new seeds. Sadness, loss, and regrets are a natural part of growing up so there's no need to feel like you have to punish yourself for whatever transpired less than ideal. Rather than wasting your energy on such poignancy, try to focus more on the new endeavours you've now got in store. The soil is so fertile you can literally plant anything and it'll bloom beautifully, healthily.

If you must look into the past, do so to see how far you've come, how much you've grown. Surely there will come a chance to reunite with loved ones, or for some of you, a chance to make peace with the past.

🏺Aquarius - Knight of Wands & Opulence

Are you taking care of your health? Of what you eat? This season, there's a strong message about strengthening your Sacral chakra. This is the orange-coloured chakra that is the seat of life's pleasures and enjoyment. This chakra also governs sex drive and creativity. It is important right now that you be selective with whatever you consume so as to maintain the balance/health of this chakra. With consumption, this also includes entertainment/information/anything your mind can consume.

Be lighthearted, and a bit daredevil if you could afford being so. You may surprise yourself with just how well you can handle unexpected situations. Even good fun can be had — and you're sort of in a desperate need of that. I think you've been too serious lately. Or like, there are external circumstances that have taken away light and joy from your life. Now you just have to decide if you're gonna take back control. Are you at the wheel? Please make sure you are!

There's a green apple in your card, and this symbolises friendship and wisdom. I think you know what that means for you personally. You've been through quite a bit when it comes to fake friends, fake family, fake whatever, and they've been stunting your growth for quite a while. Well, all bad things eventually need to end and if you're going to decide for yourself, I hope you decide today that the cycle ends right now.

Mind Magick Transmutation🔻💙👻

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Goal-Setting for 🐝Water Signs

🦀Cancer - 3 of Pentacles Rx & Healing

It seems pretty clear you need to be setting your goals without the influence of other people—whether or not they are directly involved in the process (or achievement) of your goals. The reason for this mainly has to do with your sense of independence—in a manner of speaking, your Soul is seeking liberation. You’d do well to heed this urging and adjust your priorities accordingly.

The world is a complex matrix of societal demands and selfish expectations, and the bad news is, you’re really quite attuned to all of that so you tend to absorb other people’s ideas and value systems as your own. Sounds like it sucks, but trust me, you’re doing a lot better than most Pisces-dominant peeps LMAO

This season, you’d do well to take a step back and deliberately spend some time to meditate—whatever kind of meditation works for you, my friend. Heal your mind (and heart), clear the fog, and get clear about your own wants, needs and wishes. You are free like that, if only you’d agree to that. This season, you can throw away the old book scribbled with old narrations that no longer serve you. You can do this~

🦂Scorpio - Page of Pentacles & Patience

You’re at the beginning stages of a very important goal-setting, or achievement. There’s a massive undertaking you’re excited about, so you’re taking your good time studying, preparing, collecting data, planning, and so on. There isn’t much to be said, honestly, you’re doing magnificently well! But with the Patience card here, the only advice is pretty clear.

Sometimes, we meet setbacks on the path towards great achievements. It’s alright, don’t be afraid, it’s all part of the learning process. Keep a positive mindset and believe that everything works out in your favour—even when it rains, it rains for good reasons. Like, rain is also important for nourishing your plants—you get the picture~

Honestly, I’m seeing you’re about to change your Life big time. And you’re busy feeling excited about all of these changes; I don’t even think you need this reading hahah Just know that everything will turn out amazing. If you struggle with keeping a positive mindset, try writing down positive affirmations that can help you with that~ -The Mind Magick Transmutation explains more on this.-

🎏Pisces - Ace of Cups & Enchantment

I’d suggest you take in the view of the blue sky this season. It’s almost like, the whole world suddenly shines just for you. The sky is blue, the air is crisp, and your emotional stability is only getting stronger and more solid. You must’ve done something real amazing to carry yourself up to here. Here’s a new beginning and you’re feeling good.

This would be a great time to finally put in all that work into your plans, dreams, manifestation board, what have you. Don’t be alarmed, but… being Pisces-dominant means that your moods and emotional stability are unpredictable at best. This doesn’t mean you’re doing something wrong, but that’s for another time.

Now that you’re feeling great, put in a lot of your energy and focus to manifesting your dream life. Don’t be in a rush tho. Relax and know that everything works out in divine timing. When you can work, you work. When you need rest and recuperation, you do just that. Pisces peeps work with energy, not human-designed time.

Mind Magick Transmutation🔻💛👻

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[Back to Masterlist]

[nooramoontarot]

𝓟𝓲𝓬𝓴 𝓪 𝓹𝓲𝓵𝓮 : 𝓦𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝓭𝓸 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓷𝓮𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓷𝓸𝔀?🌙

🍄 helloooo my lovelies!🤍 This reading will be about any messages that you need to know right now. Please take what resonates and leave what doesn't. This is my first pick a pile reading so any feedback or suggestions for future pick a pile readings are welcome! 🍄

DISCLAIMER

my readings are for entertainment purposes only. Therefore, they DO NOT replace any professional legal/financial advise and medical advice/diagnosis. Therefore, you are responsible for any decision as a result. Also use your discernment and judgment when receiving the reading and use that to take what resonates. Remember, you have free will and can change and chose what happens therefore nothing is set in stone in these readings if you don't want it to. I will do my very best to give an honest reading therefore, I do please ask you to keep an open mind when receiving the reading. Thank you

decks used:

- neo tarot deck- Jerico Mandybur

- rebel oracle deck

-moonology oracle deck - Yasmin Boland

- the sacred self- care oracle deck- Jill Pyle

- the answer is simple oracle deck- Sonia Choquette

Take a few deep breaths in and pick a pileeee trust your intuition🌙

Pile 1 🌙

- 4 of pentacles, 6 of pentacles, page of wands, strength reversed bottom deck

- give more, eat your fucking vegetables/ eat some shit made by Mother Nature, balance spirituality and practicality/full moon in pisces, deep breathing, clear the space,

pile 1 it's time to start more energy into yourself. I see here that you may have been working hard towards something like a project, but you need to balance out your energy. I feel like you need a well deserved break lovely as I see that working hard has maybe made feel a bit heavier or you may feel that if you continue to work work work and not put energy into yourself aswell, you may become burnt out. I see here that the reason you work so hard may be because you are trying your hardest to build stability and have that structure. You may feel that if you slow down right now, you may be unstable. But don't worry love, you will get that stability that you crave even if you take time out for yourself. The key thing here is balance. Maybe make a schedule and make sure to plan in some time for yourself where you can just relax and ground yourself. I just got the intuitive message of carnelian. So maybe getting this stone or working on your sacral chakra can help ground yourself a bit more. Tapping into your creative energy can help also. The main theme here is to balance spirituality and practicality.

additional messages: eating vegetables, deep breathing, clean your space, drink tea, eat vegetables

signs: dominantly earth- Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn and a bit of fire- Aires, Leo, Sagittarius, also maybe a bit of Cancer and Gemini, Mars energy

Pile 2 🌜

- queen of cups, king of wands, 2 of wands reversed, 8 of pentacles bottom deck

- oracle cards: reach out, it's not everybody's fault-it's yours/ you are a grown ass adult stop blaming others for your shit, nothing is yet set in stone/mutable moon, abundance planning.

whewww pile 2 your energy is overwhelming. As I shuffling the cards, my throat immediately started feeling tight like when you're trying to hold in tears. So straight away there is a strong message of the need of communication. What I'm getting here is that you may be wanting to reconcile with someone. There's a strong energy here of needing to right some wrongs and honestly this energy can come from either your person or you. I'm getting a sense here that someone has messed up in the past and has really hurt someone by their actions. But I see that the person who messed up is really trying hard to fix their mistakes. They want to take action in gaining forgiveness from the other person as they've finally learnt how to deal with their emotions. I see that this person has really working on inner alignment here. But the thing is I see the other person who got hurt being quite cautious and not rushing into forgiving the person who messed up. This may come across as there would be no hope in reaching closure and forgiveness. The person who is owed forgiveness has every right to accept or reject the peace offering and they may need time to think it through. I see that the main way that this can be sorted out is through communication and listening and ACKNOWLEDGING each others feelings. If you are the person who is wronged, know that your emotions and feelings are valid. Go with what your intuition tells you and whatever decision you make is valid, but I do see that the person who wronged you has changed and has true intentions in bringing closure. So if you want to give them a chance. For those of you who are the ones who messed up, I see that you have really grown from the situation but you MUST give the other person time and space to process their emotions. All in all, the overall message is that communication will definitely help to bring closure to this situation love.

additional messages: active listening, time, healing

signs: strong fire energy- Aires, Leo, Sagittarius and some water energy CANCER, Pisces, Scorpio. A bit of mutable energy too.

Pile 3 🌕

- the emperor, 5 of cups reversed, 6 of wands, the sun bottom deck

- oracle cards: Spread the light, be fucking grateful/shit could be so much worse, it's time to release negativity/ full moon in scorpio, connect with fire

oh pile 3 I just want to say I am so so so PROUD OF YOU!!!! I see that you have been working really hard on letting go of things that are no longer serving you. I see that you've been really releasing negative aspects of your life and I see you really becoming the best version of yourself! look at you! I get the sense that you HEAVILY protected by your spiritual team and I get a sense of pride coming from them. They're really proud of you and the work that you've been doing. Just carry on working through your fears and releasing negativity/negative thoughts and being more in the energy of light. I see that through this work you have found a new sense of security within yourself. You're becoming so stable that when adversities come your way, you're very much in that energy of "bring it on". You know within yourself that you have the strength to pull through which is so amazing my love like wow. I get such a strong sense of victory in your inner journey and just lots of light and joy. Remember to keep being grateful and thankful. There's really not much else to say here just keep being the amazing being that you are!

additional messages: bonfire with friends, laughter, being more social, HYDRATE, eating vegetables.

Signs: LEO,CAPRICORN, water signs- Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio, Aries, Sagittarius, Virgo/ Mercury energy.

Pile 4 🌝

- 8 of wands reversed, 7 of swords, 7 of cups reversed, 8 of swords bottom deck

- oracle cards: let go and flow, some good shit is about to happen/don't let your issues fuck it up, bring love into the situation, write a gratitude list.

pile 4 I see here that you may have been waiting for a few manifestations/things to come in for a VERY long time and all of a sudden, all these options/manifestations have come through and you are struggling to manage them. If you are not already in this energy you may be in the energy in the future, but I get that most of you are already in this energy. I see that what has brought all these manifestations in for you, is that you have worked on your self-limitng beliefs and negative thoughts. You have opened up to new perspectives and have acted strategically in working towards your goals. Now that you have all these options, the best way to manage them is by continuing to act strategically but with your intuition. Use your intuition to select through these options and it will guide you and help mamange you. I'm also getting the message from your spiritual team saying " we're here too!" so call on them if you need more help. Enjoy your abundance and be grateful for what has come in for you and what will come in for you in the future. You are worthy of everything that has/will come in for you so don't feel guilty about having them! Be in the present moment of gratitude and you'll be a magnet to gaining more abundance. go you!

additional messages: celebration, champagne, master manifestor, "cheers!"

signs: air energy- Gemini, Libra, Aquarius,Scorpio or some water element,Aires, Saturn/Venus energy/placements.

thank you so much for tuning into this reading! I really hope that it has resonated and I hope you have a wonderful and blessed day! 🤍🤍🤍

Love and light,

N 🌙

[completeoveranalysis]

~

Warning! This post contains spoilers up to chapter 170 of Tsubasa (and Chapter 71 of xxxHolic). Please skip this if you have not read that far.

Please also make no comments about what happens after that point in either manga.

~

SO here is the other splash image that really stuck out to me:

This time not because of the Seresu arc but because of how the Infinity arc itself ends.

Here's the link to the original post the image is from if you'd like the full context, but the particular quote from that post I want to use as a reference is here:

"Syaoran also sits on the throne - which as far as I can tell, isn’t his. ... The only one ever wearing the crown they’re all wearing [on their clothes] is Sakura. Now, does it make sense that Syaoran has usurped her throne? Heck yeah! He’s stolen everything from her. He’s stolen her journey (they’re following him now, always a step behind), he’s stolen her feathers, and he’s stolen the person she’s in love with."

Where I was kind of on the right track but couldn't have possibly guessed what all the chess imagery was ultimately feeding into. Looking back now the initial liveblogs for all of these Chess-related splash images are such a big mix of different iconography, so it’s very fun reading through all my old guesses back then. I think I did a really good job of trying to decipher some of it, especially the Cinderella and Snow White imagery in Chapter 140, but the Chess was a bit trickier.

Which, like, understandable, because the chess game that was happening in the chapters was stressful as heck and did not end well, but there is a nice conclusion to it with this image which is easier to read now - especially in regards to Sakura. Because it's made very clear to the viewer that the symbol of the Queen piece is in reference to her; both in these splash images (where she wears the crown at one point, and every character wears the symbol in ways that reflect their allegiance to her) and in the plotline, where she functions as the Queen of the battles taking place. Here is another good example of the symbol being used for Sakura with it right there on her throne, and the two Syaoran's wearing the symbol in smaller ways to represent their relationship to her. But with that all in mind? I had no idea what it was really getting at with Syaoran on Sakura's throne here.

BUT NOW I DO.

If you go back to that example I just gave with Sakura sitting on her throne? It's a different throne! It still makes it very clear that she's undeniably the Queen piece, with the symbol in gold actually being a key part of the throne itself.

And the throne Syaoran sits on? It has the crown symbol as part of the decoration, but it's not representing him, it's just a small symbol to show that matches Sakura's throne. This throne is his own.

He's the King piece.

(And, important distinction; the throne is not Lava Lamp's, but our original plotline Syaoran who is now in Autopilot mode.)

This wouldn't have occurred to me the first time through because I was focused so much on what this might mean for Sakura, and how she related to everyone else, but the way the Infinity Arc ends really hammers this home. After all, Sakura is the mastermind in this arc - everything that happens is according to her plan. She's not playing chess just during the literal chess matches, but during the entire plotline, moving every character and circumstance into place to enact her final plan; to activate both Chi's at once, absorb both their feather's, and trigger Fai's curse - resulting in her pseudo (if purely physical) death. But like we see in the plotline, this isn't a loss - it's a win. It's exactly how she planned things to unfold, and it will lead her to winning the game.

Just in case anyone isn't familiar, in Chess the queen is the most powerful piece capable of the widest variety of moves - but the queen is not the endgame goal. You can lose the queen piece in any game and (besides losing a powerful piece) it's not the end of the world. You can still win the game without the queen piece. It's the King piece that's the Win/Loss condition. The King is the piece you have to keep safe at all costs, even if you lose other pieces in the process. The second the King dies, the match is over. You've lost.

And this matches exactly how Sakura played the series events. She was the Queen in control of every move, and Syaoran was the Win condition she was focused on. She foresaw Fai killing Syaoran in the future - which, for her, is the Losing Scenario. She planned everything to avoid this, and she succeeded! She lost the Queen piece (ie, her physical body) but won the ultimate goal of keeping the King safe. She won the 3D future chess game that she was playing by herself, and positioned herself in the place that would have the most benefit for the victory at the end. (Which I still haven't seen, but she was VERY confident about this having a better result than Fai killing Syaoran.)

I'm also super happy that this ties in really well with the fairy tale allusions I talked about back in Chapter 140, but in ways I wasn't aware of back then either.

I talked about Snow White and how the apple (that shows up in a lot of the splash images in Infinity) may have been referring to Sakura's tendency to sleep a lot. What I didn't realise was that Sakura was essentially about to pull the Big Brain Snow White maneuver on herself to ultimately win her chess game. While in Snow White the poison apple is a trap, here Sakura sprung the trap intentionally. Fai is the apple she bit into deliberately - she arranged it so that killed her body, breaking his own curse, and sent her to the World of Dreams (and thus, she is asleep) which also placed her in a Glass Coffin (aka The Jam Jar of Dreams - Im sorry I have no memory of what it's really called). So the Snow White metaphor is now complete.

But also Cinderella! In the image for 140 Sakura is trying on a glass slipper - so she's Cinderella figure as well. But at this point in the plot the clock hadn't struck midnight just yet - like Cinderella, Sakura knew the exact time limit she had to work with, and for her the timing had to be PRECISE. She spent all of Infinity stressed out of her mind about this plan she couldn't trust anyone else with, knowing full well that if she missed the window even slightly it would ruin absolutely everything and they would all lose. Which, funnily enough, makes Yuuko the fairy godmother, since she provided Sakura with the magic she needed to make her plan happen (via wishes). This also means that Fai stabbing her with the sword is the exact moment the clock struck twelve - and like the spell finishing, Sakura could finally drop the act and explain what she had done, even as all the magic disappeared (ie, her luck being traded away). There's even a detransformation sequence of a sort, with her body and soul going in two different directions. But either way, the Cinderella metaphor is also complete!

And with all that done the last part I want to talk about is back in the image of Syaoran on the throne. He's framed on either side with the curtains that portray the chess board, and they're tied back by chains with him in the very centre. He is visually chained to the board - which, like, of course he is. With his Autopilot programming in place he's essentially just a chess piece without any will of his own - a winning piece, for sure, but he's still being moved around without his choice. He's playing the game on auto, making the moves that will lead him to the winning gambit, but without his individual soul he has no choice but to keep playing until the game is over. The goal he's working towards isn't even his - it's Evil Wolverine's. So in the same way that everyone else was a chess piece in Sakura's strategy (if, sort of, willingly), including Sakura herself, Syaoran is a piece being moved around in Evil Wolverine's favour - though if he dies, it's game over for Sakura's side as well.

I'm unclear if Syaoran dying would be a game over scenario for Evil Wolverine, but at the very least it would end the game he is currently playing.

So, in the hyper future 3D chess game that Sakura was playing by herself she couldn't properly win the game for her side by taking out Syaoran because he's her king piece too. Syaoran is the piece at the centre of everything, and will be the key to winning the game for either side. We just have to wait and see if Sakura's gambit will pay off in the way she thinks it will.

[infjsnightmare]

Getting In A Relationship Headcanons: Nikolai

A/N: This one was kind of hard for me since Nikolai as a character is very commitment-phobic. He also acts a lot and portrays himself differently from how he actually is, but I did my best at trying to uncover who I think he might be inside. It's just headcanons anyways, so I guess even if I'm way off, it's fine. Lol I hope you enjoy it all the same!

*************************************************

Nikolai is an entertainer at heart, so most interactions he has with others will come across as flirty, even if it is just some mundane chit-chat. It isn't exactly intentional, but it isn't exactly unintentional.

It will be easy for someone to develop interest in him long before he starts to feel anything back, and to mistake his naturally personable personality as mutual interest.

He will absolutely take advantage of that person's interest in him though. Like if they're a barista, well he'd love a free drink. Do they work at a supermarket? Give him that employee discount.

He'll convince himself for a long time that his friendliness is just an act. But, he'll catch himself occassionally thinking about that special someone and feeling guilt for the way he leads them on.

This is not a comfortable realization for him. AT ALL. He wants nothing to do with human connection and views it as the one thing keeping him prisoner. Emotions hold him back and he wants to rid himself of them the best he can.

Except he can't. He's not as far removed from his emotions as Fyodor or Dazai. He understands the emotions of others and he does have empathy for them too.

So, when someone finally starts flirting with him and talking about their dreams and goals and acting like a close friend, he gets weak.

He'll open up a bit in hopes that by telling them his personal feelings, he'll prove to himself that they can't truly understand him.

Except they get it. They don't think that Nikolai is crazy or weird. Emotions can be a hindrance. They definitely can hold someone back from doing things as freely as they like. Understanding Nikolai will immediately raise an interest for this person.

But, they'll offer him the alternative. Without emotion or connection, nothing one decides to do will have any meaning or accomplishment. There's no moving forward without the possibility of being held back.

He's attracted to them and he would be very aware of it. There is a lot of tense conversations and longing gazes at this point, but he still needs to wrestle with the seed of bitterness that begins to grow in him.

This person weaseled their way into his chest and made themselves at home. Some part of Nikolai feels that they are keeping him chained down, however he never shows any of this internal struggle to his person of interest. It's not their fault, after all.

He snaps, but not externally. It starts with small thoughts about getting rid of them. His paranoia makes these thoughts spiral until he's convinced that the only way he'll extinguish his emotions is if that person no longer exists. Nikolai isn't above plotting the murder of someone he's grown affection towards.

He'll make a plan to kill them, convince himself that he can follow through, but when the time comes to commit to it, he won't. He'll run away instead.

Nikolai's love interest would have no indication of any of this. He just up and vanished one day, like he was never there at all. They would be heartbroken and hurt.

During the time he's gone, Nikolai would go through a lot of emotional processing and self-reflection on his own. He has a tendency to run away and he'll work towards finding the root of his commitment issues.

When he has finally sorted himself out, Nikolai will return back to his love interest and to his credit, he will explain everything to them. No tricks or laughter, just a somber man explaining his inner demons.

If his love interest still wants him after hearing everything, including the murder plot because Nikolai wants them to have as clear of an understanding as possible, then he will ask to start seeing each other.

Since Nikolai took the time to reflect before actually committing to his S/O, they start off the relationship on equal footing and rather organically as opposed to Fyodor or Dazai who would get into a relationship before figuring themselves out.

If he has any commitment struggles after the fact, his S/O will suggest that they get very separate hobbies so that they don't feel too tied down to one another. They may even take separate vacations but know that the other is always their home to return to.

[nishibishi]

Hey there, just went through your Jimin's fic-rec list. I was wondering, if you could just, you know, write about what trope does Jimin belongs to. Like what sort of a hero or a main character is he to you? Just asking generally.

JIMIN'S TROPE:- The Antimony [The Corporate Anti-Hero]

Hey there, I'm very pleased to receive your request. Honestly, this is one of the questions that I've repeatedly asked myself zillion times while reading Jimin's fanfictions and well, I could never really come to a clear conclusion myself. Maybe that's because I've always seen his on-screen persona and know nothing about his private life (not like I even should).

However, ever since their MBTI thing came out, I've actually done some research on his personality type: ESTP, and it's pretty surprising that what I thought initially about his trope seems to coincide with his MBTI personality traits.

So here it goes.

(These traits are just what I found out to be relevant with his trope and coinciding with his MBTI. This is purely fictional and is not correlated with artist's real life. Neither I'm saying that all ESTPs are like that. They may or may not have these traits. Please acknowledge this fact.)

TRAITS:-

Energetic and dynamic in nature.

Bold, practical and logical.

High observation power and sensibility.

Makes wonderful plans and executes them well.

Works towards the future while adapting to the present.

Goals set for self-satisfaction, and self-satisfaction only.

Charming (on the surface to say the least), confident and intimidating.

Lacks emotional depth; yet, the greatest emotional manipulator (can mimic genuine emotions and deceive people all at once)

Success is the thrill of his life, and that's the only thrill he wants.

No long term commitments; can switch sides quickly if needed.

Can do ANYTHING to get his thing done.

Jimin's MBTI is ESTP, commonly known as "The Entrepreneur", "The Persuader" and "The Dynamo". There are many positive and negative aspects of his personality type, of course, but the traits listed above, are what he inherits in my own mind as a fictional character.

Main character:-

Jimin's trope is of an "Anti-hero" which in my opinion, is not necessarily an antagonist, but someone of a grey character, with more shades of black than white, therefore the title Antimony. He is relentless, insensitive, astute and devious in his approach. He is impatient, unpredictable and defiant, always at risk. His character might fit well into a corporate setting which requires high observation skills, practical approach and logical reasoning, for example, a lawyer, an aristocrat, an entrepreneur, an investigation officer etc.

Romantic Sub-plot:-

Personally speaking, romance might not be his cup of tea. Don't get me wrong. He would surely ensue into sexual engagement as ESTPs are in particular pretty tuned to the desires and needs of their partners. However, for him, sex isn't necessarily a genuine expression of love. Engaging into deeper and more meaningful relationships with emotional intimacy, nah, he can't do that. Moreover, he might use his charms as a key of manipulation, in order to get his work done. It doesn't matter to him what the other party feels. So his loyalty and trustworthiness remains questionable. In the end, he would just move on to another person.

But yes, that doesn't mean he cannot have a lover, as someone might be willing to take the risk, seeing him more than his charms and diving deep into his soul. That might be the deuteragonist (someone who brings out the best out of the main character), the confidant (the best friend or someone who has been with the main character for the longest time) or the protagonist herself/himself/themselves. He might not see it in the beginning, but somewhere along the way, he may or may not.

So that is what I personally feel about Jimin's trope. I would love it if any writer actually takes up the initiative to make a story on my idea. Rest, you can share your opinions with me anytime. If you ever find a fic involving this type of characterization, PLEASE TELL ME.

Thanks for reading!!!

[reflections-in-a-critical-eye]

Hey. I don’t know if it’s a topic that you’re willing to touch upon but I was wondering what’s your POV about the way money and being wealthy is perceived in kpop fandoms especially Army? I’m thinking about this because I’ve seen a lot of posts on social media, especially Twitter, highlighting how the members are now "rich af", millionnaires who own several properties and that brand of luxury car and wear those designer clothes and so on and I’m like… okay… what’s the point? How’s that relevant? How do that make them more valuable as artists? Those posts are usually lighthearted, it seem to be just a way to say "look how cool this member is", like "he’s beautiful, talented and he’s way richer that you’ll ever be" in a joking way but it’s something that makes me a bit uncomfortable. I wonder if it’s a cultural thing also, as I’m from a Western European country where flexing your money is quite thrown upon and perceived as distasteful. I want to make it clear though that I’m not saying it’s a bad thing BTS members are now very wealthy! I think they workout hard and deserved that money. I like how they don’t really flex about it and, on the contrary, seem to stay very humble. But the attitude of the fandom towards that particular aspect of their success questions me. What kind of message does it send to the youth if we as a fandom keep pushing extreme wealthiness and luxury as some sort of value in itself? Like the ultimate goal, the sign you’ve succeeded. How is it relevant that Jungkook owns that model of BMW, Jimin a Porsche, that RM’s apartment worth XX millions of $ etc? I personally don’t care about that. guess the way people measure success nowadays leaves me a bit puzzled. (I hope I made myself sufficiently clear, I sometimes struggle a bit to convey exactly what I want to say in English!)

Hey anon. I know this is an old ask and I wanted to say something about it and I'm glad I waited because looking through the comments on my latest post about the new BTS merchandise, it seems more fitting now.

I'm not going to comment a lot about how/if BTS themselves, in their own words, make it explicitly clear how rich they are. Most of the time they don't, it's subtle, but as one blogger commented before, there are exceptions. What I can do is expand a bit more on Army's stance on how they perceive this wealth.

Their argument is rather simplistic. BTS worked hard and they deserve their money. Sure, no one doubts that, but this ''deserving'' angle is a tad bit classist and how we perceive labor in capitalism, as if those who have accumulated wealth did it through their hard work. But what about those who are not wealthy? Does this mean they didn't put in the effort, were a bit lazier? Other factors and circumstances can have a major contribution, se we shouldn't forget that. Either way, wealth is seen as a sign of success and success needs to be celebrated. Army calls BTS humble kings and despite the fact that they are millionaires, they still get excited about small gifts and ramen when they win a game in BTS Run, as if content for a game show fully reflects an individual's taste. At least for In the Soop 2 they didn't try to ''deceive'' the viewer entirely, as the food they had and the kitchen appliances (curtesy to their sponsors, BTS being the face of it) clearly showed that this is not something for the average viewer. The premise was that this is a healing time for BTS and they deserve to have the best. Leaving aside the healing part of it, a concept/idea which has fully lost its meaning with BTS in the latest months, it was more of a flexing attitude, which we all know it's something that on social media has become this big thing. So no, the BTS brand doesn't seem as humble when it comes to physical proofs of wealth, despite not doing it verbally. But even before this change, Army liked to do the flexing for them and that is partly because Army sees themselves as contributors to BTS's success. What they do is a form of labor with their online participation and contribution and they also spend a lot of money on BTS contents. Basically Army do their part and that is somehow reflected on what is the current economic status of the BTS members. They take credit for it, even if they don't explicitly say it.