#and in that respect I think it's very similar to real life. There ARE bad people that can be sympathized with and being able to recognize

[bouquetface]

Synastry observations 4

Accuracy influenced by the ENTIRE chart.

PLEASE READ: You may not relate despite having these aspects. It’s important to look at the ENTIRE chart (never just one placement) when reading for accuracy. There are several ways these aspects can manifest.

Moon Conjunct Venus

Intuitive understanding of the other’s emotions. Being in tune with each other. Finding support from one another. Feeling seen, supported & understood. This conjunction can keep bringing the two back together. I’ve also noticed with this conjunction, you create/have many comforting memories together. One may think of the other randomly as memories&thoughts of the other are triggered throughout a normal week.

This placement can make on sentimental & nostalgic. This connection breaking apart is a hellish experience. It’s difficult to not remember the other.

Moon conjunct Mars

In friendships, I’ve noticed the Mars person be very encouraging and supportive of the Moon. For ex: Tell/encourage them to try out for big roles. Mars can help build up confidence for the Moon.

The negative is Mars can (purposefully or accidentally) hurt Moon just as easy as they can build them up. Full chart needs to be taken into consideration.

In relationships, this can create extreme attraction. The two can be quick to act on it as well. For ex: My friend who had a kid young has this with her baby’s dad. They didn’t know each other for too long before having the kid.

Chiron conjunct Sun

Sun can unintentionally shine a light on the other person’s deepest wound. This can be good or bad depending on whether the chiron person is ready to face their past pain. Often, I read this is a red flag in synastry. In my real life, this hasn’t shown true.

In my real life, I’ve seen this twice manifest as the chiron and sun person having a sorta unspoken understanding of one another.

Ex.1: Person A has a chiron cap in 4th House. This person felt like asking their parents for anything was a burden to them. Whether it be an emotional need or a physical want. They were lonely in childhood.

Person B has a cap sun. As the eldest child, they had a similar experience. They would help care for their younger siblings. Attempt to minimize their own needs & wants because they could see how hard it was for their mom to raise the 3 younger kids. They always put their own self last.

Together, Person A and Person B have realized they have similar traits. They admire and respect these traits in each other.

Ex 2. It’s pretty much the same as example one. However, might be due to the age difference but the chiron person admires the sun person. The sun person naturally displays the traits, the chiron person feels necessary to thrive.

The negatives are the hurting each other without fully realizing it. The sun person could sub consciously remind the chiron of their past.

For ex: A Virgo sun’s analytical nature could be perceived as unnecessary criticism to the virgo chiron. The virgo chiron may then begin to dislike the sun as they are reminded of people they don’t like/who hurt them in the past.

Now keep in mind, chiron stays in a sign for 4ish years. You won’t like or dislike every chiron born in those 4 years. This aspect isn’t a main one to be looking at imo unless it is very closely conjunct.

Moon conjunct Mercury

3 times I’ve noticed this creates an awkward beginning but a good long term friendship. It might because it was in earth signs, they tend to be reserved before opening up. Gradually, a good emotional foundation is created. The two understand each other. It’s always easy to catch up even if you take a pause. This is such a good aspect that I see it helps overcome harsher aspects in synastry.

Composite Chart

Aqua Moon: A distance can be kept in the connection. You two may have many placements in your natal chart that indicate you do not open up easily (Cap chiron, Scorpio Venus, 8th H placements, etc). Regardless of how close you get, both may try to remain a bit reserved to prevent being entirely vulnerable to the other. This isn’t necessarily a negative.

Moon in 4th House: A secure connection. Great foundation if you want to build something together (a business, a family). Long term connection indicator. You may find each other reliable. You know what to expect with the other.

Venus conjunct Mars: This would be a difficult connection to move away from. Their is attraction that keeps you two together / coming back together. This is not necessarily sexual. For example, if you have this in a friendship, you two simply have too much history to ever truly forget this person. The connection only grows over time. One cannot replace the other. You two have affected each other’s personalities in a big way. This can be good or bad.

For example, in the 12th House. I’ve seen this as a relationship that fell out. One can go long periods without ever thinking of the other. Yet, the impact they had remains. This person is suspicious and cautious of letting new people entier their lives. Trust issues were created in that connection.

Mars conjunct MC

I’ve seen this manifest in a friendship that fell out. Outsiders who know of the other, know they do not like that other person. Your conflicts can become public with this conjunction.

Venus opposite Mercury

This can make communication very difficult. It can lead to a difference in communication style. For ex: One person is very blunt, the other is very soft spoken & sensitive. You hurt each other with your words even when you don’t mean it.

I’ve seen a chart where Venus was in 12th opposite Mercury. This resulted in one party getting ghosted & blocked.

Moon in 5th House:

A fun connection. You can joke with each other. You can be spontaneous when together. This is a positive placement.

The potential negative is this may become your “remember friend”. You go to each other for nostalgic purposes. Like remember when we____. Repeating old inside jokes. A playful friendship. Prone to avoid serious conversation. This isn’t really negative if you both do not want more from one another. Other placements in the chart can change this as well. You may have the ability to be serious but prefer the joking nature of the connection.

Moon in 7th House:

You two simply make good partners. Ex: Business partners, cooking partners, group project partners, etc. There can be a shared understanding of what is fair and what is right. Only negative is that you should be aware of co dependency issues.

7th House ruler in 12th House:

Twice, I’ve seen this appear as other people being the cause of the connection ending. In one situation, it was emotional cheating. This person got exposed for having very inappropriate conversations with someone else. The second situation, one friend was talking shit & revealing secrets about the other. They were exposed by a mutual friend. In both these situations, the other person was so furious they did not give a clear reason for why they were leaving. They simply left ghosted and blocked.

[with-my-murder-flute]

Re: The Tomb of Dragons ship situation/ending, spoilers for A Companion to Wolves and Angel of the Crows

Like I respect Addison's right to write the stories that feel meaningful to her, she doesn't have to just feed us fanbait, not every author has to do that

but I was white-knuckling up to the very last sentence of the book

I have trust issues ever since A Companion to Wolves, where the first book ends and you're like. I guess they have somehow found a way to survive and be happy in their unusual approach to society's sexual mores! And then the next book begins and it's like "Oh actually the main character is just resigned to permanent unhappiness with this, maybe he will dredge up a thin trickle of joy in life focusing on something totally different." And I'll be honest, I put that book down and never picked it up again, because I did the good girl Catholic thing and thought "Oh well I'll never experience sexual joy or deep enduring love but maybe I'll have like idk a career or some shit" long enough for one lifetime. NO MORE. I just gave up and went back to Every Marine a Wolfbrother.

And then Angel of the Crows was like, "I got shot down every single time I reached for queer joy or relationships and the one relationship that does remain is not really what I want or need and maybe I am a bit fundamentally unlovable, but I'll survive, we get by," and I was, again... I recognize this is not a story for me. It's not what I want from a story. But also, I am so disappointed and tired here.

So with this series I was just so much like... she does not owe us fanbait, I have trained myself to think it's tacky and bad to get upset that an author has not provided the exact kind of representation we want exactly how we want it. I watched the Good Omens fandom explosions and don't want to do that.

But at the same time. We have been hearing about the extreme gay agony of this beautiful muppet for FOUR BOOKS STRAIGHT. He is the world's most sopping wet little meow meow, and quite respectfully, if you do not want your fans to form a frenzy and start burning down uninhabited buildings due to an overload of unrequited textual sexual tension, MAYBE DON'T FOCUS ON IT QUITE SO MUCH.

So I'm here at the end of Tomb of Dragons going, "I guess I'm okay with this? I guess I can live? It's not exactly what I wanted and it's not delivered to the degree I wanted, but I guess we can get by here."

Is this what Stockholm Syndrome feels like? I literally don't believe Stockholm Syndrome is a real thing, I think it's been bunk since the day it was created, but also, this feels like what Stockholm Syndrome would feel like.

I will probably be able to like the new love interest! I can see myself in the future being happy with the way the story ended up going in, once I get over the fact that it went there! This makes sense and I can see it and reconciling all those feelings is what fanfiction's for!

I just also... am not so excited to see what else Addison's working on now. Because this overarching theme or emotional focus on the yearning for warmth and closeness and empathy and touch and desire, and the realization that you will just have to make do with slightly unsatisfying substitutes instead, is just way too similar to the defeatist ways I learned to approach life with when I was a child. It's exactly the mindset I wanted to get away from then and am still learning to let go of now.

I don't want to squash the fandom with my disappointment and negativity, and if fandom does just turn into everyone being angry and bitter that the author personally flipped them the bird and actually everything about these books is proof that they've always been shit, no thanks, not hanging out with that again. If I stick around, it's for Thara getting railed in exactly the way he wants in some happier future, and figuring out what that would look like.

[ceruleanchillin]

I feel like biker Simon has a breeding kink too.🥴

Yes! I like the MBTI (though I acknowledge its flaws in classifying real people, I think it works perfectly for fictional characters).

Simon is most likely an INTJ, and Price an ENTJ. I think they’re very similar (I believe Gaz and Soap are the same except ISFP/ESFP respectively).

So I’d say he’s as bad as Price, he’d just be more subtle once he realizes how he feels.

Simon would probably trick you into thinking you were the one who convinced him to develop a breeding kink. But don’t be fooled.

——-

“You just have to find a kid at every party.” Simon, who was resting his head on the top of yours, purposely dug his chin into your scalp.

“Stop it,” you gently elbowed him in the ribs, careful to avoid jostling the happy little toddler in your arms. “I won’t apologize for kids loving me, it’s a good trait.”

The little girl had wandered over after you and Simon had settled on a blanket by the bonfire. The club and its associates were spread out all around you in the soft grass. The two of you had settled with each other to wind down from the party, only to be joined by a member’s daughter.

Simon had watched the brave little explorer wander over on unsure feet. She was enthralled with the pretty bracelets that littered your arm. You’d smiled, jingling the charms, and her little face lit up, hands clapping. She fell over into your lap, her wobbly legs finally giving out, and Simon bit the inside of his cheek against the warmth that flooded his chest.

This could be you and his kid someday. He could see it so clearly, that he almost missed you telling the girl’s mom you’d watch her for a bit.

He waited till the mom walked off before he leaned down, lips against your ear. “Don’t get attached, you have to give her back.”

The girl was happily babbling in your arms, responding to your cooing.

“Let’s go find you some cake and leave grumpy Uncle Simon by himself.”

You looked so good with her on your hip. It came so naturally to you. He started fantasizing again. He imagined a swell in your stomach under the tempting sundress (the one that made you both late to the party) you wore.

He could see you palming it, people asking you questions about the baby, and you talking more than you normally did in excitement.

Eager to tell the world about the life you two collaborated on.

When you walked back over with her, he could see your face glowing. You settled on the blanket, and he pulled you both into his arms. You said something, sarcastic most likely, but he was too focused on the girl holding out a piece of her cake to him.

Her pudgy hand waved it impatiently, pouting because he didn’t take her offering immediately. Simon leaned down and ate the cake from her hand, purposely nibbling her fingers, and sending her into a fit of giggles.

“Thank you f’that lovie. Was famished.” He couldn’t help the smile that curved his lips, the girl’s joy was too infectious.

He found you staring at him when he glanced at you.

“I don’t think I’m the one who’s going to have a problem giving her back.”

“You’re imagining things. Don’t lose it on me now bird, ” He cupped your lower stomach, large hands squeezing slightly. “Need you sane for our future babies. It’s all your fault after all.”

[moonsaver]

Sorry about my poor English but something snap in my mind, And I really have to ask about your opinion.

Like...

I wonder about Yan-Sunday and the reader who are of a higher status than him.

I wonder how desperate he will be for this love, where his love for the reader only grows stronger and stronger, but the reader will never know about it. How much will he devote and sink himself just to get the reader 'attention?'

Or will he endure this torture? Slowly destroy himself to the love that never be real.

Or will he choose to make a move and decide to do something very risky? Like... Well— Do something that can keep Reader with him?Even that thing is something that can 'Destroy' the reader.

I really wonder.

With great respect

Anon.

Hello anon! Sorry for responding so late. Im glad to recieve this ask :)

Personally ive been thinking about something similar. Considering sunday as the Head of The (oak) Family is quite high of a status itself, if reader happens to be someone of even greater or equal status..

To put into perspective, Sunday has been groomed quite a bit, which also means he could view someone of higher status as either a source of validation, or someone he may not take kindly to in differing circumstances, but generally he'd be pretty alright, I assume.

As for Yan!Sunday, especially one who actually falls in love with someone of higher status, could be very susceptible to bad habits, risks, etc.. just to catch your attention. He won't sink to that level, but it won't be drawn out before he does.

He'll want to appear like one of the best underlings you could have, the most reliable one, trustworthy, professional, and occasionally suggests ideas or changes if there are any problems. He's like an absolute teacher's pet. Except.. worse(?)

He's hugely divided depending on how far his obsession has progressed when it comes to making the higher status!reader fall. Originally, even if he considers doing risky things himself to catch your attention, he doesn't want that to happen to you. But if the pressure starts increasing [perhaps you seem to avoid him more, favor another employee other than him, become dismissive or distant with him..], he might reaalllyy consider risking your fall.

Although, in his early stages of obsession, even if he wanted to endure it tortuously, it would progress to such a degree it would tear him apart, so the plan changes in the middle. He decides to go through with simply trying to get "closer" to the reader – trying to make small talk, learn their professional habits, learn about their personal life or preferences, everyone else involved with them (more dependent on 'observations' than direct speaking), etc..

[starlightshadowsworld]

Concept: There’s a moment that Jason and Leo have that I feel could’ve been interesting to explore with Jason and Percy.

At the start of the series Leo likes Jason but he’s also very jealous of him. Because Jason is everything he’s not.

He’s tall, blond, conventionally attractive and got the girl. On paper Jason is perfect in all the ways Leo isn’t and he both loves and resents him for it.

And the turning point, when Leo first realises thats not the case is when they all learn about Beryl Grace. But It’s not that Jason’s mother is dead that does it.

It’s that Jason has no memories of her. He is sat listening to Thalia recount a tragedy and for the first time Leo doesn’t envy him at all.

Because the only thing Leo has ever had to hold onto to keep him going is the memory of his mother. His mother was a loving, kind woman and Leo would never want to live a life without any recollection of her.

For the first time Jason looks so painfully lost and alone. For the first time that perfect mask shatters and Leo sees the real Jason.

And that’s who he befriends for real.

Now I’m not saying that Percy is jealous of Jason or that he should be. But much like Leo he also views Jason as this perfect kind of person.

He’s blond superman. He looks like every popular kid that used to bully Percy. And much like Leo, Percy both loves and resents Jason for it.

And I think an interesting turning point could’ve been Jason meeting Sally.

Unlike the rest of his friends, Jason has no real concept of what family and thus what a parent is supposed to be. He never met his father, he met his mother’s corrupted ghost sure but he only really learned about her from Thalia.

And of course he cares about Thalia but he hasn’t been her little brother in over a decade. The closest thing to a parent Jason’s had is Lupa who raised him as one of her own.

But even that was temporary. And well first rule of the Wolf house is self-reliance…imagine learning that as a toddler. And then being sent to and growing up in what’s essentially the military.

All Jason’s experiences with adults are that he has to serve a purpose and once he’s served that purpose, he will be discarded.

Meanwhile Percy, similar to Leo dealt with a lot growing up but he always had Sally. He always had someone he could be himself around. Someone who loved and cherished him no matter what he did.

Jason meeting Sally in my eyes is him doing his best to be polite and respectful. All things Jason does normally so it’s nothing out of the ordinary at first.

His father’s domain does contain hospitality after all.

But it doesn’t ever go away, not even when the rest of Percy’s friends are a lot more at ease with Sally. There’s such a noticeable difference between the Jason that Percy knows and the one that shows up to his house.

To the point he genuinely thinks Jason’s more at ease fighting monsters than talking to his mother.

And while his mind immediately jumps to oh Jason’s showing off or something, Percy quickly tosses that thought out. Because Jason just isn’t like that as a person.

He’s always respectful. He always asks if there’s anything he can do to help. He always sits closest to the door at dinner. He’s the first to leave. He never stays over. He never comes over if he knows Percy isn’t there, even if others are.

He waits to be dismissed at the table. He always looks kind of unsure if he’s left in the room with her…..

And then it hits Percy that Jason is afraid of his mum. It sounds ridiculous but it makes sense. He’s never seen Jason be this tense around anyone. The guy called his dad’s Greek equivalent unwise once, he’s not afraid like that.

But in the face of Sally Jackson, Jason freezes. He doesn’t dare look her in the eye nor even breathe to loudly in her presence. It’s the way Percy once felt around Gabe.

It’s then he realises another heartbreaking thing, that whenever his mum is around Jason seeks him out. Kinda glues himself by Percy for the rest of the visit.

And now he feels bad for being a bit annoyed by it when he wanted to talk to Annabeth and bam there was Jason.

Because Jason was scared and he sought him out. Not even his own sister but Percy. And it’s just this moment where Percy doesn’t see some unstoppable perfect image.

He sees a scared kid. He’s reminded that Jason is only a year younger than him. But he’s been in this fight long before Percy ever knew it existed.

And Jason had no one. He doesn’t know what a caring home is like. So he sees the embodiment of that in Sally, has no idea how to act.

And it frightens him.

Percy wonders how he never noticed it before. How Jason wears such a mask so well. But he’s seen the real Jason Grace.

And he won’t forget him.

[causticsodaa]

Sure thing, @shamelesspierrot! I love Tsugeura and I think that his dynamic with Suo is hilarious, so this was fun to write x)

Let’s start off with their characters first: Both of them have a similar introductory style.

Suo is initially introduced as a practical jokester kind of character (which disproves Nirei’s speculation about him being cold/aloof). He keeps his ‘lighthearted character’ quota up until his fight with Kanuma.

This is when the tone of Suo’s character does a complete 180. It immediately catches the audience off guard and makes us (and Sakura) much more wary of Suo. What else is he hiding? Is this his true personality? Was Nirei right about Suo being cold?

But later down the line, we realize that Suo is a genuinely kind person who cares for Sakura and Nirei a lot.

Suo may not be the most honest of people, but his adoration and respect is wholeheartedly real, so the audience will either continue to debate on his character or be content with how he is now.

Tsugeura follows this same format, though its squeezed in during his focus arc and not dragged out like Suo’s.

In the beginning of the story, we only see glimpses of Tsuge working out in the background (much like Kiryuu, who was constantly on his phone). There hasn’t been much substance built around his character yet, so the audience assumes he’s just a musclebrain who really likes working out.

It’s not until nearly 30 chapters later that he is formally introduced (and we get more Nirei exposition about him).

However, Tsugeura is portrayed as intimidating for a brief moment, much like the setup for Suo. And like Suo, Sakura initially percives Tsuge as a threat.

This notion is immediately dispelled by the next moment:

Once again, the audience’s expectations are immediately subverted. Instead of an intimidating, jacked up guy, Tsugeura is an eccentric character who’s obsessed with virtues and working out.

And we find that even Tsugeura is a genuinely kind person as well—wholeheartedly apologizing to the girl he accidentally scared.

In fact, Tsugeura is incredibly honest and open.

This is very much unlike Suo, who is a secretive person—or at least, only keeps people’s at an arms length and doesn’t reveal much information about his personal life. He even lies about what he’s scared of, which is the complete opposite of Tsuge’s belligerently honest answer.

Another scene which puts Suo and Tsugeura’s characters up against each other is during chapter 108, when Sakura and his classmates are preparing for the war against Noroshi.

We mainly see Tsugeura praising Sakura’s skills, with the latter dismissing his claims (their friendship is so GOOD).

However, Suo interjects with this:

Instead of also complimenting Sakura like Tsugeura [and the others], he instead offers Sakura much needed “constructive” criticism: Sakura is good when fighting alone, but he’s bad with teaming up with others. His advice works out in Sakura’s [and Sugishita’s] favor during Noroshi, but I digress.

Alongside Tsugeura being very open, he’s also loud, personality and dialogue wise.

He also comes off incredibly strong to others:

In two of the three instances I’ve provided, it’s Suo who is criticizing Tsugeura. He often has an uncomfortable expression whenever he’s around him; it’s incredibly funny, given that Suo doesn’t normally make these types of faces.

Suo even goes as far as to call him annoying:

But isn’t Suo being a hypocrite? Even Sakura likes to [subconsciously] show off his skillset, and Suo is amazed by him!

Heck, Nirei is also very kind and hardworking, and Suo praises him too!

So whats the issue here?

Well, it’s been shown from Tsugeuras introduction scene that him and Suo have some sort of history. Other than Sakura (who was an outsider), Tsuge is the only person who has questioned Suo.

I’m not sure what their past could be or what answers Tsuge wants due to a lack of information (at the time I’m writing this). Though I speculate that they knew each other in middle school, or at least attended the same school.

However, Tsugeura only brings this up once. He doesn’t exactly push Suo to answer. In fact, he even considers being secretive a virtue.

Based off this scene, I also speculate that Suo and Tsugeura may have fought in the past (maybe so Tsuge could know more about Suo). It ended up with Suo losing, however he never followed up with Tsugeura for whatever reason. I highly doubt that Suo would be this judgmental if he hadn’t already interacted with Tsuge in the past.

Speaking of fights, I love how their fighting styles are complete opposites. Tsugeura is agressively offensive and very passionate, while Suo is passively defensive and remains calm (most of the time):

But this isn’t all to say that Suo hates Tsugeura. Despite his annoyance, Suo still respects him as a person and fighter.

Suo calls him strong, and the panel framing is very intentional here. We see Suo cast in a screentone to resemble a shadow, as if there’s something deeper to his statement—meanwhile, Sakura is drawn normally and looks at Suo with confusion. This could further support my theory of their possible fight in the past; Suo knows first hand that Tsugeura is strong.

Suo never directly insults Tsugeura. Although he is annoyed by his personality and enthusiasm (which the total opposite of his character), he still acknowledges that he strong—and a genuine guy who can be a bit sensitive sometimes. I’m excited to see how their relationship pans out in the future.

[multiheadcanons]

EVERYONE LOVES ENGINEER!

scout: aw, he loves that two by two son of a bitch! he’s fun enough to bother, but he doesn’t mean to exclusively be a jerk to the guy. engie and him don’t interact often, but on his good days they get along really well! as long as scout doesn’t bug him too much, and doesn’t follow engie like a dog, they get along just fine!

soldier: they get along quite well! frankly, when it’s just them two, engie really likes soldier. he can tell the man when it’s time to calm down, and soldier respects engineer and listens. and he likes that! their humors occasionally are very similar, but both of them have to be in joking moods, which engie rarely is; and both of them have to be feeling real breezy, which soldier rarely is.

pyro: pyro. loves. engie. if it was societally acceptable to set the people you love on fire live in 4k and not just the people you wanted dead that man would currently be slowly rotating on a spit, getting a nice crisped skin for pyro to take a nice bite out of. engie is only marginally offset by pyro’s… odder showcases of their appreciation and gratitude; but he loves that little weirdo. if anything, he knows it’s never a dull day with them around. and pyro also is someone who can go off of engie’s very direct social cues and behave accordingly. the autistic leading the autistic, if you will.

demo: aw, engie can make him blush sometimes. the reaction he gets from the texan with a well timed defense of the man’s nest is downright cute; the way his face just fills with relief. demo clowns him about it sometimes, asking if he needs a minute to himself. but the texan knows how to play a game. some of the things that man has responded with gets demo screeching and kicking his feet. they’re two little freaks (positive) together.

heavy: heavy appreciates engineer’s contributions to the team, genuinely! engie is intelligent, innovative, creative, humorous, self-reliant, and much easier to get along with than some other… geniuses on the team. but it’s what he misses in the texan. he never gets to see engineer at his worst, and that’s very purposeful on engie’s part. and heavy registers that. so he never feels as close, or that he knows the texan as well as he may think he does sometimes. he hears the rumors.

medic: see, medic likes engineer. a lot. really finds that they have more in common than the texan ever wants to admit that they do. and it’s because of that that engie avoids that man like the plague. the idea that medic finds any semblance in him makes engie wonder if he’s even doing the right thing. because he doesn’t believe in god, but he knows that man is going to hell. and engie has discarded a lot of morals to do the work he does. he’s come to many hard truths about himself to do what he does best: build futuristic devices that both provide and take life from others. it makes him sick. maybe he should talk to the doctor more.

sniper: sniper likes engineer until engineer starts acting weird. then he gets bad sniper vibes and has to get out of dodge. once engie starts talking about “what ifs” and hypotheticals he knows it’s time to go. he will, however, double back around to see the aftermath. it’s funny when it blows up in his face sometimes. he’ll share a beer with the guy if he offers! or if the texan mentions “i could go for a walk” you know he knows that the texan knows that we all know what that means.

spy: spy has what one could call a love/hate relationship with engineer. they both get along very well. respectful gentlemen with their own very societally acceptable forms of etiquette! most people would fold in a room with one of them alone. but their superiority complexes clash in a way that wouldn’t seem feasible. they see through the other’s niceties. which, fair, anyone is put on edge knowing that you’re fake. but that’s the game they elect to play with each other. and spy has this higher understanding of it that engie is not even considering; that there are times when they do get along, and they get along quite well! but if neither one of them is really willing to be open to the other, that’s a character defining trait they’re both choosing to fallback on to maintain security in themselves. but he’ll keep playing. he has nothing better to do. and his attempts to get to know the man more is met with suspicion. oh well.

[heliads]

GIRLFRIEND i adored your lewis hamilton fics and am BEGGING you to write one for our boy charles leclerc!!! reader could be the public relations manager for the team and after another one of ferraris (unfortunate) racing tactics the press is badgering charles about what went wrong and overstepping boundaries and reader (who would be charles' gf or something idk) kinda steps in and puts them in their place

girlfriend!! anything for charles!

masterlist

If there’s one job worse than being a Scuderia Ferrari strategist, it’s being the director of public relations for the same team. The strategists really do try, bless their misguided little hearts, or so they claim, at least, but they do tend to cause a fair amount of trouble. Every race week, you prepare your statements for every kind of mishap, and every race week, you find yourself scrambling to draft responses to all types of new problems. Delightful.

Well, at least it’s interesting. Besides, the need for all these responses keeps you in a job, so you can’t really complain all that much. If there was one person with a legitimate bone to pick, though, that would have to be your boyfriend. He’s the one out there on the track whose shot at the Drivers’ Championship slips away with every bad plan, but for some reason, Charles Leclerc has still managed to keep his public affection for his racing team in fact.

Publicly, that is. When no one’s around but the two of you, when no one can hear you but the moths clustering on the outside of your glowing windows and the curling wind after dark, Charles sighs and runs his hands through his already mussed hair and actually says what he wishes.

It’s sort of funny, actually, that the only person Charles feels safe to be honest with is the PR head for his own company. As if you’d do a thing to hurt either him or his reputation, though. With the daunting task of carrying the hopes and dreams of all the Tifosi, Charles’ image and the man himself are one and the same. If you can protect him in any way, why would you not?

You just have to take care that you’re doing it inconspicuously. Very few people on this earth know about your relationship with Charles, you’d done that on purpose. Both of you were afraid of the toll it would take on your respective careers should the news come out. You would be accused of unfairly favoring a fellow employee, and he would be called out for similar HR violations.

That’s what years of public relations occupations have taught you. That’s the textbook answer:  you don’t date your coworkers and so you don’t have to find out what sort of backlash that blunder would win you. In all reality, you have no idea what would happen. Ferrari loves Charles, and you’ve won them some serious Internet credit over the years. After steering them away from several controversies, you’d think they’d be willing to cut you some slack.

Such a scenario, of Fred Vasseur letting you date his golden boy, isn’t even feasible in your imagination, let alone real life. Your little fantasy of public acceptance will have to stay just that until several miracles happen all at once to twist the popular eye in your favor.

Until then, though, you’re happy with what you have, truly you are. You fell in love with Charles for a reason, despite your best efforts and smartest choices. He is a wonderful man and an even better boyfriend. No one in this world has prioritized you or cared about you even half as much as he does. Charles does nothing by halves– not his racing, not his passion for his sport and career, and certainly not loving you.

With him, you feel wanted, and with him, you are willing to hide until hell freezes over and you’re allowed to go public without risking your job. Right now, you have everything, and there’s no way you’d risk that. Working at Ferrari was your dream, and you’ve had it for years now. Falling in love with someone like Charles was beyond your wildest imagination, but somehow that came true, too.

And, when you speak to Charles, he says much of the same thing. Sometimes, when you talk to him, you can still see the boy who’d promised his father he’d drive for Ferrari, the same kid who stepped into a kart for the first time and knew it would be his world forever. Charles has a spirit wholly unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before, yet he still swears that his life wasn’t complete until he met you.

Despite all of his charm, you had still initially tried to resist your feelings for him. Charles had joined Scuderia Ferrari only a year before you did; both of you were relatively new to the love and scourge of the Tifosi. It had been easy, then, to talk with him, to laugh with him, to let him eke out a place in your heart. It was inevitable. It was glorious. It was him.

You hadn’t counted on falling for him, but before you knew it, your heart was doing slow loops in your chest whenever you saw him, and meetings suddenly became way more interesting because Charles always went out of his way to sit next to you. It didn’t matter that drivers usually avoided public relations and media people like the plague, you were suddenly his favorite person in the world.

You watched and waited for it to stop, for him to get distracted by someone else, but that time never came. Charles still stayed hopeless for you, and when you could no longer hide the fact that you felt the same way, he asked you out at last, high on the adrenaline rush of winning a race. You had said yes, of course, and everything after that was history.

Charles is yours now, and you are his. He makes everything make sense, even when the two of you are gnashing your teeth over godawful strategy calls. It’s good to know that he will always be there to discuss the day’s work. It’s good to know that you will always have him.

That doesn’t mean that the Scuderia Ferrari strategists are in any way let off the hook, though. In fact, since you’ve started dating Charles, your resentment towards their bad calls has only grown. Both of your jobs are on the line whenever the strategy team messes up, and yet the problems keep coming.

For example, this week you’re reckoning with another round of bad calls. This time was another erroneous tyre mixup. Charles somehow went into qualifying with two different kinds of tyres on his car, like the strategists ran out of mediums and they decided two hards and two softs would do the same amount of work.

Spoiler:  it did not, and now Charles will be starting the next race from a less favorable position than hoped. In between furious complaints from Charles and utter incredulity from yourself, you’ve been scrambling to come up with some sort of angle for the Ferrari drivers to play during their next interviewers. Yet another crazy turn of events, but when has Formula One ever been boring?

Just in case, you’ll be patrolling the paddock with the other drivers and their communication managers so you can be available if the reporters start asking the kinds of questions Scuderia Ferrari wants to avoid. You split your time evenly between Charles and Carlos; although you may be dating one of the drivers, that doesn’t mean you’ll be favoring him.

Still, you’re not exactly ignoring Charles either. Spending time with him is easier, you can spot his ticks and the invisible signs that he’s losing his patience better than anyone else. That’s the benefit of loving him, you suppose, it gives you the ability to read his mind without needing something as exaggerated as telepathy.

You can see this right now, actually. This one Sky Sports interviewer has been hounding Charles for a good long while now. Charles has attempted to walk away several times, but the guy can’t take a hint and actually started following him, camera guys running in pursuit. Charles’ grin is starting to slip, and his eyes have long since stopped looking happy.

Carlos is still doing fine, so you bid him a hasty goodbye and turn back towards Charles before anything too terrible can happen. As you’re nearing your boyfriend, though, you hear the interviewer pushing Charles more than he should in a simple moment for the media.

In fact, the guy’s getting physical, which is the one thing that certainly should not happen in an interview. Unable to avoid Charles’ attempts to end the prolonged interview any longer, the other man has run up in front of him, actually grabbing onto Charles’ arms to stop him in his tracks.

Charles looks furious, but you are so far beyond that. You appear right behind Charles, stepping in between the two men as quickly as you can. Judging by the fright that cascades across the interviewer’s face, your expression reflects exactly what you’re feeling right now, and that is not a good thing for him.

“I think my eyes must be deceiving me,” you begin slowly, “because it looked to me like you just put hands on my driver. That would be such a monumentally stupid thing to do, so surely something else must be going on. You must have enough fluff in your head to know that laying even a finger on my driver would be a colossal mistake. I know you’re not doing that. I know you’re not. Right?”

The interviewer visibly blanches. “Yeah, that’s right. I’m not– I wouldn’t–”

Your smile is sinister but oh so perfect. “That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. This interview is over now, right? You were just talking about how Charles has continued to prove himself a capable driver despite setbacks out of his control?”

The interviewer audibly gulps. “Yeah, that. A lot of that.”

“Wonderful,” you grin, “I’ll just stay right here then, to make sure you’re staying on track.”

You take a few steps back for propriety’s sake, but the interviewer doesn’t look like he’ll be trying anything again. You’ve properly frightened him, which feels quite good, actually. Perhaps you should do this more often.

Charles certainly looks like he’s a fan of this. He’s beaming ear to ear, which is certainly a change from the glower that had been on his face only moments before. He’s supposed to be focused on wrapping up this sham of an interview, but he can’t seem to focus for longer than a second without turning around to look at you again. You’ll really have to get after him about trying not to be conspicuous, but you’re feeling pleased with yourself at the moment, so you don’t have the heart for it. Maybe later. Maybe never.

The interviewer shudders. “She terrifies me.”

Charles grins after you, somewhat in a haze. “I know, that’s why I’m so glad she’s my girlfriend.”

Your jaw drops as you realize what he’s said. “Charles!”

Charles’ eyes immediately go wide. “I didn’t– she’s not– shit!”

The public reaction to this is, as expected, insane. For the most part, though, it’s very positive. The fans are glad to see you defending their driver, and thousands of people have voiced their support online for how clearly infatuated Charles is with you. The idea that your bosses would try to split up the two of you is horrible to them, and it’s horrible to you, too.

It’s a good thing, then, that the higher-ups at Scuderia Ferrari would much rather prioritize the future of their drivers and public relations experts than try to cut off this relationship. Vasseur gives you the okay by the next race, and actually adds in some comment about how he’s been wondering if Charles would ever get up the nerve to ask for your number. It appears that the two of you may not have been as expert at hiding your relationship as you thought.

That was your greatest fear, that you would lose your job over this, and now that the danger has passed, you feel an immense wave of relief crest over you. You can keep the life you’d always wanted, and you can continue having Charles be such a main part of it, too. This is exactly what you’d hoped for in your wildest dreams, but your eyes are open now, and full of delight.

Charles is thrilled, too. He immediately rushes to his Instagram to post his favorite photos of you, something he fondly tells you later was a long time coming. The rest of the drivers absolutely destroy him in the comments for being, quote, ‘the biggest simp on the entire planet,’ according to Pierre Gasly, but you don’t think Charles cares at all. He’s got you, that’s what matters most.

And, to make up for the whole debacle, he gets you roses. Ferrari red. He’s a terrible flirt and utterly unstoppable when it comes to winning you over. Shame he’s able to do it every time. It’s almost as if you could never hold a grudge against him for longer than a second. Still, the groveling does him good, and soon enough he’s got a monopoly over your smiles just like before.

So, when the next race rolls around, you’re able to stroll into the paddock holding the hand of your boyfriend. It is not half as terrifying as you’d thought. In fact, it’s kind of extraordinary. Just like him.

f1 tag list: @j-brielmalfoy

[museofthepyre]

Thinking about character analysis lately and I really wanna talk about the themes of privilege prevalent throughout CHNT... I wanna talk about how they're core to SO MUCH of the series imo, especially in relation to Jedidiah and Elijah's actions and similarities. With that, I wanna talk about the transfem Elijah hc- and explain why personally, I stand with Mayfield on the whole “let’s maybe not do that” thing.

But I don't want my nerdy character analysis ramble to feel... inflammatory? This is nothing more than my own personal takeaway from the series, and as always, I have nothing against the people who enjoy trans Elijah & Jeddie hcs (especially if it's a self-projection!). I just have a contrasting perspective, and a tendency to over-analyze media, so don’t let me sour your fun ;3

I'm not as interested in discussing morality as I am narritave congruency, just since many have said it before... that being, something something "out of all the characters to hc as transfem, let's maybe not hone in on the guy who's notoriously creepy and invasive and stalkerish. Let's just be mindful of the insinuations that come from pointing at him specifically and going "omg so transfem coded". Theres something to be said about how so many ppl neglect the transfem rep we actually have in favour of it — yeah, ykwim..." something something.

But I digress— I wanna talk about the narritave!!!!!

To contextualize my thoughts: I believe Jedidiah and Elijah are meant to be parallels. I believe neither of them are ill-intended or evil. I believe they both thought they were doing "good", but their respective worldviews were uniquely distorted. One of the things warping their perspective issssss: privilege!

Privilege (and the subsequent ignorance it fosters) is a large theme I’ve noticed throughout CHNT, a theme which both Elijah and Jedidiah's characters explore.

For Elijah, this comes in the form of... his total obliviousness towards just how scary his behaviour comes across to Sydney. He just doesn't seem to realize it at all— how his actions, regardless of their intent, are threatening and frightening and creepy as hell. As a cis white man, he's likely never had to adapt that specific kind of hyper-vigilance that women (both trans and cis) and transmascs all learn at some point in their life experience.

I don't think it's any coincidence that Sydney and Marisol (and Salem!!!) were afraid of Elijah— but Jedidiah, another cis white man, just couldn't wrap his head around why they were scared. Why they share an instinctual fear of this random sketchy human man, and why *this* freaks them out so much more than the whacky magical anomalies they encounter daily. He, like Elijah, lives in a totally different world, one where he's never had to be hyper-vigilant in that way! He's completely detached from Sydney and Marisol's perspective. He cannot sympathize, because he’s never had to. Both Elijah's behaviour AND Jedidiah's dismissal of it share the same root— a privileged perspective that they can't (or refuse to) see beyond.

Something I love about CHNT is how it explores real world issues in a heightened reality. Nobody is a cartoon villain here, their actions come not from evil, not from malice, but plain ol’ ignorance.

With this understanding... and the understanding that trans women ABSOLUTELY adapt this hyper-vigilance the very same way cis women and transmascs do (as Marisol stands to demonstrate)... the notion of a transfem Elijah becomes an entirely different character, because she would know!!!!! She would not share that privileged blissful ignorance!

A character who is scaring Sydney, knows it, and continues that behaviour with no regard for his suffering... vs a character who is so detached from Sydney’s reality that they’re completely ignorant to how much suffering they’re causing him in their blind attempt to “help”. One is knowing and malicious— one is catastrophically ignorant.

WHCH IS STILL BAD- but it’s consistent with those themes of ‘no evil cartoon villainy’ and 'character is doing what they think is right. they do not know what is right'. Elijah’s goal seems to be earning Sydney’s trust… and making Sydney fear him directly sabotages that pursuit, so I don’t think he’s doing it with real awareness/ intent. I also don’t think he had ulterior motives, in case that needs to be clarified. I think he (like Jedidiah) truly wanted to do what they thought was “right” for Sydney…

… Doing what they thought was right, all the while being completely oblivious to the suffering they're causing him inversely— because (say it with me now), they're detached from his reality, they cannot sympathize, they've never had to! Well, they COULD sympathize... but in order to do that, they’d have to sacrifice the bliss of that ignorance, which neither of them seemed ready to do. Not until the last episode when Jedidiah… maybe took his first few steps. Maybe. Hopefully.

Anyways yeah. This specific facet of Elijah's identity (cis guy privilege) feels crucial to his character, and contextualizing why he acts the way he does. Same goes for Jedidiah tbh. I think showcasing, acknowledging, and breaking down the harm of that ignorance is part of the story's message (in so many more ways than just this one example) (I have a whole other ramble locked and loaded about why I think Jedidiah is very intentionally written to be a wealthy healthy skinny cis white guy and how that impacts the narrative lol)

In case it needs to be stated I'm not asserting this as any One True Way of interpreting the characters, it's just what I got from the series ;3 and I wanna share because I like to yap! Sidenote here, we should pay more attention to Marisol. God, I love Marisol.

[starie-leo]

𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐧 𝐍𝐚𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐬

Time for me to read Anton's chart too. I know this is late but happy birthday to Anton and sorry for making everyone wait this long.

Small Note: He was on a Japanese fortune teller show where his chart was revealed and I calculated his rising sign using that but could only estimate his birth time. This reading will use that estimate instead and be in whole sign system.

Anton's chart surprised me a lot. I never expected him to be so martian all while being ruled by a gemini mars too but after reading his chart while looking at his life it started to make more sense. He also has a night chart so his moon is more active in his chart. Overall he's very ambitious, hard-working and also has great leadership qualities. Although his chart gives off very fiery, restless and impulsive energy, he can calm himself down and carefully think his way through things since he's also born at night.

Scorpio Rising:

Very mysterious, attractive, and magnetic placement almost in a intimidating way. As a scorpio rising, Anton leads his life in a very 'all or nothing' manner. He's quite loyal, reserved and can have a intense presence. He can be easily distrustful of people so he doesn't become friends with people as easily; you'd really have to prove that you're a friend to him or that you'd be loyal to him before he decides to have you as a part of his life. He's also a very resilient person since having a scorpio rising is an indicator of that as well as living a tough life. We probably can't tell since most of us see him on screen, but his stare would be very piercing and intense to look at in real life. Also an indicator of having a strong, sharp jawline. I did try to find more info on his personality that I could use as astrological evidence and wasn’t really surprised when I couldn’t find much on him but I guess that itself is evidence of him being a scorpio rising since they’re known to be private and hidden (or maybe I'm just bad at research).

Chart Ruler in 8H:

As if scorpio rising wasn't, Anton also has his chart ruler in 8H like Eunseok but unlike Eunseok, his chart ruler is mars. He's introverted, mysterious and secretive of course. He also may have made a major life decision which completely transformed his life and shifted his path while he was still young (becoming an idol for example). Indicator of someone who had to experience a lot of hardships early in life. Inheritance will play a major role in his life (he also comes from a wealthy family so this checks out). Much like Eunseok, even the ones closest to him won't get to know him fully.

Gemini Mars in 8H:

Anton is resourceful and intelligent at talking his way out of problems. He can be a very restless and impatient individual (also considering his aries stellium). He'd be great at any games or sports that require quick thinking and body-eye coordination (he used to be a swimmer before he was an idol). Also an indicator of having strong hands/arms or strong lungs. Similar to Eunseok even though they're opposite signs, he may enjoy lighthearted debates but for different reasons. For Eunseok, it's more about his personal beliefs and for Anton it's more about presenting the right information and facts. He may also enjoy word games. Good at multi-tasking; he's able to work on and focus on multiple passions simultaneously. He's also a very strong-willed and mentally strong individual (8H mars) and can recover quickly from painful situations to get back on track. An indicator of being good at managing crisis too. He's able to hide his anger well too, making him unpredictable when angry. That Japanese astrologer said he has a hidden masculine side to him well this placement is actually the indicator for it.

Aries Sun in 6H:

He's self-assured/confident, brave and ambitious. He'd also be well respected in his work-place. He also has sun sextile mars so he’s very energetic and can work twice as much as the average person. Also an indicator of being very ambitious. 6H rules competitors & rivals too so his sun being here means that he's almost naturally able to win against people and overcome daily problems easily. He's got good leadership qualities. He has good hygiene, health and also has the discipline to maintain it. Has great work ethic too and is extremely skilled at what he does; not one to do a half-assed job.

Aries Moon in 6H:

Strong survival instinct. Anton is very independent, passionate and ambitious. He’s a very playful person from the inside but can have some trouble getting that out. He’s got good leadership qualities as mentioned before and is quite enthusiastic and strong willed but can have issues expressing it properly where it’s like he can’t really assert himself without needing the right push and encouragement. I think he got it now though as we see him take the lead more often than before. He has a moon-mercury conjunction so he's also quite emotionally intelligent and is able to explain how he feels logically. This also makes him a well-liked person, to the point where even his haters can't deny his charm. He has moon sextile neptune, which indicates that he has vivid and rich imagination. Similar to Wonbin & Eunseok, Anton also has a 6H moon, but his health isn't as sensitive as theirs since it's in aries and he also has mercury and sun in the same house. This is also an indicator of being a hard-worker & highly perfectionist person (sorry forgot to put it in the last 2 readings). I’m starting to think that 6H moons might be an indicator for artists/idols because up till now all 3 readings of the members had 6H moon which feels like a crazy coincidence.

Aries Mercury in 6H:

Anton is very straightforward when communicating. This placement usually is talkative and talks very fast but Anton's chart leans on the private side, so I'll say he thinks very fast and can also be a fast & impulsive decision-maker but I do think he's the type to talk a lot online than in real life. He may have trouble with both talking too much and not talking enough like saying too much at the wrong times but then also not saying enough for others. He may also come off as argumentative or sassy at times. He has mercury-moon conjunction as mentioned earlier, this also makes him a very eloquent speaker and very soft spoken (as we all already know) since the moon softens anything it touches and mercury rules speech & voice. Can get nervous and shy when expressing his adventurous side. The only downside I see to this is that he can be quick to jump to conclusions and make rash decisions based on his emotions. He'd be very good at using his intellect to help others, efficient at problem-solving and getting out of problems by talking his way out (combined with gemini mars). Indicator of good, balanced health too. Anton has a really strong mars-mercury mutual reception so I also think he'd be really good at debates and arguments in general like I don't think you'd be able to win against this man easily.

Taurus Venus in 7H:

Probably the best venus placement right next to Wonbin's. Indicator of natural beauty and attractiveness. Has a sensual & luxurious look and vibe to him too. Also has good knowledge of aesthetics. Good placement for any kind of artist since it's also an indicator for having a natural artistic talent. Anton's relationships are peaceful and harmonious. He'd be a very loyal & stable partner. That fortune-teller also said he knows what women would like/want and this is the indicator of it because his venus (which rules women) is well-placed and doesn't seem to have any strong malefic aspects if you don't count outer planets and north node conjunction (if that counts as malefic). So he's easily able to attract people (attracts pretty people often too) to him. He's very cooperative and good at listening to others too. He'd be good at being diplomatic with people he doesn't like so he wouldn't make enemies very easily or just have one-sided enemy-ship lol. This is also maybe how other people view him, yk as a very peace-loving person. He can attract a lot of jealousy though. He has venus square neptune which can indicate that he may put his partner on a pedestal or have a blinded view on his relationships where even if the person is bad for him he can't really see the faults due to him liking the person. He'll have to learn it the hard way sadly. He can also have a blinded view on money; being an over spender for example. Definitely has high standards for partners & relationships too.

Virgo Jupiter in 11H:

His Jupiter is in detriment so he can have problems with being hopeful for things since he has a tendency to look at situations critically and realistically. Anton finds his hope and luck through his group and friends. This also means he can't be lied to easily, combined with his scorpio rising and 8H mars, he's good at analyzing things and also digging deeper to find out. If you want him to believe in something you'd have to give him good logical reasons. Fame and success indicator as it is in the 11H. He's able to find and become close with the right kind of people you know like people who can help him achieve his goals. Another sweet detail about his placement is that Anton finds his hope and luck through his group and friends.

Cancer Saturn in 9H:

He's likely afraid of being emotionally vulnerable. Again problems with having faith and believing and can be critical of religion/spirituality. Or he may be the opposite where he's very strict about religion. Anton may also have very strict morals. He could pursue a degree much later in life.

Uranus in 5H:

Anton's self-expression and creativity is very unique (almost in a strange way?) and could be hard to grasp for many people. We'll be see more of it when he makes solo music and he'd probably make music that would surprise many people. Like maybe a genre that we never expected him to do. He's also the type to rebel through his creative expression. Similar to Eunseok but not as strongly, he could be attracted to unique and weird people like weird in the sense that the people he likes/dates are so different from him that from our point of view it lowkey looks weird. He could have on-n-off or sudden relationships like he suddenly dates someone and suddenly breaks up. Also the type to be detached in dating.

Neptune in 4H:

I read that this is an indicator of someone who has no memory of their birth place as they got separated from their birth place when they were too young which fits well in Anton's case. He could have an idealistic view on family life and home like something very unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve. He also maybe puts his parents on a high pedestal too. Very secretive home life. This is good since he's an idol. His neptune and other outer planets aren't as prominent in his chart so it probably wouldn't affect him as much.

Pluto in 2H:

He might become obsessed with money and having financial stability and success. He can also have an obsessive spending habit and have strong desires to own many things at the same time. Pluto rules over major and drastic transformation so Anton's views on his self-worth and money can drastically change as he ages like he could start off as someone who's very materialistic and money-obsessed but then by the time when he hits like 30 he'd be super anti-materialistic.

He was fun to read for me since I don't usually see or read stelliums in a chart that often. I'm ngl I thought he was a leo rising only for leo to be his 10H instead. I'll update this reading if I learn anything new or find any interesting aspects.

[laughhardrunfastbekindsblog]

Recently read a post on social media from someone who shared that they don't understand why people complain about the lack of mourning for Tech in season 3, because in their opinion the depiction of grief was adequate, season 3 mentioned Tech several times, the squad are all soldiers and it had been 6 months so of course they've moved on, and what did we expect the squad to do, keep crying?

While I completely respect the person's opinion, I do feel the need to put out there that no, based on what I've seen, I highly doubt those of us who are dissatisfied with how Tech's apparent death was handled feel this way because the squad didn't completely fall apart and melt down in tears all the time.

Speaking for myself, at least, I wasn't expecting any of the brothers to have full-on conversations to work through their grief, and I certainly didn't expect waterworks from any of them (except maybe Wrecker, and he did shed some tears in the s2 finale).

I WAS hoping for something like "We're doing this for Tech" or "It's what Tech would have wanted" or even just a short scene of the entire family having a memorial for him. After all, real life soldiers DO honor their fallen brothers even if it's months after the battle, and even if they don't talk about their feelings or cry.

And given that the show has an EXCELLENT scene of one of those stoic soldiers actually honoring a fallen comrade (without talking or crying, I might add) and gaining some closure - Crosshair with Mayday's helmet - there is absolutely NO reason whatsoever why they couldn't have done something similar for Tech.

I didn't want season 3 to show the brothers perpetually stuck in mourning/grieving for Tech (which, ironically, is what the season pretty much ended up doing, and is precisely the reason why I find this aspect of the story to be so unsatisfying). I DID want season 3 to show the brothers healing from the loss of their brother, finding closure, and moving on to a point where they can openly honor and acknowledge him in meaningful ways, because Tech deserved at least that much from the family he had always loved and sacrificed for.

(For the record, while Tech has always been one of my favorites since day 1, if the show had killed off any of the other Bad Batch members and then handled their death the same way Tech's was handled, I'd be equally disappointed and dissatisfied. I don't think any of the Bad Batch needed to be killed off at all and I would have been devastated with any of their deaths; but if it "had" to be done, at the very least give them a Mayday moment!)

And in the end, this is just one of the major reasons why I'll be in the Tech Lives camp forever.

[persistentplums]

No matter what you think about Brock and Rusty one thing is true they raised those boys together. And anyone will tell you kids pick up qualities of their guardians/parents which influences how they go about things.

The influence of Brock on Hank is simple, it’s the one the show starts off with and we see easily throughout the show. I wish they could’ve done more with Dean and Brock, unfortunately they don’t overlap enough to do something with but when they have overlapped the small moments, you stretch it you can see the impact Brock has on Dean.

“He believes in this stuff, not like Hank.”

“I have watched you pull a man eye from his head, made him dance like marionette with his own optic nerves.” “At least I didn’t break his heart.”

Heart is Brock entire thing. He is punished for his act of heart going against OSI and getting Billy and Pete together, him racing back in PROM, his attachment to the Ventures, and funny enough his lack of any real love life is because Brock does things true to his heart even when he’s not supposed to (“you’re a tool for the government.”)

That’s super easy to see in Hank, he follows his guns, jumps in, doesn’t second guess if he’s wrong. For Dean it comes out in belief of there being Good Guys. Something Brock shares. For a man who has no real issue with murder the idea of “Good guys” is a thing he sticks with very seriously. Dean copies this to a Dorky level coming off naive but it’s literally the same packaged differently.

Hank knows though everyone is just some guy, a bad guy or a good guy you are just some guy. A lot like his dad in that respect, when you understand this is all a game you can’t really bother with genuinely thinking of sides just how you interact within it. (Hank not really put off about dating Sirena even if her dad is his dad arch. That’s more of an obstacle that they are put into arch and protag categories so he can’t date her normally bc it’s not an actual *thing* for him)

Dean however is under the firm belief there are sides, they can work together sometimes bc he’s seen it, but like Brock, he believes in sides and gets riled up by it.

Speaking of riled up, Dean has Brock temper. I didn’t think much about it to be honest, it shows itself twice physically (Rusty Camp, radiant of the baboon) but when I hop around episodes now I see it in newer episodes. Dean temper is similar to Brock when he is really pushed off the need to protect or save another quality that is picked up by Brock.

Brock aggression is something Dean who is used to seeing it come out when he, hank and doc need protecting, saving, or an affective tactic. Another thing is Brock was and probably still is both boys example of classic masculinity in contrast to their dad (I’ll get back to this on another post.) I think Dean unintentionally mimics it, and I kinda believe we would’ve seen more of it if Dean was put into more situations where he was worried for someone else since the Rusty camp one was for Triana and the movie was for Hank. (Both against Dermontt which shouldn’t count but I am which I will get to in a different post about jealousy in VB)

Brock is the stereotypical “man” he protects the home, he kills to protect, his basics are that man spiel I don’t need to say we know it. Brock masculinity is never questioned really, it oozes out of him and is loudly punctuated. When it comes to sex it’s the same thing, to a problem. I think Dean inherited that, im not saying the one time Dean did a shitty sex related thing makes him like Brock but I actually think it’s more of a Brock move than Rusty weirdly enough. Probably because Brock has hooked up with people wives/gf but that’s not the reason why I say it.

Dean reason with hooking up with Sirena wasn’t really solid, because I don’t think there was a solid reason he did it just because it was happening. That’s why I think it’s more of a Brock move. Rusty we’ve seen talked himself out of being with women who even like him, yes he hooked up with a fan bc she was a fan. She wasn’t someone who can end up seeing his flaws, end up maybe loving back because love is frightening for Rusty because he wants it. If there was a room and a woman who was slightly interested in Rusty, Rusty would magically get out of the room then COMPLAIN he is out the room. We see it repeatedly he will make up reasons really get in his head to jump ship only to stick to people who don’t love him. Or like him.

Hank is the same line but opposite, he is open to love! Yes like Brock his attention to who is quick and focused but Hank is committed because he wants to be loved. Hank is scared of not being loved, he worries although less obviously or loudly about it, and leans hard into it. Action man called him on it, that he resembles Rusty in being downright too attached.

I’ll be honest here it’s so unlikely to actually see it but once you see the Rusty in Hank you’ll end up seeing the Brock in Dean. I remember a YouTube comment saying “Dean is all the negatives [of other people] it’s why I don’t like him.”

I don’t hate Dean, I don’t love Dean but I get Dean so while I don’t 100% agree with that comment I do get it. Dean picks up sometimes the worst traits because he’s so easy to imprint on. He’s funny like that, weirdly easy to leave an impression on but unaware how he repeats things of people he doesn’t want to. Brock being promiscuous, Rusty nostalgic past, the idea of what is important to a man etc Dean mimics it unknowingly. I don’t think that was the root of hooking up with Sirena, (bc the reason is bs yall) I’m just thinking of domino effect of parenting.

There’s a lot of Rusty in Dean literally everything Dean has is Rusty. But where they don’t match up are the core, Dean now understands his dad and they are the same brand of Venture boy but I really think Brock influence on both boys is there for good and bad it just harder to find in Dean. But I think it comes out when Dean stops letting his mind run too much, when he trusts himself, when he’s standing up for something, when he lets his body drive.

But I’m just spitballing! I just don’t believe Dean is all Doc, just like Hank isn’t all Brock. We just didn’t get a lot of time with the boys switched around

[lucy-the-demon]

The one thing i hate about the Stardew valley fandom is how a lot of people demonize mental health issues. Like, Being somebody with clinical depression, PTSD and autism it really upsets me when people are mean about Shane and Kent.

They treat Hailey like she's the perfect woman because she's mean then Treat Shane like the scum of the earth for being mean as well.

I have a caffine addiction, and while it's not as horrible as having an alcohol addiction it's still an addiction that im trying to overcome and i have depression as well. So seeing people treat Shane like that, plus calling him a liar when he's not 100% happy and sober all the time it really upsets me to see how he's treated, and i don't like him because I want to fix him, its just nice to see depression portrayed so realistically and to feel represented in media and i just want to be there for him. I can relate to him, and when people insult him and treat him like the bad guy for being mean and depressed and not 100% sober i feel like im doing something wrong and I'm a bad person for having depression and anxiety

And i have PTSD over very different things then kent, but I understand things that trigger memories to events, if I see the person who mistreated me in life or if somebody mentions middle school I get really upset and will go on a rant about it, when I get so upset I get angry im brought back to those horrible memories, and I understand why hes stressed over something that seems minimal to others And people are mean about him too, hes not a bad person he's just got PTSD and he doesn't know how to handle it. I feel bad for him when the community is mean to him over that cutscene.

and these are fictional characters it makes me scared how they would treat a real human being with similar issues, like me. I joke about if you hate these characters you should hate me too but like, it really pisses me off how this community treats mental illnesses And being somebody with these issues i really just want to spread awareness on how i personally feel when people say horrible things about these clearly mentally ill characters that have issues that real people have

Mental illness isn't black and white y'know, and if you think it is i think you might wanna get your eyes checked because you might just be completely colorblind, or blind in general. the actual mental toll it puts on real people to be represented by characters who's mental illnesses are portrayed very realistically only to be treated poorly by uneducated fans of the series/game/movie/ etc. It's very heartbreaking to me personally..

I just want fans of Stardew to be more mindful of characters like shane and Kent because there are real people like them that have the same issues as them. You don't have to like them just understand that real people have been through the same things they have and be respectful of that. i mean I don't like Harvey but I am respectful of people with anxiety, I have anxiety too. I think everyone does at this point.. but i would never undermine his anxiety or say he's a horrible person Because he's anxious that's a disgusting thing to imply and it should be the same way with characters like shane and Kent but it's not that way

The double standard with shane and hailey is an argument that may just involve sexism but that's an entirely different argument that i don't wanna get into rn, but just know, you don't necessarily have to be a nice person to be a good person, and vise versa.

Tldr: you guys need to stop saying Shane and kent are bad people for having mental illnesses, it's really gross and insulting to those with mental illnesses

[maxdibert]

Hey!!!

Do you think Lily should have forgiven Snape for his insult? Do you think Snape and Lily were bad for each other (friendship wise)?

(By the way I love your posts :) also to anyone who has insulted you or anything, they’re wrong, only cool people can interact or be open on the internet like you :D so don’t listen to the haters, you’re great!)

I think they were two people who didn’t have much in common. They became friends because they were the only magical children in their area, and that’s something that can bond you deeply with someone when you’re a kid—the fact that you both identify with something and recognize each other as equals in a context where you’re quite different from everyone else. But those similarities were merely circumstantial and superficial. The moment they were placed in an environment where that difference was no longer unusual but rather the norm, their differences in character, goals, and worldview started to emerge, and they turned out to be completely incompatible.

It’s actually very common to have close friends in childhood and then suddenly stop talking to them during adolescence, and there doesn’t necessarily have to be a major reason or a moment of rupture like in Lily and Severus’s case—sometimes, things just happen that way. In their specific case, I think that’s part of what happened, but on one hand, Lily maintained the friendship out of habit, while for Severus, she represented an attachment figure, and he had a certain dependence on her because she was the only person he associated with the positive aspects of his childhood and the only one he saw as truly accepting him. It’s very common for abuse victims to cling to those who show them affection, especially in childhood, and to make those people their main emotional pillar.

I also think neither of them made any real effort to understand the other. Clearly, Severus never saw what the problem was if Lily wasn’t directly affected by what other Slytherins did—because he was there to intervene—even though we can all see what the problem was. But people rarely mention that Lily also made no effort whatsoever to understand why Severus ended up surrounding himself with those people. She never tried to understand the shit he was going through either, because she very matter-of-factly dismissed him as being obsessed with the Marauders, even though she knew they bullied him. On top of that, she directly told him that he should be grateful to James Potter, whom she knew was his main abuser.

Severus was a troubled kid, too focused on getting out of his problems and moving forward in life to realize how that might damage his relationship with Lily. And honestly, I think Lily was very used to being liked, she liked being liked, and she wanted to maintain the “gilded child” status she had at home in Hogwarts as well. That made her conveniently overlook aspects of Severus’s reality that weren’t convenient for her to confront because doing so would mean jeopardizing her status as the beloved Gryffindor golden girl, liked by everyone and pursued by the most popular guy in her house, who just so happened to be rich and a pureblood, despite her being Muggle-born. In the end, it all comes down to teenage narcissism in both of them, and that’s not unusual at all—relationships like that are extremely common during adolescence.

As for whether I think she should have forgiven him or not? That’s not really relevant, because everyone has the right to set whatever boundaries they see fit in their relationships. If for her, that was the limit, then that’s fine and should be respected. You don’t need a strong justification to end a relationship, a friendship, or to cut off a family member. I don’t think that’s something you need to defend. If you feel that someone isn’t good for you, then you have the right to walk away.

Now, if you’re asking me personally whether I would stop being friends with someone over a shitty insult, then no, I wouldn’t. I’ve stayed friends with people who have literally attacked me during psychotic episodes. I’ve remained friends with people I’ve physically fought with. I’ve continued friendships with people I stopped talking to for months. I’ve had brutally intense fights where we’ve said truly terrible things to each other, hit rock-bottom levels of cruelty, and still stayed friends.

Because my view of friendship is all or nothing. Friends are there for the good times, but especially for the bad times. I’m not interested in friends just for fun—hell, I can have fun moments even with my neighbor if I down three beers. Friends are there to put up with your shit, to stick around when you can’t even stand yourself, and to help you when you have problems, even if two days ago you were the biggest asshole on earth. That’s how I’ve always lived friendship, and that’s how it works with my lifelong group of friends.

[the-exiled-comic]

Is Crowstar really that bad? She killed an apprentice (on accident, while she was also young, if I remember correctly?), a scary tyrannical leader, a weird religious zealot and co. (who all seem pretty antagonistic), and… is blunt? Maybe I’m just desensitized to fictional murder (esp with these cats having a sick afterlife), but she seemed to do most of it in contexts where I can see her point (ex. Defending Fallen in battle, scary leadership, defense). The only part I can really see crowstar being a bad person in bold letters is when she attacks Dapplestar for revenge, but even then.. she has a reason. She believes TreeClan killed her respected friend and deputy, and is lying about it. Idk sorry if this comes across as somebody having to hold my hand that “murder lady is bad”, but in this fictional setting, her actions makes sense

short answer to this is just she likes murdering and murdering is bad. she holds little to no remorse over her actions, really only being somewhat regretful about the things that make her son upset

i dont think Crowstar is morally bankrupt as say, someone like Autumnstar, but a lot of her intentions are in the wrong place. She is also quite unapologetic about her crimes.

a long answer is... complicated. on a scale of evil characters i would put Crowstar on a similar ranking to Sandywing and Emberpelt, those two never killed anyone but they make up for it in other ways. Sandywing I would be tempted to rank more evil than Crowstar but truth be told she only feels like the most evil character because she actively is tormenting the POV character (which I'll come back to this pov mention in a minute) you are right that murder in cat-land is quite a bit different than murder in the real life world, but its more about why they did it how i would personally rank evilness within the comic is like, what their feelings/intent/goals are and also how much influence their actions have and how well the rest of the cats can recover from it.

So Autumnstar would be hands down the most evil cat as he is responsible for (directly and indirectly) responsible for a lot damage that the clans are still undoing. Crowstar, his protege, is not helping it be undone. She's still promoting both tyranny within Oceanclan and aggravation/violence against Treeclan, even though Dapplestar has clearly expressed multiple times they don't want to do this anymore.

Things Crowstar has done to keep this cycle of violence going are killing 4 clanmates as her first act as leader (rebellion is complicated but for the sake of the post I'm adding it because it wasn't clean cut self defense. there were choices, killing them was a conscious choice), smacking and manslaughtering a kid, antagonizing her clanmates, not stopping the fights between coralclaw and sandywing, not giving fishpaw a warrior name, killing dapplestar over a hunch that someone in treeclan killed cloverfall, hitting sandywing for insulting her ego.

I think she would appear a lot more evil if the POV was from Firespots, or even Whisperleaf, as she specifically targets the both of them. She appears to be not as bad because she stopped directly digging at Fishwhisker and seems to be mostly on her side now. She dislikes the same cats that we dislike (Sandywing, Emberpelt, Firespots) and has been trying to turn over a new leaf for the last several chapters. Granted that's pretty much only because her son is going to have to clean up anything that she doesn't clean up if Firespots does succeed in his plans to kill her. I'm very slowly making a prequel comic that explores some perspectives from this generation, doing to comics at once is hard tho lol. So it'll be seen eventually

[entamesubs]

Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush!! Episodes 140-145 Sub Release

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Please make sure to read the FAQ if you have any questions.

There are translation notes below for 142+, so spoilers ahead.

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臼と黒 / usu to kuro Usu and Dark

When Yuuhi accidentally reads it as "White and Black" during the preview, it's because 臼 (usu) and 白 (shiro, which means white) look very similar in terms of kanji, so Yuamu is chastising him for reading it wrong as they're two different characters.

翁丁臼 Otei Usu

Here's a funny one. Otes' "old-timey" name can be read as "old guy with mortar". Do with that information what you will.

お殿様 / otonousama + 武将 / bushou "Honored Lord" + "Military Commander"

There's some liberty taken with the titles the characters use in this arc as there's really no good English translation of them.

First, "Honored Lord" can mean a high minister or a lord (or both, it's not exactly exclusive). One of the synonyms given was "daimyo", but that is very much something completely different (and also, if they really wanted to call him a daimyo, they'd have just said it).

Second, Yuudias refers to himself as a 武将 (bushou), though as I researched it, 武将 (bushou) is normally translated to "warlord" which was fitting for that time. However... Yuudias is not a warlord. He neither has his own soldiers nor his own land. Given that he's basically trying to introduce himself the old-fashioned way to "fit in", and as a nod to his own military accomplishments, he probably just thought it was the right word to describe himself.

Though, it also felt strange to try and translate that as "military commander" considering that "Commander" is a real position in real life, and in the context of the show, was also something that Zwijo used to be titled with ("Supreme Commander"). We know that Yuudias' official military designation within the Velgearian army was "Captain" (from episode 20 & later 49).

Anyway, I went back and forth on this in my head. It was genuinely a little hard trying to think of appropriate titles that didn't make me feel as though I was mislabeling them. This strict adherence to the correct military title is the reason why Zwijo is usually referred to as "Lord Zwijo" in the subtitles when Dinois and Myuda address him as Zwijo-sama. They're still showing him the due respect he deserves as their Supreme Commander, I cannot call him "Commander Zwijo" since he is no longer part of the army.

It goes against what I personally would like, but given that I have no other ideas, "military commander" had to do for Yuudias.

This is basically a lot of words to say that the original idea was the best one, LOL. I guess Oda Nobunaga and Tokugawa Ieyasu were also known as "military commanders" back then, so it's not that bad... I just have a little bit of a complex about correct titling.

Speaking of Ieyasu...

Ah, how pleasant! Two awakenings and one sleep. This dream of a fleeing world! The roseate hues of early dawn!

Otes' summon chant for Outerverse Oblivion is a nod/reference to Tokugawa Ieyasu's death poem. It was customary back in the day to compose a poem on the verge of death by learned men (noblemen and monks, mainly).

This translation was taken from Phillip Johnston. While translating SEVENS/Go Rush is my forte, I defer to the professionals for poetry-related matters. It is so much more complicated translating poetry than it is some dialogue from a card game anime.

"The Yuudias Incident"

I cannot give a crash course on Sengoku era Japan in the span of a single translation note, but basically the era was very hectic due to the different lords fighting over land and to rule Japan. These lords also betrayed each other constantly, backstabbing and overthrowing the masters they served like changing clothes.

When Otes said that Yuudias rebelling is "fitting" for the time, he's referencing that same backstabbing endemic to the era.

The title of the episode is also a reference to one of these betrayals, known as "The Honnouji Incident". It was when Oda Nobunaga was betrayed by one of his vassals and forced to commit seppuku (kill himself).

from the hour of the rooster until the crow’s evening cries

The "hour of the rooster" is mainly known as around 5-7pm. I'm not quite sure when "the crow's evening cry" is supposed to be, but I assume around 9-10pm. Zwijo makes his proclamation as a way to say "children have to work until this time, then they can play" (as was the case back then).

Episode 145

Not really a TL note, but just wanted to point out something really cool about this episode.

The episode is a reference to "Blink" from S29E10 of Doctor Who (the season where David Tennant was the Doctor and the main female lead was Martha Jones).

Yuamu font changes

Baloo 2 -> Sephora Sans Serif Medium

This is the same font that all the Darkmen (+ Dark Meister) use, but now with Yuamu's old colors. I felt like it was a cute change to recognize who she was before and how she's changed since then while still retaining her old flair.

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Well, if the dub is to be believed, we have anywhere from 6 to 7 episodes of Go Rush left. It feels kinda strange being so close to the end and yet not quite seeing where the end could be, but I suppose the same thing happened with SEVENS.

Regardless, have fun and keep enjoying Go Rush!

"Are you back on normal weekly releases?" 🤷‍♀️しらん